2024/10/22 by Naim Shandi, Shandi, Naim, Jason M. Merlo +3
Computer Science · Engineering · #FOS: Electrical engineering #Network Time Synchronization Technologies #Power Line Communications and Noise #Signal Processing (eess.SP) #Wireless Body Area Networks #electronic engineering #information engineering
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2410.17356
openalex publication_date 2024/10/22 · openalex created_date 2024/11/13 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Phase, time, and frequency coordination are crucial for the coherent operation of distributed antenna arrays. This paper demonstrates a high accuracy decentralized time synchronization method for arrays with dynamic connectivity. To overcome challenges such as alteration in network topology, system scaling, and single- or multiple-node failures, we present a decentralized time synchronization method implementing the average consensus algorithm and two-way time transfer. Our approach supports decentralized time synchronization with picosecond accuracy (< 13 ps), unbiased convergence, resilience to node failures, and robustness to other network connection adversities. A time synchronization precision of under 3 ps was achieved for a fully connected frequency syntonized network. The algorithm ensured convergence in time even for a network with only one link connecting two randomly chosen nodes at each iteration; however, the speed of convergence decreased along with the number of connected links. The method is exhibited for a six-node distributed array, by both simulation and experimental implementation using software defined radios.