Time synchronization method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a time synchronization method and apparatus. In the method, a second communication device can indicate to a first communication device a synchronization precision configuration for time synchronization. In this way, the second communication device, acting as a time service receiving device, can determine a more reasonable synchronization precision configuration meeting a synchronization precision requirement, and notify the first communication device of same. By means of said method, a time service providing device performs time synchronization using the synchronization precision configuration meeting the synchronization precision requirement of the time service receiving device, ultimately improving the reliability of the time service providing device and the time service receiving device supporting TSN / TSC.

Description

Time synchronization method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on August 31, 2023, with application number 202311130004.7 and application name “A Time Synchronization Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a time synchronization method and device. Background Art

[0004] In communication systems, to support time-sensitive networking (TSN) or time-sensitive communications (TSC), the time between communicating devices must be synchronized. Therefore, a communication system requires both a timing device and a timed device. The timing device is responsible for sending reference time information to the timed device to achieve time synchronization between devices within the system. This reference time information indicates the reference time specified by the timing device.

[0005] However, since the device being timed passively receives the reference time information specified by the timing device, the above-mentioned traditional time synchronization scheme may result in the synchronization accuracy of the reference time specified by the timing device not meeting the requirements of the device being timed, which in turn leads to low reliability of the device being timed in supporting TSN / TSC.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a time synchronization method and apparatus, so that a timing device can perform time synchronization using a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of a timing device.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, which is applied to a first communication device. The following description uses the first communication device executing the method as an example. The method includes:

[0009] A first communication device receives a first message from a second communication device; wherein the first message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a first synchronization accuracy configuration; the first communication device sends a second message to the second communication device; the second message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is used for the second communication device to perform time synchronization with the first communication device; the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0010] In this method, the second communication device can indicate the synchronization accuracy configuration to the first communication device for time synchronization. This allows the second communication device, acting as the timed device, to determine a more appropriate synchronization accuracy configuration that meets its own synchronization accuracy requirements, thereby ensuring the system's TSN / TSC characteristics. In summary, this method enables the timing device to synchronize time using a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the timed device, ultimately improving the reliability of TSN / TSC support between the timing device and the timed device.

[0011] In one possible design, the first synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a first clock type, a first synchronization accuracy requirement; based on this, the first indication is an index value of the first synchronization accuracy configuration; or the first indication includes a time information type element, and the time information type element is used to indicate the first clock type; or the first indication includes an uncertainty element, and the uncertainty element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0012] In one possible design, the first reference time information includes location information of the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, or an index value of the first reference time.

[0013] In one possible design, the first message is used to request the first communication device to use the first synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization; based on this, the first communication device can also send a third message to the second communication device, and the third message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device allows the use of the first synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0014] In one possible design, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0015] With this design, the method can be applied to mobile communication scenarios or sidelink scenarios.

[0016] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method applied to a second communication device. The second communication device and the first communication device in the first aspect form a communication system. The following description uses the second communication device executing the method as an example. The method includes:

[0017] The second communication device sends a first message to the first communication device; wherein the first message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a first synchronization accuracy configuration; the second communication device receives a second message from the first communication device; wherein the second message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration; the second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device based on the first reference time information.

[0018] In one possible design, the second communication device can determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration based on first information; wherein, the first information is used to characterize the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device.

[0019] Through this design, the second communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration in real time based on its own operating conditions and / or the available resources of the first communication device, so that the synchronization accuracy configuration indicated by the second communication device to the first communication device is consistent with the operating conditions of the second communication device, and the available resources of the first communication device can support the use of the synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0020] In one possible design, the second communication device can obtain the first indication or determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration based on a configuration message sent by the network device to which it is connected.

[0021] In one possible design, the first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device.

[0022] In one possible design, the location information of the first communication device includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located;

[0023] The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or quality of service QoS flow information.

[0024] In one possible design, when the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device is multiple, the second communication device may determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information through the following steps:

[0025] Determine the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each business information according to each business information in the multiple business information; select the synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the first synchronization accuracy configuration among the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the multiple business information; or select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0026] In one possible design, the target business information has the highest priority among the multiple business information, or the target business information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target business information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0027] In one possible design, the first synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a first clock type, a first synchronization accuracy requirement; the first indication is an index value of the first synchronization accuracy configuration; or the first indication includes a time information type element, and the time information type element is used to indicate the first clock type; or the first indication includes an uncertainty element, and the uncertainty element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0028] In one possible design, the first reference time information includes location information of the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, or an index value of the first reference time.

[0029] In one possible design, the first message is used to request the first communication device to use the first synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization; based on this, the second communication device can also receive a third message from the first communication device, and the third message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device allows the use of the first synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0030] In one possible design, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0031] The technical effects that can be achieved in the second aspect can refer to the description of the technical effects that can be achieved in the first aspect mentioned above.

[0032] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, which is applied to a first communication device. The following description uses the first communication device executing the method as an example. The method includes:

[0033] The first communication device determines a first synchronization accuracy configuration based on first information; wherein the first information is used to characterize the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device; the first communication device sends a first message to the second communication device; the first message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is used for the second communication device to perform time synchronization with the first communication device; the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0034] In this method, the first communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration based on the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device, thereby performing time synchronization with the second communication device. In this way, the first communication device, as a timing device, can determine a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the operating status of the second communication device and can be supported by the available resources of the first communication device, that is, the first communication device can determine a more reasonable synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the second communication device, thereby ensuring the TSN / TSC characteristics of the system. In short, this method enables the timing device to use a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the timed device for time synchronization, ultimately improving the reliability of TSN / TSC support between the timing device and the timed device.

[0035] In one possible design, the first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device.

[0036] Through this design, the first communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration in real time based on the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device, so that the synchronization accuracy configuration determined by the first communication device is consistent with the operating status of the second communication device, and the available resources of the first communication device can support the use of the synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0037] In one possible design, the location information of the first communication device includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located;

[0038] The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or quality of service QoS flow information.

[0039] In one possible design, when the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device includes multiple services, the first communication device may determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information through the following steps:

[0040] Determine the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each business information according to each business information in the multiple business information; select the synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the first synchronization accuracy configuration among the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the multiple business information; or select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0041] In one possible design, the target business information has the highest priority among the multiple business information, or the target business information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target business information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0042] In one possible design, the first reference time information includes location information of the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, or an index value of the first reference time.

[0043] In one possible design, the first communication device can also send a second message to the second communication device; wherein the second message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy configuration, and the second message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device uses the first synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0044] In one possible design, the first synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a first clock type, a first synchronization accuracy requirement; the first indication is an index value of the first synchronization accuracy configuration; or the first indication includes a time information type element, and the time information type element is used to indicate the first clock type; or the first indication includes an uncertainty element, and the uncertainty element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0045] In one possible design, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0046] With this design, the method can be applied to mobile communication scenarios or sidelink scenarios.

[0047] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, which is applied to a first communication device. The following description uses the first communication device executing the method as an example. The method includes:

[0048] A first communication device sends a first message to a second communication device; wherein the first message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is used for the second communication device to perform time synchronization with the first communication device; the first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration; the first communication device receives a second message from the second communication device; wherein the second message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a second synchronization accuracy configuration; finally, the first communication device sends a third message to the second communication device; the third message includes time offset information, and the time offset information is used to indicate a first time offset between a second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0049] In this method, the second communication device can indicate the synchronization accuracy configuration to the first communication device for time synchronization. This allows the second communication device, acting as the time-served device, to determine a more appropriate synchronization accuracy configuration that meets its own synchronization accuracy requirements, thereby ensuring the system's TSN / TSC characteristics. This method enables the timing device to synchronize time using a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the time-served device's synchronization accuracy requirements, ultimately improving the reliability of TSN / TSC support between the timing device and the time-served device.

[0050] In addition, in this method, when the first communication device switches to a new synchronization accuracy configuration, it can send time offset information to the second communication device, so that the second communication device can determine the reference time information corresponding to the new synchronization accuracy configuration based on the time offset information and the reference time information corresponding to the old synchronization accuracy configuration, and then perform time synchronization with the first communication device. The time offset information is used to indicate the time offset between the reference time corresponding to the new synchronization accuracy configuration and the reference time corresponding to the old synchronization accuracy configuration. Compared with the reference time information, the time offset information contains less data. Therefore, this method can reduce the signaling overhead between the first communication device and the second communication device, and can also reduce the processing complexity on the first communication device side. In a scenario where the first communication device needs to perform time synchronization with multiple second communication devices, the processing complexity and signaling overhead of the first communication device can be significantly reduced.

[0051] In one possible design, the second synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a second clock type, a second synchronization accuracy requirement; the first indication is an index value of the second synchronization accuracy configuration; or the first indication includes a time information type element, and the time information type element is used to indicate the second clock type; or the first indication includes an uncertainty element, and the uncertainty element is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0052] In one possible design, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or the index value of the first time offset.

[0053] In one possible design, the first communications device may determine the first time offset by:

[0054] The offset between the second synchronization accuracy configuration and the first synchronization accuracy configuration is used as the first time offset; or the second reference time information is determined according to the second synchronization accuracy configuration; the first time offset is determined according to the second reference time information and the first reference time information.

[0055] In one possible design, the third message also includes clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information; wherein, the clock crystal oscillator information includes the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, and the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration; the clock crystal oscillator offset information includes: the offset between the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and / or, the offset between the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0056] Through this design, the second communication device can determine more accurate second reference time information based on the first reference time information, time offset information, and clock crystal information or clock crystal offset information, thereby achieving more accurate time synchronization with the first communication device.

[0057] In one possible design, the second message is used to request the first communication device to use the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization; based on this, the first communication device can also send a fourth message to the second communication device, and the fourth message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device allows the use of the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0058] In one possible design, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0059] With this design, the method can be applied to mobile communication scenarios or sidelink scenarios.

[0060] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, which is applied to a second communication device. The following description uses the second communication device executing the method as an example. The method includes:

[0061] A second communication device receives a first message from a first communication device; wherein the first message includes first reference time information; the first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration; the second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device based on the first reference time information; the second communication device sends a second message to the first communication device; the second message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy configuration; the second communication device receives a third message from the first communication device; wherein the third message includes time offset information, and the time offset information is used to indicate a first time offset between a second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration; the second communication device determines the second reference time information based on the first reference time information and the time offset information; the second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device based on the second reference time information.

[0062] In one possible design, the second communication device can also determine the second synchronization accuracy configuration based on the first information; wherein the first information is used to characterize the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device.

[0063] Through this design, the second communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration in real time based on its own operating conditions and / or the available resources of the first communication device, so that the synchronization accuracy configuration indicated by the second communication device to the first communication device is consistent with the operating conditions of the second communication device, and the available resources of the first communication device can support the use of the synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0064] In one possible design, the second communication device can obtain the first indication or determine the second synchronization accuracy configuration based on a configuration message sent by the network device to which it is connected.

[0065] In one possible design, the first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device;

[0066] In one possible design, the location information of the second communication device includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located;

[0067] The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or quality of service QoS flow information.

[0068] In one possible design, when the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device is multiple, the first communication device may determine the second synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information through the following steps, including:

[0069] Determine the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each business information according to each business information in the multiple business information; select the synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the second synchronization accuracy configuration among the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the multiple business information; or select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0070] In one possible design, the target business information has the highest priority among the multiple business information, or the target business information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target business information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0071] In one possible design, the second synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a second clock type, a second synchronization accuracy requirement; the first indication is an index value of the second synchronization accuracy configuration; or the first indication includes a time information type element, and the time information type element is used to indicate the second clock type; or the first indication includes an uncertainty element, and the uncertainty element is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0072] In one possible design, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or the index value of the first time offset.

[0073] In one possible design, the third message also includes clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information; wherein, the clock crystal oscillator information includes the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, and the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration; the clock crystal oscillator offset information includes: the offset between the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and / or, the offset between the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration; based on this, the second communication device can also perform the following steps: correct the second reference time information according to the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information; or correct the time offset information according to the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information.

[0074] In one possible design, the second message is used to request the first communication device to use the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization; based on this, the second communication device can also receive a fourth message from the first communication device, and the fourth message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device allows the use of the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0075] In one possible design, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0076] The technical effects that can be achieved in the fifth aspect can refer to the description of the technical effects that can be achieved in the fourth aspect mentioned above.

[0077] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, which is applied to a first communication device. The following description uses the first communication device executing the method as an example. The method includes:

[0078] A first communication device sends a first message to a second communication device; wherein the first message includes first reference time information; the first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration; the first communication device determines a second synchronization accuracy configuration based on the first information; wherein the first information is used to characterize the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device; the first communication device sends a second message to the second communication device; the second message includes time offset information, and the time offset information is used to indicate a first time offset between a second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0079] In this method, the first communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration based on the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device, thereby performing time synchronization with the second communication device. In this way, the first communication device, as a timing device, can determine a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the operating status of the second communication device and can be supported by the available resources of the first communication device, that is, the first communication device can determine a more reasonable synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the second communication device, thereby ensuring the TSN / TSC characteristics of the system. In short, this method enables the timing device to use a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the timed device for time synchronization, ultimately improving the reliability of TSN / TSC support between the timing device and the timed device.

[0080] In addition, in this method, when the first communication device switches to a new synchronization accuracy configuration, it can send time offset information to the second communication device, so that the second communication device can determine the reference time information corresponding to the new synchronization accuracy configuration based on the time offset information and the reference time information corresponding to the old synchronization accuracy configuration, and then perform time synchronization with the first communication device. The time offset information is used to indicate the time offset between the reference time corresponding to the new synchronization accuracy configuration and the reference time corresponding to the old synchronization accuracy configuration. Compared with the reference time information, the time offset information contains less data. Therefore, this method can reduce the signaling overhead between the first communication device and the second communication device, and can also reduce the processing complexity on the first communication device side. In a scenario where the first communication device needs to perform time synchronization with multiple second communication devices, the processing complexity and signaling overhead of the first communication device can be significantly reduced.

[0081] In one possible design, the first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device;

[0082] Through this design, the first communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration in real time based on the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device, so that the synchronization accuracy configuration determined by the first communication device is consistent with the operating status of the second communication device, and the available resources of the first communication device can support the use of the synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0083] In one possible design, the location information of the second communication device includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located;

[0084] The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or quality of service QoS flow information.

[0085] In one possible design, when the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device includes multiple services, the first communication device may determine the second synchronization accuracy configuration based on the first information through the following steps:

[0086] Determine the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each business information according to each business information in the multiple business information; select the synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the second synchronization accuracy configuration among the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the multiple business information; or select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0087] In one possible design, the target business information has the highest priority among the multiple business information, or the target business information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target business information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0088] In one possible design, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or the index value of the first time offset.

[0089] In one possible design, the first communications device may determine the first time offset by:

[0090] The offset between the second synchronization accuracy configuration and the first synchronization accuracy configuration is used as the first time offset; or the second reference time information is determined according to the second synchronization accuracy configuration; the first time offset is determined according to the second reference time information and the first reference time information.

[0091] In one possible design, the second message also includes clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information; wherein, the clock crystal oscillator information includes the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, and the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration; the clock crystal oscillator offset information includes: the offset between the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and / or, the offset between the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0092] Through this design, the second communication device can determine more accurate second reference time information based on the first reference time information, time offset information, and clock crystal information or clock crystal offset information, thereby achieving more accurate time synchronization with the first communication device.

[0093] In one possible design, the first communication device may also send a third message to the second communication device; wherein the third message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and the third message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device uses the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0094] In one possible design, the second synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a second clock type, a second synchronization accuracy requirement; the first indication is an index value of the second synchronization accuracy configuration; or the first indication includes a time information type element, and the time information type element is used to indicate the second clock type; or the first indication includes an uncertainty element, and the uncertainty element is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0095] In one possible design, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0096] With this design, the method can be applied to mobile communication scenarios or sidelink scenarios.

[0097] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, which is applied to a second communication device. The following description uses the second communication device executing the method as an example. The method includes:

[0098] A second communication device receives a first message from a first communication device; wherein the first message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration; the second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device based on the first reference time information; the second communication device receives a second message from the first communication device; wherein the second message includes time offset information, and the time offset information is used to indicate a first time offset between a second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration; the second communication device determines second reference time information based on the first reference time information and the time offset information; the second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device based on the first reference time information.

[0099] In one possible design, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or the index value of the first time offset.

[0100] In one possible design, the second message further includes clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information; wherein the clock crystal oscillator information includes the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, and the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration; the clock crystal oscillator offset information includes: the offset between the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and / or, the offset between the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration; the second communication device may further perform the following steps:

[0101] The second reference time information is corrected according to the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information; or the time offset information is corrected according to the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information.

[0102] In one possible design, the second communication device can also receive a third message from the first communication device; wherein the third message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and the third message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device uses the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0103] In one possible design, the second synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a second clock type, a second synchronization accuracy requirement; the first indication is an index value of the second synchronization accuracy configuration; or the first indication includes a time information type element, and the time information type element is used to indicate the second clock type; or the first indication includes an uncertainty element, and the uncertainty element is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0104] In one possible design, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0105] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a unit for performing each step of any one of aspects 1 to 7 above. Optionally, the communication device may include a communication unit and a processing unit; the communication unit is used to receive and send data, and the processing unit is used to perform the method provided in any one of the above aspects.

[0106] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a transceiver, a memory and a processor; wherein the transceiver is used to receive and send signals; the memory is used to store program instructions; and the processor is used to read the program instructions in the memory to implement the method provided in any of the above aspects.

[0107] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processing element and at least one storage element, wherein the at least one storage element is used to store programs and data, and the at least one processing element is used to execute the method provided in any one of the above aspects of the present application.

[0108] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided in any of the above aspects. Optionally, the computer may be a communication device.

[0109] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method provided in any of the above aspects. Optionally, the computer may be a communication device.

[0110] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which is used to read a computer program stored in a memory and execute the method provided in any of the above aspects. Optionally, the chip may include a processor, which is coupled to the memory and is used to read the computer program stored in the memory to implement the method provided in the above embodiment. Optionally, the chip may also include components such as a memory, a communication interface, and a power supply module. The memory is used to store computer programs, the communication interface is used to receive and send data; and the power supply unit is used to power the processor.

[0111] In a fourteenth aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a chip system, comprising a processor configured to support a computer device in implementing the method provided in any of the above aspects. In one possible design, the chip system further comprises a memory configured to store programs and data necessary for the computer device. The chip system may be composed of a chip alone, or may include a chip and other discrete components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0112] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0113] FIG1B is a schematic diagram of a sidelink application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0114] FIG1C is a schematic diagram of another sidelink application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0115] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of a reference time transfer method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0116] FIG2B is a schematic diagram of another reference time transfer method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0117] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0118] FIG4 is a flow chart of a time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0119] FIG5 is a flowchart of another time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0120] FIG6 is a flowchart of another time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0121] FIG7 is a flowchart of another time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0122] FIG8 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0123] FIG9 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0124] This application provides a time synchronization method and apparatus, which enable a timing device to synchronize time using a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the device being served. The method and apparatus are based on the same technical concept. Since the method and apparatus solve similar problems, the implementation of the apparatus and method can refer to each other, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0125] Some of the terms used in this application are explained below to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0126] 1) Communication equipment: a device that has communication functions and can connect to other devices for communication. This application does not limit the implementation form of the communication equipment. Optionally, the communication equipment can be a terminal device, a network device, etc.

[0127] 2) Terminal equipment is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. Terminal equipment can also be called user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device.

[0128] For example, the terminal device may be a handheld device with wireless connection function, various vehicle-mounted devices, a roadside unit, etc. Currently, some examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), smart point of sale (POS), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, various smart meters (smart water meters, smart electricity meters, smart gas meters), eLTE-DSA UE, devices with integrated access and backhaul (IAB) capabilities, vehicle-mounted electronic control units (ECUs), vehicle-mounted computers, vehicle-mounted cruise control systems, telematics processors (Telematics Processors), and other related products. box, T-BOX) etc.

[0129] 3) Network devices: devices located in the communication network. Network devices can provide network services to terminal devices. This application does not limit the implementation form of network devices. Optionally, network devices can include access network devices such as base stations and access points (APs), and can also include core network devices located in the core network.

[0130] 4) A base station is a device in a mobile communication system that connects terminal devices to a wireless network. As a node in a radio access network (RAN), a base station is also called a (radio) access network (R)AN node (or device).

[0131] Currently, some examples of base stations include: next-generation node B (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), or base band unit (BBU), Enterprise LTE Discrete Spectrum Aggregation (eLTE-DSA) base station, etc.

[0132] In one network architecture, a base station can include centralized unit (CU) nodes and distributed unit (DU) nodes. This architecture splits the base station's protocol layers, centrally controlling some protocol layer functions in the CU and distributing some or all of the remaining protocol layer functions in the DUs, which are then centrally controlled by the CU.

[0133] 5) Accurate reference timing is used to achieve precise time synchronization between two devices. The specific process includes: one device (also called the timing device) can send reference time information to another device (also called the timed device). The reference time information is used to indicate the time corresponding to a reference time point. For example, the reference time point can be a frame boundary or a time position. The reference time point can be indicated by the reference time information or determined according to predefined rules.

[0134] 6) Synchronization accuracy configuration, used to achieve time synchronization with a set accuracy between two devices. Optionally, synchronization accuracy configuration can be reflected in the following two ways, but is not limited to: clock type and synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0135] According to different specific application scenarios, there are currently a variety of clock types in the communications field. For different clock types, their respective synchronization accuracy is also different. Therefore, the clock type can be used as a way to implement synchronization accuracy configuration. For example, in this application, the clock types may include but are not limited to the following categories: the 5th generation system (5GS) clock, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) clock, time sensitive networking (TSN) clock, device internal clock (internal clock), local clock (local clock). Among them, GNSS clock can be further divided into: global positioning system (GPS) clock, BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) clock, Galileo satellite navigation system (Galileo satellite navigation system) clock, etc. TSN clock can also be further divided into a variety of different clock types.

[0136] The synchronization accuracy requirement can be the time granularity used to determine the reference time point for time synchronization. Different synchronization accuracy requirements correspond to different time granularity values, for example, 1ns, 10ns, 100ns, etc.

[0137] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0138] In the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that the executing subject will take corresponding measures under certain objective circumstances. They are not time-limited, and do not require the executing subject to make judgments when implementing them, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0139] It should be noted that in this application, "used for indication" can include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain information is used to indicate A, it can include that the information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but it does not mean that the information must carry A. Taking the first information used to indicate the first content as an example, the first information can include the first content, and can also include a part of the first content or an identifier or index of the first content, etc., and can also include an algorithm or calculation parameters for determining the first content. This application does not limit the method of "indication".

[0140] In this application, "including / comprising A" may be equivalent to "including / comprising A information". A information is used to indicate A.

[0141] "Corresponding" can be replaced by "associated with," "included," etc. "Using" can be replaced by "switch," "replace," "update," "adopt," etc. "Synchronization accuracy" can be replaced by "time synchronization accuracy."

[0142] In addition, it should be understood that, in the description of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying order.

[0143] The "timing" involved in this application can be understood as "transmitting time information", or transmitting a certain standard time information (or reference time signal) to users who need time information to synchronize the time of the entire system.

[0144] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0145] Figure 1A shows a possible communication system architecture applicable to the time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 1A , the communication system includes: a base station and terminal devices (such as terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 in Figure 1A ).

[0146] A base station is a network-side entity capable of receiving and transmitting wireless signals. It provides wireless access services to terminal devices within the cell it manages, implementing physical layer functions, resource scheduling and radio resource management, Quality of Service (QoS) management, wireless access control, and mobility management. Terminal devices access the mobile communications system through the base station's wireless access services. Through services provided by various network elements within the core network, they ultimately connect to the data network, enabling terminal device services.

[0147] Terminal devices are user-side entities that can receive and transmit wireless signals and need to access the network through a base station. Terminal devices can be various devices that provide voice and / or data connectivity to users.

[0148] In the communication system shown in Figure 1A, the terminal device can support sidelink (SL) communication technology. Sidelink communication technology is a near-field communication technology that can directly connect terminal devices, also known as proximity services (ProSe) communication technology, or device to device (D2D) communication technology. In this communication system, multiple terminal devices that are geographically close and support sidelink communication can form a sidelink communication system (also known as a sidelink communication subsystem, sidelink system, etc.). In this sidelink communication system, two terminal devices can perform sidelink communication through a direct link.

[0149] Sidelink communication technology supports unicast, multicast, and broadcast transmission. In addition, terminal devices performing sidelink communication can use the following resource allocation modes to determine transmission resources (denoted as SL resources):

[0150] Mode 1: The base station can schedule SL resources for the terminal device. For example, when the terminal device is in the RRC connected state, the base station can schedule SL resources for the terminal device through downlink control indication (DCI), or configure an SL configuration grant for the terminal device through an RRC message.

[0151] Mode 2 (mode2): The terminal device can select SL resources in the SL resource pool. For example, the terminal device can use this mode 2 to determine the transmission resources when it is in the RRC connected state, RRC inactive state, RRC idle state, or out of coverage (OOC) state. Optionally, the SL resource pool can be configured by the base station when the terminal device is executing the current service, or it can be pre-configured by the base station, which is not limited in this application.

[0152] Sidelink technology can also be used to expand the network. For example, a terminal device supporting Sidelink communication can act as a relay device to enable communication between two communication devices (including at least one terminal device) that are far apart or have poor signal transmission quality, as shown in Figures 1B and 1C.

[0153] In the application scenario shown in Figure 1B, a remote UE can access a base station through a relay UE, thereby enabling services for the remote UE. The application scenario shown in Figure 1B can be referred to as a sidelink UE-to-network relay scenario.

[0154] In the application scenario shown in Figure 1C, a source UE can communicate with a target UE via a relay UE. The scenario shown in Figure 1C can be referred to as a sidelink UE-to-UE relay scenario.

[0155] In the above-mentioned communication systems and application scenarios, the base station and the terminal device can be connected via an air interface (i.e., a Uu interface), thereby enabling communication between the terminal device and the base station (this communication can be referred to as Uu communication or cellular network communication). Sidelink-supporting and adjacent terminal devices can establish a direct link for sidelink data transmission via the ProSe communication 5 (PC5) interface.

[0156] It should also be noted that the communication system and application scenario shown in Figures 1A to 1C are used as an example and do not limit the communication system and application scenario to which the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applicable. The embodiment of the present application can also be applied to communication systems of various types and standards, such as: the 5th Generation (5G) communication system, Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system, vehicle to everything (V2X), Long Term Evolution-Vehicle Network (LTE-vehicle, LTE-V), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), Internet of Vehicles, Machine Type Communications (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), Long Term Evolution-Machine to Machine (LTE-machine to machine, LTE-M), machine to machine (M2M), wireless local area network system, etc., which are not limited by the embodiment of the present application.

[0157] Currently, in mobile communication systems that support TSN / time sensitive communications (TSC), precise synchronization is required between the base station and the terminal device. For example, the base station can send reference time information to the terminal device based on the 5GS clock. Alternatively, the base station can deliver accurate reference time in the following two ways:

[0158] Method 1: Broadcast

[0159] Optionally, the base station can perform precise reference time transmission through system information block (SIB) 9. In this manner, the reference time (or reference time point) is located at the end boundary of the system information (SI) window (i.e., SI widow) transmitted by SIB9 or the system frame (SF) boundary after the end boundary, as shown in (a) and (b) of Figure 2A.

[0160] Method 2: Unicast

[0161] Optionally, the base station may transmit precise reference time via a downlink information transmission message (e.g., DL Information Transfer). As shown in (a) and (b) of Figure 2B , in this method, the reference time (or reference time point) is located at the end moment of the reference SF (i.e., SFN x in the figure) of the primary cell of the terminal device. The downlink information transmission message may include the system frame number (SFN) of the reference SF.

[0162] Optionally, reference time information (eg, ReferenceTimeInfo) may be included in SIB9 or a downlink information transmission message, for carrying reference time information, that is, for indicating time information corresponding to a reference time point.

[0163] For example, depending on the specific application scenario, the reference time information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following information elements:

[0164] Time information element: used to indicate the reference time (for example, based on a time granularity of 10ns).

[0165] Time Information Type (timeInfoType) cell: If this cell does not exist, the reference time indicated by the time cell is the GPS clock; if this cell exists and is set to the local clock, the source of the reference time indicated by the time cell is undefined.

[0166] Uncertainty information element: used to support the uncertainty of reference time information, for example, the time granularity of the uncertainty is 25ns.

[0167] Reference time point information is used to indicate the reference time point. Exemplarily, the reference time point information may include a reference SFN (reference SFN) information element or a reference direct frame number (DFN) information element. The reference SFN (reference SFN) information element may be used to indicate the reference SFN corresponding to the reference time information. The reference DFN information element may be used to indicate the reference DFN corresponding to the reference time information.

[0168] It should be noted that part or all of the above-mentioned reference time information can be configured according to the information provided by the core network device, and this application does not limit this.

[0169] As can be seen from the description of the traditional solution above, the base station configures the reference time for terminal devices to synchronize with based on reference time information. Therefore, this solution may result in the synchronization accuracy of the reference time configured by the base station not meeting the requirements of the terminal device, which in turn leads to low reliability of the system's TSN / TSC. In addition, in the SL scenario, the terminal device, as the timing device, may not be able to obtain auxiliary information from the network device to determine the reference time information. Therefore, the SL scenario also requires the development of a reasonable time synchronization solution to meet the synchronization accuracy requirements of the timing device, thereby ensuring the reliability of the system's TSN / TSC.

[0170] Based on this, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, so that the timing device can use the synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the device being timed for time synchronization, the present application provides the following embodiments. The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a communication system including a first communication device and a second communication device. As shown in Figure 3, a wireless communication connection can be established between the two communication devices. It should be noted that the present application does not limit the application scenario to which the communication system shown in Figure 3 is applicable. For example, the two communication devices in the communication system can be two communication devices in the application scenario shown in Figure 1A, Figure 1B or Figure 1C, that is, the first communication device as a timing device can be a network device or a terminal device; the second communication device as a device being timed can also be a network device or a terminal device. For example, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; for another example, the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device; for another example, the first communication device is a first network device, and the second communication device is a second network device.

[0171] Embodiment 1: FIG4 is a flow chart of the time synchronization method provided by this embodiment. Referring to FIG4 , the time synchronization method provided by this embodiment 1 is described in detail.

[0172] S401: A second communication device sends a first message to a first communication device. The first communication device receives the first message from the second communication device. The first message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0173] It can be understood that the first synchronization accuracy configuration may be the synchronization accuracy configuration requested to be used by the second communication device.

[0174] In some application scenarios, before S401, for example, when the first communication device establishes a connection with the second communication device, the first communication device may use the second synchronization accuracy configuration to perform time synchronization with the second communication device; wherein, the second synchronization accuracy configuration may be specified by the communication protocol, or determined or defaulted by the first communication device, or set by the user of the first communication device, or configured by the network device, or configured by the user device, and this application does not limit this.

[0175] In other application scenarios, when the first communication device establishes a connection with the second communication device, the time synchronization method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be executed, that is, the second communication device can specify the synchronization accuracy configuration required by itself to the second communication device through S401.

[0176] Referring to the description of synchronization accuracy configuration in point 6) above, in this embodiment of the present application, the first synchronization accuracy configuration may include at least one of the following: a first clock type and a first synchronization accuracy requirement. For example, the first clock type may be any one of a 5GS clock, a GNSS clock, a TSN clock, an internal device clock, and a local clock.

[0177] Based on this, optionally, the first indication can be implemented in at least one of the following ways:

[0178] Method 1: The first indication is the index value of the first synchronization accuracy configuration. Optionally, the first communication device and the second communication device both store multiple synchronization accuracy configurations and the index value corresponding to each synchronization accuracy configuration. In this way, the second communication device can indicate the first synchronization accuracy configuration by the index value of the first synchronization accuracy configuration, and the first communication device can also determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration from the multiple synchronization accuracy configurations based on the index value of the first synchronization accuracy.

[0179] Exemplarily, the first communication device and the second communication device may pre-exchange multiple synchronization accuracy configurations (e.g., multiple clock types) and an index value for each synchronization accuracy configuration; or, the multiple synchronization accuracy configurations and the index value for each synchronization accuracy configuration in the first communication device and the second communication device are predefined, or user-set, or protocol-specified, or network-device-configured, or user-device-configured. In short, the embodiments of the present application do not limit how the two communication devices obtain multiple synchronization accuracy configurations, and the specific implementation method of the index value corresponding to each synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0180] Mode 2: The first indication includes a time information type information element, and the time information type information element is used to indicate the first clock type.

[0181] Mode three: the first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0182] It should be noted that, in the second, third or fourth method, the information element included in the first indication can reuse the information element in the existing reference time information information element to indicate the first synchronization accuracy configuration. For example, the time information type information element or the uncertainty information element can be the corresponding time (time) information element and uncertainty (uncertainty) information element in the reference time information (e.g., ReferenceTimeInfo) in the traditional scheme for transmitting reference time from the above-mentioned base station to the terminal device. Optionally, the information element included in the first indication in the second or third method can also be a dedicated new information element, which is not limited in this application.

[0183] In the embodiment of the present application, before executing S401, the second communication device may also determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration through S400, or obtain the first indication from the network device to which the second communication device is connected. The process of the second communication device determining the first synchronization accuracy configuration is described below.

[0184] S400: The second communication device determines a first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0185] Through S400 , the second communication device may determine a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets its own synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0186] Optionally, the second communication device may determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration based on the first information, wherein the first information is used to characterize the operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device.

[0187] In one embodiment, the first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device.

[0188] In the above process, the second communication device may determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration based on the first information by setting a rule. The setting rule may be generated by the second communication device, set by a user, specified by a protocol, agreed upon by the first communication device and the second communication device, configured by a network device, or configured by a user device, and this application does not limit this.

[0189] Optionally, when the first information includes available resource information of the first communication device, the setting rule includes a correspondence between the available resource information of the first communication device and the synchronization accuracy configuration; when the first information includes available resource information of the second communication device, the setting rule includes a correspondence between the available resource information of the second communication device and the synchronization accuracy configuration; when the first information includes location information of the second communication device, the setting rule includes a correspondence between the location information of the second communication device and the synchronization accuracy configuration; when the first information includes service information of the second communication device, the setting rule includes a correspondence between the service information of the second communication device and the synchronization accuracy configuration. In this way, the second communication device can determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration based on the contents of the first information and the corresponding setting rule.

[0190] Since the available resources of the first communication device may affect the determination and transmission of reference time information by the first communication device, and the available resources of the second communication device may also affect the process of the second communication device receiving reference time information and performing time synchronization with the first communication device based on the first reference time information. Therefore, the second communication device may take these factors into consideration when determining the first synchronization accuracy configuration. Exemplarily, the available resources of the first communication device or the second communication device may include, but are not limited to, available communication resources and / or available computing resources, and the available resource information may include information such as the type and amount of available resources. Exemplarily, available communication resources may refer to resources that can be used for transmission, such as bandwidth frequency domain resources, or time domain resources, or time-frequency domain resources. Exemplarily, available computing resources may refer to one or more of storage resources, hardware resources, and software resources that can be used for computing.

[0191] Optionally, the location information of the second communication device includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a service cell (one or more service cells) of the second communication device, and zone information where the second communication device is located.

[0192] Optionally, the service information of the second communication device includes: service type or quality of service (QoS) flow information. It should be noted that the service information of the second communication device may include service information between the second communication device and the first communication device, or service information between the second communication device and the third communication device, and this application does not limit this. It can be understood that the correspondence between the QoS flow and the synchronization accuracy configuration can be the correspondence between the QoS parameters associated with the QoS flow and the synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0193] It should be noted that the above is an example and does not constitute any limitation on the content of the first information. For example, the first information may also include the load parameters of the second communication device, the relative position information between the first communication device and the second communication device, the position information of the first communication device, etc.

[0194] It should be noted that the second communication device can obtain some of the first information from the first communication device. For example, the second communication device can obtain the first communication device's available resource information from the first communication device. When the first communication device has a positioning function (for example, the first communication device is a base station), the second communication device can also obtain the second communication device's location information from the first communication device. Optionally, the second communication device can also obtain the second communication device's service information from other communication devices (the first communication device or the third communication device) with which it has communication services.

[0195] In one implementation, when the first information includes service information of the first communication device and the service information of the first communication device is multiple, the first communication device may determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information in, but not limited to, any of the following ways:

[0196] Mode 1: The second communication device determines the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each business information according to each business information in the multiple business information; among the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the multiple business information, selects the synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0197] Mode 2: The second communication device selects target business information from multiple business information; and uses the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the first synchronization accuracy configuration. Optionally, the target business information can be selected by the first communication device according to certain principles, or can be randomly selected, and this application does not limit this. For example, the target business information has the highest priority among multiple business information, or the target business information has the smallest delay requirement (such as packet delay budget (PDB)), or the target business information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0198] In one implementation, when the first information includes multiple types of information among the above-mentioned various information, the second communication device can determine the corresponding synchronization accuracy configuration for each type of information, and then select the synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy configuration as the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0199] In one implementation, the second communication device may execute S400 and S401 in the following manner, but is not limited to:

[0200] Mode a1: The upper layer in the second communication device executes S400 to determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration (the specific process can be referred to the above description), and indicates the first synchronization accuracy configuration to the access stratum (AS). The AS executes S401 to send the first message to the first communication device. Exemplarily, the upper layer may include, but is not limited to, any of the following of the second communication device: application layer, V2X layer, PC5-S layer, and ProSe layer.

[0201] Mode a2: The AS in the second communication device executes S400-S401, i.e., the AS determines the first synchronization accuracy configuration (refer to the above description for the specific process) and sends the first message to the first communication device. Optionally, the setting rule used by the AS to determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration may be a configuration given to the AS by an upper layer of the second communication device.

[0202] In some other embodiments, the second communication device can also determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration in the following manner: the network device to which the second communication device is connected can determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration for the second communication device based on the current operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device (the specific process can refer to the above description), and notify the second communication device of the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0203] S402: A first communication device sends a second message to a second communication device. The second communication device receives the second message from the first communication device. The second message includes first reference time information, which is used for time synchronization between the second communication device and the first communication device. The first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0204] In S402, after the first communication device receives the first message through S401, it can determine the first synchronization accuracy configuration indicated by the first indication in the first message, and then determine the first reference time information based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration; finally, the first communication device sends a second message carrying the first reference time information to the second communication device.

[0205] In one embodiment, the first reference time information is used to indicate the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration. Optionally, the first reference time information may include position information of the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration (i.e., reference time point information corresponding to the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration), or an index value of the first reference time.

[0206] Optionally, in one implementation, the first communication device and the second communication device pre-existingly exchange and agree upon multiple reference times and an index value corresponding to each reference time; or the multiple reference times and the index value of each reference time in the first communication device and the second communication device are predefined, user-set, or protocol-specified, which is not limited in this application. The second communication device may determine the first reference time based on the index value of the first reference time.

[0207] Optionally, before executing S402, the first communication device and the second communication device may further execute S401a to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows the use of the first synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0208] S401a: This step is optional. Before executing S402, the first communication device may also send a third message to the second communication device. The second communication device receives the third message from the first communication device. The third message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows time synchronization using the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0209] Optionally, when the first message is used to request the first communication device to use the first synchronization accuracy configuration to perform time synchronization, the third message may serve as a response message to the first message.

[0210] S403: The second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device according to the first reference time information.

[0211] In this step, the second communication device can perform time synchronization with the first communication device according to the first reference time indicated by the first reference time information. The specific process can refer to the time synchronization process in the prior art, and this application will not elaborate on it.

[0212] In summary, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, in which the second communication device can indicate the synchronization accuracy configuration to the first communication device for time synchronization. In this way, the second communication device, as the time-served device, can determine a more reasonable synchronization accuracy configuration that meets its own synchronization accuracy requirements, thereby ensuring the TSN / TSC characteristics of the system. Furthermore, the second communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration in real time based on its own operating conditions and / or the available resources of the first communication device, so that the synchronization accuracy configuration indicated by the second communication device to the first communication device meets the operating conditions of the first communication device, and the available resources of the first communication device can support the use of the synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization. In short, this method can enable the timing device to use the synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the time-served device for time synchronization, and ultimately improve the reliability of TSN / TSC support between the timing device and the time-served device.

[0213] Embodiment 2: FIG5 is a flow chart of a time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG5 , the method provided in embodiment 2 is described in detail.

[0214] S500: The first communication device determines a first synchronization accuracy configuration according to first information, wherein the first information is used to represent the operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device.

[0215] It can be understood that the first synchronization accuracy configuration may be a synchronization accuracy configuration used by the first communication device to determine time synchronization with the second communication device.

[0216] In some application scenarios, before S500, for example, when the first communication device establishes a connection with the second communication device, the first communication device may use the second synchronization accuracy configuration to perform time synchronization with the second communication device; wherein, the second synchronization accuracy configuration may be specified by the communication protocol, or determined or defaulted by the first communication device, or set by the user of the first communication device, or configured by the network device, or configured by the user device, and this application does not limit this.

[0217] In other application scenarios, when the first communication device establishes a connection with the second communication device, the time synchronization method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be executed, that is, the first communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration used for time synchronization with the second communication device through S500.

[0218] In the embodiment of the present application, the first information, and the process by which the first communication device determines the first synchronization accuracy configuration based on the first information, can all refer to the description of step S400 in the first embodiment, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that some of the content in the first information may be obtained by the first communication device from the second communication device, the network device to which the second communication device is connected, or the network device to which the first communication device is connected, for example, the available resource information of the second communication device, the location information of the second communication device, or the service information of the second communication device.

[0219] In some other embodiments, the network device to which the first communication device is connected can determine a first synchronization accuracy configuration for the second communication device based on the first information (the specific process can also refer to the description of S400 in Example 1), and notify the first communication device of the first synchronization accuracy.

[0220] S501: A first communication device sends a first message to a second communication device. The second communication device receives the first message from the first communication device. The first message includes first reference time information, which is used for time synchronization between the second communication device and the first communication device. The first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0221] In S501, the first communication device may determine first reference time information according to the first synchronization accuracy configuration determined in S500, and then send a first message carrying the first reference time information to the second communication device.

[0222] S502: The second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device according to the first reference time information.

[0223] Regarding the process of S501-S502 and the description of the first reference time information, reference may be made to the corresponding descriptions in S402 and S403 in the first embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0224] Optionally, before executing S501, the first communication device and the second communication device may further execute S500a to notify the second communication device that the first communication device uses the first synchronization accuracy configuration to perform time synchronization.

[0225] S500a: This step is an optional step. Before executing S501, the first communication device may also send a second message to the second communication device. The second communication device receives the second message from the first communication device. The second message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device uses the first synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization. The second message may include a first indication, which is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy configuration. For the specific implementation method of the first indication, please refer to the description of the first indication in Example 1 (including Method 1 to Method 3), which will not be repeated here.

[0226] In summary, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, in which the first communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration based on the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device, thereby performing time synchronization with the second communication device. In this way, the first communication device, as a timing device, can determine a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the operating status of the second communication device and can be supported by the available resources of the first communication device, that is, the first communication device can determine a more reasonable synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the second communication device, thereby ensuring the TSN / TSC characteristics of the system. In short, this method can enable the timing device to use the synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the timed device for time synchronization, ultimately improving the reliability of TSN / TSC support between the timing device and the timed device.

[0227] Embodiment 3: FIG6 is a flow chart of a time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG6 , the method provided in Embodiment 3 is described in detail.

[0228] S600: A first communication device sends a first message to a second communication device. The second communication device receives the first message from the first communication device. The first message includes first reference time information, which is used for time synchronization between the second communication device and the first communication device. The first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0229] It can be understood that the first synchronization accuracy configuration is the synchronization accuracy configuration used before the first communication device switches to the synchronization accuracy configuration used for time synchronization with the second communication device, and the second synchronization accuracy configuration involved subsequently is the synchronization accuracy configuration that needs to be used after switching the synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0230] In S600, the first communication device may determine the first reference time information based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration. The first synchronization accuracy configuration may be determined by the first communication device, the second communication device, or the network device based on the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device before S600. For the specific process, reference may be made to the process of determining the first synchronization accuracy configuration in Example 1 or Example 2.

[0231] Optionally, the first synchronization accuracy configuration may be specified by a communication protocol, or determined or defaulted by the first communication device, or set by a user of the first communication device, or configured by a network device, or configured by a user device, and this application does not limit this. For example, when a first communication device establishes a connection with a second communication device, the first communication device may use the default or communication protocol specified first synchronization accuracy configuration to synchronize time with the second communication device.

[0232] S601: The second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device according to first reference time information.

[0233] S602: After S601, the second communication device sends a second message to the first communication device. The first communication device receives the second message from the second communication device. The second message includes a first indication, which indicates a second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0234] In the embodiment of the present application, before executing S602, the second communication device may also determine the second synchronization accuracy configuration through S602a, or obtain the first indication from the network device to which the second communication device is connected.

[0235] S602a: The second communication device determines a second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0236] Through S602a, the second communication device can determine a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets its own synchronization accuracy requirements.

[0237] Optionally, the second communication device may determine the second synchronization accuracy configuration based on the first information, wherein the first information is used to characterize the current operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device.

[0238] Regarding the process of the second communication device determining the second synchronization accuracy configuration and sending the second message, reference can be made to the process of the second communication device determining the first synchronization accuracy configuration and sending the first message in Example 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0239] In one embodiment, after the second communication device determines the second synchronization accuracy configuration, it can send a second message to the first communication device if it is determined that the second synchronization accuracy configuration is different from the first synchronization accuracy configuration originally used; if the second synchronization accuracy configuration is the same as the first synchronization accuracy configuration, the second communication device continues to operate until the next determined synchronization accuracy configuration is different from the first synchronization accuracy configuration, and then notifies the first communication device of the latest synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0240] S603: The first communication device sends a third message to the second communication device. The second communication device receives the third message from the first communication device. The third message includes time offset information, where the time offset information indicates a first time offset between a second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0241] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution time of S603. For example, this step can be executed after S602, before S600, or at any time before S604.

[0242] Optionally, in S603, after determining the second synchronization accuracy configuration indicated by the first indication, the first communications device may determine the first time offset in any of the following ways, but is not limited to:

[0243] Mode b1: The first communication device uses the offset between the second synchronization accuracy configuration and the first synchronization accuracy configuration as the first time offset.

[0244] Mode b2: Determine the second reference time information according to the second synchronization accuracy configuration; and determine the first time offset according to the second reference time information and the first reference time information.

[0245] In one embodiment, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or an index value of the first time offset. When both the first communication device and the second communication device store multiple time offsets and index values ​​corresponding to each time offset, after obtaining the first time offset according to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, the first communication device may determine the index value of the first time offset and notify the second communication device of the index value via a third message.

[0246] For example, the first communication device and the second communication device may pre-exchange multiple time offsets and an index value for each time offset; alternatively, the multiple time offsets and the index value for each time offset in the first communication device and the second communication device may be pre-defined, or user-set, or protocol-specified, or network-configured, or user-configured, which is not limited in this application. In short, the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific implementation of how the two communication devices store the multiple time offsets and the index value for each time offset.

[0247] In one embodiment, the third message may also include clock crystal information or clock crystal offset information, so that the second communication device can determine more accurate second reference time information based on the first reference time information, time offset information, and clock crystal information or clock crystal offset information.

[0248] The clock oscillator information includes the clock oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration (e.g., the first clock type), and the clock oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration (e.g., the second clock type). The clock oscillator offset information includes: the offset between the clock oscillator period corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration (e.g., the first clock type) and the clock oscillator period corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration (e.g., the second clock type), and / or the offset between the clock oscillator frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration (e.g., the first clock type) and the clock oscillator frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration (e.g., the second clock type).

[0249] In one embodiment, before executing S603 , the first communication device and the second communication device may further execute S603 a to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows the use of the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0250] S603a: This step is optional. Before executing S603, the first communication device may also send a fourth message to the second communication device. The second communication device receives the fourth message from the first communication device. The fourth message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows time synchronization using the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0251] Optionally, when the second message is used to request the first communication device to use the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization, the fourth message may serve as a response message to the second message.

[0252] S604: The second communication device may determine second reference time information according to the first reference time information and the time offset information.

[0253] Exemplarily, in S604, the second communication device may add or subtract the first time offset indicated by the time offset information from the first reference time indicated by the first reference time information, thereby obtaining the second reference time.

[0254] If the third message also includes clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information, the second communications device may correct the time offset information based on the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information before determining the second reference time information. Alternatively, the second communications device may correct the second reference time information based on the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information after determining the second reference time information. In this way, more accurate second reference time information may be obtained.

[0255] S605: The second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device according to the second reference time information.

[0256] In an embodiment of the present application, the second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device based on the first reference time information or the second reference time information. The specific process can refer to the time synchronization process in the prior art, and this application will not elaborate on it.

[0257] In summary, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, in which the second communication device can indicate the synchronization accuracy configuration to the first communication device for time synchronization. In this way, the second communication device, as the time-served device, can determine a more reasonable synchronization accuracy configuration that meets its own synchronization accuracy requirements, thereby ensuring the TSN / TSC characteristics of the system. Furthermore, the second communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration in real time based on its own operating conditions and / or the available resources of the first communication device, so that the synchronization accuracy configuration indicated by the second communication device to the first communication device meets the operating conditions of the first communication device, and the available resources of the first communication device can support the use of the synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization. In short, this method can enable the timing device to use the synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the time-served device for time synchronization, and ultimately improve the reliability of TSN / TSC support between the timing device and the time-served device.

[0258] In addition, in this method, when the first communication device switches to a new synchronization accuracy configuration, it can send time offset information to the second communication device, so that the second communication device can determine the reference time information corresponding to the new synchronization accuracy configuration based on the time offset information and the reference time information corresponding to the old synchronization accuracy configuration, and then perform time synchronization with the first communication device. The time offset information is used to indicate the time offset between the reference time corresponding to the new synchronization accuracy configuration and the reference time corresponding to the old synchronization accuracy configuration. Compared with the reference time information, the time offset information contains less data. Therefore, this method can reduce the signaling overhead between the first communication device and the second communication device, and can also reduce the processing complexity on the first communication device side. In a scenario where the first communication device needs to perform time synchronization with multiple second communication devices, the processing complexity and signaling overhead of the first communication device can be significantly reduced.

[0259] Embodiment 4: FIG7 is a flow chart of a time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG7 , the method provided in Embodiment 4 is described in detail.

[0260] S700: A first communication device sends a first message to a second communication device. The second communication device receives the first message from the first communication device. The first message includes first reference time information, which is used for time synchronization between the second communication device and the first communication device. The first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0261] S701: The second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device according to first reference time information.

[0262] S700-S701 in this embodiment are the same as S600-S601 in the third embodiment. The similarities can be referenced to each other and will not be repeated here.

[0263] S702: During the operation after S701, the first communication device determines a second synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information, wherein the first information is used for the operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device.

[0264] In the embodiment of the present application, the process of the first communication device determining the second synchronization accuracy configuration based on the first information can refer to the process of the first communication device determining the first synchronization accuracy configuration in S500 in Example 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0265] S703: The first communication device sends a second message to the second communication device. The second communication device receives the second message from the first communication device. The second message includes time offset information, where the time offset information indicates a first time offset between a second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0266] Optionally, in S703, after determining the second synchronization accuracy configuration in S702, the first communication device may determine the first time offset by, but is not limited to, the method b1 or the method b2 in S603 in the third embodiment.

[0267] In the embodiment of the present application, the time offset information is the same as that in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or the index value of the first time offset. For details, please refer to the corresponding description in the third embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0268] In one embodiment, the second message may further include clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information, so that the second communication device can determine more accurate second reference time information based on the first reference time information, the time offset information, and the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information. For a description of the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information, please refer to the corresponding description in Example 3 and will not be repeated here.

[0269] Optionally, before executing S703, the first communication device and the second communication device may further execute S703a to notify the second communication device that the first communication device uses the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization (or the first communication device switches the synchronization accuracy configuration to the second synchronization accuracy configuration).

[0270] S703a: This step is optional. Before executing S703, the first communication device may also send a third message to the second communication device. The second communication device receives the third message from the first communication device. The third message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device is using the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization (or that the first communication device has switched its synchronization accuracy configuration to the second synchronization accuracy configuration).

[0271] Optionally, the third message may include a first indication, which is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy configuration. For a specific implementation of the first indication, reference may be made to the description of the first indication in the first embodiment (including methods 1 to 3), which will not be repeated here.

[0272] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution time of S703. For example, this step can be executed after S702, or before S700, or at any time before S704.

[0273] S704: The second communication device may determine second reference time information according to the first reference time information and the time offset information.

[0274] Optionally, when S703 is not executed after S702, the second communication device can determine the second synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first indication in the third message after executing S703a and receiving the third message, and then determine the time offset information, and finally execute S704.

[0275] S705: The second communication device performs time synchronization with the first communication device according to the second reference time information.

[0276] S704-S705 in this embodiment are the same as S604-S605 in the third embodiment. The same steps can be referenced to each other and will not be repeated here.

[0277] In summary, an embodiment of the present application provides a time synchronization method, in which the first communication device can determine the synchronization accuracy configuration based on the operating status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device, thereby performing time synchronization with the second communication device. In this way, the first communication device, as a timing device, can determine a synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the operating status of the second communication device and can be supported by the available resources of the first communication device, that is, the first communication device can determine a more reasonable synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the second communication device, thereby ensuring the TSN / TSC characteristics of the system. In short, this method can enable the timing device to use the synchronization accuracy configuration that meets the synchronization accuracy requirements of the timed device for time synchronization, ultimately improving the reliability of TSN / TSC support between the timing device and the timed device.

[0278] In addition, in this method, when the first communication device switches to a new synchronization accuracy configuration, it can send time offset information to the second communication device, so that the second communication device can determine the reference time information corresponding to the new synchronization accuracy configuration based on the time offset information and the reference time information corresponding to the old synchronization accuracy configuration, and then perform time synchronization with the first communication device. The time offset information is used to indicate the time offset between the reference time corresponding to the new synchronization accuracy configuration and the reference time corresponding to the old synchronization accuracy configuration. Compared with the reference time information, the time offset information contains less data. Therefore, this method can reduce the signaling overhead between the first communication device and the second communication device, and can also reduce the processing complexity on the first communication device side. In a scenario where the first communication device needs to perform time synchronization with multiple second communication devices, the processing complexity and signaling overhead of the first communication device can be significantly reduced.

[0279] It should also be noted that each step involved in the above embodiments or examples can be performed by a corresponding device, or by a component such as a chip, processor, or chip system within the device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. The above embodiments are only described as being performed by a corresponding device. In addition, the specific implementation methods or examples in the above embodiments do not limit the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0280] It should be noted that in each of the above embodiments, some steps may be selected for implementation, and the order of the steps in the diagrams may be adjusted for implementation, and this application does not limit this. It should be understood that executing some of the steps in the diagrams, adjusting the order of the steps, or combining them for specific implementation all fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0281] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the various devices involved in the above embodiments include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0282] It can be understood that the above-mentioned network architecture and application scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new services, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0283] It should be noted that the "steps" in the embodiments of this application are merely illustrative and serve as a method of expression for a better understanding of the embodiments. They do not constitute a substantial limitation on the execution of the solutions of this application. For example, the "steps" can also be understood as "features." Furthermore, the steps do not constitute any limitation on the execution order of the solutions of this application. Any changes to the order of steps, or any operations such as step merging or splitting that do not affect the implementation of the overall solution, resulting in new technical solutions, are also within the scope of this application.

[0284] Based on the same technical concept, this application also provides a communication device that can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 3. The communication device is used to implement the methods provided in the above embodiments and can be applied to the first communication device or the second communication device involved in the above embodiments. Referring to Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes a communication unit 801 and a processing unit 802.

[0285] The communication unit 801 is used to receive and send data, and supports the communication device 800 to communicate with other devices.

[0286] The processing unit 802 is used to control and manage the actions of the communication device 800 and execute the steps performed by the network device or terminal device in the communication methods provided in the above embodiments or examples.

[0287] Optionally, the communication device 800 further includes a storage unit for storing program code and / or data of the communication device 800 .

[0288] The communication unit 801 may be referred to as an input / output unit, a transceiver unit, etc., and may be a transceiver or a communication interface; the processing unit 802 may be a processor. When the communication device 800 is a module (e.g., a chip) in a communication device, the communication unit 801 may be an input / output interface, an input / output circuit, or an input / output pin, etc., and may also be referred to as an interface, a communication interface, or an interface circuit; the processing unit 802 may be a processor, a processing circuit, or a logic circuit, etc.

[0289] In one embodiment, the communication apparatus 800 may be applied to the first communication device in the first embodiment shown in FIG4 . The processing unit 802 is configured to:

[0290] receiving, by the communication unit 801, a first message from a second communication device; wherein the first message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a first synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0291] A second message is sent to the second communication device through the communication unit 801; the second message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is used for time synchronization between the second communication device and the first communication device; the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0292] Optionally, the first synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a first clock type, a first synchronization accuracy requirement;

[0293] The first indication is an index value configured for the first synchronization accuracy; or

[0294] The first indication includes a time information type information element, where the time information type information element is used to indicate the first clock type; or

[0295] The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0296] Optionally, the first reference time information includes location information of the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, or an index value of the first reference time.

[0297] Optionally, the first message is used to request the first communication device to use the first synchronization accuracy configuration to perform time synchronization; the processing unit 802 is further used to:

[0298] A third message is sent to the second communication device through the communication unit 801, where the third message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows time synchronization using the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0299] Optionally, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0300] In one embodiment, the communication apparatus 800 may be applied to the second communication device in the first embodiment shown in FIG4 . The processing unit 802 is configured to:

[0301] Sending a first message to a first communication device through the communication unit 801; wherein the first message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a first synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0302] Receiving a second message from the first communication device through the communication unit 801; wherein the second message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0303] Time synchronization is performed with the first communication device according to the first reference time information.

[0304] Optionally, the processing unit 802 is further configured to:

[0305] The first synchronization accuracy configuration is determined based on first information; wherein the first information is used to characterize the operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device.

[0306] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device.

[0307] Optionally, the location information of the first communication device includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located;

[0308] The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or quality of service QoS flow information.

[0309] Optionally, when the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device is multiple, the processing unit 802, when determining the first synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information, is specifically configured to:

[0310] Determine, according to each piece of business information in the plurality of business information, a synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each piece of business information; select, among the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the plurality of business information, a synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the first synchronization accuracy configuration; or

[0311] Select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0312] Optionally, the target service information has the highest priority among the multiple service information, or the target service information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target service information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0313] Optionally, the first synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a first clock type, a first synchronization accuracy requirement;

[0314] The first indication is an index value configured for the first synchronization accuracy; or

[0315] The first indication includes a time information type information element, where the time information type information element is used to indicate the first clock type; or

[0316] The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0317] Optionally, the first reference time information includes location information of the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, or an index value of the first reference time.

[0318] Optionally, the first message is used to request the first communication device to use the first synchronization accuracy configuration to perform time synchronization; the processing unit 802 is further used to:

[0319] A third message is received from the first communication device through the communication unit 801 , where the third message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows time synchronization using the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0320] Optionally, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0321] In one embodiment, the communication apparatus 800 may be applied to the first communication device in the second embodiment shown in FIG5 . The processing unit 802 is configured to:

[0322] Determining a first synchronization accuracy configuration based on first information; wherein the first information is used to characterize the operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device;

[0323] A first message is sent to the second communication device through the communication unit 801; the first message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is used for time synchronization between the second communication device and the first communication device; the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0324] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device;

[0325] Optionally, the location information of the first communication device includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located;

[0326] The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or quality of service QoS flow information.

[0327] Optionally, when the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device includes multiple services, the processing unit 802, when determining the first synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information, is specifically configured to:

[0328] Determine, according to each piece of business information in the plurality of business information, a synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each piece of business information; select, among the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the plurality of business information, a synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the first synchronization accuracy configuration; or

[0329] Select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0330] Optionally, the target service information has the highest priority among the multiple service information, or the target service information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target service information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0331] Optionally, the first reference time information includes location information of the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, or an index value of the first reference time.

[0332] Optionally, the processing unit 802 is further configured to:

[0333] A second message is sent to the second communication device through the communication unit 801; wherein the second message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy configuration, and the second message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device uses the first synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0334] Optionally, the first synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a first clock type, a first synchronization accuracy requirement;

[0335] The first indication is an index value configured for the first synchronization accuracy; or

[0336] The first indication includes a time information type information element, where the time information type information element is used to indicate the first clock type; or

[0337] The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0338] Optionally, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0339] In one embodiment, the communication apparatus 800 may be applied to the first communication device in the third embodiment shown in FIG6 . The processing unit 802 is configured to:

[0340] Sending a first message to the second communication device through the communication unit 801; wherein the first message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is used for the second communication device to synchronize time with the first communication device; the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0341] receiving, by the communication unit 801, a second message from the second communication device; wherein the second message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a second synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0342] A third message is sent to the second communication device through the communication unit 801; the third message includes time offset information, and the time offset information is used to indicate the first time offset between the second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0343] Optionally, the second synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a second clock type, a second synchronization accuracy requirement;

[0344] The first indication is an index value configured for the second synchronization accuracy; or

[0345] The first indication includes a time information type information element, and the time information type information element is used to indicate the second clock type; or

[0346] The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0347] Optionally, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or the index value of the first time offset.

[0348] Optionally, the processing unit 802 is further configured to:

[0349] using the offset between the second synchronization accuracy configuration and the first synchronization accuracy configuration as the first time offset; or

[0350] According to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, second reference time information is determined; according to the second reference time information and the first reference time information, the first time offset is determined.

[0351] Optionally, the third message further includes clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information;

[0352] The clock crystal oscillator information includes the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0353] The clock crystal oscillator offset information includes: the offset between the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and / or the offset between the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0354] Optionally, the second message is used to request the first communication device to use the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization; the processing unit 802 is further used to:

[0355] A fourth message is sent to the second communication device, where the fourth message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows time synchronization using the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0356] Optionally, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0357] In one embodiment, the communication apparatus 800 may be applied to the second communication device in the third embodiment shown in FIG6 . The processing unit 802 is configured to:

[0358] Receiving a first message from a first communication device through the communication unit 801; wherein the first message includes first reference time information; the first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0359] performing time synchronization with the first communication device according to the first reference time information;

[0360] Sending a second message to the first communication device through the communication unit 801; the second message includes a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0361] receiving, through the communication unit 801, a third message from the first communication device; wherein the third message includes time offset information, the time offset information being used to indicate a first time offset between a second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0362] determining second reference time information according to the first reference time information and the time offset information;

[0363] Time synchronization is performed with the first communication device according to the second reference time information.

[0364] Optionally, the processing unit 802 is further configured to:

[0365] The second synchronization accuracy configuration is determined based on first information; wherein the first information is used to characterize the operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device.

[0366] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device.

[0367] Optionally, the location information of the second communication device includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located;

[0368] The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or quality of service QoS flow information.

[0369] Optionally, when the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device is multiple, the processing unit 802, when determining the second synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information, is specifically configured to:

[0370] Determine, according to each of the plurality of business information, a synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each of the business information; select, from the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the plurality of business information, a synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the second synchronization accuracy configuration; or

[0371] Select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0372] Optionally, the target service information has the highest priority among the multiple service information, or the target service information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target service information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0373] Optionally, the second synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a second clock type, a second synchronization accuracy requirement;

[0374] The first indication is an index value configured for the second synchronization accuracy; or

[0375] The first indication includes a time information type information element, and the time information type information element is used to indicate the second clock type; or

[0376] The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0377] Optionally, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or the index value of the first time offset.

[0378] Optionally, the third message further includes clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information;

[0379] The clock crystal oscillator information includes the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0380] The clock crystal oscillator offset information includes: an offset between a clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and a clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and / or an offset between a clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and a clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0381] The processing unit 802 is further configured to:

[0382] Correcting the second reference time information according to the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information; or

[0383] The time offset information is corrected according to the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information.

[0384] Optionally, the second message is used to request the first communication device to use the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization; the processing unit 802 is further used to:

[0385] A fourth message is received from the first communication device through the communication unit 801 , where the fourth message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows the use of the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0386] Optionally, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0387] In one embodiment, the communication apparatus 800 may be applied to the first communication device in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG7 . The processing unit 802 is configured to:

[0388] Sending a first message to a second communication device through the communication unit 801; wherein the first message includes first reference time information; the first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0389] Determining a second synchronization accuracy configuration based on the first information; wherein the first information is used to characterize the operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device;

[0390] A second message is sent to the second communication device through the communication unit 801; the second message includes time offset information, and the time offset information is used to indicate the first time offset between the second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and the first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0391] Optionally, the first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device;

[0392] Optionally, the location information of the second communication device includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located;

[0393] The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or quality of service QoS flow information.

[0394] Optionally, when the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device includes multiple services, the processing unit 802, when determining the second synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information, is specifically configured to:

[0395] Determine, according to each of the plurality of business information, a synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each of the business information; select, from the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the plurality of business information, a synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the second synchronization accuracy configuration; or

[0396] Select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0397] Optionally, the target service information has the highest priority among the multiple service information, or the target service information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target service information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0398] Optionally, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or the index value of the first time offset.

[0399] Optionally, the processing unit 802 is further configured to:

[0400] using the offset between the second synchronization accuracy configuration and the first synchronization accuracy configuration as the first time offset; or

[0401] According to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, second reference time information is determined; according to the second reference time information and the first reference time information, the first time offset is determined.

[0402] Optionally, the second message further includes clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information;

[0403] The clock crystal oscillator information includes the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0404] The clock crystal oscillator offset information includes: the offset between the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and / or the offset between the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration.

[0405] Optionally, the processing unit 802 is further configured to:

[0406] A third message is sent to the second communication device through the communication unit 801; wherein the third message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and the third message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device uses the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0407] Optionally, the second synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a second clock type, a second synchronization accuracy requirement;

[0408] The first indication is an index value configured for the second synchronization accuracy; or

[0409] The first indication includes a time information type information element, and the time information type information element is used to indicate the second clock type; or

[0410] The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0411] Optionally, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0412] In one embodiment, the communication apparatus 800 may be applied to the second communication device in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG7 . The processing unit 802 is configured to:

[0413] Receiving a first message from a first communication device through the communication unit 801; wherein the first message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is determined based on a first synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0414] performing time synchronization with the first communication device according to the first reference time information;

[0415] receiving, by the communication unit 801, a second message from the first communication device; wherein the second message includes time offset information, the time offset information being used to indicate a first time offset between a second reference time corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration and a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0416] determining second reference time information according to the first reference time information and the time offset information;

[0417] Time synchronization is performed with the first communication device according to the first reference time information.

[0418] Optionally, the time offset information includes the value of the first time offset, or the index value of the first time offset.

[0419] Optionally, the second message further includes clock crystal oscillator information or clock crystal oscillator offset information;

[0420] The clock crystal oscillator information includes the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and the clock crystal oscillator period or frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0421] The clock crystal oscillator offset information includes: an offset between a clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and a clock crystal oscillator period corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and / or an offset between a clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration and a clock crystal oscillator frequency corresponding to the second synchronization accuracy configuration;

[0422] The processing unit 802 is further configured to:

[0423] Correcting the second reference time information according to the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information; or

[0424] The time offset information is corrected according to the clock crystal oscillator information or the clock crystal oscillator offset information.

[0425] Optionally, the processing unit 802 is further configured to:

[0426] A third message is received from the first communication device through the communication unit 801; wherein the third message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy configuration, and the third message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device uses the second synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

[0427] Optionally, the second synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a second clock type, a second synchronization accuracy requirement;

[0428] The first indication is an index value configured for the second synchronization accuracy; or

[0429] The first indication includes a time information type information element, and the time information type information element is used to indicate the second clock type; or

[0430] The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the second synchronization accuracy requirement.

[0431] Optionally, the first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

[0432] It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0433] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0434] Based on the above embodiments, embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device, which may be the first communication device or the second communication device in the communication system shown in FIG3 . The communication device may implement the methods in the above embodiments and have the functionality of the communication apparatus 800 . Referring to FIG9 , the communication device 900 includes a transceiver 901 , a processor 902 , and a memory 903 . The transceiver 901 , the processor 902 , and the memory 903 are interconnected.

[0435] Optionally, the transceiver 901, the processor 902, and the memory 903 are interconnected via a bus 904. The bus 904 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, FIG9 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0436] The transceiver 901 is used to receive and send signals to achieve communication with other devices.

[0437] The functions of the processor 902 may refer to the description in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0438] The processor 902 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor 902 may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. When implementing the above functions, the processor 902 may be implemented through hardware, or may also execute corresponding software implementations through hardware. The steps of the method disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application may be directly executed by the processor 902, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor 902.

[0439] The memory 903 is used to store program instructions, data, etc. Specifically, the program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. The memory 903 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM); it may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid state drive (SSD). The memory 903 can also be any other medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, and this application does not limit this. The processor 902 executes the program instructions stored in the memory 903 to implement the above functions, thereby realizing the method provided in the above embodiment.

[0440] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to implement the steps performed by the first communication device in the method provided in the above embodiments, and the second communication device is used to implement the steps performed by the second communication device in the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0441] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, which includes a computer program; when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0442] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer executes the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0443] Optionally, the above-mentioned computer may include, but is not limited to, communication equipment, etc.

[0444] The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0445] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a chip, which is used to read a computer program stored in a memory to implement the method provided in the above embodiments. Optionally, the chip may include a processor, which is coupled to the memory and is used to read the computer program stored in the memory to implement the method provided in the above embodiments. Optionally, the chip may also include components such as a memory, a communication interface, and a power supply module. The memory is used to store computer programs, the communication interface is used to receive and send data; and the power supply unit is used to power the processor.

[0446] Based on the above embodiments, embodiments of the present application provide a chip system that includes a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the functions of the terminal device described in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing the necessary programs and data for the computer device. The chip system can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0447] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0448] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0449] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0450] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0451] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A time synchronization method, applied to a first communication device, characterized in that: include: Receiving a first message from a second communication device; wherein the first message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a first synchronization accuracy configuration; A second message is sent to the second communication device; the second message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is used for time synchronization between the second communication device and the first communication device; the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a first clock type, a first synchronization accuracy requirement; The first indication is an index value configured for the first synchronization accuracy; or The first indication includes a time information type information element, where the time information type information element is used to indicate the first clock type; or The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first reference time information includes position information of a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, or an index value of the first reference time.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first message is used to request the first communication device to perform time synchronization using the first synchronization accuracy configuration; The method further comprises: A third message is sent to the second communication device, where the third message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows time synchronization using the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

6. A time synchronization method, applied to a second communication device, characterized in that: include: Sending a first message to a first communication device; wherein the first message includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate a first synchronization accuracy configuration; Receiving a second message from the first communication device; wherein the second message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration; Time synchronization is performed with the first communication device according to the first reference time information.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first synchronization accuracy configuration is determined according to first information; wherein the first information is used to characterize the operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources status of the first communication device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The location information of the first communication device includes at least one of the following: longitude and latitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located; The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or information of quality of service QoS flow.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that In the case where the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device is multiple, determining the first synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information includes: Determine the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each business information according to each business information in the multiple business information; select the synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the first synchronization accuracy configuration among the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the multiple business information; or Select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that Among the multiple service information, the target service information has the highest priority, or the target service information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target service information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

12. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that: The first synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a first clock type, a first synchronization accuracy requirement; The first indication is an index value configured for the first synchronization accuracy; or The first indication includes a time information type information element, where the time information type information element is used to indicate the first clock type; or The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

13. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that: The first reference time information includes position information of a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, or an index value of the first reference time.

14. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 13, characterized in that: The first message is used to request the first communication device to perform time synchronization using the first synchronization accuracy configuration; The method further comprises: A third message is received from the first communication device, where the third message is used to notify the second communication device that the first communication device allows time synchronization using the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

15. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 14, characterized in that: The first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

16. A time synchronization method, applied to a first communication device, characterized in that: include: Determine a first synchronization accuracy configuration according to first information; wherein the first information is used to characterize the operation status of the second communication device and / or the available resources of the first communication device; A first message is sent to the second communication device; the first message includes first reference time information, and the first reference time information is used for time synchronization between the second communication device and the first communication device; the first reference time information is determined based on the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following: available resource information of the first communication device, available resource information of the second communication device, location information of the second communication device, and service information of the second communication device.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The location information of the first communication device includes at least one of the following: longitude and latitude information of the second communication device, cell information of a serving cell of the second communication device, and area information where the second communication device is located; The service information of the second communication device includes: service type or information of quality of service QoS flow.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that In the case where the first information includes service information of the second communication device, and the service information of the second communication device includes multiple items, determining the first synchronization accuracy configuration according to the first information includes: Determine the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to each business information according to each business information in the multiple business information; select the synchronization accuracy configuration with the highest synchronization accuracy as the first synchronization accuracy configuration among the synchronization accuracy configurations corresponding to the multiple business information; or Select target business information from the multiple business information; and use the synchronization accuracy configuration corresponding to the target business information as the first synchronization accuracy configuration.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein: Among the multiple service information, the target service information has the highest priority, or the target service information has the smallest delay requirement, or the target service information has the highest synchronization accuracy requirement.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that: The first reference time information includes position information of a first reference time corresponding to the first synchronization accuracy configuration, or an index value of the first reference time.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A second message is sent to the second communication device; wherein the second message includes a first indication, the first indication is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy configuration, and the second message is used to notify the second communication device: the first communication device uses the first synchronization accuracy configuration for time synchronization.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein: The first synchronization accuracy configuration includes at least one of the following: a first clock type, a first synchronization accuracy requirement; The first indication is an index value configured for the first synchronization accuracy; or The first indication includes a time information type information element, where the time information type information element is used to indicate the first clock type; or The first indication includes an uncertainty information element, and the uncertainty information element is used to indicate the first synchronization accuracy requirement.

24. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 23, characterized in that: The first communication device is a network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device; or the first communication device is a first terminal device, and the second communication device is a second terminal device.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A communication unit for receiving and sending data; A processing unit, configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A memory for storing program instructions; transceiver, used to receive and send signals; A processor is used to read the program instructions in the memory so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

28. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes a processor; the processor is coupled to a memory, and the processor is used to read a computer program stored in the memory, so that the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

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