Distributed Time Synchronization Network for Clock Drift Correction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication terminals face challenges in maintaining stable time synchronization due to frequency drift in internal clocks, leading to inefficient data handling and increased communication traffic, especially with the rise in network scale and terminals.
Innovation Solution
A time synchronization network utilizing communication devices with stable internal atomic clocks and time synchronization units that correct time information based on time differences with adjacent devices, reducing the need for direct connections to a time server and minimizing communication traffic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wireless communication terminals use internal clocks for time synchronization, then communication events can be handled, but frequency drift causes time synchronization to be maintained only for extremely short periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a time server as an intermediary that provides reference time information to communication devices. This mediator enables devices to correct their internal clock time information periodically, thereby maintaining long-term time synchronization stability that cannot be achieved with standalone internal clocks subject to frequency drift
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where communication devices receive time difference information from the time server and use it to correct their internal clock. This closed-loop feedback system continuously compensates for frequency drift, transforming the open-loop unstable internal clock into a stable time synchronization system
2Reliability
If a time server synchronizes time for all communication devices directly, then time synchronization is maintained, but communication traffic increases significantly with network scale
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the time synchronization function by introducing hierarchical time servers and enabling peer-to-peer time difference sharing between adjacent devices. This segmentation distributes the synchronization burden, allowing devices to correct time based on local time difference information rather than requiring direct communication with the central time server for every synchronization event
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables each communication device to autonomously correct its time information using locally available time difference information from adjacent devices. This local quality approach reduces communication traffic by eliminating the need for all devices to directly communicate with the time server, while still maintaining synchronization accuracy through distributed time difference propagation
3Reliability
If miniaturized atomic clocks are used in wireless communication terminals, then frequency drift is suppressed significantly, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses conventional internal clocks with known frequency drift characteristics instead of expensive miniaturized atomic clocks. By accepting the limited stability of inexpensive internal clocks and compensating through software-based time server synchronization and time difference correction, the system achieves stable time synchronization without the complexity and cost of hardware atomic clocks in each terminal
Data Source
AI summary
A time synchronization network able to efficiently maintain time synchronization according to standard time is described. A communication device includes a time information output unit and a time synchronization unit. The time information output unit is configured to output time information with an internal clock that is stable. The time synchronization unit is configured to correct the time information of the time information output unit based on information on a time difference between the communication device and another communication device adjacent to the communication device.