Low Power Distributed UWB Network

The technology described in this proposal is optimizes to sensor networks.The low power, low cost UWB receiver with anti-jamming capabilities will be integrated in CMOS to deliver optimum performance. The efficient, scalable modulation scheme will allow systems to co-exist at low bit rate and very high bit rate. The modulationscheme also allows a common receiver architecture both for low bit rate and high bit rate systemsLow profile antennas are a critical part of the system, and are integrated with the sensors. Specific development will be completed to realize low cost, small antennasThe communications requirements for the systems lead to a network protocol design based on priorities in the channel access mechanism together with a distributed control protocol for identification, route determination and network management.The overall system is optimized for low power, anti-jamming sensor networks, that combines the unique attributes of UWB technology with a distributed, multi-hop network architecture. There is a great interest in industry to develop low power sensor networks for a large variety of applications.Commercial applications for sensor networks include industrial automation, infrastructure stress assessments, controls and instrumentation, operation and monitoring for industrial applications, asset tracking for factories, proximity detection andauthentication, hospitals and retail, telemetry and non-intrusive monitoring in the medical field, environmental sensors for climate control, fire detection, and condition assessment. Consumer applications are also envisioned by industry groups likeZigbee, that will lead to very large volume opportunities in the home market, for automatic control of sensor, actuators and appliances.All these applications require very low power consumption, small form factor, light overall weight, interference robustness, multipath immunity, and low cost. In order to perform detection and communications for sensor applications, the system must also bescalable because of the variety of bit rates and traffic types that must be supported.UWB technologies are very promising because of the low power, multipath robust and anti-jamming characteristics. Successful products will combine high level of integration, advanced power management capabilities and efficient network architectures.