Enhancing Time Synchronization Support in Wireless Sensor Networks
With the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technology becoming reality, a number of applications are being proposed. Several of these applications are highly dependent on wireless sensor networks (WSN) to acquire data from the surrounding environment. In order to be really useful for most of applica...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2017-12-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/17/12/2956 |
| _version_ | 1798039819925848064 |
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| author | Leandro Tavares Bruscato Tales Heimfarth Edison Pignaton de Freitas |
| author_facet | Leandro Tavares Bruscato Tales Heimfarth Edison Pignaton de Freitas |
| author_sort | Leandro Tavares Bruscato |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technology becoming reality, a number of applications are being proposed. Several of these applications are highly dependent on wireless sensor networks (WSN) to acquire data from the surrounding environment. In order to be really useful for most of applications, the acquired data must be coherent in terms of the time in which they are acquired, which implies that the entire sensor network presents a certain level of time synchronization. Moreover, to efficiently exchange and forward data, many communication protocols used in WSN rely also on time synchronization among the sensor nodes. Observing the importance in complying with this need for time synchronization, this work focuses on the second synchronization problem, proposing, implementing and testing a time synchronization service for low-power WSN using low frequency real-time clocks in each node. To implement this service, three algorithms based on different strategies are proposed: one based on an auto-correction approach, the second based on a prediction mechanism, while the third uses an analytical correction mechanism. Their goal is the same, i.e., to make the clocks of the sensor nodes converge as quickly as possible and then to keep them most similar as possible. This goal comes along with the requirement to keep low energy consumption. Differently from other works in the literature, the proposal here is independent of any specific protocol, i.e., it may be adapted to be used in different protocols. Moreover, it explores the minimum number of synchronization messages by means of a smart clock update strategy, allowing the trade-off between the desired level of synchronization and the associated energy consumption. Experimental results, which includes data acquired from simulations and testbed deployments, provide evidence of the success in meeting this goal, as well as providing means to compare these three approaches considering the best synchronization results and their costs in terms of energy consumption. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:58:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e01cb72543344e52aa77f08ea424a84c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:58:57Z |
| publishDate | 2017-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-e01cb72543344e52aa77f08ea424a84c2022-12-22T04:01:00ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202017-12-011712295610.3390/s17122956s17122956Enhancing Time Synchronization Support in Wireless Sensor NetworksLeandro Tavares Bruscato0Tales Heimfarth1Edison Pignaton de Freitas2Electrical Engineering Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90035-190, BrazilComputer Science Department, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras 37200-000, BrazilElectrical Engineering Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90035-190, BrazilWith the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technology becoming reality, a number of applications are being proposed. Several of these applications are highly dependent on wireless sensor networks (WSN) to acquire data from the surrounding environment. In order to be really useful for most of applications, the acquired data must be coherent in terms of the time in which they are acquired, which implies that the entire sensor network presents a certain level of time synchronization. Moreover, to efficiently exchange and forward data, many communication protocols used in WSN rely also on time synchronization among the sensor nodes. Observing the importance in complying with this need for time synchronization, this work focuses on the second synchronization problem, proposing, implementing and testing a time synchronization service for low-power WSN using low frequency real-time clocks in each node. To implement this service, three algorithms based on different strategies are proposed: one based on an auto-correction approach, the second based on a prediction mechanism, while the third uses an analytical correction mechanism. Their goal is the same, i.e., to make the clocks of the sensor nodes converge as quickly as possible and then to keep them most similar as possible. This goal comes along with the requirement to keep low energy consumption. Differently from other works in the literature, the proposal here is independent of any specific protocol, i.e., it may be adapted to be used in different protocols. Moreover, it explores the minimum number of synchronization messages by means of a smart clock update strategy, allowing the trade-off between the desired level of synchronization and the associated energy consumption. Experimental results, which includes data acquired from simulations and testbed deployments, provide evidence of the success in meeting this goal, as well as providing means to compare these three approaches considering the best synchronization results and their costs in terms of energy consumption.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/17/12/2956clock predictioninternet of thingslow-power sensorsreal-time clockself-correcting mechanismtime synchronizationwireless sensor networks |
| spellingShingle | Leandro Tavares Bruscato Tales Heimfarth Edison Pignaton de Freitas Enhancing Time Synchronization Support in Wireless Sensor Networks Sensors clock prediction internet of things low-power sensors real-time clock self-correcting mechanism time synchronization wireless sensor networks |
| title | Enhancing Time Synchronization Support in Wireless Sensor Networks |
| title_full | Enhancing Time Synchronization Support in Wireless Sensor Networks |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing Time Synchronization Support in Wireless Sensor Networks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing Time Synchronization Support in Wireless Sensor Networks |
| title_short | Enhancing Time Synchronization Support in Wireless Sensor Networks |
| title_sort | enhancing time synchronization support in wireless sensor networks |
| topic | clock prediction internet of things low-power sensors real-time clock self-correcting mechanism time synchronization wireless sensor networks |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/17/12/2956 |
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