Synchronization algorithms for UWB signals

This paper is concerned with timing recovery for ultra-wideband communication systems operating in a dense multipath environment. Two timing algorithms are proposed that exploit the samples of the received signal to estimate the start of the individual frames with respect to the receiver's clock (frame timing) and the location of the first frame in each symbol (symbol timing). Channel estimation comes out as a by-product and can be used for coherent matched filter detection. The proposed algorithms require sampling rates on the order of the inverse of the pulse duration. Their performance is assessed by simulating the operation of coherent and differential detectors. Their sensitivity to the sampling rate is discussed, and the effects of the multiple access interference are evaluated.