Time synchronization device, and method and program therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11150353-B2
Application number	US-201615543333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2016
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

A time synchronization method that is capable of selecting whether synchronization, by a timepiece unit that generates a time signal synchronized with a standard time and outputs it to an exterior, with the time is performed by time information obtained by receiving a radio wave including information relating to the time, or is performed by means of a holdover performed using a clock signal from an internal or external clock source. A schedule having a first time period in which the above-mentioned time information is used, and a second time period by means of the holdover is determined according to temporal reception characteristics of the radio wave at a reception location of the radio wave, and according to the schedule, supplying the timepiece unit with the time information or supplying the timepiece unit with the clock signal from the internal or external clock source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A time synchronization device comprising:
a timepiece unit that generates a time signal synchronized with a predetermined standard time and outputs the time signal to an exterior;
an acquisition unit that acquires temporal reception characteristics of a radio wave by a simulation or actual measurement and holds the acquired temporal reception characteristics, the radio wave including information relating to the predetermined standard time;
a schedule determination unit that determines a schedule according to the held temporal reception characteristics of the radio wave at a reception location of the radio wave, the temporal reception characteristics changing over time and indicating a predicted change in reception characteristics of the radio wave over a given period of time, the schedule having a first time period in which time synchronization is performed using time information based on the radio wave, and a second time period in which time synchronization is performed by means of a holdover, the holdover being performed proactively using a clock signal from an internal or external clock source;
a clock signal selection unit that selects whether synchronization with the predetermined standard time by the timepiece unit is performed by receiving the radio wave and using the time information based on the received radio wave, or is performed by means of the holdover instead of the time information, and selectively supplies to the timepiece unit either one of the time information based on the received radio wave, and the clock signal from the internal or external clock source; and
a controller that controls the clock signal selection unit according to the schedule determined by the schedule determination unit.

2. The time synchronization device according to claim 1 , wherein a maximum consecutive allowable time of the second time period is set to within a time in which a time synchronization precision in the timepiece unit is consecutively higher than or equal to a required precision.

3. The time synchronization device according to claim 1 , wherein a circuit that receives a radio wave including information relating to the predetermined standard time is stopped in the second time period.

4. The time synchronization device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where a radio wave including information relating to the predetermined standard time is the radio wave transmitted from the satellite, a time period in which the radio wave from the satellite is weak, or a time period in which the radio wave from a required number of the satellite cannot be received, or a time period in which the radio wave cannot be received from the satellite as a direct wave, is determined as the second time period.

5. The time synchronization device according to claim 4 , wherein a time period in which a fixed time is added before and after the time period in which the radio wave from the satellite is weak, or the time period in which the radio wave from the required number of the satellite cannot be received, or the time period in which the radio wave cannot be received from the satellite as a direct wave, is determined as the second time period.

6. The time synchronization device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where a radio wave including information relating to the predetermined standard time is a radio wave transmitted from a satellite, among the satellite, a satellite scheduled beforehand is selected as a satellite from which a radio wave used for time synchronization in the first period is to be received.

7. A time synchronization method comprising:
the step of acquiring temporal reception characteristics of a radio wave by a simulation or actual measurement and holding the acquired temporal reception characteristics, the radio wave including information relating to a predetermined standard time:
the step of determining a schedule according to the held temporal reception characteristics of the radio wave at a reception location of the radio wave, the temporal reception characteristics changing over time and indicating a predicted change in reception characteristics of the radio wave over a given period of time, the schedule having a first time period in which time synchronization is performed using time information based on the radio wave, and a second time period in which time synchronization is performed by means of a holdover, the holdover being performed proactively using a clock signal from an internal or external clock source;
the step of selecting whether synchronization with the predetermined standard time by a timepiece unit that generates a time signal synchronized with the predetermined standard time and outputs the time signal to an exterior is performed by receiving the radio wave and using the time information based on the received radio wave, or is performed by means of the holdover instead of the time information; and
the step of, according to the determined schedule, supplying, in the first time period, the timepiece unit with the time information based on the received radio wave, and supplying, in the second time period, the timepiece unit with the clock signal from the internal or external clock source.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a program that causes a computer to function as respective units of the time synchronization device according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

Inventors

• Nishi Keisuke
• Fukada Youichi
• Morita Akihiro
• Yoshida Seiji
• Hirose Takashi

Classifications

• G04R20/16

  Tuning or receiving; Circuits therefor · CPC title

• G04G3/02

  Circuits for deriving low frequency timing pulses from pulses of higher frequency (pulse frequency dividers in general H03K23/00 - H03K29/00) · CPC title

• G04R20/06

  Decoding time data; Circuits therefor · CPC title

• G04R20/04

  Tuning or receiving; Circuits therefor · CPC title

• G01S19/39

  the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO · CPC title