Mode Controller for signal acquisition and tracking in an ultra wideband communication system

A system and method for controlling the mode of operation in a UWB receiver. In one variation, the system and method determines the mode of operation by reading a set number of samples of the signal, estimating mode parameters, calculating a mode probability, and then transitioning in a finite state machine from either a tracking to an acquisition state or vice versa depending on the value of the mode probability. Exemplary versions of the mode controller include a signal to noise ratio calculator, a signal and noise power estimator, and an AGC initialization circuit.