Timing ultra-wideband signals with dirty templates

Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology for indoor wireless communications promises high data rates with low-complexity transceivers. Rapid timing synchronization constitutes a major challenge in realizing these promises. In this paper, we establish a novel synchronization criterion that we term "timing with dirty templates" (TDT), based on which we develop and test timing algorithms in both data-aided (DA) and nondata-aided modes. For the DA mode, we design a training pattern, which turns out to not only speed up synchronization, but also enable timing in a multiuser environment. Based on simple integrate-and-dump operations over the symbol duration, our TDT algorithms remain operational in practical UWB settings. They are also readily applicable to narrowband systems when intersymbol interference is avoided. Simulations confirm performance improvement of TDT relative to existing alternatives in terms of mean square error and bit-error rate.