Time-Sensitive Network Terminal Synchronization Offset
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Solution Overview
Problem
In time-sensitive networks, terminals often have inaccurate clocks, leading to errors during synchronized operations, necessitating a method to share and accurately compensate for reference time across terminals to ensure precise synchronization.
Innovation Solution
The method involves terminals receiving reference time information from a base station, calculating their offset using timing advance (TA) or round-trip time (RTT) measurements, and adjusting their transmission timing accordingly to synchronize operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If terminals use their own local clocks for synchronized operations, then device complexity is reduced, but time synchronization accuracy deteriorates due to clock errors and propagation delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a base station as an intermediary that possesses a highly accurate reference clock. The base station measures propagation delays to each terminal and provides compensation values (offsets) to terminals. This intermediary approach allows terminals to achieve accurate synchronization without requiring complex local clock synchronization mechanisms, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the base station measures the propagation delay from itself to each terminal and sends compensation information back to the terminal. The terminal uses this feedback to adjust its transmission timing, ensuring that uplink signals from multiple terminals arrive at the base station simultaneously despite different propagation delays. This feedback loop resolves the synchronization accuracy issue while keeping terminal complexity low.
2Measurement precision
If terminals compensate for propagation delay using reference time from base station, then time synchronization accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases due to offset calculation and timing adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The base station performs preliminary measurements of propagation delays to each terminal before actual data transmission begins. It calculates the required timing offsets and provides this compensation information to terminals in advance. This preliminary action allows terminals to simply apply the provided offset without performing complex real-time calculations, reducing terminal complexity while maintaining synchronization accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
Each terminal independently calculates its own timing offset based on the reference time from the base station and the provided propagation delay information. The terminal autonomously adjusts its transmission timing without requiring complex coordination with other terminals. This self-service approach achieves accurate synchronization while keeping each terminal's mechanism relatively simple.
3Productivity
If multiple terminals perform synchronized operations with accurate timing, then productivity of time-sensitive network is improved, but system complexity increases due to coordination and synchronization protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the synchronization function into the existing uplink transmission mechanism. The base station's reference clock and propagation delay measurements are integrated with the normal random access and data transmission procedures. Terminals use the same uplink channels for both data transmission and synchronization, eliminating the need for separate synchronization protocols and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An operation method of a first terminal, for synchronized operations according to time-sensitive networking, may comprise: receiving information on a reference time from a base station; obtaining an offset of the first terminal with respect to the reference time or information for deriving the offset, and deriving the offset from the information for deriving the offset; determining a timing at which uplink transmission is performed by reflecting the offset to the reference time; and performing the uplink transmission at the determined timing.