A mathematical model for wideband ranging

Wideband ranging is essential for numerous emerging applications that rely on accurate location awareness. The quality of range information, which depends on network intrinsic properties and signal processing techniques, affects the localization accuracy. A popular class of ranging techniques is based on energy detection owing to its low-complexity implementation. This paper establishes a tractable model for the range information as a function of wireless environment, signal features, and energy detection techniques. Such a model serves as a cornerstone for the design and analysis of wideband ranging systems. Based on the proposed model, we develop practical soft-decision and hard-decision algorithms. A case study for ranging and localization systems operating in a wireless environment is presented. Sample-level simulations validate our theoretical results.