Integrated M-Sequence Based Transceiver for UWB Sensor Networks

This paper deals with the realization, measurements and testing of an integrated UWB radar head operating in the continuously transmitted stimulation signal mode. The term UWB is derived from the exploited system bandwidth. Practically, the frequency bands nearly from DC to 14 GHz or those specified by the Electronic Communication Committee (ECC) or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations are used. The stimulation signal is generated by modulation of the carrier by a binary sequence which spreads the frequency spectrum of the signal. Thanks to the parameters of the resulting signal, it is not the source of interference for other radio services, but it can be observed only as an increase in noise. In the context of the UWB radars emitting the spread-spectrum signal, the term noise radar is often used, where the generated spreading signal is the result of generation of a pseudorandom noise modulation signal. The principle of generation of such a signal as well as the description of the transmitter is described in this article in more details. The reception of the UWB signals is not a trivial task. Hence in this paper, we deal with the topic of the UWB radar transceiver, relying on the equivalent time sampling approach, with attention to the receiver section. The measurements focused on qualitative parameters of the given UWB radar are evaluated as well, concentrating on the innovative integrated front-end. The main tested parameters include reliability across the whole frequency range, dynamic range, as well as crosstalk in the proposed structure.