A Navigation Agent (NavAgent) Tool for Shipboard Navigation & Weapons Systems Integration

We propose to develop an information warfare sensor network based on Time-Modulated Ultra-Wideband radio. TM-UWB radio has several characteristics which make it ideal for low cost covert recovery of wideband data. The only signals transmitted by UWBradio are pulses generated pseudo-randomly in time. The Fourier transform of a perfect impulse is constant at all frequencies. The pulses we are currently using are ¿ nanosecond in duration and the energy extends approximately from .5 to 4 gigahertz.The energy content in any conventional frequency band is far below the noise, making TM-UWB transmission very difficult to detect unless you know the specific pseudo-random sequence of the pulses. With TM-UWB there is no carrier frequency, there is no upconversion and no down conversion required, and the output stage is a single transistor which creates a binary pulse, all resulting in decreased radio size and complexity. The duty cycle of the pulses is approximately 1/500, resulting in low powerconsumption because 99.8% of the time, nothing is being transmitted. During phase I we will demonstrate UWB communication at 5 miles with at least two simultaneous channels. We will also evaluate several innovative system concepts related to the IW sensornetwork, including ad hoc network protocol and range measurement capability.While IW sensors do not represent a very large commercial market, the basic technology has very large commercial potential in health, telecommunication, manufacturing, and securityindustries. For example, in the health care industry, TM-UWB offers a single mechanism for wireless communication to and from mobile instruments, plus it offers the ability to track the position of each of those mobile assets.