Wireless trigger distribution with nanosecond jitter based on ultra-wideband transceiver modules

Wireless sensor networks require time synchronization to operate in a coordinated manner. Synchronizing the clock of each sensor node by using a network protocol can be sufficient for millisecond accuracy, whereas precision in the range of nanoseconds can be achieved by using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. Unfortunately, the use of GNSS signals requires an unobstructed view of the sky, and thus they cannot be used indoors or underground. Additionally, GNSS is susceptible to jamming and spoofing, and their use depends on the availability of global infrastructure. To address these limitations, we propose a trigger signal distribution system based on the DWM1000 IEEE 802.15.4-2011 ultra-wideband transceiver module. A network of two or more modules can be configured to wirelessly distribute trigger signals with a typical jitter of less than <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mo>±</mml:mo></mml:math> 4 ns. This approach can be applied in, e.g., structural health monitoring with ultrasonic guided waves. We used the solution to coordinate signal transmission and reception in a wireless sensor network.