Optimal integration time for energy-detection PPM UWB systems

UWB receivers based on energy detection (ED) are often an excellent choice for short-range wireless applications that require low-power and low-complexity architectures. However, this type of receiver is very sensitive to channel noise as well as inter-symbol (ISI) and inter-frame (IFI) interference caused by multipath fading. Therefore, the integration window becomes an important design parameter since the noise energy, ISI, and IFI are proportional to the integration time. This work presents analytical expressions that are corroborated with simulations to determine the optimal integration time of an ED receiver employing pulse-position modulation. The equations presented in this work are especially helpful when designing a system since they simplify calculations and trade-off decisions.