A comprehensive system-level simulation paradigm for UWB systems

Abstract

The prevalence of ultra-wide band (UWB) in wireless systems (e.g. imaging radar, positioning, and communication) has increased greatly in the last decade following the ruling by the Federal Communications Commission to allow system operation over the 3.1–10.6 GHz band [1]. These systems utilize state-of-the-art technology both in the radio frequency (RF) front-end and digital back-end. A need exists to be able to accurately simulate these complex systems at the system-level [2, 3]. Difficulties exist in accurately simulating these complex systems given the varying levels of complexity in both the digital and analog devices of the system (e.g. transistor level, component level, and overall system level) [4]. Additional complexity is added by antenna effects, phase center variation, and the UWB indoor channel environment. In this work, we outline a general simulation framework which can be used to simulate a variety of UWB systems (e.g. imaging radar, positioning, and communication). We also illustrate how simulated results can be directly compared to experimental results for two distinct UWB systems: a through wall imaging radar system and a high accuracy indoor positioning system. These examples illustrate the need for comprehensive simulation paradigms for rapid design prototyping and optimizing of the UWB systems.