Hardware implementation of a non-coherent IR-UWB receiver synchronization algorithm targeting IEEE 802.15.6 wireless BAN

Synchronization acquisition is one of the main challenges for practical and efficient implementations of impulse radio ultra wideband (IR-UWB) receivers. This is particularly true in the context of the recently adopted IEEE 802.15.6 standard for wireless body area networks (BAN). Targeting energy-efficient non-coherent detectors, this paper presents a low-complexity hardware implementation of an efficient standard-compliant synchronization algorithm. The proposed architecture is described, together with performance and FPGA implementation results. A sub-optimal estimator of path selection and recombining is also proposed in the presented solution to improve the sensitivity of the receiver. Obtained results constitute a reference in this domain where the available literature is rather scarce.