Low-complexity training for rapid timing acquisition in ultra wideband communications

Rapid timing acquisition with low complexity constitutes a major challenge in realizing the high potential ultra wideband (UWB) technology promises for indoor wireless communications. We design and test such a timing acquisition algorithm based on training symbols. Relying on a judiciously designed preamble, our algorithm achieves clock synchronization at the receiver using simple integrate-and-dump operations over the symbol duration. Analysis and simulations confirm that with a small number of training symbols, our scheme brings bit-error-rate (BER) performance close to that corresponding to the case with perfect timing.