Cross-modulation interference and mitigation technique for ultrawideband PPM signaling

The detection issues of ultrawideband (UWB) signals depend on the type of modulation scheme that is used during the transmission. Cross-modulation interference (CMI) is a problem that is specific to UWB pulse-position-modulation (PPM) signaling. In this paper, the effects of CMI on the performance of noncoherent UWB receivers are analyzed. The probabilities of error for transmitted-reference (TR) and energy detector (ED) receivers in the presence and absence of CMI are derived. Optimal and suboptimal CMI avoidance algorithms, which are based on novel acquisition techniques, are proposed for Rake receivers. The results show that the performance degradation in both receivers, which is due to the CMI effects, can be significant, depending on the modulation index. TR receivers still can be functional in the presence of CMI, and the target performance level determines the modulation index to be used. It is unlikely that effects of CMI on the performance of ED receivers in the presence of CMI are more severe relative to TR receivers, and the performance level is not acceptable. As a result, PPM signaling is not an appropriate modulation technique for ED receivers that are operating in the CMI region, unless CMI mitigation algorithms can be developed. Furthermore, the proposed optimal and suboptimal algorithms are two promising schemes for avoiding the CMI effects and, consequently, for improving the performance of Rake receivers operating in the CMI region.