Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

The evolution of wireless communication technologies has changed the way we live and work. Wireless systems beyond the third generation (3G) are moving towards the vision of ""connectivity for everybody and everything at any place and any time"". This ambitious view assumes that the new wireless world will be the result of a comprehensive integration of different systems including last-meter wireless connectivity and networking among a myriad of digital devices of various types and uses. As a result, short-range high-speed wireless technologies will play a key role for the scenario where ""everybody and everything"" is connected. Ultra-wideband (UWB) technologies, given endorsement by U.S. regulators in 2002, have promise to be a disrupting technology for short-range wireless connectivity. Although intensive research and development have been carried out, UWB technology has yet to become a reality for high data rate wireless transmission (500 Mbps or higher). Cost-effective OFDM-based products have not been made commercially viable, while not much work has been performed and not much progress has been made on pulse-based UWB radio systems. In this research program, we will carry out full research and development of our recently proposed code-shifted (CSR) reference pulse-based UWB radio technology to achieve short-range high-speed wireless data transmission. In completing the theory and performance of the CSR technology, we will propose new channel models, new multi-band and multi-user schemes and new interference mitigation techniques enabled by new high-efficiency CSR algorithms. The end product will be a hardware prototype that demonstrates a low-cost implementation of high-speed short-range wireless data transmission for potential commercialization. The knowledge, expertise and highly-skilled personnel acquired through this research will help to establish Canada as a leading player in the area of ultra-wideband and broadband communications.