A Novel Maximum-likelihood-based Synchronization Algorithm for TH-UWB Signals

This paper deals with timing acquisition in ultra-wideband communications operating in a dense multipath environment. A novel symbol and frame synchronization algorithm is proposed based on the maximum-likelihood criterion. And it exploits the samples of the received signal to estimate the start of the individual frames with respect to a local reference (frame timing) and the location of the first frame in each symbol (symbol timing). Time-hopping modulation with binary symbols is assumed. The mean square error (MSE) of the timing acquisition algorithm is assessed by simulating a receiver employs RAKE structure