A joint multiuser detection (MUD) scheme for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is proposed to suppress multiple access interference (MAI) caused by a large number of sensor nodes. In WSNs, waveform division multiple access ultra-wideband (WDMA-UWB) technology is well-suited for robust communications. Multiple sensor nodes are allowed to transmit modulated signals by sharing the same time periods and frequency bands using orthogonal pulse waveforms. This paper employs a mapping function based on the optimal multiuser detection (OMD) to map the received bits into the mapping space where error bits can be distinguished. In order to revise error bits caused by MAI, the proposed joint MUD scheme combines the mapping function with suboptimal algorithms. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed MUD scheme provides good performances in terms of suppressing MAI and resisting near-far effect with low computational complexity
