A wireless time synchronization method, apparatus and device

Abstract

The application provides a wireless time synchronization method, device and equipment, and relates to the field of communication. The method is executed by a first communication device, and comprises the following steps: acquiring time identification, time offset information and first time information in system information; wherein the time identification is used for indicating whether the next whole second moment of a second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used for indicating the offset of a time synchronization moment, and the first time information is used for indicating the next whole second moment of the second communication device; in the case that the time identification indicates that the next whole second moment of the second communication device will occur, performing time synchronization processing with the second communication device according to the time offset information and the first time information. The method of the application solves the problem that the existing time synchronization depends on receivers and antennas, and is not only high in cost but also limited in use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a wireless time synchronization method, apparatus, and device. Background Technology

[0002] In the actual deployment and use of New Radio (NR) networks, the time synchronization technologies commonly used include Global Positioning System (GPS) or BeiDou.

[0003] However, in addition to designing a GPS or BeiDou receiver, these two time synchronization methods also require the installation of an external antenna, which increases design and construction costs. At the same time, in some special cases, the installation of the antenna may be restricted and thus cannot be used. For example, when indoor devices use GPS, the installation location is often strictly limited. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wireless time synchronization method, apparatus, and device to solve the problem that existing time synchronization methods rely on receivers and antennas, which are not only costly but also have limited use.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of the present invention provide a wireless time synchronization method, executed by a first communication device, comprising:

[0006] The system acquires a time identifier, a time offset, and a first time information from the system information; wherein the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device.

[0007] When the time indicator indicates that the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, time synchronization processing with the second communication device is performed based on the time offset information and the first time information.

[0008] Optionally, the main information block (MIB) of the system information includes the time identifier;

[0009] The system information block SIB1, or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, contain the time offset information and the first time information.

[0010] Optionally, the step of performing time synchronization processing with the second communication device based on the time offset and the first time information includes:

[0011] The time synchronization time is determined based on the time offset information;

[0012] The second time information to be updated is determined based on the first time information;

[0013] At the time synchronization moment, the local system time is updated according to the second time information.

[0014] Optionally, determining the time synchronization time based on the time offset information includes:

[0015] If the time offset information is a time offset index, then the time offset T is determined through the time offset index. offset Then, the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

[0016] Optionally, determining the time synchronization time based on the time offset information includes:

[0017] If the time offset information is T offset Then the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

[0018] Optionally, determining the second time information to be updated based on the first time information includes:

[0019] The second time information is calculated using the index value of the first time information and the timing advance TA.

[0020] Optionally, before determining the time synchronization time based on the time offset information, the method further includes:

[0021] If the beam scanning function is not enabled on the second communication device, the received first MIB will be used as the reference MIB.

[0022] When the second communication device enables beam scanning, the second MIB in a set of temporally consecutive MIBs transmitted by the second communication device is determined by a preset rule, and the second MIB is used as the reference MIB; wherein, the set of temporally consecutive MIBs are all MIBs containing a valid time identifier.

[0023] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0024] After the first communication device synchronizes with the second communication device, it outputs a pulse signal and a third time information in a preset format at a preset time.

[0025] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of the present invention provide a wireless time synchronization method, executed by a second communication device, comprising:

[0026] Send system information, which includes: a time identifier, a time offset, and a first time information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset is used to indicate the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device.

[0027] Optionally, the MIB of the system information includes the time identifier;

[0028] The system information SIB1, or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, contain the time offset information and the first time information.

[0029] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of the present invention provide a wireless time synchronization device, comprising:

[0030] The acquisition module is used to acquire the time identifier, time offset information and first time information from the system information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device;

[0031] The processing module is configured to perform time synchronization processing with the second communication device based on the time offset information and the first time information when the time indicator indicates that the next whole second of the second communication device will occur.

[0032] Optionally, the MIB of the system information includes the time identifier;

[0033] The system information SIB1, or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, contain the time offset information and the first time information.

[0034] Optionally, the processing module includes:

[0035] The first determining submodule is used to determine the time synchronization moment based on the time offset information;

[0036] The second determining submodule is used to determine the second time information to be updated based on the first time information;

[0037] The first processing submodule is used to update the local system time according to the second time information at the time synchronization time.

[0038] Optionally, the first determining submodule is further configured to:

[0039] If the time offset information is a time offset index, then the time offset T is determined through the time offset index. offset Then, the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

[0040] Optionally, the first determining submodule is further configured to:

[0041] If the time offset information is T offset Then the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

[0042] Optionally, the second determining submodule is further configured to:

[0043] The second time information is calculated using the index value of the first time information and the timing advance TA.

[0044] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0045] The second processing submodule is used to use the received first MIB as the reference MIB when the beam scanning function of the second communication device is not enabled.

[0046] The third processing submodule is used to determine the second MIB in a set of temporally consecutive MIBs sent by the second communication device according to a preset rule when the second communication device enables the beam scanning function, and to use the second MIB as the reference MIB; wherein, the set of temporally consecutive MIBs are all MIBs containing a valid time identifier.

[0047] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0048] The output module is used to output a pulse signal and a third time information in a preset format at a preset time after the first communication device and the second communication device have synchronized their time.

[0049] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of the present invention provide a wireless time synchronization device, comprising:

[0050] The sending module is used to send system information, which includes: a time identifier, a time offset information, and a first time information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device.

[0051] Optionally, the MIB of the system information includes the time identifier;

[0052] The system information SIB1, or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, contain the time offset information and the first time information.

[0053] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of the present invention provide a communication device, including a processor, a transceiver, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the steps of the wireless time synchronization method executed by the first communication device as described above, or the steps of the wireless time synchronization method executed by the second communication device as described above.

[0054] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of the present invention provide a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the wireless time synchronization method executed by a first communication device as described above, or the wireless time synchronization method executed by a second communication device as described above.

[0055] The beneficial effects of the above-described technical solution of the present invention are as follows:

[0056] The method of this invention can utilize the time identifier indicating whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information indicating the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information indicating the next whole second of the second communication device in the system information to achieve time synchronization between the two sides wirelessly. This solves the problem that existing time synchronization relies on receivers and antennas, which is not only costly but also has limited use. Attached Figure Description

[0057] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the wireless time synchronization method executed by the first communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Figure 2 This is an application diagram illustrating the method of this invention.

[0059] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the wireless time synchronization method executed by a second communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Figure 4 To and Figure 1 Corresponding device structure diagram;

[0061] Figure 5 To and Figure 3 Corresponding device structure diagram;

[0062] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless time synchronization system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0063] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless time synchronization system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0065] To make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, a detailed description will be given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0066] like Figure 1 As shown, a wireless time synchronization method according to an embodiment of the present invention is executed by a first communication device and includes:

[0067] Step 101: Obtain the time identifier, time offset information, and first time information from the system information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device.

[0068] Here, the system information is transmitted by the second communication device. The first communication device obtains the time identifier in the received system information to know whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur; obtains the time offset information in the system information to know the offset of the time synchronization moment; and obtains the first time information in the system information to know the next whole second of the second communication device for subsequent processing.

[0069] Step 102: If the time indicator indicates that the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, perform time synchronization processing with the second communication device based on the time offset information and the first time information.

[0070] In this step, after obtaining the time identifier, time offset information and first time information in step 101, the system can further perform time synchronization processing with the second communication device based on the time identifier indicating the next whole second that will occur, and using the time offset information and first time information.

[0071] Thus, the method of this embodiment of the invention, according to steps 101 and 102 above, can utilize the time identifier indicating whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information indicating the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information indicating the next whole second of the second communication device in the system information to achieve time synchronization between the two sides wirelessly, solving the problem that existing time synchronization relies on receivers and antennas, which is not only costly but also has limited use.

[0072] The first communication device can be a terminal-side device, such as a handheld terminal or a vertical industry terminal. The second communication device is a network-side device, such as a base station. Thus, for New Radio (NR) systems, especially in highly real-time, automated, and dynamic Industry 4.0 environments, and in deployment scenarios easily limited by the physical environment (such as indoor or outdoor satellite signal obstruction), the method of this invention can effectively solve the problem that existing time synchronization relies on receivers and antennas, which is not only costly but also has limited use. It meets the stringent wireless communication needs of vertical industries, achieving higher precision and more accurate clock synchronization.

[0073] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the Master Information Block (MIB) of the system information includes the time identifier;

[0074] The system information is either System Information Block 1 (SIB1) or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, which contain the time offset information and the first time information.

[0075] That is, in the system information broadcast by the second communication device, the MIB contains a time identifier indicating whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, and SIB1 or the remaining system information blocks (i.e., system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1 in the system information) contains time offset information indicating the offset of the time synchronization moment and first time information indicating the next whole second of the second communication device. The first communication device obtains the time identifier through the received MIB, and obtains the time offset information and the first time information through the received SIB1 or the remaining system information blocks. For example, in an NR system, the base station (second communication device) periodically broadcasts system information to the first communication device. The system information includes: MIB, SIB1, and other system information blocks (i.e., system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1 in the system information). The first communication device obtains the time and frequency domain location of the corresponding SIB1 information by parsing the MIB and other related operations sent by the base station; further, it obtains the time and frequency locations of other system information blocks by parsing SIB1. The first communication device can then perform parsing at the corresponding time and frequency domain locations to obtain the specific content of SIB1 and other system information blocks.

[0076] Optionally, in this embodiment, the MIB includes a reserved bit as a time identifier. When the first communication device receives a value of "1" for this reserved bit, it indicates that the next whole second will occur for the second communication device. Two custom fields are added to SIB1 or the remaining system information block, serving as time offset information and first time information, respectively. Preferably, two custom fields are added to SIB1.

[0077] Optionally, in this embodiment, the step of performing time synchronization processing with the second communication device based on the time offset and the first time information includes:

[0078] The time synchronization time is determined based on the time offset information;

[0079] The second time information to be updated is determined based on the first time information;

[0080] At the time synchronization moment, the local system time is updated according to the second time information.

[0081] In this way, after the first communication device determines the time synchronization time based on the time offset information and determines the second time information to be updated based on the first time information, it can update the local system time according to the determined second time information at the determined time synchronization time.

[0082] In this embodiment, the time offset information is the time domain offset information between the time synchronization moment and the boundary moment of the reference MIB, from which the moment when the first communication device performs local system time update (also known as the time domain position) can be calculated.

[0083] Specifically, the time offset information is the time offset T. offset Or, the time offset index n. For the case where the time offset information is the time offset index n, it can be determined using the formula... T was calculated offset Where C is a constant, Tc is a defined basic unit of time, and μ is a parameter related to the uplink subcarrier spacing. For example, for an NR system, the accuracy combined with timing advance (TA) is 16*64*T. C / 2 μ If C is 16*64, Tc is approximately 0.5086ns; and when the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz, μ = 0.

[0084] Therefore, optionally, in one aspect, determining the time synchronization moment based on the time offset information includes:

[0085] If the time offset information is T offset Then the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

[0086] Here, T can be directly contained in SIB1 or the remaining system information block. offset The boundary time offset T of the reference MIB is calculated. offset The moment is the time synchronization moment.

[0087] On the other hand, determining the time synchronization moment based on the time offset information includes:

[0088] If the time offset information is a time offset index, then the time offset T is determined through the time offset index. offset Then, the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

[0089] Here, T needs to be calculated first from n contained in the obtained SIB1 or the remaining system information block. offset (e.g., through formula T) offset =n·C·T C / 2 μ Then, the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB was calculated. offset The moment is the time synchronization moment.

[0090] The boundary time of the reference MIB can be either the start boundary or the end boundary.

[0091] However, considering that the second communication device is not limited to sending a Synchronization Signal / PBCH Block (SSB), after enabling the beam scanning function, a set of SSBs will appear, corresponding to a set of MIBs. Therefore, to determine the time synchronization time of the first communication device, optionally, before determining the time synchronization time based on the time offset information, the following steps are also included:

[0092] If the beam scanning function is not enabled on the second communication device, the received first MIB will be used as the reference MIB.

[0093] When the second communication device enables beam scanning, the second MIB in a set of temporally consecutive MIBs transmitted by the second communication device is determined by a preset rule, and the second MIB is used as the reference MIB; wherein, the set of temporally consecutive MIBs are all MIBs containing a valid time identifier.

[0094] For a second communication device that does not enable beam scanning, the first MIB received by the first communication device is the reference MIB. For a second communication device that enables beam scanning, the first communication device determines the reference MIB using a preset rule. Specifically, the second MIB determined by this preset rule from a set of time-continuous MIBs transmitted by the second communication device ensures that the time offset in the time domain between the next whole second moment on the second communication device's side and a set of MIBs, all containing valid time identifiers, remains consistent. The valid time identifier is a time identifier that indicates the next whole second moment will occur on the second communication device's side.

[0095] Of course, this second MIB may not be the MIB received by the first communication device.

[0096] The preset rule is defined or set in advance. Specifically, the preset rule is that the SSB index value is the largest; or the preset rule is that the SSB index value is the smallest. For example, assuming the preset rule is that the SSB index value is the largest, after the second communication device enables the beam scanning function, it sends a group of SSBs (discretely distributed within a time domain period) whose corresponding MIBs all contain valid time identifiers. Then, the MIB with the largest SSB index value and the reserved bit set to "1" can be selected as the reference MIB.

[0097] Optionally, in this embodiment, determining the second time information to be updated based on the first time information includes:

[0098] The second time information is calculated using the index value of the first time information and the timing advance TA.

[0099] Here, TA is calculated by the second communication device based on its transmission delay with the first communication device. The second communication device usually sends the index value of TA to each communication device connected to the base station. Each communication device calculates the corresponding time of uploading data based on the received index value of TA, so that the uplink data of each communication device can be aligned on the second communication device side, avoiding uplink conflicts.

[0100] Thus, the first communication device can also calculate the second time information, i.e., the local system time to be updated, by combining the first time information and the index value of TA. The time corresponding to the second time information is absolute time.

[0101] Among them, the second time information T adj The value is: T next For first-hand information, T A =TA index *16*64*T C / 2 μ That is, T A Based on the index value TA index The calculated timing advance value. T next It can be accurate to the second, meaning that the first-time information includes year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.

[0102] Alternatively, in this embodiment, the method further includes:

[0103] After the first communication device synchronizes with the second communication device, it outputs a pulse signal and a third time information in a preset format at a preset time.

[0104] The pulse signal can be a 1PPS pulse signal. The preset format is based on the serial port standard, such as outputting third-party time information that meets the format requirements through serial port standards such as RS485 or RS232.

[0105] The following describes in detail the application of the embodiments of the present invention in specific NR scenarios:

[0106] In this scenario, the base station (second communication device) uses a reserved bit in the MIB as a time identifier; this reserved bit being "1" indicates a valid time identifier. Two custom fields are added to SIB1: new field 1 defines n (time offset information), and new field 2 defines T. next (First-time information). Here, the new field 1 indicates the value of the time offset index between the next full second on the base station side and the reference MIB, from which the time domain location of the next full second on the base station side can be calculated. Therefore:

[0107] Step 1: The terminal device (first communication device) receives and processes the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), SSB index number, and half-frame bit in the SSB sent by the base station to achieve time and frequency offset tracking of the base station, ensuring that the terminal device and the base station are aligned in the time and frequency domains.

[0108] It should be noted that in NR, synchronization information and system information on the PBCH are sent in a "packetized" format, which matches the beam sweeping mechanism, ensuring that synchronization and system information can be received by all terminal devices. During the initial access phase of a terminal device, the base station SSB transmission period is 20ms; in idle or connected states, the SSB period can be configured to 5 / 10 / 20 / 40 / 80 / 160ms.

[0109] Step 2: After the terminal device and the base station are aligned in the time domain and frequency domain (Step 1), the terminal device can further obtain the MIB, SIB1 and other system information blocks in the SSB sent by the base station in sequence.

[0110] Step 3: The terminal device obtains the index value of TA through the air interface.

[0111] Step 4: When the reserved bit in the MIB information received by the terminal device is "1", the terminal device calculates the time synchronization time of the next whole second on the base station side, and the local system time to be updated (time to be updated), based on the two custom fields in the subsequently parsed SIB1 and the value of TA. Specifically, this is done using formula T. offset =n·C·T C / 2 μ T was calculated offset Then, the time synchronization time T1 is the time offset from the cutoff boundary time T0 of the reference MIB by T. offset At moments, such as Figure 2 As shown. The local system time to be updated, i.e., the second time information.

[0112] Step 5: The terminal device updates its local system time based on the time synchronization time and the time to be updated obtained in Step 4.

[0113] Step 6: The terminal device outputs a second pulse signal at the local whole second, as well as the whole second time information represented by the second pulse signal.

[0114] In summary, the method of this invention can utilize the time identifier indicating whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information indicating the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information indicating the next whole second of the second communication device in the system information to achieve time synchronization between the two sides wirelessly. This solves the problem that existing time synchronization relies on receivers and antennas, which is not only costly but also has limited use.

[0115] like Figure 3 As shown, a wireless time synchronization method according to an embodiment of the present invention is executed by a second communication device and includes:

[0116] Step 301: Send system information, which includes: time identifier, time offset information and first time information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device.

[0117] Of course, before sending the system information, the second communication device will first determine the time identifier, time offset information and first time information to be sent.

[0118] In this way, by sending the system information, the second communication device enables the first communication device to use the time stamp indicating whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information indicating the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information indicating the next whole second of the second communication device in the system information to achieve time synchronization between the two sides wirelessly. This solves the problem that existing time synchronization relies on receivers and antennas, which is not only costly but also has limited use.

[0119] Optionally, the MIB of the system information includes the time identifier;

[0120] The system information SIB1, or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, contain the time offset information and the first time information.

[0121] It should be noted that this method is implemented in conjunction with the wireless time synchronization method executed by the first communication device described above. The implementation of the above method embodiment is applicable to this method and can achieve the same technical effect.

[0122] like Figure 4 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a wireless time synchronization device, comprising:

[0123] The acquisition module 410 is used to acquire the time identifier, time offset information and first time information in the system information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device.

[0124] The processing module 420 is configured to perform time synchronization processing with the second communication device based on the time offset information and the first time information when the time indicator indicates that the next whole second of the second communication device will occur.

[0125] Optionally, the MIB of the system information includes the time identifier;

[0126] The system information SIB1, or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, contain the time offset information and the first time information.

[0127] Optionally, the processing module includes:

[0128] The first determining submodule is used to determine the time synchronization moment based on the time offset information;

[0129] The second determining submodule is used to determine the second time information to be updated based on the first time information;

[0130] The first processing submodule is used to update the local system time according to the second time information at the time synchronization time.

[0131] Optionally, the first determining submodule is further configured to:

[0132] If the time offset information is a time offset index, then the time offset T is determined through the time offset index. offset Then, the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

[0133] Optionally, the first determining submodule is further configured to:

[0134] If the time offset information is T offset Then the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

[0135] Optionally, the second determining submodule is further configured to:

[0136] The second time information is calculated using the index value of the first time information and the timing advance TA.

[0137] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0138] The second processing submodule is used to use the received first MIB as the reference MIB when the beam scanning function of the second communication device is not enabled.

[0139] The third processing submodule is used to determine the second MIB in a set of temporally consecutive MIBs sent by the second communication device according to a preset rule when the second communication device enables the beam scanning function, and to use the second MIB as the reference MIB; wherein, the set of temporally consecutive MIBs are all MIBs containing a valid time identifier.

[0140] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0141] The output module is used to output a pulse signal and a third time information in a preset format at a preset time after the first communication device and the second communication device have synchronized their time.

[0142] This device can use the time stamp indicating whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information indicating the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information indicating the next whole second of the second communication device in the system information to achieve time synchronization between the two sides wirelessly. This solves the problem that existing time synchronization relies on receivers and antennas, which is not only costly but also has limited use.

[0143] It should be noted that the device uses the wireless time synchronization method executed by the first communication device described above. The implementation method described in the above method embodiment is applicable to this device and can achieve the same technical effect.

[0144] like Figure 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a wireless time synchronization device, comprising:

[0145] The sending module 510 is used to send system information, which includes: a time identifier, a time offset information, and a first time information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset of the time synchronization moment, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device.

[0146] Optionally, the MIB of the system information includes the time identifier;

[0147] The system information SIB1, or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, contain the time offset information and the first time information.

[0148] This device enables the first communication device to wirelessly synchronize the two devices by sending system information, including a time stamp indicating whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, a time offset indicating the offset of the time synchronization moment, and a first time information indicating the next whole second of the second communication device. This solves the problem that existing time synchronization relies on receivers and antennas, which is not only costly but also has limited use.

[0149] It should be noted that the device uses the wireless time synchronization method executed by the second communication device described above. The implementation method described in the above method embodiment is applicable to this device and can achieve the same technical effect.

[0150] like Figure 6 As shown, the wireless time synchronization system of this invention includes a base station, a time processing server, a standard user equipment (UE) processing unit, a terminal device, and a time processing client. The base station, acting as a first communication device, executes the wireless time synchronization method, and the terminal device, acting as a second communication device, executes the same method. Specifically:

[0151] (1) Time processing server:

[0152] Time synchronization with gNB (base station);

[0153] The relevant data packets are sent to the time processing client through the "time server--base station--standard UE processing unit--time processing client" link.

[0154] (2) Base station:

[0155] The system uses the reserved bit of the MIB to indicate the next second, and two custom fields in the SIB1 or the remaining system information block to enable the terminal device to obtain the relative position (time offset information) of the second header of the next second and the reference MIB on the base station side and the specific time of the next second (first time information).

[0156] Sending signaling and data to standard UE processing units and terminal devices.

[0157] (3) Standard UE processing unit: processes signaling and data sent by the base station.

[0158] (4) Radio frequency unit of terminal equipment:

[0159] It receives control data from the radio frequency control unit to configure the radio frequency unit;

[0160] Receive air interface data sent by gNB (base station) and convert it into baseband data;

[0161] The baseband data received from the signal processing unit is converted into air interface data for transmission.

[0162] (5) Radio frequency control and signal processing unit of terminal equipment:

[0163] Implement 5G-related channel functions;

[0164] 5G signal scanning and 5G data transmission and reception functions are achieved through radio frequency control.

[0165] By receiving the SS / PBCH, the clock is aligned with the gNB (base station), and the MIB with the second pulse identifier is parsed and sent to the time calculation unit.

[0166] Upon receiving SIB1 or the remaining system information block, retrieve the information from the two custom fields and send it to the time calculation unit;

[0167] Receive TA information (such as the index value of TA) and send it to the time calculation unit.

[0168] (6) Time calculation unit of terminal equipment:

[0169] Receive TA information, MIB, and relevant information from SIB1 or the remaining system information block from the radio frequency control and signal processing unit, and calculate the time to be updated (second time information) and the time to update the system time (time synchronization time).

[0170] (7) System time unit of terminal equipment:

[0171] System maintenance time;

[0172] At the corresponding time indicated by the time calculation unit, the local system time is updated using the time to be updated.

[0173] (8) Timing unit of terminal equipment:

[0174] Based on the system time, a 1PPS pulse signal is output at the beginning of the second, and the corresponding time information is sent via the serial port.

[0175] (9) Time processing client:

[0176] It receives 1PPS and serial port time information to achieve time synchronization with the base station and time processing server;

[0177] Receive relevant data packets sent by the standard UE processing unit;

[0178] The time processing client can use IEEE 1588 or other standard protocols to provide clock synchronization signals to other external devices.

[0179] like Figure 7As shown, another embodiment of the wireless time synchronization system of the present invention includes a base station, a time processing server, a standard UE processing unit, and a time processing client. The base station, acting as a first communication device, executes the wireless time synchronization method, and the standard UE processing unit, acting as a second communication device, executes the same wireless time synchronization method. Here, the standard UE processing unit and... Figure 6 The terminal device shown in the embodiment diagram is based on the functionality of the terminal device.

[0180] After functional integration, the standard UE processing unit synchronizes with the gNB (base station) using the wireless time synchronization method described in the above embodiment, and outputs 1PPS and corresponding time information to the extended interface unit; at the same time, the extended interface unit can also receive application data from the standard UE processing unit.

[0181] Extended interface unit:

[0182] The 1PPS signal and time information received from the standard UE processing unit are converted into a signal format supported by the time processing client and then sent.

[0183] The extended interface unit completes the protocol conversion between the data interface (corresponding to the time processing client) and the application data interface (corresponding to the standard UE processing unit), enabling data interaction between the time processing client and the standard UE processing unit.

[0184] like Figure 8 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a communication device, including a processor 800, a transceiver 810, a memory 820, and a program or instructions stored in the memory 820 and executable on the processor 800. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor 800, they implement the steps of the wireless time synchronization method executed by the first communication device as described above, or the wireless time synchronization method executed by the second communication device as described above.

[0185] Among them, Figure 8 In this context, the bus architecture can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 800 and memory represented by memory 820 together. The bus architecture can also link various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 810 can be multiple components, including transmitters and receivers, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium, including wireless channels, wired channels, optical fibers, etc. For different terminal devices, the interface 830 can also be an interface capable of connecting external or internal devices, including but not limited to keypads, displays, speakers, microphones, joysticks, etc.

[0186] The processor 800 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, while the memory 820 can store the data used by the processor 800 during operation.

[0187] Optionally, the processor 800 can be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), and the processor 800 can also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0188] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the wireless time synchronization method performed by the first communication device as described above, or the wireless time synchronization method performed by the second communication device as described above.

[0189] Optionally, the readable storage medium is a computer-readable medium.

[0190] Computer-readable media includes both permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can store information using any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, magnetic magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transferable medium that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transient computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0191] It should be further noted that the terminal devices described in this specification include, but are not limited to, smartphones, tablets, etc., and many of the described functional components are referred to as modules in order to more specifically emphasize the independence of their implementation.

[0192] In this embodiment of the invention, the module can be implemented in software so that it can be executed by various types of processors. For example, an identified executable code module may include one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which may be constructed as objects, procedures, or functions. Nevertheless, the executable code of the identified module does not need to be physically located together, but may include different instructions stored in different bits, which, when logically combined, constitute the module and achieve the module's intended purpose.

[0193] In practice, an executable code module can be a single instruction or many instructions, and can even be distributed across multiple different code segments, different programs, and across multiple memory devices. Similarly, operational data can be identified within the module and can be implemented in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. This operational data can be collected as a single dataset or distributed across different locations (including different storage devices), and can exist, at least in part, solely as electronic signals within the system or network.

[0194] When a module can be implemented using software, considering the current level of hardware technology, modules that can be implemented in software can be implemented using hardware circuits by those skilled in the art to achieve the corresponding functions, without considering cost. These hardware circuits include conventional very-large-scale integrated circuits (VLSI) or gate arrays, as well as existing semiconductors such as logic chips and transistors, or other discrete components. Modules can also be implemented using programmable hardware devices, such as field-programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, and programmable logic devices.

[0195] The exemplary embodiments described above are with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many different forms and embodiments are feasible without departing from the spirit and teachings of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be construed as limiting the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided to make the invention complete and convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In these drawings, component dimensions and relative dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, unless clearly indicated otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include all such forms. It will be further understood that the terms “comprising” and / or “including”, when used in this specification, indicate the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, and / or elements, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, and / or groups thereof. Unless otherwise indicated, when stated, a range of values ​​includes the upper and lower limits of the range and any subranges in between.

[0196] The above description represents the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wireless time synchronization method, characterized in that, Performed by the first communication device, including: The system acquires a time identifier, a time offset, and a first time information from the system information. The time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur. The time offset is used to indicate the offset between the time synchronization time and the boundary time of the reference master information block (MIB). The first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device. When the time indicator indicates that the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, time synchronization processing with the second communication device is performed based on the time offset information and the first time information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main information block (MIB) of the system information includes the time identifier; The system information block SIB1, or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, contain the time offset information and the first time information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of performing time synchronization processing with the second communication device based on the time offset and the first time information includes: The time synchronization time is determined based on the time offset information; The second time information to be updated is determined based on the first time information; At the time synchronization moment, the local system time is updated according to the second time information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the time synchronization moment based on the time offset information includes: If the time offset information is a time offset index, then the time offset T is determined through the time offset index. offset Then, the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the time synchronization moment based on the time offset information includes: If the time offset information is T offset Then the boundary time offset T of the reference MIB will be... offset The moment is taken as the time synchronization moment.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of determining the second time information to be updated based on the first time information includes: The second time information is calculated using the index value of the first time information and the timing advance TA.

7. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, Before determining the time synchronization time based on the time offset information, the method further includes: If the beam scanning function is not enabled on the second communication device, the received first MIB will be used as the reference MIB. When the second communication device enables beam scanning, the second MIB in a set of temporally consecutive MIBs transmitted by the second communication device is determined by a preset rule, and the second MIB is used as the reference MIB; wherein, the set of temporally consecutive MIBs are all MIBs containing a valid time identifier.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: After the first communication device synchronizes with the second communication device, it outputs a pulse signal and a third time information in a preset format at a preset time.

9. A wireless time synchronization method, characterized in that, Performed by a second communication device, including: Send system information, which includes: a time identifier, a time offset, and a first time information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset between the time synchronization time and the boundary time of the reference MIB, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The MIB of the system information includes the time identifier; The system information SIB1, or the remaining system information blocks other than MIB and SIB1, contain the time offset information and the first time information.

11. A wireless time synchronization device, characterized in that, include: The acquisition module is used to acquire the time identifier, time offset information and first time information from the system information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset between the time synchronization time and the boundary time of the reference MIB, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device. The processing module is configured to perform time synchronization processing with the second communication device based on the time offset information and the first time information when the time indicator indicates that the next whole second of the second communication device will occur.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, The processing module includes: The first determining submodule is used to determine the time synchronization moment based on the time offset information; The second determining submodule is used to determine the second time information to be updated based on the first time information; The first processing submodule is used to update the local system time according to the second time information at the time synchronization time.

13. A wireless time synchronization device, characterized in that, include: The transmitting module is used to transmit system information, which includes: a time identifier, time offset information, and first time information; wherein, the time identifier is used to indicate whether the next whole second of the second communication device will occur, the time offset information is used to indicate the offset between the time synchronization time and the boundary time of the reference MIB, and the first time information is used to indicate the next whole second of the second communication device.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a transceiver, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the wireless time synchronization method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, or the steps of the wireless time synchronization method as described in claim 9 or 10.

15. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the wireless time synchronization method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, or the steps of the wireless time synchronization method as described in claim 9 or 10.

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