Method, apparatus, and system for determining synchronization cycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12185265-B2
Application number	US-202117212910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2021
Priority date	Sep 26, 2018
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

Embodiments of this application provide a method, apparatus, and system for determining a synchronization cycle, and relate to the communications field, to determine a proper synchronizing cycle, so that air interface bandwidth resources are saved during clock synchronization in an industrial factory, energy consumption of UE is reduced, and battery power is saved. The method includes: A network device obtains a crystal oscillator frequency offset f1 of UE; the network device obtains a crystal oscillator frequency offset f2 of an AN; the network device obtains a service synchronization precision requirement t of the UE; and the network device calculates a synchronization cycle of clock synchronization between the UE and the AN based on the obtained f1, f2, and t.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining a synchronization cycle, wherein the method comprises:
sending, by user equipment (UE), a crystal oscillator frequency offset f1 of the UE to a network device comprising a core network device in a protocol data unit (PDU) session creation phase, wherein f1 is used to determine a synchronization cycle of clock synchronization between the UE and an access node (AN);
receiving, by the UE, a synchronization packet sent by the AN based on the synchronization cycle, wherein the synchronization packet carries time information of the AN;
adjusting, by the UE, a local clock based on the time information to perform clock synchronization with the AN.

2. The method for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 1 , wherein the network device comprises the AN; and
the sending, by the UE, a crystal oscillator frequency offset f1 of the UE to the network device comprises: sending, by the UE, f1 to the AN in a phase in which UE registers with an access network.

3. The method for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 1 , wherein the network device comprises the AN, and the AN is a target AN used when the UE is handed over from an access network; and
the sending, by the UE, a crystal oscillator frequency offset f1 of the UE to the network device comprises: sending, by the UE, f1 to the target AN by using a handover command.

4. An apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle, wherein the apparatus comprises:
an interface;
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program to be executed by the processor, the program including instructions to:
obtain a crystal oscillator frequency offset f1 of user equipment (UE);
obtain a crystal oscillator frequency offset f2 of an access node (AN);
obtain a service synchronization precision requirement t of the UE from a core network device in a protocol data unit (PDU) session creation phase; and
calculate a synchronization cycle of clock synchronization between the UE and the AN based on f1 obtained by a first obtaining unit, f2 obtained by a second obtaining unit, and t obtained by a third obtaining unit.

5. The apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 4 , wherein the program includes instructions to obtain f1 from the UE.

6. The apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 4 , wherein the program includes instructions to obtain f2 from the AN.

7. The apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 4 , wherein the program includes instructions to obtain t from a core network device.

8. The apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 4 , wherein
the apparatus is deployed in the AN, and the program includes instructions to receive, using the interface, f1 from the UE in a phase in which UE registers with an access network.

9. The apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 4 ,
wherein the apparatus is deployed in the core network device;
the program includes instructions to receive, using the interface, f1 from the UE in a PDU session creation phase;
receive, using the interface, f2 from the AN in the PDU session creation phase; and
send, using the interface, the synchronization cycle to the AN.

10. The apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 4 , wherein the apparatus is deployed in the AN, and the AN is a target AN used when the UE is handed over from an access network;
the program includes instructions to obtain f1 from a source AN by using a handover command; and
obtain the t from the source AN by using the handover command.

11. The apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 4 , wherein the apparatus is deployed in the core network device, and the AN is a target AN used when the UE is handed over from an access network;
the program includes instructions to obtain f2 from the target AN by using a handover command; and
send, using the interface, the synchronization cycle to the AN.

12. The apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 4 , wherein the program includes instructions to calculate the synchronization cycle as t/(f1+f2).

13. An apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle, wherein the apparatus comprises:
an interface;
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program to be executed by the processor, the program including instructions to:
send, using the interface, a crystal oscillator frequency offset f1 of user equipment (UE) to which the apparatus belongs to a network device comprising a core network device in a protocol data unit (PDU) session creation phase, wherein f1 is used to determine a synchronization cycle of clock synchronization between the UE and an access node (AN);
receive, using the interface, a synchronization packet sent by the AN based on the synchronization cycle, wherein the synchronization packet carries time information of the AN; and
adjust a local clock of the UE based on the time information to perform clock synchronization with the AN.

14. The apparatus for determining a synchronization cycle according to claim 13 , wherein the network device comprises the AN; and
the program includes instructions to send f1 to the AN in a phase in which UE registers with an access network.

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Yexing
• Su Qi
• Wang Yan

Classifications

• H04W36/08

  Reselecting an access point · CPC title

• H04J3/0638

  Clock or time synchronisation among nodes; Internode synchronisation (synchronization for ring networks H04L12/422; data switching networks with synchronous transmission H04L12/43) · CPC title

• H04W56/0015 Primary

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

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04W52/0229 Primary

  where the received signal is a wanted signal · CPC title