History of ultra wideband communications and radar: Part 1, UWB communications

Although there is considerable overlap in the subcomponents of ultra wideba nd (UWB) communications and UWB radar/sensor systems, it is natural to trea t the history of the two systems separately for several reasons. Whereas a UWB communications system uses subcomponents based on principles that have been known for decades, a UWB radar/sensor system uses subcomponents based on principles novel to the radar community. UWB radar/sensing offers the ca pability of high resolution target imaging and detection, and has achieved some commercial success in ground, wall and foliage penetration and target imaging, while UWB communications have yet to demonstrate significant virtu es. UWB radar system, are also less likely to cause interference to convent ional receivers. Part I of this article will address UWB communications, to be followed by Part II, which will explore UWB radar/sensors. In both part s, the pioneering, innovative and fundamental contributions to the field ar e summarized, and problems in UWB interference testing and application are addressed.