Synchronized Electrical Component Control via GPS Clock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for synchronizing electrical components, such as light or sound sources, across multiple equipment items often fail to achieve harmonious effects due to independent management units with unique time bases, limiting their applicability to equipment without a sequencing time base and requiring periodic readjustments to prevent time drift.
Innovation Solution
A system where each equipment's management unit receives a geolocation signal to extract geolocation data and a reference clock signal, generating a synchronized control signal with parameters like frequency, duty cycle, and intensity, allowing for synchronized control of electrical components without individual time bases, ensuring continuous synchronization and enabling personalized sequences based on geographical position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each management unit uses an autonomous time base for sequencing, then each equipment can operate independently, but time drift occurs between equipment leading to loss of synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the time base functions of all autonomous management units into a single common time base. Each management unit receives and synchronizes to the same reference signal, eliminating independent time bases that cause drift. This combining approach ensures all equipment operates from a unified time reference, preventing synchronization loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a common reference signal as an intermediary between all management units. This reference signal acts as a mediator that all units synchronize to, replacing the direct autonomous time base approach. The intermediary reference signal ensures consistent timing across all equipment without requiring direct communication between management units.
2Reliability
If periodic readjustment of time bases is performed, then synchronization can be maintained, but system complexity and operational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes synchronization at the beginning through a common time base initialization, preventing time drift before it occurs rather than requiring periodic corrections. By setting all management units to the same reference signal from the start, the system maintains synchronization continuously without needing subsequent readjustment operations.
3Reliability
If a common reference signal is used for all equipment, then synchronized control is achieved, but the solution is limited to equipment with sequencing time bases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the management unit universal by designing it to receive and process a common reference signal regardless of the specific equipment type. The management unit structure is generalized to work with any equipment that can receive the reference signal, making the synchronization system applicable to diverse equipment including lighting, sound, and other electrical components beyond just sequenced devices.
4Ease of operation
If autonomous management units are used, then equipment can operate independently, but visual and auditory effects appear incoherent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the independent time bases of autonomous management units into a unified common time base. This allows equipment to maintain operational independence while achieving visual and auditory coherence through synchronized timing. All management units derive their control signals from the same reference, ensuring harmonious overall effects while preserving individual equipment functionality.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The system has a managing unit (100) for managing an electric component e.g. light or sound source (S). The managing unit has a receiving unit (110) for extracting a reference clock signal i.e. pulse per second (PPS) signal, from a global positioning signal. A processing unit (120) processes the clock signal, and generates a synchronized control signal from the clock signal. A control unit (130) i.e. control station, controls the electric component according to the control signal generated by the processing unit.