Multi-Sensor Clock Synchronization for Accurate Data Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in accurately synchronizing the time of different sensors in intelligent devices, leading to inaccuracies in data fusion and potential safety issues in autonomous driving scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A communication method and apparatus that synchronize the time of multiple sensors within an intelligent device using a reference clock, ensuring accurate data fusion by correcting the second moments of target sensors to align with the first moment of the reference clock.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If data fusion is performed without time synchronization, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to time mismatches in sensor data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a time synchronization mechanism as an intermediary component that mediates between multiple sensors and the data fusion module. This mediator aligns the time stamps of sensor data before fusion, ensuring that data from different sensors corresponds to the same time point, thereby resolving the time mismatch issue without requiring complex modifications to the sensors themselves
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs time synchronization as a preliminary action before data fusion. By correcting time offsets and aligning time stamps in advance, the system ensures that subsequent data fusion operations work with temporally consistent data, preventing accuracy degradation while maintaining a relatively simple overall architecture
2Measurement precision
If time synchronization is implemented using a reference clock, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional synchronization components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the reference clock a universal time source that serves multiple sensors simultaneously. Instead of implementing separate synchronization mechanisms for each sensor, a single reference clock provides time standards to all sensors, achieving high precision across the board while minimizing the number of synchronization components needed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the time synchronization function into the existing sensor data collection and fusion framework. By combining time stamping, time offset correction, and synchronization verification into a unified process that works alongside data acquisition, the system achieves accurate synchronization without adding separate complex synchronization subsystems
3Reliability
If data from multiple sensors with different characteristics is fused, then reliability is improved through comprehensive sensing, but measurement precision deteriorates due to time misalignment between sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The time synchronization mechanism acts as an intermediary that processes data from sensors with different characteristics (camera, radar, laser radar) before fusion. It corrects time offsets specific to each sensor type while maintaining their individual operational advantages, enabling reliable comprehensive sensing without sacrificing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality correction by adjusting time stamps according to each sensor's specific characteristics and time offset. Instead of using a uniform approach, the system tailors the synchronization correction to each sensor's temporal behavior, preserving the unique strengths of each sensor type while achieving aligned fusion
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of this application disclose a communication method and apparatus. The method is applied to an intelligent device, and the intelligent device includes a plurality of sensors. The method includes: determining N target sensors from a plurality of sensors, where N is an integer greater than 1; and correcting respective second moments of the N target sensors to a first moment of a first clock. According to embodiments of this application, time of different sensors in the intelligent device can be synchronized, to ensure accurate fusion of data collected by the different sensors.