7,252 research outputs found
Synchronization service integrated into routing layer in wireless sensor networks
The time synchronization problem needs to be considered in a distributed system. In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) this issue must be solved with limited computational, communication and energy resources. Many synchronization protocols exist for WSNs. However, in most cases these protocols are independent entities with specific packets, communication scheme and network hierarchy. This solution is not energy efficient. Because it is very rare for synchronization not to be necessary in WSNs, we advocate integrating the synchronization service into the routing layer. We have implemented this approach in a new synchronization protocol called Routing Integrated Synchronization Service (RISS). Our tests show that RISS is very time and energy efficient and also is characterized by a small overhead. We have compared its performance experimentally to that of the FTSP synchronization protocol and it has proved to offer better time precision than the latter protocol
Fundamentals of Large Sensor Networks: Connectivity, Capacity, Clocks and Computation
Sensor networks potentially feature large numbers of nodes that can sense
their environment over time, communicate with each other over a wireless
network, and process information. They differ from data networks in that the
network as a whole may be designed for a specific application. We study the
theoretical foundations of such large scale sensor networks, addressing four
fundamental issues- connectivity, capacity, clocks and function computation.
To begin with, a sensor network must be connected so that information can
indeed be exchanged between nodes. The connectivity graph of an ad-hoc network
is modeled as a random graph and the critical range for asymptotic connectivity
is determined, as well as the critical number of neighbors that a node needs to
connect to. Next, given connectivity, we address the issue of how much data can
be transported over the sensor network. We present fundamental bounds on
capacity under several models, as well as architectural implications for how
wireless communication should be organized.
Temporal information is important both for the applications of sensor
networks as well as their operation.We present fundamental bounds on the
synchronizability of clocks in networks, and also present and analyze
algorithms for clock synchronization. Finally we turn to the issue of gathering
relevant information, that sensor networks are designed to do. One needs to
study optimal strategies for in-network aggregation of data, in order to
reliably compute a composite function of sensor measurements, as well as the
complexity of doing so. We address the issue of how such computation can be
performed efficiently in a sensor network and the algorithms for doing so, for
some classes of functions.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to the Proceedings of the IEE
Precision packet-based frequency transfer based on oversampling
Frequency synchronization of a distributed measurement system requires the transfer of an accurate frequency reference to all nodes. The use of a general-purpose packet-based network for this aim is analyzed in this paper, where oversampling is considered as a means to counter the effects of packet delay variation on time accuracy. A comprehensive analysis that includes the stability of the local clock is presented and shows that frequency transfer through a packet network of this kind is feasible, with an accuracy level that can be of interest to a number of distributed measurement applications
Cooperative Synchronization in Wireless Networks
Synchronization is a key functionality in wireless network, enabling a wide
variety of services. We consider a Bayesian inference framework whereby network
nodes can achieve phase and skew synchronization in a fully distributed way. In
particular, under the assumption of Gaussian measurement noise, we derive two
message passing methods (belief propagation and mean field), analyze their
convergence behavior, and perform a qualitative and quantitative comparison
with a number of competing algorithms. We also show that both methods can be
applied in networks with and without master nodes. Our performance results are
complemented by, and compared with, the relevant Bayesian Cram\'er-Rao bounds
Software Defined Radio Implementation of Carrier and Timing Synchronization for Distributed Arrays
The communication range of wireless networks can be greatly improved by using
distributed beamforming from a set of independent radio nodes. One of the key
challenges in establishing a beamformed communication link from separate radios
is achieving carrier frequency and sample timing synchronization. This paper
describes an implementation that addresses both carrier frequency and sample
timing synchronization simultaneously using RF signaling between designated
master and slave nodes. By using a pilot signal transmitted by the master node,
each slave estimates and tracks the frequency and timing offset and digitally
compensates for them. A real-time implementation of the proposed system was
developed in GNU Radio and tested with Ettus USRP N210 software defined radios.
The measurements show that the distributed array can reach a residual frequency
error of 5 Hz and a residual timing offset of 1/16 the sample duration for 70
percent of the time. This performance enables distributed beamforming for range
extension applications.Comment: Submitted to 2019 IEEE Aerospace Conferenc
AirSync: Enabling Distributed Multiuser MIMO with Full Spatial Multiplexing
The enormous success of advanced wireless devices is pushing the demand for
higher wireless data rates. Denser spectrum reuse through the deployment of
more access points per square mile has the potential to successfully meet the
increasing demand for more bandwidth. In theory, the best approach to density
increase is via distributed multiuser MIMO, where several access points are
connected to a central server and operate as a large distributed multi-antenna
access point, ensuring that all transmitted signal power serves the purpose of
data transmission, rather than creating "interference." In practice, while
enterprise networks offer a natural setup in which distributed MIMO might be
possible, there are serious implementation difficulties, the primary one being
the need to eliminate phase and timing offsets between the jointly coordinated
access points.
In this paper we propose AirSync, a novel scheme which provides not only time
but also phase synchronization, thus enabling distributed MIMO with full
spatial multiplexing gains. AirSync locks the phase of all access points using
a common reference broadcasted over the air in conjunction with a Kalman filter
which closely tracks the phase drift. We have implemented AirSync as a digital
circuit in the FPGA of the WARP radio platform. Our experimental testbed,
comprised of two access points and two clients, shows that AirSync is able to
achieve phase synchronization within a few degrees, and allows the system to
nearly achieve the theoretical optimal multiplexing gain. We also discuss MAC
and higher layer aspects of a practical deployment. To the best of our
knowledge, AirSync offers the first ever realization of the full multiuser MIMO
gain, namely the ability to increase the number of wireless clients linearly
with the number of jointly coordinated access points, without reducing the per
client rate.Comment: Submitted to Transactions on Networkin
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