Teledyne LeCroy UWBTracer User Manual - Manual (Page 23)

UWBTracer/Trainer User Manual Chapter 1: Overview
LeCroy Corporation
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1.2 Ultra-Wideband Technology
UWB technology was available for over 40 years for military and civilian applications and
was originally called either impulse radio or carrier-free communications. Today, the FCC
definition for UWB is any radio technology with a spectrum that occupies greater than 20
percent of the center frequency or a minimum of 500MHz.
In 2002, the FCC allocated unlicensed radio spectrum from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz
expressly for enterprise and consumer applications. The FCC defined a specific
minimum bandwidth of 500 MHz at a -10dB level. As current UWB implementations allow
communication that requires high data rates over short distances, one immediate UWB
application is WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network).
The Multi-band OFDM technology, promoted by the WiMedia Alliance, is one of the
technologies that can utilize the allocated band for UWB. The MB-OFDM transmits data
simultaneously over multiple carriers spaced apart at precise frequencies. This approach
provides benefits like high spectral flexibility and resiliency to RF interference and
multi-path effects.
The WiMedia UWB specifications are available from the WiMedia Alliance. The URL for
the WiMedia website:
http://www.wimedia.org
1.3 WiMedia UWB Specification Ecosystem
The WiMedia Alliance has developed specifications for ultra-wide-band (UWB) devices.
The main goal of the WiMedia UWB specifications is to create a UWB “ecosystem” that
allows easy and secure operation of UWB devices.
The WiMedia UWB specifications have a first-generation data rate of 480 Mbps, which
enables a multitude of innovative wireless devices. UWB devices that follow the
WiMedia UWB specifications can co-exist in the same physical environment, even if they
have unrelated applications.
Markets for two major application types are emerging:
• Certified Wireless-USB (WUSB)
• WLP