An impulse radio system estimates a separation distance between an impulse radio transmitter and an impulse radio receiver. The system includes an impulse transmitter that transmits an impulse signal having an ultra-wideband frequency characteristic. An impulse receiver spaced from the transmitter receives the transmitted impulse signal and measures a signal strength of the received impulse signal. The receiver estimates the separation distance based on the measured signal strength. The receiver classifies a signal propagational/multipath environment using the received impulse signal, and then selects a radio propagation path loss model corresponding to a classified multipath environment. The receiver translates the measured signal strength to a separation distance based on the selected radio propagation path loss model.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 09/045,929, filed Mar. 23, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,876 entitled "System and Method for Person or Object Position Location Utilizing Impulse Radio," and U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 09/332,501, filed Jun. 14, 1999, entitled "System and Method for Impulse Radio Power Control," which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Apparatus, and an associated method, for a radio communication system having a sending station and a receiving station. The sending station sends data pursuant to a communication service and ultrawide band signals pursuant to a selected time-hopping sequence. An ultrawide band signal detector is positioned at the receiving station. The ultrawide band signal detects the ultrawide band signal transmitted thereto. Correlation is made between the detected ultrawide band signal and a locally-generated replica signal. Correlations therebetween are used to facilitate various receiving station operations, such as equalization operations upon received data, time synchronization of the receiving station to the sending station, and position determination of the positioning of the receiving station.
A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for facilitating local signaling among a plurality of agents are presented. An agent 100 including a digital processor 102 a transmitter 104, and a directional receiver 106 comprising a plurality of angular regions 108 is configured to enable the selection of a signal from a plurality of signals received on the basis of local data such as the strength of the received signal. The local data may be incorporated into a cumulative data portion of a signal that is passed from local agent 100 to local agent 100 across a plurality of agents 100 in order to provide a gradient across the plurality of agents 100. The gradient could be used, for example, to determine a shortest path across the agents. The signaling techniques described can also be used to determine the distance and direction to objects in the signaling path.
An apparatus for generating an oscillating signal that includes a circuit to accelerate the time in which an oscillating signal reaches a defined steady-state condition from a cold start. The apparatus includes an oscillating circuit to generate an oscillating signal; a first circuit to supply a first current to the oscillating circuit; and a second circuit to supply a second current to the oscillating circuit, wherein the first and second currents are adapted to reduce the time duration for the oscillating signal to reach a defined steady-state condition. The apparatus may be useful in communication systems that use low duty cycle pulse modulation to establish one or more communications channels, whereby the apparatus begins generating an oscillating signal at approximately the beginning of the pulse and terminates the oscillating signal at approximately the end of the pulse.
Apparatus and method for processing signals. A sigma-delta modulator is used. An adaptive dynamic range controller is configured to adaptively adjust the dynamic range of a signal output from the sigma-delta modulator.
