Low-Power GPS-Disciplined Oscillator Module for Distributed Wireless Sensor Nodes
Many sensor systems, such as distributed wireless sensor arrays, require high-accuracy timing while maintaining low power consumption. Although the capabilities of chip-scale atomic clocks have advanced significantly, their cost continues to be prohibitive for many applications. GPS signals are comm...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Electronics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/10/6/716 |
| _version_ | 1797540824190287872 |
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| author | Tyler J. Boehmer Sven G. Bilén |
| author_facet | Tyler J. Boehmer Sven G. Bilén |
| author_sort | Tyler J. Boehmer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many sensor systems, such as distributed wireless sensor arrays, require high-accuracy timing while maintaining low power consumption. Although the capabilities of chip-scale atomic clocks have advanced significantly, their cost continues to be prohibitive for many applications. GPS signals are commonly used to discipline local oscillators in order to inherit the long-term stability of GPS timing; however, commercially available GPS-disciplined oscillators typically use temperature-controlled oscillators and take an extended period of time to reach their stated accuracy, resulting in a large power consumption, usually over a watt. This has subsequently limited their adoption in low-power applications. Modern temperature-compensated crystal oscillators now have stabilities that enable the possibility of duty cycling a GPS receiver and intermittently correcting the oscillator for drift. Based on this principle, a design for a GPS-disciplined oscillator is presented that achieves an accuracy of 5 <inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><mi mathvariant="sans-serif">μ</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>s rms in its operational environment, while consuming only 45 mW of average power. The circuit is implemented in a system called geoPebble, which uses a large grid of wireless sensors to perform glacial reflectometry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:07:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2a1c0b946ac5476ca951c6e284ce33f8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-9292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:07:31Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Electronics |
| spelling | doaj.art-2a1c0b946ac5476ca951c6e284ce33f82023-11-21T11:00:50ZengMDPI AGElectronics2079-92922021-03-0110671610.3390/electronics10060716Low-Power GPS-Disciplined Oscillator Module for Distributed Wireless Sensor NodesTyler J. Boehmer0Sven G. Bilén1Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USASchool of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USAMany sensor systems, such as distributed wireless sensor arrays, require high-accuracy timing while maintaining low power consumption. Although the capabilities of chip-scale atomic clocks have advanced significantly, their cost continues to be prohibitive for many applications. GPS signals are commonly used to discipline local oscillators in order to inherit the long-term stability of GPS timing; however, commercially available GPS-disciplined oscillators typically use temperature-controlled oscillators and take an extended period of time to reach their stated accuracy, resulting in a large power consumption, usually over a watt. This has subsequently limited their adoption in low-power applications. Modern temperature-compensated crystal oscillators now have stabilities that enable the possibility of duty cycling a GPS receiver and intermittently correcting the oscillator for drift. Based on this principle, a design for a GPS-disciplined oscillator is presented that achieves an accuracy of 5 <inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><mi mathvariant="sans-serif">μ</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>s rms in its operational environment, while consuming only 45 mW of average power. The circuit is implemented in a system called geoPebble, which uses a large grid of wireless sensors to perform glacial reflectometry.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/10/6/716GPS-disciplined oscillatordistributed wireless sensor arraytimingAllan deviationfrequency drift |
| spellingShingle | Tyler J. Boehmer Sven G. Bilén Low-Power GPS-Disciplined Oscillator Module for Distributed Wireless Sensor Nodes Electronics GPS-disciplined oscillator distributed wireless sensor array timing Allan deviation frequency drift |
| title | Low-Power GPS-Disciplined Oscillator Module for Distributed Wireless Sensor Nodes |
| title_full | Low-Power GPS-Disciplined Oscillator Module for Distributed Wireless Sensor Nodes |
| title_fullStr | Low-Power GPS-Disciplined Oscillator Module for Distributed Wireless Sensor Nodes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Low-Power GPS-Disciplined Oscillator Module for Distributed Wireless Sensor Nodes |
| title_short | Low-Power GPS-Disciplined Oscillator Module for Distributed Wireless Sensor Nodes |
| title_sort | low power gps disciplined oscillator module for distributed wireless sensor nodes |
| topic | GPS-disciplined oscillator distributed wireless sensor array timing Allan deviation frequency drift |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/10/6/716 |
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