Eigen-based receivers for the detection of random UWB signals

Wireless ultra-wideband (UWB) receivers usually employ a deterministic clean pulse or pulses derived from a Gaussian monocycle as a template for correlation. A deterministic template cannot be expected to have high correlation with random UWB signals at all times. Such a mismatch can significantly degrade the system error performance. In this letter, a deterministic template is designed to maximize the energy capture capability on ensemble average, ending up with the eigen-based correlator. The eigen-based correlator can be used alone or alongside path diversity to further enhance signal detection. The new receivers outperform their counterparts using a clean pulse, as shown by theoretical analysis, and demonstrated by numerical results based on real UWB data