Joint Analysis and Simulation of Time Synchronization-Relative Navigation Performance of a kind of wireless TDMA Network

In this paper we analyze the joint performance of time synchronization and relative navigation of a kind of wireless TDMA network. The network is based on spread spectrum communication system and can support relative navigation service by continuously receiving and parsing the navigation information in position information (PI) messages. By the calculation of the relative position of other users according to the transmission delay of PI messages, user can estimates its own position within a reasonable bias. On the other hand, users with poor time synchronization situation can improve their synchronization quality by PI messages received from other nodes in network. With the calculation of relative position and transmission delay of PI messages by Kalman filter, users can also estimate the clock bias from other users who have better synchronization situation. So we can find out that time synchronization and relative navigation quality in this TDMA network have very close and complex relationship. Based on network simulation software OPNET, we validate the relationship between time synchronization and relative navigation and also show that geodetic reference (GR) will greatly helpful for the time synchronization and relative navigation performance of users