Multi-User, Time-Reversal UWB Communication for Railway Systems

In this paper we propose to apply Time Reversal (TR) technique and UWB radio technology for railway signalization systems. UWB technology has the potential to offer simultaneous ground-to-train communication, train location and obstacle detection in front of the trains. Time Reversal channel prefiltering facilitates signal detection and helps to reduce interference effect. Thus, UWB-TR combination provides a challenging, economically sensible, as well as technically effective alternative solution to existing technologies used in signaling systems. This paper concentrates on the communication question and reports a performance evaluation of such combinations in a railway tunnel. A new approach is also proposed to ensure multiple access MA communication using modified-orthogonal-functions-based waveforms.