Ranging in a Single-Input Multiple-Output (SIMO) System

In this letter, optimal ranging in a single-input multiple-output (SIMO) system is studied. The theoretical limits on the accuracy of time-of-arrival (TOA) (equivalently, range) estimation are calculated in terms of the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB). Unlike the conventional phased array antenna structure, a more generic fading model is employed, which allows for the analysis of spatial diversity gains from the viewpoint of a ranging system. In addition to the optimal solution, a two-step suboptimal range estimator is proposed, and its performance is compared with the CRLBs.