International Journal of Future Generation Communication and Networking Vol. 9, No. 3 (2016), pp. 123-138 http://dx.doi.org/10.14257/ijfgcn.2016.9.3.12 ISSN: 2233-7857 IJFGCN Copyright ⓒ 2016 SERSC A Novel TOA Estimation Algorithm Based on Kurtosis and Standard Slope in the 60GHz Sensor Network Xiao-Lin Liang 1 , Hao Zhang 1，2 , Ting-Ting Lu 1 , T. Aaron. Gulliver 2 and Xue-rong Cui 3 1 College of Information Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China; 2 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Victoria, Victoria V8W 3P6, Canada 3 Department of Computer and Communication Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), xiaolin87liang@163.com, zhanghao@ouc.edu.cn, lvtingting33@163.com, agullive@ece.uvic.ca cuixuerong@163.com Abstract Accurate localization has gained significant interest in the field of sensor networks, but Time of Arrival (TOA) estimation algorithms which based coherent by Matched Filter are not practical for low cost, low complexity impulse-radio 60GHz ranging, localization and tracking systems because of the high sampling rate. In this paper, a novel TOA estimation algorithm which based on non-coherent by Energy Detection is presented where TOA is estimated via Threshold Crossing. The expected values of Standard Slope, Maximum Slope, Kurtosis and Standard Deviation with respect to the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) are investigated using the IEEE 802.15.3c Channel Models. It is shown that the Kurtosis and Standard Slope are more sensitive to the SNR and thus they are even much more suitable for TOA estimation. In order to improve the precision of TOA estimation based on Energy Detection, a novel TOA estimation algorithm which is based on a joint metric of the Standard Slope and Kurtosis is proposed. The best threshold values for different SNRs are investigated and the effects of integration period and channel models are examined. In comparison with other algorithms which based on Energy Detection, the results show that in both the CM1.1 and CM2.1 channels, the joint metric provides higher precision and robustness. Keywords: 60GHz, TOA estimation, ranging, Kurtosis, Standard Slope 1. Introduction The demand for high data rate wireless communications with low latency has increased dramatically in recent years. Unfortunately, due to spectrum limitations and transmit power regulations, current short-range wireless communication strategies cannot achieve Gigabit per second (Gbps) data rates. Fortunately, wireless communications in the 60GHz millimeter wave (mm-wave) band has become viable for Gbps wireless communication networks [1-4] due to the availability of several GHz of license-free spectrum, up to 10W maximum transmit power, no interference from other systems, and the development of low-cost Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) devices. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) permits communications in the 60GHz unlicensed band at an Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) of up to 40dBm, which is many times greater than other short-range wireless communication strategies. In China, this limit is 44dBm [5]. Although the Path Loss (PL) is high at 60GHz, the received power