Some embodiments of the present inventive concept provide a system for maintaining clock synchronization including an ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitting system and a UWB receiving system. The high precision input clock at the transmitting system produces a high precision clock frequency. A message is sent from the transmitting system including a transmit time of the message in UWB transmitter clock units. The message is received at the UWB receiving system at an arrival time in UWB receiver clock units. A time of flight (ToF) and an oscillator offset is calculated based on the transmit time included in the message and the arrival time. A tuning register uses the calculated oscillator adjustment to adjust the low precision resonator to synchronize the low precision resonator with the high precision input clock at the UWB transmitting system.

Some embodiments of the present inventive concept provide a system for maintaining clock synchronization including an ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitting system and a UWB receiving system. The high precision input clock at the transmitting system produces a high precision clock frequency. A message is sent from the transmitting system including a transmit time of the message in UWB transmitter clock units. The message is received at the UWB receiving system at an arrival time in UWB receiver clock units. A time of flight (ToF) and an oscillator offset is calculated based on the transmit time included in the message and the arrival time. A tuning register uses the calculated oscillator adjustment to adjust the low precision resonator to synchronize the low precision resonator with the high precision input clock at the UWB transmitting system.

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology exploits modulated coded impulses over a wide frequency spectrum with very low power over a short distance for digital data transmission. Today's leading edge modulated sinusoidal wave wireless communication standards and systems achieve power efficiencies of 50 nJ/bit employing narrowband signaling schemes and traditional RF transceiver architectures. However, such designs severely limit the achievable energy efficiency, especially at lower data rates such as below 1 Mbps. Further, it is important that peak power consumption is supportable by common battery or energy harvesting technologies and long term power consumption neither leads to limited battery lifetimes or an inability for alternate energy sources to sustain them. Accordingly, it would be beneficial for next generation applications to exploit inventive transceiver structures and communication schemes in order to achieve the sub nJ per bit energy efficiencies required by next generation applications.

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology exploits modulated coded impulses over a wide frequency spectrum with very low power over a short distance for digital data transmission. Today's leading edge modulated sinusoidal wave wireless communication standards and systems achieve power efficiencies of 50 nJ/bit employing narrowband signaling schemes and traditional RF transceiver architectures. However, such designs severely limit the achievable energy efficiency, especially at lower data rates such as below 1 Mbps. Further, it is important that peak power consumption is supportable by common battery or energy harvesting technologies and long term power consumption neither leads to limited battery lifetimes or an inability for alternate energy sources to sustain them. Accordingly, it would be beneficial for next generation applications to exploit inventive transceiver structures and communication schemes in order to achieve the sub nJ per bit energy efficiencies required by next generation applications.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, comprising: a receiver circuit configured to receive a signal; a controller configured to control said receiver circuit, wherein said controller is configured to cause said receiver circuit to operate either in a complex receiver mode or in a real receiver mode; wherein the controller is configured to cause said receiver circuit to operate in the real receiver mode until the signal is successfully acquired. In accordance with a second aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding method of operating a communication device is conceived.

A method for determining a position of a positioning device, for synchronization of positioning devices, and/or for synchronization of slave anchor electronic devices. The method is performed by a system having a master anchor electronic device, and a plurality of slave anchor electronic devices including a first slave anchor electronic device. The method includes broadcasting, from the master anchor electronic device, a first ultra-wide band (UWB) signal, at a first predetermined time. The method includes receiving, at the first slave anchor electronic device, the first UWB signal. The method includes determining, at the first slave anchor electronic device, a first transmission time based on the first UWB signal. The method includes broadcasting, from the first slave anchor electronic device, a second UWB signal at the first transmission time.

Systems and methods of segment splitting across frames include a first ultra-wideband (UWB) device that determines to split a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS) into at least a first portion and a second portion of the STS, for transmission to a second UWB device. The first UWB device may transmit a first frame comprising the first portion of the STS to the second UWB device. The first UWB device may transmit a second frame comprising the second portion of the STS to the second UWB device.

Systems and methods of segment splitting across frames include a first ultra-wideband (UWB) device that determines to split a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS) into at least a first portion and a second portion of the STS, for transmission to a second UWB device. The first UWB device may transmit a first frame comprising the first portion of the STS to the second UWB device. The first UWB device may transmit a second frame comprising the second portion of the STS to the second UWB device.

To calculate the propagation times of signals transmitted and received between the devices more easily and accurately. There is provided a wireless communication device comprising a control section configured to control transmission and reception of a wireless signal by an antenna in conformity with a designated communication standard, wherein the control section controls a timing of causing the antenna to transmit a second signal in response to a first signal received by the antenna, on a basis of fixed time and delay time related to internal transfer in the wireless communication device, the fixed time being decided in advance.

To calculate the propagation times of signals transmitted and received between the devices more easily and accurately. There is provided a wireless communication device comprising a control section configured to control transmission and reception of a wireless signal by an antenna in conformity with a designated communication standard, wherein the control section controls a timing of causing the antenna to transmit a second signal in response to a first signal received by the antenna, on a basis of fixed time and delay time related to internal transfer in the wireless communication device, the fixed time being decided in advance.