Multi-hop IR-UWB WPAN Architecture and Protocols

As described in the scope of the IEEE 802.15 working group, impulse radio ultra wide band (IR-UWB) is suitable for many wireless personal area network (WPAN) applications. Due to the short radio coverage of the UWB technology limited by the FCC regulations, IR-UWB devices that participate in a WPAN may not be always reachable within the single hop. The multi-hop capability will be a substantial requirement in IR-UWB based WPAN networks for diverse application scenarios. However, the existing WPAN solutions most target for the single-hop network and the IR-UWB physical features are rarely taken into account in the protocol design. In our research, we focus on how to incorporate IR-UWB devices into a multi-hop WPAN and how to realize data communication between any pair of nodes in the WPAN. The generic network architecture and new data link layer protocols are proposed for solving the multi-hop connectivity problem as well as being optimized for IR-UWB physical features. The approach enables connection oriented transmissions by explicitly scheduling on forwarding paths so as to enhance channel utilization efficiency. The approach fills a research gap between the specific IR-UWB applications and the existing WPAN standards.