Bit error rate performance of IR‐UWB ED‐PPM system using cooperative dual‐hop AF strategy

Abstract

This study presents a novel analytical approach for evaluation of bit error rate (BER) performance of an impulse radio-ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) energy detector-pulse position modulation (ED-PPM) system, using dual-hop cooperative amplify and forward (AF) relaying strategy with optimum diversity combining, over IEEE 802.15.4a UWB channel. An approximate expression for BER has been derived based on energy detection principle. The analytical BER expression thus derived is validated with computer simulations, which confirm the accuracy in approximation used in investigation of BER. Furthermore, it is observed that the BER performance of IR-UWB ED-PPM system, improves substantially using dual-hop cooperative AF scheme, compared with non-cooperative scheme. Despite its poor BER performance, ED systems are preferred over AC systems, because of simplicity and low complexity.