TIME BEACONS
First Claim
1. A method for time-synchronizing multiple nodes of a network concurrently comprising steps of:
- at a preconfigured start time, broadcasting, by a hub device, a first time beacon containing a current time value retrieved from an accurate time source;
periodically repeating, by the hub device, the broadcasting over a beacon period;
at the preconfigured start time, listening, by a first node of the network, for time beacons;
receiving, at the first node, a received time beacon broadcast by the hub device; and
setting, by the first node, a real-time clock of the node to the current time value in the received time beacon.
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Abstract
Technologies are described herein for time-synchronizing multiple remote network nodes concurrently with time beacons. A hub device in the network, at a preconfigured start time, begins to periodically broadcast time beacons containing current time values retrieved from an accurate time source over a beacon period, while other nodes of the network, at the same preconfigured start time, start listening for time beacons. When a node receives a time beacon broadcast by the hub device, the node sets a real-time clock of the node to the current time value in the received time beacon.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for time-synchronizing multiple nodes of a network concurrently comprising steps of:
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at a preconfigured start time, broadcasting, by a hub device, a first time beacon containing a current time value retrieved from an accurate time source; periodically repeating, by the hub device, the broadcasting over a beacon period; at the preconfigured start time, listening, by a first node of the network, for time beacons; receiving, at the first node, a received time beacon broadcast by the hub device; and setting, by the first node, a real-time clock of the node to the current time value in the received time beacon. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system comprising:
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a collection hub in an advanced metering infrastructure (“
AMI”
) network connected to an accurate time source and configured with a start time, a beacon period, and a node ID, the collection hub further configured todetermine one or more beacon channels on which to broadcast time beacons based on the node ID, at the start time, determine a random time within a first delay period to start broadcasting the time beacons, and after waiting the random time, repeatedly broadcast time beacons on the one or more beacon channels over the beacon period, each time beacon containing a current time value retrieved from the accurate time source; and a child node in the AMI network configured with the start time and the node ID of the collection hub, the child node further configured to determine the one or more beacon channels to which to listen based on the node ID of the collection hub, at the start time, listen for time beacons on the one or more beacon channels, and upon receiving a time beacon broadcast by the collection hub, set a real-time clock of the child node to the current time value in the received time beacon. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor in a node of an advanced metering infrastructure (“
- AMI”
) system configured as a collection hub, cause the processor to;determine one or more beacon channels on which to broadcast time beacons based on a node ID of the collection hub; at a preconfigured start time, determine a random time within a first delay period to start broadcasting the time beacons; and after waiting the random time, repeatedly broadcast time beacons on the one or more beacon channels over a beacon period, each time beacon containing a current time value retrieved from an accurate time source connected to the collection hub. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
- AMI”
Specification