Open-Loop Distributed Beamforming Using Wireless Phase and Frequency Synchronization

Coordinating the operations of separate wireless systems at the wavelength level can lead to significant improvements in wireless capabilities. We address a fundamental challenge in distributed radio frequency system cooperation-inter-node phase alignment-which must be accomplished wirelessly and is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inIEEE microwave and wireless components letters Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 234 - 237
Main Authors Mghabghab, Serge R., Ellison, Sean M., Nanzer, Jeffrey A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published IEEE 01.03.2022
Subjects
Antenna arrays
Array signal processing
disaggregated antennas
Distance measurement
distributed beamforming
Frequency estimation
Frequency synchronization
ranging
Synchronization
Wireless communication
Wireless sensor networks
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Summary:Coordinating the operations of separate wireless systems at the wavelength level can lead to significant improvements in wireless capabilities. We address a fundamental challenge in distributed radio frequency system cooperation-inter-node phase alignment-which must be accomplished wirelessly and is particularly challenging when the nodes are in relative motion. We present a solution to this problem that is based on a novel technique combining high-accuracy ranging and frequency transfer. We demonstrate the system in the first fully wireless open-loop coherent distributed beamforming experiment. Inter-node range estimation to support phase alignment was performed using a two-tone stepped frequency waveform (TTSFW) with a single pulse, while a two-tone waveform was used for frequency synchronization. The approach was implemented on a two-node dynamic system using Ettus X310 software-defined radios (SDRs), with coherent beamforming at 1.5 GHz.
ISSN:1531-1309
1558-1764
DOI:10.1109/LMWC.2021.3122031