Synchronization and Integration Region Optimization for UWB Signals with Non-coherent Detection and Auto-correlation Detection

Non-coherent detection and auto-correlation detection are promising techniques for low complexity, low cost and low data rate ultra-wideband communication applications. For both schemes, the integration region of a receiver integrator significantly affects the bit error rate (BER) performance. In this paper, a method of synchronization and estimating the optimal integration region, i.e., the initial point and the length of the integration, is presented. Following a theoretical BER analysis, a data-aided estimation method using the idea of inter-symbol correlation is proposed. It is shown that using noise corrupted received signals, the proposed method is not only practically applicable, but also enhances the performance compared to non-optimal timing methods.