Microsecond Time Synchronization for Computing Fiber
Networks
Name
li-jennyyli-meng-eecs-2025-thesis.pdf
Description
Thesis PDF
Size
3.01 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
100a0b44e69b7a5cf823f41d59e670fb
Author(s)
Li, Jenny Y.
Advisor(s)
Fink, Yoel
Date Issued
September 2025
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
We present a microsecond-accurate time synchronization method and time localization system for a sensor network of spatially-separated, low-power Bluetooth nodes, with the goal of integrating this system into thermally-drawn computing fibers. Each node consists of an nRF54L15 SoC paired with an ICS-43434 digital I2S microphone, enabling synchronized audio data collection. Our design leverages Bluetooth LE connection events to synchronize local clocks with sub-10 µs accuracy across a multi-peripheral topology; we trigger precise, CPU-independent hardware events to timestamp audio samples. We demonstrate that timestamped I2S data stored in external SPI flash can be correlated across devices to extract TDoA measurements for localizing sound sources. Cross-correlation techniques allow us to estimate direction and position, with localization errors reduced from 4.17 m to 0.39 m through clock synchronization. This prototype provides a roadmap for embedding synchronized sensing and computation within fibers and smart textiles, with implications for on-body audio perception and distributed sensing in flexible electronics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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