Communication network nodes and methods performed therein

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9485744-B2
Application number	US-201414406732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2014
Priority date	Sep 4, 2014
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

Determining a time synchronization inaccuracy value between a first node and a second node. A PTP packet is received including Node IDs representing respective transport nodes along a first path, and from the second node Node IDs are obtained representing respective transport nodes along a second path. Furthermore, a first common node of the first path and the second path is determined. The time synchronization inaccuracy value between the first node and the second node is calculated. By including Node IDs in received PTP packets before forwarding them to a node, the node is enabled to determine a first common node. Thereby, the node may calculate relative time inaccuracy values with respect to the other access network nodes, which may be used to decrease inaccuracy time synchronization for co-ordination functions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method performed by a transport network node, the method comprising:
receiving a Precision Time Protocol, PTP, packet from a grandmaster entity,
including a node identification, Node ID, of the transport network node in the PTP packet, and sending the PTP packet to an access network node,
the Node ID being configured for subsequent use by the access network node for determining a time synchronisation inaccuracy between the access network node and a further access network node.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising including a current time inaccuracy value of the transport network node in the PTP packet.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising setting a first message type value in a first data field of the PTP packet, the first message type value indicating that the PTP packet comprises a Node ID, and wherein the Node ID of the transport network node is included in a second data field of the PTP packet.

4. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising setting a second message type value in a third data field of the PTP packet, the second message type value indicating that the PTP packet comprises a current time inaccuracy value, and wherein the current time inaccuracy value of the transport network node is included in a fourth data field of the PTP packet.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein receiving the PTP packet from the grandmaster entity is performed via a further transport network node.

6. A transport network node configured to be communicatively connectable to a first access network node and a grandmaster entity, the transport network node comprising:
a memory;
a processor, wherein the processor is configured to enable the transport network node to receive a Precision Time Protocol, PTP, packet from the grandmaster entity;
a controller configured to include a node identification, Node ID, of the transport network node in the PTP packet, wherein
the processor is further configured to enable the transport network node to send the PTP packet to the first access network node, and
the Node ID is configured for subsequent use by the first access network node for determining a time synchronisation inaccuracy between the first access network node and a second access network node.

7. The transport network node according to claim 6 , wherein the controller is further adapted to include a current time inaccuracy value of the transport network node in the PTP packet.

8. The transport network node according to claim 6 , wherein the controller is further adapted to set a first message type value in a first data field of the PTP packet, the first message type value indicating that the PTP packet comprises a Node ID, and include the Node ID of the transport network node in a second data field of the PTP packet.

9. The transport network node according to claim 7 , wherein the controller is further adapted to set a second message type value in a third data field of the PTP packet, the second message type value indicating that the PTP packet comprises a current time inaccuracy value, and include the current time inaccuracy value of the transport network node in a fourth data field of the PTP packet.

10. The transport network node according to claim 6 , wherein the processor is adapted to receive the PTP packet from the grandmaster entity via a further transport network node.

11. A method performed by a first access network node for determining a time synchronisation inaccuracy value between the first access network node and a second access network node, the first access network node being communicatively connected to the second access network node, the method comprising:
receiving a Precision Time Protocol, PTP, packet including node identifications, Node IDs, representing respective transport network nodes along a first path extending between a grandmaster entity and the first access network node;
obtaining, from the second access network node, Node IDs representing respective transport network nodes along a second path extending between the grandmaster entity and the second access network node;
determining a first common transport network node of the first path and the second path by comparing received Node IDs of transport network nodes along the first path with obtained Node IDs of transport network nodes along the second path;
calculating the time synchronisation inaccuracy value between the first access network node and the second access network node based on: i) the number of transport network nodes of the first path between the first common transport network node and the first access network node and ii) the number of transport network nodes of the second path between the first common transport network node and the second access network node, wherein
the calculating is further based on respective time inaccuracy values of: i) the transport network nodes of the first path between the first common transport network node and the first access network node and ii) the transport network nodes of the second path between the first common transport network node and the second access network node.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the time synchronisation inaccuracy value between the first access network node and the second access network node represents a relative time synchronisation inaccuracy between the first access network node and the second access network node.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein calculating the time synchronisation inaccuracy value between the first access network node and the second access network node comprises: adding the time inaccuracy values of transport network nodes of the first path between the first common transport network node and the first access network node to the time inaccuracy values of transport network nodes of the second path between the first common transport network node and the second access network node.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein calculating the time synchronisation inaccuracy value between the first access network node and the second access network node comprises: subtracting the time inaccuracy values of transport network nodes of the first path between the first common transport network node and the first access network node from the time inaccuracy values of transport network nodes of the second path between the first common transport network node and the second access network node.

15. The method according to claim 11 , wherein calculating the time synchronisation inaccuracy value between the first access network node and the second access network node comprises: statistical tolerance stacking of the time inaccuracy values of transport network nodes of the first path between the first common transport network node and the first access network node and of the time inaccuracy values of transport network nodes of the second path between the first common transport network node and the second access network node.

16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein one or more pre-set standard time inaccuracy values are used as the respective time inaccuracy values when calculating the time synchronisation inaccuracy value between the first access network node and the second access network node.

17. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising receiving respective time inaccuracy values of transport network nodes of the first path, and obtaining respective time inaccuracy values of transport network nodes of the second path, and use at least a subset of the received respective time inaccuracy values and the obtained

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Klockar Lars
• Forsman Mats
• Pehrson Lars Peter
• Thyni Tomas
• Welin Annikki

Classifications

• H04J3/0667

  Bidirectional timestamps, e.g. NTP or PTP for compensation of clock drift and for compensation of propagation delays (arrangements for monitoring round trip delays in packet switching networks H04L43/0864) · CPC title

• H04W56/0035

  detecting errors in frequency or phase · CPC title

• H04W56/001 Primary

  Synchronization between nodes · CPC title

• H04W84/042

  Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems · CPC title