Clock Holdover Controller for Synchronization Accuracy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clock synchronization systems face challenges in maintaining accurate clock frequency when software failures or connectivity issues occur, leading to clock drift and inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
A clock synchronization system that includes clock circuitry, a clock controller, and software to generate and apply holdover frequency commands, ensuring the clock maintains accuracy during software failures or connectivity issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the system relies on software-generated clock update commands for frequency adjustment, then clock synchronization accuracy is improved, but system reliability deteriorates when software failures or connectivity issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The clock controller pre-stores multiple holdover frequency commands in memory before software failures occur. These commands are prepared in advance based on historical clock frequency data, enabling the system to immediately switch to holdover mode without waiting for software recovery or external intervention when connectivity is lost.
Solution Approach 2:
The clock controller autonomously monitors the receipt of clock update commands and automatically transitions to holdover frequency mode when commands are not received within a specified time period. This self-service mechanism eliminates dependency on software intervention during failures, allowing the system to maintain clock synchronization independently.
2Measurement precision
If the system continuously monitors for clock update commands and switches to holdover mode on failure, then clock accuracy during failures is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clock controller integrates multiple functions including command reception, failure detection, holdover frequency command storage, and automatic mode switching within a single device. This consolidation reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate components for each function while maintaining the capability to preserve clock accuracy during software failures.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a clock synchronization system includes clock circuitry to maintain a clock running at a clock frequency, a clock controller, and a processor to execute software to generate clock update commands and provide the clock update commands to the clock controller, wherein the clock controller is configured to apply the clock update commands to the clock, store a holdover frequency command to maintain the clock during a failure of the clock update commands, apply the holdover frequency command to the clock responsively to detecting the failure.