Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

Introduction

What is UWB?

UWB is a wireless technology that transmits binary data—the 0s and 1s that

are the digital building blocks of modern information systems. It uses low-
energy and extremely short duration (in the order of pico seconds) impulses or
bursts of RF (radio frequency) energy over a wide spectrum of frequencies, to
transmit data over short to medium distances, say about 15—100 m. It doesn’t
use carrier wave to transmit data.

UWB is fundamentally different from existing radio frequency technology. For

radios today, picture a guy watering his lawn with a garden hose and moving
the hose up and down in a smooth vertical motion. You can see a continuous
stream of water in an undulating wave. Nearly all radios, cell phones, wireless
LANs and so on are like that: a continuous signal that's overlaid with
information by using one of several modulation techniques.

Now picture the same guy watering his lawn with a swiveling sprinkler that
shoots many, fast, short pulses of water. That's typically what UWB is like:
millions of very short, very fast, precisely timed bursts or pulses of energy,
measured in nanoseconds and covering a very wide area. By varying the pulse
timing according to a complex code, a pulse can represent either a zero or a
one: the basis of digital communications.

Wireless technologies such as 802.11b and short-range Bluetooth radios

eventually could be replaced by UWB products that would have a throughput
capacity 1,000 times greater than 802.11b (11M bit/sec). Those numbers mean
UWB systems have the potential to support many more users, at much higher
speeds and lower costs, than current wireless LAN systems. Current UWB
devices can transmit data up to 100 Mbps, compared to the 1 Mbps of
Bluetooth and the 11 Mbps of 802.11b. Best of all, it costs a fraction of current
technologies like Blue-tooth, WLANs and Wi-Fi.

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ULTRA-WIDEBAND OPERATION

This part sets out the regulations for unlicensed ultra-wideband transmission
systems.

Definitions.

(a) UWB Bandwidth. For the purpose of this subpart, the UWB bandwidth is
the frequency band bounded by the points that are 10 dB below the highest
radiated emission, as based on the complete transmission system including the
antenna. The upper boundary is designated fH and the lower boundary is
designated fL. The frequency at which the highest radiated emission occurs is
designated fM.

(b) Center frequency. The center frequency, fC, equals (fH + fL)/2.

(c) Fractional bandwidth. The fractional bandwidth equals 2(fH - fL)/ (fH + fL).

(d) Ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitter. An intentional radiator that, at any point

in time, has a fractional bandwidth equal to or greater than 0.20 or has a UWB
bandwidth equal to or greater than 500 MHz, regardless of the fractional
bandwidth.

(e) Imaging system. A general category consisting of ground penetrating radar

systems, medical imaging systems, wall imaging systems through-wall imaging
systems and surveillance systems. As used in this subpart, imaging systems
do not include systems designed to detect the location of tags or systems used
to transfer voice or data information.

(f) Ground penetrating radar (GPR) system. A field disturbance sensor that is
designed to operate only when in contact with, or within one meter of, the

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ground for the purpose of detecting or obtaining the images of buried objects or
determining the physical properties within the ground. The energy from the
GPR is intentionally directed down into the ground for this purpose.

(g) Medical imaging system. A field disturbance sensor that is designed to

detect the location or movement of objects within the body of a person or
animal.

(h) Wall imaging system. A field disturbance sensor that is designed to detect
the location of objects contained within a “wall” or to determine the physical
properties within the “wall.” The “wall” is a concrete structure, the side of a
bridge, the wall of a mine or another physical structure that is dense enough
and thick enough to absorb the majority of the signal transmitted by the imaging
system. This category of equipment does not include products such as “stud
locators” that are designed to locate objects behind gypsum, plaster or similar
walls that are not capable of absorbing the transmitted signal.

(i) Through-wall imaging system. A field disturbance sensor that is designed to

detect the location or movement of persons or objects that are located on the
other side of an opaque structure such as a wall or a ceiling. This category of
equipment may include products such as “stud locators” that are designed to
locate objects behind gypsum, plaster or similar walls that are not thick enough
or dense enough to absorb the transmitted signal.

(j) Surveillance system. A field disturbance sensor used to establish a

stationary RF perimeter field that is used for security purposes to detect the
intrusion of persons or objects.

(k) EIRP. Equivalent isotropically radiated power, i.e., the product of the power
supplied to the antenna and the antenna gain in a given direction relative to an
isotropic antenna. The EIRP, in terms of dBm, can be converted to a field
strength, in dBuV/m at 3 meters, by adding 95.2. As used in this subpart, EIRP

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refers to the highest signal strength measured in any direction and at any
frequency from the UWB device.

(l) Law enforcement, fire and emergency rescue organizations. As used in this
subpart, this refers to those parties eligible to obtain a license from the FCC
under the eligibility requirements specified.

(m) Hand held. As used in this subpart, a hand held device is a portable
device, such as a lap top computer or a PDA, that is primarily hand held while
being operated and that does not employ a fixed infrastructure.

ULTRA WIDE BAND- A WIRELESS DATA TRANSFER

TECHNOLOGY

The concepts of communication and computation are so close that their tight
connection is obvious even for PR departments of major IT companies. Quite
often it makes no sense to separate these concepts. Today, speaking about
growing power of computing devices we imply both growing performance of
their processors and growing throughput of their communication channels. The
communication channels include internal:
• caches
• system buses
• memory interfaces
• interfaces of storage devices
...and external:
• interfaces of peripherals
• wireless network channels
• wired network channels
structures of data transfer.

External wired communication channels are developing mainly in two

directions - cost reduction and increase of availability of optical channels (top-

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down) and growth of throughput (bottum-up). However, the two physical

carriers are not so close yet (first of all, in prices) to be involved in direct
competition - in 90% of cases a character of a problem to be solved determines
the technology to be preferred.

Internal wired channels are switching over from specialized parallel interfaces
to high-level serial packet interface (Serial ATA, 3GIO/PCI Express, Hyper
Transport). It fosters a convergence of external and internal communication
technologies: in future separate components of a computer case will be
combined into a normal network. It's quite a logical solution - a modern chipset,
thus, works as a network switch equipped with multiple interfaces such as a
DDR memory bus or a processor bus and AGP/PCI.

Wireless channels are just at the formation stage now in terms of the range of
applications. Today they can be used effectively only for a small part of
communication tasks, including the most important problem of developing a
global network infrastructure. Wireless technologies are only partially suitable
for local communications, first of all, because of a low throughput. At present,
there are two prevailing wireless standards:

• BlueTooth - a wireless interface of a low throughtput for peripherals and

communication between objects located not very far from each other.
• 802.11a / 802.11b - a standard Ethernet network with a common
medium for developing a general-purpose network infrastructure.

The BlueTooth and its followers will free your workplace from cables replacing
them with multiple low-speed peripheral interfaces (keyboard, mouse,
undemanding scanner or printer, IrDA). The 802 standard will play a role of the
"last network interface" connecting the infrastructure and end access points.
The first type of the 802 standard has a high throughput, over 50 Mbit, and is
primarily meant for saturated and compact networks of enterprises and offices.
The base frequency (5 GHz) penetrates much worse into neighboring rooms

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than 2.4 GHz of the 11Mbit standard. The 802.11b standard is a match for
home and various residential and public structures such as airports, cafes,
cinemas, trade houses.

Cellular communication standards, including the struggling 3G, are the

candidates for a wide territorial data transfer standard. But the widespreading
802.11 can make problems for the third generation of cellular networks as their
niches overlap a lot.

Now turning to the peripherals and internal communications , having a too

narrow bandwidth for printing, scanning and data exchange with wireless
terminals, the BlueTooth is not a good choice as an internal wireless interface
either. Pop into the computer case, there are still a lot of cables in there...

What should we have ideally:

• A bandwidth must satisfy the needs of drives, i.e. it must be 10-100
times wider than that for the infrastructure.
• Operation both at short and mid-range distances to cover not only
intrasystem communications but also the infrastructure niche of the 802
standard and the niche of external peripherals.
• Much lower cost of implementation - lower than for the 802 and
BlueTooth.
• Simplicity of realization - possibility to develop single-chip solutions that
do not need any additional discrete and analog parts or even integration
of such solutions into highly integrated general-purpose chips.

At first glance, it's impossible to combine these requirements in the near future.
However:

Ultra Wide Band

This concept doesn't stand for a definite standard of wireless

communication.This is a method of modulation and data transmission which

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can entirely change the wireless picture in the near future. The diagram given
below demonstrates the basic principle of the UWB:

The UWB is above and the traditional modulation is below which is called here
Narrow Band (NB), as opposed to the Ultra Wideband. On the left we can see a
signal on the time axis and on the right there is its frequency spectrum, i.e.
energy distribution in the frequency band. The most modern standards of data
transmission are NB standards - all of them work within a quite narrow
frequency band allowing for just small deviations from the base (or carrier)
frequency. Below on the right you can see a spectral energy distribution of a
typical 802.11b transmitter. It has a very narrow (80 MHz for one channel)
dedicated spectral band with the reference frequency of 2.4 GHz. Within this
narrow band the transmitter emits a considerable amount of energy necessary
for the following reliable reception within the designed range of distance (100 m
for the 802.11b). The range is strictly defined by FCC and other regulatory
bodies and requires licensing. Data are encoded and transferred using the

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method of frequency modulation (control of deviation from the base frequency)

within the described channel.

Now take a look at the UWB - here the traditional approach is turned upside
down. In the time space the transmitter emits short pulses of a special form
which distributes all the energy of the pulse within the given, quite wide,
spectral range (approximately from 3 GHz to 10 GHz). Data, in their turn, are
encoded with polarity and mutual positions of pulses. With much total power
delivered into the air and, therefore, a long distance of the reliable reception,
the UWB signal doesn't exceed an extremely low value (much lower than that of
the NB signals) in each given spectrum point (i.e. in each definite licensed
frequency band). As a result, according to the respective FCC regulation, such
signal becomes allowable although it also takes spectral parts used for other
purposes:

So, the most part of energy of the UWB signal falls into the frequency range
from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. Below 3.1 GHz the signal almost disappears. The more
ideal the form of a pulse formed with the transmitter, the less the energy goes
out of the main range. The spectral range lower than 3.1 GHz is avoided not to
create problems for GPS systems. However, UWB is accurate to within 10
centimeters -- much better than the Global Positioning System satellites and
because it spans the entire frequency spectrum (licensed and unlicensed), it

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can be used indoors and underground, unlike GPS. UWB could replace
communications of all types, ending forever our dependence on wires and
making worthless the ownership of radio frequencies.

The total energy of the transmitter which can fit into this band is defined by the
area of the spectral characteristic (see filled zones on the previous picture). In
case of the UWB it's much greater compared to the traditional NB signals such
as 802.11b or 802.11a. So, with the UWB we can send data for longer
distances, or send more data, especially if there are a lot of simultaneously
working devices located close to each other. Here is a diagram with the
designed maximum density of data transferred per square meter:

Density of transferred data able to coexist on the same square meter is much
higher for the UWB compared to the popular NB standards. That is, it will be

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possible to use the UWB for the intrasystem communication or even for an
interchip communication within one device!

The UWB actually tries to solve the problem of inefficient spectrum utilization,
like the Hyper Threading solves the problem of idle time of functional processor
units. Frequency bands dedicated for different services remain unused for the
most part of time - even in a very dense city environment - at each given point
of time the most part of the spectrum is not used, that is why the radio spectrum
is used irrationally:

1. Most frequencies are not used all the time. That is a low frequency
effectiveness of the spectrum utilization.
2. Guard channels necessary for NB modulations (gaps between channels
to eliminate pickups). That is a low frequency effectiveness of the
spectrum utilization.
3. Excessive and, as a rule, uncontrolled power of transmission (and,
therefore, transmission range) of signals even if a distance is quite short.
That is a low spatial effectiveness of the spectrum utilization.

In case of the NB a frequency and width of the dedicated spectral range for the
most part (though the real situation is much more complicated) defines a
bandwidth of the channel, and the transmitter's power defines a distance range.
But in the UWB these two concepts interwine and we can distribute our
capabilities between the distance range and bandwidth. Thus, at small
distances, for example, in case of an interchip communication, we can get huge
throughput levels without increasing the total transferred power and without
cluttering up the air, i.e. other devices are not impeded. Look at how the
throughput of data transferred in the UWB modulation depends on distance:

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While the traditional NB standard 802.11a uses an artificially created

dependence of throughput on distance (a fixed set of bandwidths discretely
switched over as the distance increases), the UWB realizes this dependence in
a much more natural way. At short distances its throughput is so great that it
makes our dreams on the interchip communication real, but at the longer
distances the UWB loses to the NB standard. On the one hand, a theoretical
volume of the energy transferred, and therefore, the maximum amount of data,
is higher. On the other hand, we must remember that in a real life information is
always transferred in large excess. Beside the amount of energy, there is the
design philosophy which also has an effect. For example, a character of
modulation, i.e. how stably and losslessly it is received and detected by the
receiver. Let's compare the classical:

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

... and UWB transceivers:

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The classical transceiver contains a reference oscillator (synth) which, as a

rule, is stabilized with some reference crystal element (Ref Osc). Further, in
case of reception this frequency is subtracted from the received signal, and in
case of transmission it is added to the data transferred. For the UWB the
transmitter looks very unsophisticated - we just form a pulse of a required
shape and send it to the antenna. In case of reception we amplify the signal,
pump it through the band filter which selects our working spectrum range and...
that's all - here is our ready pulse. The only problem is how to detect it! Here is
the key how to increase the effective distance for the UWB. Of course, it's much
more difficult to detect a single pulse than a series of oscillations of the carrier
frequency. So, for the UWB to succeed we must create not only keys (pulse
oscillators) of a strictly defined form and a switch time of around 3 GHz, but
also develop high-quality detectors of such pulses which is a loads more
complicated problem. However that may be but the UWB is much simpler than
NB transceivers and can be entirely assembled on a chip. The most important
advantage is that a UWB transmitter needs no its analog part - a signal can be
sent to the air right from the chip, and in case of reception this analog part is
much simpler and can be realized within the frames of not only hybrid
technologies but also base ones, i.e. CMOS and the like.

One more interesting aspect of the UWB comes from radio location (where
wideband technologies were most often used before): a potential possibility to
create networks able to define geometrical positions of objects. It requires sets
(grids) of antennae which are very easy to make for the UWB. It can be very
useful for addressing objects - just imagine a universal control radio console
which knows which device it is aimed at the given moment. One more
application is creation of a dynamic antenna directivity diagram to improve
reception of signals from a definite device, ignoring signals from others. This
approach is going to improve even more the spatial effectiveness of the air
utilization.

The first standards and products based on the UWB will be available in 2005.

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

And finally, here is a comparison table of the characteristics:

Channel
Distance range, m Frequency Throughput
width
Up to 50 (at 3.1 to 10.6 Hundreds of
UWB The same
present) GHz Mbit
802.11b 100 2.4 GHz 80 MHz Up to 11 Mbit
802.11a 50 5 GHz 200 MHz Up to 54 Mbit
BlueTooth 10 2.4 GHz Up to 1 Mbit

Why is UWB so Effective?

The Hartley-Shannon Law –

C =B (log (1+S/N))/log2
Where:
C = Max Channel Capacity
(bits/sec)
B = Channel Bandwidth (Hz)
S = Signal Power (watts)
N = Noise Power (watts)
C grows linearly with B,
but only logarithmically
with S/N. Since B is very high C also become very high.

ULTRA WIDE BAND IS ULTRA FAST

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

In amplitude modulation, the sine wave of the data is

combined with the sine wave of the transmitter before
transmission. Here the peak-to peak-voltage of the
transmitted wave will change according to the data

Its significance lies in the fact that it transmits several times the data possible
over current wireless technologies, using very low levels of power (in the order
of a few milliwatts). Current UWB devices can transmit data up to 100 Mbps,
compared to the 1 Mbps of Bluetooth and the 11 Mbps of 802.11b. It’s expected
to reach around 500 Mbps by 2004. Also, this low power pulse can penetrate
obstacles like doors, walls, metal etc, and suffers little or no interference from
other narrow band frequencies. Hence, it is useful in densely built-up areas. It
doesn’t require allocation of ‘precious’ or ‘paid for’ narrow-band spectrum, in
use now. Supporters of UWB say that its electro-magnetic noise is only as
much as that of a hair dryer or electric fan, and it doesn’t interfere with or
hamper other RFs. Best of all, it costs a fraction of current technologies like
Blue-tooth, WLANs and Wi-Fi.

Back to basics

To understand UWB, we’ll first look at radio communication and how data is
transmitted traditionally. All of us have dropped pebbles in a water pool at some
point in our lives. Remember the ripples traveling outwards from the point
where the pebble enters the water up to the boundary?
Normal radio waves are sine waves or smoothly fluctuating waves like these
ripples. Traditionally, radio communications stay within the allocated frequency
band. We normally use a carrier wave to transmit data. The carrier wave is
imprinted with data by modulating any of the following— amplitude, frequency

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or phase of the carrier wave. Three common ways of modulating a sine wave
are AM (Amplitude Modulation), FM (Frequency Modulation) and PM (Pulse
Modulation). Refer to the above diagrams to understand how radio waves
transmit data).

What happens when you listen to news from an AM radio station, say an All
India Radio medium wave station? The sine wave of the announcer’s voice is
combined with the transmitter’s sine wave (carrier wave) to vary its amplitude,
and then transmitted. In AM, the amplitude of the sine wave or rather its peak-
to-peak voltage changes. FM stations and other wireless technologies including
cordless phones, cell phones and WLANs use FM, where based on the
information signal, the transmitter’s sine wave frequency changes slightly. In
PM, the carrier or sine wave is turned on and off to send data. In its simplest
form, it can be a kind of Morse code. (See diagrams for a basic idea of how
narrow-band communications work). The receiver in each case is specially
tuned to decode information in the carrier wave.

Usage of a carrier wave within a narrow band effectively means limiting amount
of data that can be imprinted on to it. Hence the importance of UWB.

Inner workings

UWB uses a kind of pulse modulation. To transfer data, a UWB transmitter

emits a single sine wave pulse (called a monocycle) at a time. This monocycle
has no data in it. On the contrary, it is the timing between monocycles (the
interval between pulses) that determines whether data transmitted is a 0 or a 1.
A UWB pulse typically ranges between .2 and 1.5 nanoseconds. If a monocycle
is sent early (by 100 pico seconds), it can denote a 0, while a monocycle sent
late (by 100 pico seconds) can represent a 1. Now, one pico second = one
trillionth of a second. Hence, the quantity of data transmitted is on the high side.

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

In Pulse Modulation, the sine wave is turned on and

off in a particular manner to transmit data

Spacing between monocycles changes between 25 to 1000 nanoseconds on a

pulse-to-pulse basis, based on a channel code. A channel code allows data to
be detected only by the intended receiver. Since pulses are spaced and timing
between pulses depends on the channel, it’s already in encrypted form and is
more secure than conventional radio waves.

Now, visualize what happens when you heave a large rock into a small pond. It
splashes out the water in one go (as seen with our naked eyes). If captured as
a still photo, we’ll see the millions of water droplets that splash out in a fraction
of a second and make the splash we see. If ripples are like normal transmission
of data between wireless devices (as in blue-tooth or Wi-Fi), UWB promises to
be the ‘huge rock’ in data transmission. Through several million monocycles, it
uses a wide range of frequencies to transmit large amounts of data in one go.
Only a receiver specifically tuned to the transmitter can receive transmitted
data. Hence, it is a comparatively more secure channel for data transmission.
Moreover, by using some amount of modulation, sharp spiking and subsequent
noise interference with other narrow band devices are reduced to minimal
levels. Any other device into whose band UWB pulses might spill over, will at
most, feel it as background noise as energy levels of the pulse are low.

THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TRANSMISSION METHODS OF UWB

HAS SEVERAL IMPLICATIONS

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• For one thing, because UWB pulses don't actually use a traditional radio
signal, called a carrier, UWB transmissions don't take up any of the radio
spectrum. Spectrum is limited, and demand for it is growing fast. That's
one reason for the FCC interest: UWB would allow a whole new class,
and volume, of voice and data communications that, in effect, wouldn't
take up any more "space" in the crowded radio spectrum.
• Second, and partly as a result of the fact that UWB doesn't use a
traditional radio signal, UWB transmitters and receivers will be much
simpler to build, run and maintain than those in use today. For UWB, you
don't need complex radio frequency converters and modulators. We only
need a digital method to construct the pulses and modulate them. This
can all go on a single chip. One vendor already does this on a chip the
size of a penny.
• Third, because UWB operates in the electronic "noise" area of the
spectrum, it requires little power. These systems can use 50 to 70
milliwatts of power.That is one ten-thousandth the power of a cell phone.
The low power limits the range, but there are features of pulse
transmission and some tuning techniques that can, in effect, extend or
maintain the range.
• In addition, low power and the characteristic wide spread of the pulses
means the pulses don't use up already crowded chunks of the radio
spectrum, today occupied by 802.11b wireless LANs and Bluetooth
devices.
• Despite the low power, UWB also has greater capacity - higher
bandwidth for more users - compared with these other technologies.
Time Domain began testing its just-fabricated, second-generation UWB
chipset using silicon germanium technology created by IBM. The new
chipset can reach 40M bit/sec, compared with just 2.5M bit/sec for the
first chipset two years ago. Another start-up, Fantasma Networks, which
Pulse-Link acquired , claims to have reached 60M bit/sec.

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• Finally, UWB promises to be highly secure. It's very difficult to filter a

pulse signal out of the flood of background electronic noise, and vendors
such as Time Domain are encrypting the zeros and ones being
transmitted by the pulses.

CELLONICS INCORPORATED DEMONSTRATES UWB

AS A NEXT GENERATION WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

Cellonics Inc. is a world-leading company in the creation of intellectual property

in advanced and innovative electronic communication techniques. It holds
exclusive licence rights to the patent portfolio of CellonicsTM - the world's first
fast, low-cost, low-power and highly robust Carrier-Rate DecodingTM solution.
CellonicsTM simplify, speed up and strengthen communication systems.
CellonicsTM - Nonlinear, Swift and Simple.

The 12-Mbps/64-microwatt CellonicsTM UWB is a very high-speed, energy-

efficient wireless communication system may be realised very simply. In
comparison, a Bluetooth device is complex and typically transmits at 1 Mbps
with 15 milliwatts of power. Unlike conventional transceivers, a CellonicsTM
-based one does not require many subsystems such as a mixer, a PLL, an
oscillator, etc. This will lead to a significant reduction in component cost. More
importantly, a CellonicsTM -based system is just as robust. Launched in June
at CommunicAsia2001, the CellonicsTM technology is a world first.
Cellonics Incorporated Pte Ltd (Cellonics Inc.), the company who invented the
biological cell-inspired modem technique CellonicsTM will demonstrate Ultra
Wideband (UWB), a next generation wireless method at CommunicAsia2002.
The CellonicsTM UWB Wireless Video Demo System, realized with the simple
and robust CellonicsTM technology, is unique in the world.
UWB is a pulse-based method of communication now finding fast acceptance
and application in the wireless community. Traditional wireless systems such as
Wireless LAN or GSM use a carrier (sine wave) method to convey information.

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A pulse-based system is more robust, especially in a built-up area where

multipath interference is likely. Transmission is also more secure as its signal
signature is not easily duplicated. A pulse-based system will also have
additional smarts such as ranging and object sensing.

Pulse signalling was first applied in radar, hence you will find similar attributes
such as object location and transmission security in a UWB system. A UWB
system communicates with very low power signals. This means that highly
portable and feature-rich wireless devices can be developed. For example, a
UWB device the size of a twenty-cent coin may be able to sense a person
behind a thin wall or detect water-level in a tank and send that information back.

Low-power signal propagation of the UWB method appeals to communication

system designers for another key reason: UWB signals can be sent over
existing frequency bands with little or no interference. Existing spectrum space
can thus be reused without the need for new frequency allocation. Compared to
carrier signals of conventional systems, UWB pulse signals often appear as no-
signal or noise. This is especially true in a small-area/home application such as
a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) where high-power transmission is
not necessary and signals cover only a short range. The fact that UWB signals
occupy a wider band also means that high data rates can also be attained.

In the near future, it is not unusual to find a person carrying a wireless device to
connect him wirelessly to various data sources and destinations, be it video,
audio, Internet, dumb or smart appliances. There isn't a method today that will
do all that efficiently and economically. The UWB method is ideal. Built with the
simplicity and robustness of the CellonicsTM technology, it becomes an even
more attractive solution.

Indeed, with UWB, a high-speed WPAN with smart appliances can become a
reality. Current Wireless LAN and Bluetooth solutions are limited and complex.
A UWB wireless network may carry speeds from 100 Mbps to 500 Mbps easily.

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Devices in this network can be sentient, sending critical status information back
to a user.

The CellonicsTM technology represents a giant milestone for digital

communications. With it, extremely simple, robust and fast communication
transceivers can be built. Inspired by biological cell behaviour and built with
principles of Nonlinear Dynamical System or NDS principles, the CellonicsTM
technique allows Communication engineers for the first time, to handle digital
information efficiently and economically. Its Carrier-rate DecodingTM attribute
also allows engineers to build devices that operate at maximum throughput.

There is also a CellonicsTM UWB Wireless Audio Demo System , this 11.4-
Mbps/50-microwatt system employs the simplest CellonicsTM transmitter
design - just two basic electronic components. The transmitter is also unique in
its Frequency Translation ability.

In recent months, UWB technology has garnered much interest and attention.
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) of the United States allowed
the user of UWB will encourage greater development of UWB systems for real-
world application. Already, reports are coming out highlighting UWB
deployment in near-car avoidance, in search and rescue operations, and in
secure field military communications. More and more applications are expected
to find UWB wireless expression in the near future. The breakthrough
CellonicsTM UWB method can bring this about quickly. With it, the next
generation wireless technology is no longer a remote aspiration promising
'wireless everywhere', but is here now for serious consideration.

The nature of UWB communication is such that it is an ideal technology to

realise pervasive wireless networking or PWN, the application of wireless
technology to everything - not only to networks and devices but appliances as
well. It is the epitome of a complete wireless lifestyle. CellonicsTM UWB shows

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that such a scenario can be realised simply and at speed. In the past, no single
method and technology could allow that. Today, we show that it is possible.
This opens up a whole new game plan for the Wireless Communications
industry. The future of wireless is indeed here.

APPLICATIONS

1) Communications Applications

UWB devices can be used for a variety of communications applications

involving the transmission of very high data rates over short distances without
suffering the effects of multi-path interference. (FYI, Multipath is the
propagation phenomenon that results in signals reaching the receiving antenna
by two or more paths, usually due to reflections of the transmitted signal. The
ability to time-gate the receiver would allow it to ignore signals arriving outside a
prescribed time interval, such as signals due to multipath reflections.) UWB
communication devices could be used to wirelessly distribute services such as
phone, cable, and computer networking throughout a building or home. These
devices could also be utilized by police, fire, and rescue personnel to provide
covert, secure communications devices.

2) Positioning Applications

UWB devices can be used to measure both distance and position. UWB
positioning systems could provide real time indoor and outdoor precision
tracking for many applications. Some potential uses include locator beacons for
emergency services and mobile inventory, personnel and asset tracking for
increased safety and security, and precision navigation capabilities for vehicles
and industrial and agricultural equipment.

3) Radar Applications

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

UWB technology has been used for some time in Ground Penetrating Radar
(GPR) applications and is now being developed for new types of imaging
systems that would enable police, fire and rescue personnel to locate persons
hidden behind a wall or under debris in crises or rescue situations. UWB
imaging devices also could be used to improve the safety of the construction
and home repair industries by locating steel reinforcement bars (i.e., re-bar) in
concrete, or wall studs, electrical wiring and pipes hidden inside walls. UWB
devices could improve automotive safety with collision avoidance systems and
air bag proximity measurement for safe deployment. Potential medical uses
include the development of a mattress-installed breathing monitor to guard
against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and heart monitors that measure the
heart's actual contractions. Some potential home safety uses include intrusion
detection systems that are less susceptible to false alarms, and space heaters
that turn themselves off when a child comes nearby.

Other applications

The versatile technology, ultra-wideband (UWB), is expected to revolutionize

industries such as consumer electronics. Among other things, it could let
consumers set up wireless cable TV networks at home, help rescuers find
earthquake victims in rubble and greatly improve collision-avoidance systems.
Unlike standard wireless systems, which emit radio waves on specific
frequencies, UWB devices send out pulses of radio energy, up to 1 billion a
second. By precisely timing returning pulses, UWB can sense objects and
measure their position far more accurately than traditional radar.It also operates
across a wide swath of frequencies, enabling it to run at very high speeds and
very low power levels. Thus, unlike narrowband radio waves, UWB signals can
penetrate walls more easily.
Ultra-wideband could:

 Help cars avoid collisions by sensing the location and speed of

oncoming vehicles. This can greatly enhance accident avoidance.
 Allow police to detect the movements of a hostage taker through a wall.

Dept. of CSE 23 MESCE, Kuttippuram

Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

 Spawn wireless home networks, linking cable set-top boxes or

computers. UWB goes a step beyond Bluetooth and other current home
wireless systems by transmitting video and other high-bandwidth
content. It also can be used to wirelessly download video from a
camcorder to a TV.
 Track the precise location of retail products in stores or keep track of
military equipment.
 Provide low-cost security systems that could distinguish between, say a
pet and an intruder.

However, users of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) say that by traversing

many frequencies, UWB might interfere with GPS systems, such as those used
by airplanes to navigate over oceans. Satellite-based GPS signals are very
sensitive. But FCC officials say UWB emits about as much energy as a laptop
PC, and interference is unlikely.

ADVANTAGES

 Doesn’t suffer from multi-path interference.

 High data carrying capacity.
 It need only low power.
 Low energy density.
 Minimum complexity.
 Low cost.

Apart from low-power usage, inherent security and minimal noise generation,
UWB doesn’t suffer from multi-path interference (where signals reach the
receiver after traveling through two or more paths). Something similar happens
when your car is at an intersection surrounded by tall buildings. Your radio
might not give a clear reception as it’s receiving both direct signals and those
that have bounced off the buildings. Often, the static disappears when you

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

move ahead or backwards. Hence, it can be used in densely built-up places, or

where number of users are more than what is supported by Wi-Fi, Blue-tooth
etc.

It is immune to interference just as it doesn't interfere with traditional radio

signals, so the FCC is considering UWB as an unlicensed service across all
frequency bands -- even cellphones and broadcast frequencies. UWB uses one
ten thousandth the energy of networks like 802.11b, yet offers the prospect of
greater range and greater privacy along with data rates that are presently
around 60 megabits-per-second and might eventually hit one gigabit-per-
second. UWB is virtually undetectable by traditional radios, since its signals are
considered noise -- noise spread across such a wide band as to be beneath the
threshold of traditional receivers. UWB uses multipath interference as a form of
error correction! What was formerly considered bad is now good. In fact, UWB
only works at all because we know precisely where and when to listen. It is
based on a complex and very rigidly-structured encoding scheme.

In many ways, UWB is the successor to spread spectrum radio, a World War II
technology for splitting a broadcast among many radio frequencies to avoid
jamming. Spread spectrum, which was patented in 1942 by actress Hedy
Lamar and composer George Antheil (I am not making this up), operates today
in every mobile phone. But where spread spectrum used just a few dozen
frequencies and used them one at a time, UWB uses every frequency there is,
and uses them all at the same time, which means the data-carrying capacity of
UWB is enormous.

A UWB phone uses so little power it can remain on for weeks without
recharging. And UWB will ultimately be cheaper to make than conventional
radios since it is built entirely of commercial grade computer chips and requires
no tuning.

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

As bandwidth is inversely related to pulse duration, the spectral extent of these

waveforms can be made quite large. With proper engineering design, the
resultant energy densities (i.e., transmitted Watts of power per unit Hertz of
bandwidth) can be quite low. This low energy density translates into a low
probability of detection (LPD) RF signature. An LPD signature is of particular
interest for military applications (e.g., for covert communications and radar);
however, an LPD signature also produces minimal interference to proximity
systems and minimal RF health hazards, significant for both military and
commercial applications.

Among the most important advantages of UWB technology, however, are those
of low system complexity and low cost. UWB systems can be made nearly "all-
digital", with minimal RF or microwave electronics. Because of the inherent RF
simplicity of UWB designs, these systems are highly frequency adaptive,
enabling them to be positioned anywhere within the RF spectrum. This feature
avoids interference to existing services, while fully utilizing the available
spectrum.

DISADVANTAGES

As with any technology, there are always applications that may be better served
by other approaches. For example, for extremely high data rate (10’s of
Gigabits/second and higher), point-to-point or point-to-multipoint applications, it
is difficult today for UWB systems to compete with high capacity optical fiber or
optical wireless communications systems. Of course, the high cost associated
with optical fiber installation and the inability of an optical wireless signal to
penetrate a wall dramatically limit the applicability of optically-based systems for
in-home or in-building applications. In addition, optical wireless systems have
extremely precise pointing requirements, obviating their use in mobile
environments.

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

UWB is an RF wireless technology, and as such is still subject to the same laws
of physics as every other RF technology. Thus, there are obvious tradeoffs to
be made in signal-to-noise ratio versus bandwidth, range versus peak and
average power levels, etc.

One Argument Against UWB

UWB’s necessary bandwidth is from DC to light
• Even if notch filters were used, the radiation within the notched bands
would constitute an “emission”
• “Emissions” in radio-astronomy bands are forbidden (ITU Footnote
S5.340)
• Therefore, all UWB is illegal

KEY ISSUES FOR UWB

UWB technology is attracting as an ultra fast interface for digital appliances.A

number of technical issues involved in getting UWB up and runnig in homes
and offices have been uncovered .
They can be broken down into five groups namely
1. Reducing interference with other radio systems,
2. Complying with electromagnetic regulations of many nations,
3. Minimizing erroneous transmissions caused by reflections from walls and
objects (multi-path),and
4. Assuring continuous communication between multiple pieces of
equipment (multi-access),
5. Reducing implementation cost of UWB radio circuitry.

All of these issues will be vital to the success of UWB.

UWB monopolizes a very wide waveband. According to FCC the bandwidth is

7.5GHz,spanning from 3.1 to 10.6GHz.If the full 7.5GHz is used, it would
interfere with satellite communications and wireless LAN services at

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

5GHz.UWB output power is held to a level under that electromagnetic

interference (EMI)output of electronic equipment however, so that it should
result in only slight noise for other systems using the waveband. Nonetheless,
as more and more equipment makes use of UWB, while the noise generated
by a single piece is low, the total noise floor will rise considerably.It is possible
that UWB may be tapped for use in notebook PCs as Wireless USBb2.0,in
which case a single notebook PC might mount both UWB and a 5GHz WLAN.If
both were used at once ,transmission quality would be impaired unless
measures are taken to minimize interference by UWB.

Compliance with regulations of many nations, faces problems because the

regulations of each nation are quite different. For example, wavebands that
can be used without licenses in Europe or the US may be unusable in Japan or
elsewhere in Asia. Frequency allocations to services such as police, fire,
marine safety and the military are all handled individually by each nation, and in
many cases are unique. This is difficult to do in consumer electronics, however,
which is why the frequency for wireless LAN was carefully set to use one that
was free around the world. Naturally, industry would want to enjoy the same
freedom.

Measures to control multi-path fading will require wireless communications

technology that can be used in closed spaces such as living rooms. UWB uses
extremely short pulses (1ns), and is therefore said to resist multi-path fading.
This is because signals which bounce off the walls or other objects before
reaching the receiver are usually delayed enough.For data rates over 100Mbps,
however, the pulse interval is even shorter, and the system becomes more
susceptible to multi-path effects. The only solution is to adopt a robust
modulation scheme.

Multi-access point is needed for real-time transmission such as for video

streams. This is fundamentally different from IEEEa/b/g developed for the PC,
and is designed to allow multiple UWB systems in a given area to operate

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

simultaneously. It consists of measures to prevent packet collision and rules for

transmission timing. UWB systems utilize a combination of frequency division
multiplex (FDM) and time division multiple access (TDMA) to accommodate
multiple users.

Basic transceiver functions can be provided with a simple circuit in UWB, so the
key will be slashing costs for the above four points.

When We Want to Use Wireless to Send:

_ A lot of data
_ Very fast
_ For many users
_ All at once
we can go for UWB

UWB CHIPset company

Wisair develops and markets a high performance wireless communication

chipset solution, based on UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technology. This chipset
enables the implementation of low cost, low power, and high bit-rate
communication modules and system solutions for the fast emerging home/office
connectivity market.

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

CONCLUSION

UWB is undoubtedly a niche technology which holds promise in a wide area.

But, its success depends on scoring against a handful of rival technologies in
which companies have invested billions. Those who’ve invested their money
will not hasten to consider an upstart rival, even if it offers better services. It
seems that UWB will most probably succeed in WPANs as a means of
delivering data-intensive applications like video. Imagine downloading the latest
blockbuster on your portable player while tanking up at the petrol pump! But,
this dream will take at least a year to materialize at the current pace of things.

The U.S. Navy, plans to put a UWB location marker on almost everything it
ships overseas, just to keep track of all the stuff and keep it from being stolen.
UWB products will probably begin to hit the market in the next 18 to 24 months.
In addition to radios, these products will include radar and electronic positioning
devices.

The bottom line is that the FCC's move to make more unlicensed spectrum
available is proving to be a huge success for the wireless industry and for
consumers. The latest entrant, UWB, is entering an industry and market
dramatically matured through the experience of its predecessors Bluetooth and
WiFi. If UWB proponents can quickly knock out the issues of standards and
interoperability it will allow the powerful forces of Moore's law and economies of
scale to start their work early bringing consumers cost effective products within
a few short years from today. If the industry has learned from its past mistakes
and it looks like it has, UWB is poised for dramatic growth and success in a way
not witnessed before for any wireless technology.
The first standards and products based on the UWB will be available in 2005.

Dept. of CSE 30 MESCE, Kuttippuram

Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

BIBILOGRAPHY

• www.PcQuest.com
• www.uwb.com
• www.Tech-online.com
• www.digit-life.com

Dept. of CSE 31 MESCE, Kuttippuram

Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

ABSTRACT

UWB is a wireless technology that transmits binary data—the 0s and 1s that

are the digital building blocks of modern information systems. It uses low-
energy and extremely short duration (in the order of pico seconds) impulses or
bursts of RF (radio frequency) energy over a wide spectrum of frequencies, to
transmit data over short to medium distances, say about 15—100 m. It doesn’t
use carrier wave to transmit data.
Current radio technology - picture a guy watering his lawn with a garden hose
and moving the hose up and down in a smooth vertical motion.You can see a
continuous stream of water. Nearly all radios, cell phones, wireless LANs and
so on are like that: a continuous signal that's overlaid with information by using
one of several modulation techniques.
UWB technology - picture the same guy watering his lawn with a swiveling
sprinkler that shoots many, fast, short pulses of water. That's typically what
UWB is like: millions of very short, very fast, precisely timed bursts or pulses of
energy, measured in nanoseconds and covering a very wide area. By varying
the pulse timing according to a complex code, a pulse can represent either a
zero or a one: the basis of digital communications.
Advantages – Current UWB devices can transmit data up to 100 Mbps,
compared to the 1 Mbps of Bluetooth and the 11 Mbps of 802.11b. It’s expected
to reach around 500 Mbps by 2004. Also, this low power pulse can penetrate
obstacles like doors, walls, metal etc. It doesn’t require allocation of ‘precious’
or ‘paid for’ narrow-band spectrum, in use now. Best of all, it costs a fraction of
current technologies like Blue-tooth, WLANs and Wi-Fi. UWB doesn’t suffer
from multi-path interference (where signals reach the receiver after traveling
through two or more paths). Hence, it can be used in densely built-up places, or
where number of users are more than what is supported by Wi-Fi, Blue-tooth
etc.A UWB phone uses so little power that it can remain on for weeks without
recharging.

Dept. of CSE 32 MESCE, Kuttippuram

Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

CONTENTS

1) INTRODUCTION
What is UWB?
2) ULTRA WIDE BAND OPERATIONS
Definitions
3) ULTRA WIDE BAND – WIRELESS DATA TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY
UWB
4) Why is UWB so Effective?
5) ULTRA WIDE BAND IS ULTRA FAST
Back to basics
Inner workings
6) IMPLICATIONS OF DIFFERENCE IN THE TRANSMISSION
METHOD
7) CELLONICS INCORPORATED DEMONSTRATES UWB AS A NEXT
GENERATION WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY
8) APPLICATIONS
Communication applications
Positioning applications
Radar applications
Other applications
9) ADVANTAGES
10) DISADVANTAGES
11) KEY ISSUES OF UWB
12) UWB CHIPset company
13) CONCLUSION
14) BIBILOGRAPHY

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Seminar Report’03 Ultra Wide Band

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I express my sincere thanks to Prof. M.N Agnisarman Namboothiri

(Head of the Department, Computer Science and Engineering, MESCE),
Mr. Zainul Abid (Staff incharge) for their kind co-operation for presenting
the seminar.

I also extend my sincere thanks to all other members of the faculty

of Computer Science and Engineering Department and my friends for
their co-operation and encouragement.

Nisheena.T.I

Dept. of CSE 34 MESCE, Kuttippuram