Design of impulse generation circuit for ultra-wideband range sensor testing system

Abstract

Ultra-wideband (UWB) range sensor testing system is an efficient way of testing UWB range sensors. The circuit for UWB impulse generation is one key element of the system. Current impulse generators are mainly designed for Gaussian pulse or Gaussian monocycle, which cannot be used in the testing system directly. Based on sphere target assumption, this paper presents a circuit that can generates second order Gaussian impulse to simulate sensor target return signals for sensor testing, using step recovery diode and UWB filter co-design. Parameters of SRD circuit and UWB filter are determined by simulation. According to simulation results, an impulse circuit is fabricated and measured. The measurement results coincide with theoretical second order Gaussian signal, which means that the presented method is feasible for UWB range sensor testing system.