Vehicle Time Synchronization Feedback Loop

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current time synchronization methods in motor vehicle systems, particularly in safety-critical areas like autonomous driving, face challenges in ensuring accurate and reliable synchronization between timers, which is essential for correlating sensor data in time, and are complex, with potential errors from incorrect message transmission.

Innovation Solution

A method and system where a timer sends a time resynchronization message with updated time information to adjust its clock based on comparisons with the time information from another timer, allowing for follow-up actions to correct timing deviations and ensure synchronization within a tolerance range, using standardized protocols like IEEE 1588 or AUTOSAR.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the timer sends one or more additional time synchronization messages to the timekeeper, then the accuracy of the timekeeper clock is improved, but the system complexity increases and errors may occur in message transmission

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime synchronization accuracyVSAvoidsynchronization system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the timekeeper sends a time resynchronization message back to the timer containing its current time information. The timer compares this feedback with its own time data and generates subsequent actions to correct any deviations. This closed-loop feedback system improves synchronization accuracy while maintaining manageable complexity through systematic error correction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Measurement precision

If the timer sends one or more additional time synchronization messages to the timekeeper, then the accuracy of the timekeeper clock is improved, but the reliability decreases due to potential transmission errors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime synchronization accuracyVSAvoidsynchronization reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The timekeeper performs self-service by autonomously generating and sending a time resynchronization message back to the timer, containing its current time information. This self-service mechanism allows the system to self-correct synchronization deviations without external intervention, improving both accuracy and reliability through automated feedback and correction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Measurement precision

If the timer and timekeeper are synchronized as optimally as possible for safety-critical applications, then the temporal accuracy of sensor data is improved, but the system complexity and communication overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesensor data temporal accuracyVSAvoidtime synchronization system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic time synchronization where the timer sends time synchronization messages at regular intervals, and the timekeeper responds with time resynchronization messages. This periodic action ensures continuous temporal accuracy for sensor data correlation in safety-critical applications while maintaining systematic and predictable system complexity through standardized communication cycles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP4109789A1Method and system for time synchronisation
Publication Date: 2022.12.28 VECTOR INFORMATIK
  • EP4109789A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4109789A1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4109789A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for time synchronization in a system, in particular the control system of a motor vehicle, comprising a timer (M1, M2) and at least one timekeeper (S1, S2), wherein the timer (M1, M2) has a timer clock (CM1, CM2) and the timekeeper (S1, S2) has a timekeeper clock (CS1, CS2), wherein the timer (M1, M2) sends a time synchronization message (SY1) with a timer time indication (TM1) generated on the basis of the timer clock (CM1, CM2) to the timekeeper (S1, S2) for synchronizing the timekeeper clock (CS1, CS2) with the timer clock (CM1, CM2), wherein the timekeeper (S1, S2) sets its timekeeper clock (CS1, CS2) on the basis of the timer time indication (TM1) of the time synchronization message (SY1).It is intended that the timekeeper (S1, S2) sends a time resynchronization message (SY3) to the timer (M1, M2) containing at least one timekeeper time indication (TM3), wherein the time resynchronization message (SY3) is generated based on the timekeeper clock (CS1, CS2) set by the timer time indication (TM1) of the time synchronization message (SY1), and that the timer (M1, M2) generates at least one subsequent action based on a comparison of the timekeeper time indication (TM3) with time information from the timer clock (CM1, CM2).