Synchronization Algorithm Based on Pseudo Random Time-Hopping Codes for UWB Systems

In this paper, we propose a new blind synchronization algorithm for ultra-wideband (UWB) systems based on pseudo random time-hopping (TH) codes. The synchronization parameter is acquired by using integrate-and-dump (I&D) among several segments (these segments are chosen according to a user-specific TH codes) of the observation waveform and peak-picking the outputs of the I&D device. Due to the pseudo random property of the TH codes, the maximum significantly differs from other values, thus the proposed algorithm has high immunity to noise. Owing to the periodicity of the TH codes, one symbol-long observation interval is enough to achieve synchronization, which speeds up the overall synchronization process. Simulations and comparisons confirm that our algorithm outperforms existing similar one in terms of normalized mean square error (NMSE) and bit error rate (BER).