Real-Time Clock Time Resolution Enhancement via Software Timing Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices, such as power meters, often have real-time clock chips with limited time resolution, making it difficult to meet the higher resolution requirements of modern systems without the need for costly hardware replacements.
Innovation Solution
Enhancing the time resolution of real-time clocks by integrating a processing unit that operates at a higher frequency, a memory system for data storage, and a calibration module to re-calibrate the real-time clock, allowing for higher frequency interactions and data processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a real-time clock chip with native high time resolution is used, then time resolution is improved, but device cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a timing service as an intermediary layer between the low-resolution real-time clock chip and the high-resolution processing requirements. This timing service uses software-based timing mechanisms (interrupts, counters, and calibration) to generate high-resolution time stamps without requiring a high-resolution hardware clock, thus resolving the contradiction between time resolution and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual high-resolution clock by copying and augmenting the low-resolution real-time clock data with software-generated timing information. The timing service maintains a virtual time counter that simulates high-resolution timing by combining real-time clock updates with interrupt-based counting, effectively copying the clock function at a different resolution level
2Measurement precision
If the real-time clock is replaced with higher resolution hardware, then time resolution is improved, but cost and loss of existing functional devices increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of time resolution through software rather than hardware replacement. By implementing a timing service that uses interrupt-driven counting and calibration algorithms, the system achieves high-resolution timing (sub-second precision) while maintaining the existing low-resolution real-time clock hardware, thus avoiding replacement of functional devices
Solution Approach 2:
The timing service implements multiple functions within the existing hardware constraints: it provides both low-resolution real-time clock functionality and high-resolution timing capabilities through software. This multi-functionality allows the same hardware platform to support both legacy applications and new high-resolution timing requirements without replacement
3Measurement precision
If software timing methods are used to achieve higher resolution, then time resolution is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The timing service uses periodic interrupts from the real-time clock as the basis for its timing operations. By synchronizing its timing counter with these periodic interrupt events and using calibration to correct drift, the system achieves high-resolution timing while minimizing continuous processing overhead, as the intensive timing updates occur only at interrupt boundaries rather than continuously
Data Source
AI summary
Enhanced resolution for a real-time clock is implemented, which includes a real-time clock configured to operate at a first time resolution, at least one processing unit configured to operate at a second time resolution, wherein the second time resolution has a higher frequency than the first time resolution, a memory for storing data at a location including data from the real-time clock and the at least one processing unit, an interrupt configured to load information into the memory at the location using the at least one processing unit, the interrupt further configured to operate at a frequency associated with the second time resolution, a timing service configured to read information from the memory at the location, the timing service configured to operate at the second time resolution, and a calibration module configured to re-calibrate the real-time clock.