Integration and Prototyping of a Pulsed RF Oscillator with an UWB Antenna for Low-Cost, Low-Power RTLS Applications.

Stefano Bottigliero,Riccardo Maggiora

doi:10.3390/s21186060

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to present a compact low-cost and low-power prototype of a pulsed Ultra Wide Band (UWB) oscillator and an UWB elliptical dipole antenna integrated on the same Radio Frequency (RF) Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and its digital control board for Real Time Locating System (RTLS) applications. The design is compatible with IEEE 802.15.4 high rate pulse repetition UWB standard being able to work between 6 GHz and 8.5 GHz with 500 MHz bandwidth and with a pulse duration of 2 ns. The UWB system has been designed using the CST Microwave Studio transient Electro-Magnetic (EM) circuit co-simulation method. This method integrates the functional circuit simulation together with the full wave (EM) simulation of the PCB’s 3D model allowing fast parameter tuning. The PCB has been manufactured and the entire system has been assembled and measured. Simulated and measured results are in excellent agreement with respect to the radiation performances as well as the power consumption. A compact, very low-power and low-cost system has been designed and validated.

Highlights

In recent years a great interest has been shown in Ultra Wide Band (UWB) localization technology, demonstrated by the definition of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for precision ranging [1]
In this paper we propose a compact, very low-power and low-cost solution for both the Radio Frequency (RF) module of a transmitting tag that integrates a pulsed RF oscillator with a UWB antenna, and a digital pulse sequence generator that drives the RF oscillator circuit
The integration of the pulsed RF oscillator with the UWB antenna and the digital sequence generator is a major requirement in order to reduce the tag dimensions, manufacturing cost and power requirements

Summary

Introduction

In recent years a great interest has been shown in UWB localization technology, demonstrated by the definition of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for precision ranging [1]. In this paper we propose a compact, very low-power and low-cost solution for both the RF module of a transmitting tag that integrates a pulsed RF oscillator with a UWB antenna, and a digital pulse sequence generator that drives the RF oscillator circuit. The integration of the pulsed RF oscillator with the UWB antenna and the digital sequence generator is a major requirement in order to reduce the tag dimensions, manufacturing cost and power requirements. The main issue is to be able to tune the oscillator output with the antenna using the smallest PCB area possible. To achieve this result, it is important to understand the design implications when a real PCB is involved. Thanks to the EM/circuit co-simulation approach, we are able to evaluate the effects of the different PCB elements on the tag behavior

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion