Abstract: Disclosed is an ultra-wideband integrated circuit having a transmitter, a receiver, and a non-volatile memory configured to store a time-of-flight between the transmitter and receiver. Also included is an interface configured to communicate with a processor configured to calculate the time-of-flight. Further included is a digital transceiver configured, in response to a loopback mode, to cause the transmitter to transmit a plurality of ultra-wideband frames directly to the receiver, measure a time-of-flight for each of the plurality of ultra-wideband frames received by the receiver and generate a data set for calculating the time-of-flight associated with each measured time-of-flight, send the data set to the processor, receive from the processor the time-of-flight calculated from the data set, and store the time-of-flight in the non-volatile memory.

Abstract: An antenna array (10) for detecting an incoming radio wave (52) having an operating wavelength, comprising: a plurality of antenna elements (12) arranged in an array with a periodic repetition of the antenna elements (12). Each antenna element (12) comprises a slot (32) being shaped such that the polarisation of the corresponding antenna element (12) is non-linear, and having a first axis (A1) and a second axis (A2) orthogonal to the first axis. Each of the first and second axes (A1; A2) has a length in the range of about 0.05-0.2 times the operating wavelength of the incoming radio wave (52) and the ratio of the length of the first axis A1 to the length of the second axis A2 is between about 1-2.5. There is also a method of configuring an antenna array 10 for detecting an incoming radio wave (52), and a method of determining the angle of arrival of a radio wave (52) impinging on such an antenna array (10).

Abstract: An antenna array (10) for detecting an incoming radio wave (52) having an operating wavelength, comprising: a plurality of antenna elements (12) arranged in an array with a periodic repetition of the antenna elements (12). Each antenna element (12) comprises a slot (32) being shaped such that the polarisation of the corresponding antenna element (12) is non-linear, and having a first axis (A1) and a second axis (A2) orthogonal to the first axis. Each of the first and second axes (A1; A2) has a length in the range of about 0.05-0.2 times the operating wavelength of the incoming radio wave (52) and the ratio of the length of the first axis A1 to the length of the second axis A2 is between about 1-2.5. There is also a method of configuring an antenna array 10 for detecting an incoming radio wave (52), and a method of determining the angle of arrival of a radio wave (52) impinging on such an antenna array (10).

Abstract: In an ultra-wideband (“UWB”) receiver, a received UWB signal is periodically digitized as a series of ternary samples. During a carrier acquisition mode of operation, the samples are continuously correlated with a predetermined preamble sequence to develop a correlation value. When the value exceeds a predetermined threshold, indicating that the preamble sequence is being received, estimates of the channel impulse response (“CIR”) are developed. When a start-of-frame delimiter (“SFD”) is detected, the best CIR estimate is provided to a channel matched filter (“CMF”). During a data recovery mode of operation, the CMF filters channel-injected noise from the sample stream. Both carrier phase errors and data timing errors are continuously detected and corrected during both the carrier acquisition and data recovery modes of operation. The phase of the carrier can be determined by accumulating the correlator output before it is rotated by the carrier correction.

Abstract: In an ultra-wideband (“UWB”) receiver, a received UWB signal is periodically digitized as a series of ternary samples. During a carrier acquisition mode of operation, the samples are continuously correlated with a predetermined preamble sequence to develop a correlation value. When the value exceeds a predetermined threshold, indicating that the preamble sequence is being received, estimates of the channel impulse response (“CIR”) are developed. When a start-of-frame delimiter (“SFD”) is detected, the best CIR estimate is provided to a channel matched filter (“CMF”). During a data recovery mode of operation, the CMF filters channel-injected noise from the sample stream. Both carrier phase errors and data timing errors are continuously detected and corrected during both the carrier acquisition and data recovery modes of operation. The phase of the carrier can be determined by accumulating the correlator output before it is rotated by the carrier correction.