Wireless communication system, wireless terminal, and time synchronization method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11115941-B2
Application number	US-201716097494-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2017
Priority date	May 18, 2016
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A time synchronization system includes a first wireless device and a second wireless device. A wireless unit of the first wireless device wirelessly transmits timing information and time information separately, the time information being acquired from a first clock and relating to a transmission time when the timing information was transmitted. A wireless unit of the second wireless device receives the wirelessly transmitted timing information and time information separately. A correction unit of the second wireless device corrects s a second clock on the basis of a reference time indicated by the second clock at a time when the wireless unit received the timing information, and a transmission time obtained from the time information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wireless communication system comprising:
a first wireless device; and
a second wireless device,
wherein the first wireless device comprises:
a first clock; and
a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit timing information and time information separately, the time information being acquired from the first clock and indicating a transmission time when a transmission of the timing information is completed, and the timing information having a fixed frame length, and

wherein the second wireless device comprises:
a second clock;
a wireless receiver configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted timing information and time information separately; and
a correction processor configured to:

store a reference time indicated by the second clock at a time when the wireless receiver detected synchronization of a radio frame relating to the timing information;
calculate, from the fixed frame length of the timing information and a transmission rate used for wireless communication between the first wireless device and the second wireless device, a time required to receive the timing information; and
correct the second clock using a difference between a elapsed time indicating a time when the time required to receive the timing information has elapsed from the reference time and the transmission time indicated by the time information as a correction quantity.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the correction processor configured to:
store a completion time indicating a time when the second wireless device has completed signal processing of the timing information;
calculate a time required to complete the signal processing by subtracting the time required to receive the timing information from a difference between the reference time and the completion time; and
corrects the second clock using a difference between a time acquired by subtracting the time required to complete the signal processing from the completion time and the transmission time.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second wireless device further comprises:
a storage configured to record history information about correction of the time of the second clock, and

wherein the correction processor calculates a trend in a deviation in the time of the second clock on a basis of the history information and corrects a deviation in the time of the second clock in an elapsed time on a basis of the calculated trend and the elapsed time from reception of the timing information to reception of the time information.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the history information includes information on a time when correction of the time of the second clock was performed, and
wherein the correction processor corrects the deviation in the time of the second clock in the elapsed time on a basis of a period from previous correction of the second clock to a next correction of the second clock and the elapsed time from reception of the timing information to reception of the time information.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the history information includes information on a time when time correction of the second clock was performed and a correction quantity of the second clock at the time, and
wherein the correction processor calculates a deviation of the second clock in a certain time on a basis of a period from a time correction to a next time correction and the correction quantity, and corrects a deviation in the time of the second clock in the elapsed time on a basis of the calculated deviation in the certain time and the elapsed time from reception of the timing information to reception of the time information.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the correction processor is further configured to correct the second clock on a basis of a difference in time between the transmission time and a sum of the reference time and the time required to receive the timing information.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the wireless receiver is further configured to notify the correction processor of completion of signal processing for receiving the timing information,
wherein the correction processor is further configured to acquire a completion time indicating by the second clock when receiving a notification of completion of the signal processing,
wherein the correction processor is further configured to calculate a time required for the signal processing by subtracting the time required to receive the timing information from a difference in time between the reference time and the completion time, and
wherein the correction processor is further configured to correct the second clock using a difference in time between the transmission time and a time obtained by subtracting the time required for the signal processing from the completion time.

8. A wireless terminal in a wireless communication system including a wireless base station and the wireless terminal, the wireless terminal comprising:
a wireless receiver configured to separately receive timing information having a fixed frame length and transmitted from the wireless base station and time information indicating a transmission time indicated by a first clock included in the wireless base station at a time when the wireless base station completes transmitting the timing information;
a second clock; and
a correction processor configured to:
store a reference time indicated by the second clock at a time when the wireless receiver detected synchronization of a radio frame relating to the timing information;
calculate, from the fixed frame length of the timing information and a transmission rate used for wireless communication between the wireless base station and the wireless terminal, a time required to receive the timing information and
correct the second clock using a difference between a elapsed time indicating a time when the time required to receive the timing information has elapsed from the reference time and the transmission time indicated by the time information as a correction quantity.

9. A time synchronization method executed by a wireless communication system including a first wireless device and a second wireless device, the time synchronization method comprising:
a transmission step in which the first wireless device wirelessly transmits timing information and time information separately, the time information being acquired from a first clock included in the first wireless device and indicating a transmission time when a transmission of the timing information is completed, and the timing information having a fixed frame length;
a reception step in which the second wireless device receives the wirelessly transmitted timing information and time information separately;
a storing step in which the second wireless device stores a reference time indicated by the second clock at a time when the wireless receiver detected synchronization of a radio frame relating to the timing information;
a calculation step in which the second wireless device calculates, from the fixed frame length of the timing information and a transmission rate used for wireless communication between the first wireless device and the second wireless device, a time required to receive the timing information; and
a correction step in which the second wireless device corrects the second clock using a difference between a elapsed time indicating a time when the time required to receive the timing information has elapsed from the reference time and the transmission time indicated by the time information as

Assignees

• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

Inventors

• Teruhi Shigeru
• Kobayashi Mamoru
• Akabane Kazunori

Classifications

• G04R20/26 Primary

  the radio signal being a near-field communication signal · CPC title

• G04G7/02

  by radio · CPC title

• H04L7/00

  Arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter {(synchronisation of generators of electric oscillations or pulses H03L7/00)} · CPC title

• H04W56/0015

  one node acting as a reference for the others · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title