Leader-Follower Time Synchronization for Sensor Data Recording
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Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicles equipped with multiple sensor data recording devices, ensuring time synchronization of sensor data across different units is challenging due to clock drift and mismatched time settings, which hinders accurate depiction and analysis of anomalous events.
Innovation Solution
A system where a leader device synchronizes time with a standard time source and communicates this synchronization to follower devices, pausing data collection, unregistering followers, and restarting data collection after time alignment, ensuring all devices have synchronized clocks for accurate event analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple sensor data recording devices are deployed in a vehicle, then the quantity of sensor data and coverage are improved, but time synchronization between devices deteriorates due to clock drift
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a leader device as an intermediary that mediates time synchronization between multiple follower devices. The leader device obtains time from an external time source and distributes synchronized time to all follower devices through communication interfaces, eliminating direct peer-to-peer synchronization requirements and resolving clock drift issues across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic time synchronization where follower devices periodically receive time updates from the leader device. This periodic action ensures that clock drift is continuously corrected at regular intervals, maintaining time synchronization accuracy across all devices without requiring continuous communication.
2Measurement precision
If time synchronization is implemented across multiple devices, then event analysis accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases due to leader-follower coordination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an asymmetric leader-follower architecture where one device is designated as the leader and others as followers. This asymmetry simplifies the system by centralizing time synchronization management in the leader device, which handles time source acquisition and distribution, while follower devices only need to receive and apply time updates, reducing overall coordination complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having each device independently synchronize with external time sources (which would increase complexity), the patent inverts the approach by having devices synchronize with each other through the leader device that acts as a time distribution hub. This inversion consolidates synchronization logic and reduces the number of external time source connections needed.
3Ease of operation
If clock drift is allowed to accumulate, then device operation simplicity is maintained, but data association accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary time synchronization by having the leader device obtain time from an external time source before distributing it to follower devices. This preliminary action ensures that all devices start with synchronized time references, preventing clock drift accumulation that would otherwise compromise data association accuracy while maintaining operational simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A leader system for time synchronizing includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to receive a time standard. The processor is configured to determine whether a time jump is necessary in response to the time standard; and in response to determining that the time jump is necessary: 1) cause overwriting a sensor data buffer; 2) provide an indication to unregister one or more follower devices from a leader device; and 3) time jump a leader device time in response to the time standard.