Circuit Design and Physical Experiment of Time Synchronization for WSNs
Shaoheng Chun, Yu‐Ping Tian, Gan Chen, Siheng Zong · 2018
The LSTS algorithm is a kind of time synchronization algorithm which is directed to suppress the random bounded communication delay in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), Theoretical analysis shows that even under random delays, the drift estimations of all sensors given by this algorithm are asymptotically convergent to a common constant in a rate of 1/k, where k is the discrete time, and the global synchronization error is bounded. In order to further verify the validity of the theoretical results and the practical feasibility of the LSTS algorithm, we autonomously design a hardware platform, and conduct physical experiments on this platform by comparing LSTS algorithm with some other algorithms like ATS and WMTS in several aspects including the convergent rate, the offset compensation error and the synchronization error. The result suggests that the LSTS algorithm is state of the art in most performance indices. Finally, the method of “synchronous second pulse(SSP) + synchronization time(ST)” is designed to provide timing service for WSNs, which makes the timing protocol very simple, and it's also convenient for the time acquisition for the underlying hardware, thus enhances the practicability and versatility.