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Temporal synchronization in mobile sensor networks using image sequence analysis

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Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of estimating the temporal synchronization in mobile sensors’ networks, by using image sequence analysis of their corresponding scene dynamics. Unlike existing methods, which are frequently based on adaptations of techniques originally designed for wired networks with static topologies, or even based on solutions specially designed for ad hoc wireless sensor networks, but that have a high energy consumption and a low scalability regarding the number of sensors, this work proposes a novel approach that reduces the problem of synchronizing a general number \(N\) of sensors to the robust estimation of a single line in \({\mathbb {R}}^{N+1}\). This line captures all temporal relations between the sensors and can be computed without any prior knowledge of these relations. It is assumed that (1) the network’s mobile sensors cross the field of view of a stationary calibrated camera that operates with constant frame rate and (2) the sensors trajectories are estimated with a limited error at a constant sampling rate, both in the world coordinate system and in the camera’s image plane. Experimental results with real-world and synthetic scenarios demonstrate that our method can be successfully used to determine the temporal alignment in mobile sensor networks.

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Acknowledgments

This work would not be possible without the financial support of FAPEMIG/Brazil, CEFET-MG, and CAPES/Brazil. Guilherme Pereira holds a scholarship from CNPq/Brazil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, João Monlevade, MG, 35931-026, Brazil

    Darlan N. Brito

  2. Department of Computing, Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30510-000, Brazil

    Flávio L. C. Pádua

  3. Department of Electrical Engineering, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-010, Brazil

    Guilherme A. S. Pereira

Authors
  1. Darlan N. Brito
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  2. Flávio L. C. Pádua
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  3. Guilherme A. S. Pereira
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Correspondence to Guilherme A. S. Pereira.

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Brito, D.N., Pádua, F.L.C. & Pereira, G.A.S. Temporal synchronization in mobile sensor networks using image sequence analysis. Machine Vision and Applications 25, 1067–1076 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00138-014-0605-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00138-014-0605-6

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