Synchronizing wireless devices using timestamps and relative clock offsets of the wireless devices

• US 8,406,217 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Simmonds Precision Products, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Simmonds Precision Products, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Zakrzewski, Radoslaw Romuald
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAO, WEI PO ERIC
• Application Number:
  US12/799,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20110255528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 370310-350, 370503-520
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0667 Bidirectional timestamps, e.g. NTP or PTP for compensation of clock drift and for compensation of propagation delays arrangements for monitoring round trip delays in packet switching networks H04L43/0864
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/009 Closed loop measurements

Abstract

Wireless communication may be provided between an access point and one or more wireless devices, such as wireless sensors used in avionics applications for sensing, monitoring and control systems. Synchronization of wireless devices may be required so that certain actions, such as data acquisition, are performed at precisely controlled time instances. The system described herein provides for rapid synchronization of wireless devices that does not require the use of prior timing data and that may be performed without communication directly between the wireless devices. Further, techniques are provided for addressing packet losses and packet propagation delays.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing a plurality of wireless devices, comprising:

sending a first set of multiple reference messages from an access point to each of the plurality of wireless devices, each of the multiple reference messages being sent to all of the plurality of wireless devices;

recording, at each of the wireless devices, a timestamp corresponding to each of the reference messages that is received;

in response to a request from the access point, sending from each of the wireless devices a response to the access point that includes the timestamps corresponding to the reference messages received at each of the wireless devices; and

determining, at the access point, relative clock offsets between each of the wireless devices using the timestamps, wherein the relative clock offsets are determined at the access point using only the timestamps corresponding to the reference messages received by the wireless devices that are recorded at each of the wireless devices and included in the responses sent to the access point from the wireless devices, the relative clock offsets between each of the wireless devices being determined independently of any timestamps recorded by the access point.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

scheduling, at the access point, synchronized actions of the wireless devices according to the relative clock offsets of the wireless devices determined by the access point.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of wireless devices is a wireless sensor, and wherein each of the wireless sensors collects data in synchronization with other of the wireless sensors according to the scheduled actions.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access point determines additional offsets between the access point and the wireless devices using timestamps attached to the response by the wireless devices and using a first access point timestamp attached to the request by the access point and a second access point timestamp attached to the responses received by the access point from the wireless devices.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a second set of multiple reference messages are sent from the access point to the plurality of wireless devices.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

estimating clock drift rate of each of the plurality of wireless devices.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the access point retains data of the clock drift rate for each of the plurality of wireless devices.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first set of multiple reference messages are transmitted by the access point to the wireless devices after an expected wake up time of each of the wireless devices from a sleep mode.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein each of the wireless devices requires synchronization after waking up from the sleep mode.

10. A computer readable storage medium storing computer software that synchronizes a plurality of wireless devices, the computer software comprising:

executable code that sends a set of multiple reference messages from an access point to each of the plurality of wireless devices, each of the multiple reference messages being sent to all of the plurality of wireless devices;

executable code that records, at each of the wireless devices, a timestamp corresponding to each of the reference messages that is received;

executable code that, in response to a request from the access point, sends from each of the wireless devices a response to the access point with the timestamps corresponding to the reference messages received at each of the wireless devices; and

executable code that determines, at the access point, relative clock offsets between each of the wireless devices using the timestamps, wherein the relative clock offsets are determined at the access point using only the timestamps corresponding to the reference messages received by the wireless devices that are recorded at each of the wireless devices and included in the responses sent to the access point from the wireless devices, the relative clock offsets between each of the wireless devices being determined independently of any timestamps recorded by the access point.

11. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, further comprising:

executable code that schedules, at the access point, synchronized actions of the wireless devices according to the relative clock offsets of the wireless devices determined by the access point.

12. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the access point determines additional offsets between the access point and the wireless devices using timestamps attached to the response by the wireless devices and using a first access point timestamp attached to the request by the access point and a second access point timestamp attached to the responses received by the access point from the wireless devices.

13. The computer readable storage medium according to claim, wherein the first set of multiple reference messages are transmitted by the access point to the wireless devices after an expected wake up time of each of the wireless devices from a sleep mode.

14. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein each of the wireless devices requires synchronization after waking up from the sleep mode.

15. A method of synchronizing a first wireless device and a second wireless device, comprising:

sending a synchronization message from the first wireless device to the second wireless device, wherein the synchronization message includes a first timestamp generated by the first wireless device;

receiving the synchronization message at the second wireless device, wherein the second wireless device records a second timestamp corresponding to receipt of the synchronization message;

sending a synchronization response from the second wireless device, wherein the synchronization response includes the first timestamp, the second timestamp, and a third timestamp corresponding to the sending of the synchronization response by the second wireless device;

receiving the synchronization response at the first wireless device, wherein the first wireless device records a fourth timestamp corresponding to receipt of the synchronization response; and

determining a relative clock offset of the first wireless device and the second wireless device using a set of timestamps including the first timestamp, the second timestamp, the third timestamp and the fourth timestamp, wherein the set of timestamps used to determine the relative clock offset of the first and second wireless devices further includes timestamps corresponding to multiple synchronization messages or multiple synchronization responses that are transmitted according to controlled delay times, the controlled delay times being determined and applied to reduce an effect of an operation cycle bias of the wireless devices on the determination of the relative clock offset.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the set of timestamps includes the timestamps corresponding to the multiple synchronization messages and the multiple synchronization responses transmitted according to the controlled delay times.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the controlled delay times for the transmitting of the multiple synchronization messages or the multiple synchronization responses include randomized delay times.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the controlled delay times for the transmitting of the multiple synchronization messages or the multiple synchronization responses include uniformly spaced delay times, wherein the uniformly spaced delay times are uniformly increasing delay times.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the uniformly increasing delay times increase by an amount corresponding to a fraction of the operating cycle.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the relative clock offset is determined using at least one of the following:

two sorted lists of one-way delays between each of the first wireless device and the second wireless device, and two minimal one-way delays between each of the first wireless device and the second wireless device.

21. A computer readable storage medium storing computer software that synchronizes a first wireless device and a second wireless device, the computer software comprising:

executable code that sends a synchronization message from the first wireless device to the second wireless device, wherein the synchronization message includes a first timestamp generated by the first wireless device;

executable code that receives the synchronization message at the second wireless device, wherein the second wireless device records a second timestamp corresponding to the synchronization message that is received;

executable code that sends a synchronization response from the second wireless device, wherein the synchronization response includes the first timestamp, the second timestamp, and a third timestamp corresponding to the sending of the synchronization response by the second wireless device;

executable code that receives the synchronization response at the first wireless device, wherein the first wireless device records a fourth timestamp corresponding to receipt of the synchronization response; and

executable code that determines a relative clock offset of the first wireless device and the second wireless device using a set of timestamps including the first timestamp, the second timestamp, the third timestamp and the fourth timestamp, wherein the set of timestamps used to determine the relative clock offset of the first and second wireless devices further includes timestamps corresponding to multiple synchronization messages or multiple synchronization responses that are transmitted according to controlled delay times, the controlled delay times being determined and applied to reduce an effect of a bias of an operation cycle of the wireless devices on the determination of the relative clock offset.

22. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the set of timestamps includes the timestamps corresponding to the multiple synchronization messages and the multiple synchronization responses transmitted according to the controlled delay times.

23. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the controlled delay times for the transmitting of the multiple synchronization messages or the multiple synchronization responses include randomized delay times.

24. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the controlled delay times for the transmitting of the multiple synchronization messages or the multiple synchronization responses include uniformly spaced delay times, wherein the uniformly spaced delay times are uniformly increasing delay times.

25. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 24, wherein the uniformly increasing delay times increase by an amount corresponding to a fraction of the operating cycle.

26. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 22, wherein the relative clock offset is determined using at least one of the following:

two sorted lists of one-way delays between each of the first wireless device and the second wireless device, and two minimal one-way delays between each of the first wireless device and the second wireless device.