Clock System and Method for Time Synchronization

• US 20160278034A1
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics Tomorrow Limited (Talent Property Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Electronics Tomorrow Limited (Talent Property Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: WATT, Chun Kit Edmund, WEI, Andrew Yick Siu
• Application Number:
  US15/072,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20160278034A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others

Abstract

A clock system is provided which is capable of synchronizing times of a plurality of units in a system. In a clock system (1) including a plurality of units (10), each of the plurality of units (10) executes: receiving a radio signal; acquiring, from a received radio signal, time data including information on a time, and correcting a time of a clocking unit (106) based on time information included in the time data; displaying a time of the clocking unit (106); and transmitting time data including information on a time clocked by the clocking unit (106) and including a level that indicates how many units (10) the obtained time has passed through, thereby synchronizing times of the plurality of units (10).

Claims

1. A unit comprising:

a receiver which receives a radio signal;

a clocking unit which clocks a time;

a time correcting part which acquires, from the radio signal received by the receiver, time data including information on a time, and corrects a time of the clocking unit based on time information included in the time data;

a display unit for displaying a time of the clocking unit; and

a transmitter which transmits time data including information on a time clocked by the clocking unit and including a level that indicates how many units the obtained time has passed through.

2. The unit according to claim 1, further comprising a level holding part which holds, as a level of the unit, a level obtained by adding 1 to a level included in time data that has been taken out of the radio signal received by the receiver,

wherein a level included in time data transmitted by the transmitter is based on a level held by the level holding part.

3. The unit according to claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of time data is taken out of a plurality of radio signals, the receiver identifies a time slot which involves a minimum level included in time data, and when there is a plurality of time data each having a minimum level, identifies a time slot which involves a signal having a strongest strength with regard to the plurality of data, and wherein the time correcting part corrects a time of the clocking unit based on time data acquired from the identified time slot.

4. The unit according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter examines a radio signal received by the receiver so as to pick an empty time slot and transmits the time data using the picked empty time slot.

5. A clock system comprising a plurality of units, each of the plurality of units being configured by the unit according to claim 1.

6. The clock system according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of units operates as a master, and wherein the master acquires information on a current time from outside of the clock system and corrects a time of the clocking unit.

7. A method of synchronizing times of a plurality of units included in a clock system, each of the plurality of units executing:

receiving a radio signal;

acquiring, from the received radio signal, time data including information on a time, and correcting a time of a clocking unit based on time information included in the time data;

displaying a time of the clocking unit; and

transmitting time data including information on a time clocked by the clocking unit and including a level that indicates how many units the obtained time has passed through.