Ultra-Wideband (UWB) wireless communication systems employ large bandwidths and low transmitted power spectral densities, and are suitable for operation as underlay systems which reuse allocated spectrum. The subject of this dissertation is Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MB-OFDM) UWB for high data-rate communication. We address four main questions: (1) What are the theoretical performance limits and practical system performance of MB-OFDM? (2) What extensions can be used to increase the system power efficiency and range? (3) Is it possible to estimate the system error rate without resorting to time-consuming simulations? and (4) What is the effect of interference from narrowband systems on MB-OFDM, and can this interference be mitigated? As for questions 1 and 2, we investigate the MB-OFDM performance, and propose system enhancements consisting of advanced error correcting codes and OFDM bit-loading. Our methodology includes the development of information-theoretic performance measures and the comparison of these measures with performance results for MB-OFDM and our proposed extensions, which improve the power efficiency by over 6 dB at a data rate of 480 Mbps. To address question 3, we develop novel analytical methods for bit error rate (BER) estimation for a general class of coded multicarrier systems (of which MB-OFDM is one example) operating over quasi-static fading channels. One method calculates system performance for each channel realization. The other method assumes Rayleigh distributed subcarrier channel gains, and leads directly to the average BER. Both methods are also able to account for sum-of-tones narrowband interference. As for question 4, we first present an exact analysis of the uncoded BER of MB-OFDM in the presence of interference from incumbent systems such as IEEE 802.16 ("WiMAX"). We also present a Gaussian approximation for WiMAX interference, and establish its accuracy through comparison with exact analysis and simulations. We then propose a two-stage interference mitigation technique for coded MB-OFDM, consisting of interference estimation during silent periods, followed by metric weighting during decoding, which provides substantial gains in performance in return for modest increases in complexity, and without requiring any modifications to the MB-OFDM transmitter. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Metal detection systems currently available to the general public ordinarily verify the presence of conductive material, not the shape. Shape detection is important for discrimination between dangerous and benign items. Test setups are developed useful for identifying the value of microwaves for shape detection behind selected material types. The behavior of this electromagnetic energy in homogeneous, isotropic, locally linear, temporally dispersive material is examined in the time and frequency domains. The results of the evaluations determine the behavior of continuous-wave microwave radiation and microwave pulses in such media. A unique method is then developed for detecting the shape of concealed conductive objects utilizing pulsed microwave ultrawideband spectra.

No description available.

A technique for wall compensation in the ultra-wideband (UWB) through-wall imaging radar is presented. The UWB system can be utilize in high precision measurements, but due to phase distortion and amplitude attenuation caused by the wall the precision is limited, the target is displaced, and the image is defocused.  In order to mitigate the wall effects, two methods are applied in this project. First, the unknown wall transfer function is estimated using real data measurements to design the inverse filter. Secondly, FIR Wiener filter is designed to improve the received m-sequence. After all, each method is tested using three parameters, the signal to noise ratio (SNR), the signal to clutter ratio (SCR), and the relative position error (RPE).  The inverse filter can eliminate the wall effects very well; it could correct not only the position of the target but also the image defocus. The new method can give improve the image quality and that can extend the use of UWB radar in many applications.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis deals with Symbol Error Rate (SER)-simulation of wireless communications and its application into throughput analysis of UltraWideband (UWB) systems. The SERs will be simulated in C++ using the Monte Carlo method and when some are calculated, the rest will be estimated using a novel extrapolation method. These SER values will be very accurate and in this thesis go as low as 1.0e-14. Reaching that low values would otherwise be impossible using the traditional Monte Carlo method, because of very large computation time. However, the novel extrapolation method, can simulate a SER-curve in less than 30 seconds. It is assumed that the noise belongs to the Generalized Gaussian distribution family and among them noise from the Normal distribution (Gaussian noise) gives the best result. It is to be noted that Gaussian noise is the most commonly used in digital communication simulations. Although the program is used for throughput analysis of UWB, the program could easily be adapted to various signals. In this thesis, throughput analysis means a plot with symbol rate vs distance. From any given symbols, the user can, with a desired minimum SER, generate an extrapolated SER-curve and see what symbol rate can be achieved by the system, while obeying power constraints of signals imposed by international laws. The developed program is, by comparing with published theoretical results, tested for QAM and PSK cases, but can easily be extended to UWB systems.

In this thesis, an estimation method adapted from MUSIC algorithm is presented for estimation of signal arrival time for impulse radio UWB systems. An accurate estimate of signal arrival time is considered essential in time-based wireless and indoor location systems. Since most wireless communications systems used for indoor position location may suffer from dense multipath situation, the accuracy of determining signal arrival time become an important issue for the time-based location systems. The fine resolution of UWB signals provides potentially accurate ranging for indoor location applications. However, the ambiguity caused by the unresolved first arrival path may still yield an error in determining the true signal arrival time. The presented method uses improved MUSIC techniques in time domains to estimate the shortest and the real signal arrival time for UWB radio link. For a two-multipath case, analysis and simulation results of multipath resolvability and the variance of estimation errors of signal arrival time are discussed.

Novel microwave transmitter and receiver circuits have been developed for implementing UWB (Ultra-Wideband) impulse radar imaging sensor operating in frequency band 0.2 to 4 GHz. with tunable operating frequency band. The fundamental system design parameters such as the required transmitting pulse power and the pulse duration were estimated for a presumed specific application, the pavement assessment. The designed transmitter is the tunable monocycle pulse generator with tuning capability for the output pulse duration from 450- to 1200- ps, and has relatively high transmitting pulse power from 200 to 400 mW. Tuning of the pulse duration was implemented by novel PIN diode switch configuration and decoupling circuit, and boosting of transmitting pulse power was made possible by using a high power pulse driving circuit and SRD coupling circuit. The synchronous sampling receiver system was designed by using the integrated sampling mixer and two reference clock oscillators placed in the transmitter and receiver respectively for timing control. A novel integrated CSH (Coupled-Slotline Hybrid)sampling mixer has been developed along with the design of the strobe pulse generator appropriate for the impulse radar system. The integrated sampling mixer has unprecedented conversion loss of 2.5 dB for the pulse signal, bandwidth 5.5 GHz, and dynamic range 50 dB. The introduced UWB LNA (Low Noise Amplifier) design operating up to 4 GHz should be useful for weak signal detection applications. The design of the UWB microstrip quasi-horn antenna was optimized for short pulse transmission with respect to the input return loss and the pulse stretching effect. For signal detection in the signal processing stage, the background subtraction technique and B-scan data format were used. A novel signal monitoring technique was introduced in the signal processing to compensate the frequency modulation effect of the reference clock. The test results for the complete system with respect to some sample multi-layer structures shows good receiving pulse waveform with low distortion, enough pulse penetration depth for 13” pavement sample structure, and minimum 1-in of range resolution.

Thesis (M.S.)--Tennessee Technological University, 2009. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Feb. 9, 2010). Bibliography: leaves 102-108.

There are a growing number of ultra-wideband applications, which involve the radiation or reception of electromagnetic signals over frequency bandwidths ranging from 1.3:1 to over 10:1. In the design of antennas for ultra-wideband systems, many design objectives must be considered, including impedance matching, radiation efficiency, radiation pattern stability, size, and possibly impulse response. Given the very wide bandwidths considered, it can be challenging to meet all objectives simultaneously, and optimization techniques are useful to achieve a reasonable compromise between objectives. In this dissertation, multi-objective Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimization is used to design ultra-wideband antennas for use in wireless communications and low frequency radio astronomy. GA optimization is first applied to the design of ultra-wide bandwidth planar monopole antennas, which exhibit a narrow-band frequency notch in order to mitigate interference with co-located radio systems. The GA optimizer uses a weighted sum cost function related to impedance matching and radiation patterns at frequencies within both the wide operating band and the narrow notch band to improve antenna performance. A two-dimensional matrix chromosome is used in the GA to represent a wide-range on planar element shapes. It is shown that the GA generates antenna designs which exhibit wideband performance equal to traditional band-notched designs, but have improved azimuth plane radiation pattern symmetry, which widens the effective notch bandwidth. Pareto GA optimization is then applied to the design of planar dipole antenna elements operating over a ground plane for use in a low frequency radio telescope array. The objectives considered include Galactic background or "sky noise reception level, and radiation patterns over the operating band of 20 to 80 MHz. It is demonstrated that the Pareto GA approach generates a set of designs, which exhibit a wide range of trade-offs between the two design objectives, and satisfy all applied geometrical constraints. Multiple GA executions are performed to determine how antenna performance trade-offs are affected by different geometrical constraint values, feed impedance values, radiating element shapes and orientations, and ground conditions. In a follow-up to the previous study, the effects of mutual coupling in a low frequency radio telescope array are considered. It is first shown that a simple receive-based definition of coupling between two antennas can be used to design antenna elements which exhibit reduced mutual coupling effects when operated in a large phased array. This result is utilized in order to perform Pareto GA optimization of wire frame bow-tie dipole elements in terms of mutual coupling, as well as sky noise response and radiation patterns over the 20 to 80 MHz band. The GA generates a set of designs that span a wide range of objective values. The results are analyzed to understand the trade-offs that may be made between the three objectives. / text