Time synchronization

rpant · May 11, 2018, 1:25pm

Hi,

I need information regarding algorithm/source for wireless time synchronization between master anchor and slave anchor.

As I am planning to implement TDoA based location tracking devices using Decawave DWM1000 modules where Tags will only blink and slave anchors will report time stamps of arrival to master anchor and then master anchor can process the same to calculate position.

Regards

rsakovich · May 13, 2018, 11:54am

Hi rpant.
I developed such a system for a while ago.
Briefly. The master should emit synchronization signal with embedded timestamp. In our case we used crystal not tcxo and the synchronization signal was emitted every 100 ms. With tcxo this rate can be decreased I believe. Then each slave receives this signal and corrects its own clock for that timestamp received from the master. Also a distance between the slave and the master should be taken into account.
As a start point you can take a look at this document https://www.decawave.com/sites/default/files/resources/comparison_of_wireless_clock_synchronization_algorithms_for_indoor_rtls.pdf

rpant · May 16, 2018, 5:49am

rsakovich:

rpant:

Hi,

I need information regarding algorithm/source for wireless time synchronization between master anchor and slave anchor.

As I am planning to implement TDoA based location tracking devices using Decawave DWM1000 modules where Tags will only blink and slave anchors will report time stamps of arrival to master anchor and then master anchor can process the same to calculate position.

Regards

Hi rpant.
I developed such a system for a while ago.
Briefly. The master should emit synchronization signal with embedded timestamp. In our case we used crystal not tcxo and the synchronization signal was emitted every 100 ms. With tcxo this rate can be decreased I believe. Then each slave receives this signal and corrects its own clock for that timestamp received from the master. Also a distance between the slave and the master should be taken into account.
As a start point you can take a look at this document https://www.decawave.com/sites/default/files/resources/comparison_of_wireless_clock_synchronization_algorithms_for_indoor_rtls.pdf

Hi rsakovich,

Thanks for sharing the document. It describes methods for wireless time synchronization and Kalman filter for estimation of error is winner.
I wanted to know if Decawave has implemented the same and basic code is available so that I can fine tune it for my application as writing code from scratch would be trivial task.

Thanks