Distributed Beamforming Using Decentralized Time Synchronization in a Six-Element Array

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a fully wireless distributed beamforming system with decentralized time synchronization, achieving high coherent gain and sub-50 picosecond synchronization accuracy in a six-element array.

Contribution

It introduces a novel wireless frequency transfer method combined with decentralized time synchronization for distributed beamforming.

Findings

Achieved 98% of ideal coherent gain at 1.05 GHz

Time synchronization accuracy was less than 36 ps

Successfully demonstrated beamforming and steering over 16.3 m

Abstract

We demonstrate a distributed beamforming and beamsteering from a six-node distributed phased array using fully wireless coordination with decentralized time synchronization. In wireless applications such as distributed beamforming, high-accuracy time synchronization across the array is crucial for high coherent gain. The decentralized time synchronization method employed is based on the average consensus algorithm and the two-way time transfer method presented in our previous work, which achieved picosecond time synchronization with a cabled frequency reference. The system presented in this paper utilizes a centralized wireless frequency transfer method to achieve wireless frequency syntonization in a fully wireless coordination and a distributed computing system architecture. We experimentally evaluate system performance through beamforming and beamsteering to a receiver 16.3 m away from the six-node non-uniformly distributed antenna array, achieving an average coherent gain of 98% of the ideal gain at a carrier frequency of 1.05 GHz. The average time synchronization accuracy achieved was less than 36 ps.