Compared to existing solutions for wireless local computer connections (WLAN) and personal networks (PAN), UWB promises to have enormous advantages, particularly for short-distance communications. It is anticipated that the equipment will be compact and cheap. UWB is harder to listen into and the transmission speeds and the number of simultaneous users will be very high: in a limited space dozens of pieces of equipment can exchange information flows of many Mbit/s each. This technology doesn't modulate the information on a carrier wave like all the existing wireless systems (AM/FM radio, TV, GSM, UMTS, WLAN, Bluetooth), but transmits the data by means of a series of brief pulses, each with a length of less than a nanosecond. This means that the bandwidth used is more than a Gigahertz and covers all existing radio frequencies with a minimal capacity density. The transmitting power is very low: microwatts rather than the milliwatts used in existing technologies. In addition, environments with a lot of reflection do not affect reception. These characteristics make UWB extremely suitable for high-quality, wireless multimedia applications. It therefore has an excellent chance of becoming an important standard for so-called fourth generation wireless and mobile networks.
Apart from communication purposes, UWB also has other important applications. The ultra-brief pulses are comparable to radar pulses. Using these, the recipient can determine the location of objects very exactly (within centimetres). This is relevant for context-sensitive applications, such as smart luggage labels in airports, or for tracking valuable objects in offices and warehouses. It is even possible to devise a virtual dome that detects intruders on the outside but does not react to people within the dome.
The interest in UWB for civil applications has grown strongly in Europe as well over the past two years. Standards organisations, such as CEPT, ETSI and IEEE 802 are studying the technology. And industry, too, is showing an interest: Intel has recently formulated a team to further investigate the possibilities of UWB. It is expected that this interest will continue to grow, among other reasons because of the 6th Context programme of the EU.
State-of-the-art
The American army has already been using this technology for military purposes. But UWB applications for wireless and mobile networks that can connect large numbers of users over short distances are still in their infancy. The data speeds shown are still only a few Kbit/s, well below the theoretical possibilities.
Project objectives
The AIRLINK project investigates the possibilities of UWB for wireless communication over short distances, at high speeds and with low power usage. In addition, AIRLINK investigates the possibilities of UWB for combining datacommunication with localisation and the design of an ad-hoc communication network. The Freeband project CACTUS in its turn investigates the bedding in of UWB networks in larger systems and the applications thereof.
Results
The project results will find their way, via the user committee, to Dutch industry. In addition, AIRLINK results will be submitted to the Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF), in which both project partners participate. The participation of TU Delft in the EU Network of Excellence on Wireless Communication, NEXWAY, is also a guarantee for the distribution of the results within the scientific world. |
