Communication Apparatus Grandmaster Priority Threshold Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In communication systems using a master-slave time synchronization protocol, there is a risk of unintentional grandmaster switches when a high-priority communication apparatus with high accuracy enters the system, leading to potential disruptions in time synchronization.
Innovation Solution
A communication apparatus with a management verification unit, grandmaster verification unit, and setting unit is implemented to verify and manage priorities, preventing unintentional grandmaster switches by setting a higher priority threshold for the current grandmaster and transmitting this threshold to other apparatuses, ensuring accurate synchronization with high-priority devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a new communication apparatus with high priority enters the system, then time synchronization accuracy is improved, but unintentional grandmaster switches occur causing system instability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary grandmaster verification before allowing a new apparatus to become grandmaster. The verification unit checks whether the new apparatus truly qualifies as grandmaster by comparing its priority against the current grandmaster's priority, preventing premature or erroneous grandmaster switches before they can disrupt synchronization
Solution Approach 2:
The verification unit provides feedback control by continuously monitoring grandmaster status and priority changes. When a new apparatus enters, the system verifies its grandmaster eligibility through feedback comparison with the current grandmaster, ensuring that only legitimately higher-priority apparatuses can switch grandmaster status, thus maintaining system reliability while allowing accurate synchronization
2Measurement precision
If grandmaster mediation is performed to select the highest priority node, then synchronization accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases due to mediation processes
Solution Approach 1:
The verification function is extracted as a separate, dedicated unit that operates independently from the main mediation process. This extraction simplifies the overall system by isolating the complex verification logic into a modular component, reducing the complexity burden on the main grandmaster mediation process while maintaining high synchronization accuracy through thorough verification
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system (500) has a plurality of communication apparatuses (100). A management verification unit (110) verifies whether or not a communication apparatus (100) is a network management master. A grandmaster verification unit (120) verifies whether or not the communication apparatus (100) is a grandmaster. When the communication apparatus (100) is the network management master and the grandmaster, a setting unit (130) sets in an apparatus priority (21) a threshold (23) indicating that a priority is higher than a priority of a current grandmaster. When the communication apparatus (100) is the network management master and not the grandmaster, the setting unit (130) transmits a network setting message that includes the threshold (23) to be set for a priority of another communication apparatus that is the grandmaster.