Ranging results using a UWB platform in an indoor environment

Abstract

This paper presents an impulse-radio UWB experimental platform for ranging and positioning in GNSS-challenged environments. The platform is based on the two-way time-of-arrival principle of operation, which reduces architecture complexity and relaxes the synchronization requirements with respect to time-of-arrival or time-difference-of-arrival solutions. The modular architecture of the platform is described together with the design and features of its main components, namely the 5.6-GHz RF front end and the baseband module for measurement and processing. A set of experimental results obtained using the realized platform in an indoor office environment is presented and discussed. The platform provides a maximum range of about 30 m in line-of-sight conditions with an RMSE of the order of 40 cm.