Performance evaluation of threshold-based TOA estimation techniques using IR-UWB indoor measurements

Ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) technology is a viable candidate for enabling accurate localization through time of arrival (TOA) based ranging techniques. These ranging techniques exploit the high time resolution of the UWB signals to estimate the TOA of the first signal path. Nevertheless, these techniques are facing the problem of proper multipath mitigation especially in harsh propagation environments in which the first path may not exist or it may not be the strongest. This paper presents a realistic comparison between the ranging performances of four threshold-based TOA estimation techniques using experimental data collected from an IR-UWB indoor propagation measurement campaign performed in an office building.