Scalable and Passive Wireless Network Clock Synchronization

TL;DR

This paper presents a scalable, passive wireless clock synchronization system capable of achieving sub-nanosecond accuracy, incorporating position estimation and providing theoretical bounds and efficient online algorithms.

Contribution

It introduces a novel passive synchronization framework that handles position uncertainties and enables simultaneous synchronization and positioning.

Findings

Achieves sub-nanosecond synchronization accuracy

Provides Cramer-Rao bounds for system performance

Develops an efficient online estimation method

Abstract

Clock synchronization is ubiquitous in wireless systems for communication, sensing and control. In this paper we design a scalable system in which an indefinite number of passively receiving wireless units can synchronize to a single master clock at the level of discrete clock ticks. Accurate synchronization requires an estimate of the node positions. If such information is available the framework developed here takes position uncertainties into account. In the absence of such information we propose a mechanism which enables simultaneous synchronization and positioning. Furthermore we derive the Cramer-Rao bounds for the system which show that it enables synchronization accuracy at sub-nanosecond levels. Finally, we develop and evaluate an online estimation method which is statistically efficient.