Semi-blind ml synchronization for UWB systems

Synchronization is one of the most critical issues in PPM/TH ultra-wideband (UWB) communications due to the short duration of the pulses. In this work, we study a semi-blind synchronization scheme based on maximum-likelihood (ML) techniques to recover both symbol and frame timing. The proposed algorithm offers rapid acquisition and is robust against small timing errors due to a joint timing and channel estimate. The performance of the proposed algorithm is analyzed based on correlated Gaussian random variables and shown to be accurate for moderate to high SNR values.