Time Clock Quality Determination Using Independent Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Incorrect timekeeping by electronic device time clocks can lead to errors in operations that rely on current time, such as security actions and data snapshot management, due to disruptions or intentional setting of wrong times.
Innovation Solution
A quality-of-time determination engine records time-state data independently of the time clock using a time monitoring engine that invokes a sleep process to record time values, allowing for assessment of time clock stability and accuracy through a time-state array stored in persistent memory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the time clock is used to provide current time for operations, then operations can be performed based on time, but the time may be incorrect due to disruptions or intentional setting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a time monitoring engine as an intermediary component that independently tracks time using a time-state data structure. This mediator records time values at regular intervals and provides a quality-of-time determination, separating the time tracking function from the time clock to verify time accuracy without disrupting normal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring time values and comparing them against expected increments. The time monitoring engine detects discrepancies between actual time advances and expected time advances, providing feedback on time quality that can trigger alerts or corrections when the time clock becomes inaccurate.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the time clock time is changed due to disruptions or intentional setting, then the time clock can be adjusted, but operations dependent on time may produce errors
Solution Approach 1:
The time monitoring engine provides continuous feedback on time quality by detecting when time advances exceed expected thresholds. When the time clock is adjusted or disrupted, the monitoring system identifies the discrepancy between expected time increments and actual increments, enabling detection of unauthorized or erroneous time changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary verification by checking time quality before executing time-dependent operations. The time monitoring engine maintains a time-state data structure that records expected time values, allowing the system to verify time accuracy in advance and prevent erroneous operations caused by incorrect time settings.
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, an electronic device records, in an entry of a time-state data structure that includes a plurality of entries to store respective times, a time in response to invocation of a time-lapse process that lasts a predefined time duration independently of a time clock of the electronic device. The electronic device determines whether times in successive entries of the plurality of entries of the time-state data structure are within a threshold of one another, the threshold based on the predefined time duration. Based on the determining, the electronic device sets a parameter representing a quality of the time clock.