Towards a hardware implementation of ultra-wideband beamforming

This paper discusses and analyses the hardware implementation of an ultra-wideband (UWB) beamformer for UWB Impulse Radio data transmission. We use a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) acting as the binary baseband information source. The CPLD provides input to a pulse shaper and subsequently to a four-element array of UWB antennas. This smart antenna system comprises the digital baseband part, the radio-frequency frontend, and the antenna array. For this contribution, we discuss the design, implementation, and UWB measurement results obtained in an anechoic chamber.