A Survey on DCSK-Based Communication Systems and Their Application to UWB Scenarios

In the past two decades, chaotic modulations have drawn a great deal of attention in low-power and low-complexity wireless communication applications due to their excellent anti-fading and anti-intercept capabilities. Of particular interest is the differential chaos shift keying (DCSK), which is considered as a very promising chaotic modulation scheme that achieves not only good error performance, but also low implementation complexity. In this treatise, we provide an insightful survey on the state-of-the-art research in DCSK-based communication systems through an extensive open literature search. In doing so, we firstly review the principles of DCSK modulation and the significant milestones since its inception. Subsequently, we introduce meritorious variants of DCSK, all of which can outperform the original one in certain aspects. We also present the joint design guidelines when combining DCSK with other critical techniques, e.g., error-correction coding and cooperative communication, in wireless communications under both single-user and multiaccess scenarios. Besides, we summarize research progress in the application of DCSK-based communication systems to ultra-wideband scenarios and their corresponding advantages. Specifically, we restrict our attention to the relevant modulation and system designs, as well as their performance-analysis methodologies. This survey aims not only to allow researchers understanding the development and current status of DCSK-based communication systems, but also to inspire further research in this area.