Synchronization of remote network nodes
First Claim
1. A method for synchronizing a source node and a destination node in an ad-hoc network comprising the steps of:
- transmitting a message from the source node to the destination node over a route between the source and destination nodes;
receiving the message by each node in the route;
accumulating an offset in the message as the message is forwarded through the route, wherein whether the accumulation is performed by a particular node in the route is based on a relationship between the particular node and either a node from which the message is received, or a node to which the message is to be forwarded by the particular node;
forwarding, by each node in the route, the message to a next node in the route between the source and destination nodes;
determining, by the destination node, an offset with respect to the source node; and
synchronizing the source node and the destination node using the offset determined by the destination node.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a network which includes a plurality of nodes with unsynchronized clocks, a message which is used by the destination node to determine the offset of the destination node'"'"'s clock relative to the source node'"'"'s clock is sent along a route between the source node and the destination node. At each node along the route it is determined whether the particular node is a slave node with respect to the node which transmitted the message to the particular node or whether the particular node is a slave node with respect to the node to which the message is to be forwarded. If the particular node is a slave node with respect to the node which forwarded the message, the node adds an offset with respect to the master node to the accumulated offset in the message. If the node is a slave node with respect to the node to which the message is to be forwarded, the node subtracts an offset with respect to the master node from the accumulated offset in the message. The result of the additions and subtractions of the offset are included as an accumulated offset in the message and forwarded to the next node in the route. When the message is received by the destination node, the destination node can use the accumulated offsets to determine the relative offset with respect to the source node. The source node and destination node can then exchange time information which is meaningful to both nodes.
64 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method for synchronizing a source node and a destination node in an ad-hoc network comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a message from the source node to the destination node over a route between the source and destination nodes;
receiving the message by each node in the route;
accumulating an offset in the message as the message is forwarded through the route, wherein whether the accumulation is performed by a particular node in the route is based on a relationship between the particular node and either a node from which the message is received, or a node to which the message is to be forwarded by the particular node;
forwarding, by each node in the route, the message to a next node in the route between the source and destination nodes;
determining, by the destination node, an offset with respect to the source node; and
synchronizing the source node and the destination node using the offset determined by the destination node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A network comprising:
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a source node which generates a message and transmits the message in a route between the source node and a destination node;
at least one intermediate node in the route between the source and destination nodes, wherein an offset is accumulated in the message as the message is transmitted in the route between the source node and destination node, wherein whether accumulation is performed by the at least one intermediate node is based on a relationship between the at least one intermediate node and either a node from which the at least one intermediate node received the message, or a node to which the at least one intermediate node is to forward the message; and
wherein the destination node determines an offset relative to the source node using the offset accumulated in the message and synchronizes with the source node using the offset determined by the destination node. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification