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Abstract

Provided is a distance estimation apparatus, system and method for accurately estimating the distance between TX/RX devices by means of low-end hardware in a communication system such as the IEEE 802.15.4a system. The distance estimation apparatus includes an analog-to-digital converter, a parallelizer, a parallel synchronization means, a counter, and a system clock generator. The analog-to-digital converter analog-to-digital converts a received packet signal to generate a serial digital signal, and the parallelizer 1:N parallelizes the serial digital signal. The parallel synchronization means includes an N number of buffers for receiving the output of the parallelizer. A counter outputs a count value for estimation of the propagation delay time of a UWB signal on the basis of the sampling data retained in the parallel synchronization means. The system clock generator generates a system clock in the distance estimation apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to accurately estimate the distance between the TX/RX devices by arithmetically calculating a received signal while operating a ranging counter with a low-rate system clock, thereby simplifying the hardware structure and minimizing power consumption.

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