Lightweight time synchronization for sensor networks

This paper presents lightweight tree-based synchronization (LTS) methods for sensor networks. First, a single-hop, pair-wise synchronization scheme is analyzed. This scheme requires the exchange of only three messages and has Gaussian error properties. The single-hop approach is extended to a centralized multi-hop synchronization method. Multi-hop synchronization consists of pair-wise synchronizations performed along the edges of a spanning tree. Multi-hop synchronization requires only n-1 pair-wise synchronizations for a network of n nodes. In addition, we show that the communication complexity and accuracy of multi-hop synchronization is a function of the construction and depth of the spanning tree; several spanning-tree construction algorithms are described. Further, the required refresh rate of multi-hop synchronization is shown as a function of clock drift and the accuracy of single-hop synchronization. Finally, a distributed multi-hop synchronization is presented where nodes kee...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: WSNA
• Authors: Jana van Greunen, Jan M. Rabaey
• Keywords: Multi-hop Synchronization, Multi-hop Synchronization Method, Pair-wise Synchronizations, Sensor Networks, WSNA 2003