TIME SYNCHRONIZATION METHOD FOR VEHICLES HAVING NAVIGATION DEVICE

• US 20100204918A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Sang-Uk, Joo, In-One, Kim, Jae-Hoon
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/02 the radio signal being sent by a satellite, e.g. GPS

Abstract

Provided is a method of performing time synchronization using a navigation device. The method includes: (a) performing time synchronization between a GPS satellite and a navigation device by receiving GPS signals by a navigation device from at least one GPS satellite; (b) establishing an interface between the navigation device and a time-using device; (c) setting conditions for transmitting time information to the navigation device; and (d) performing time synchronization between the navigation device and the time-using device by transmission of time information from the navigation device to the time-using device.

Claims

1. A method of performing time synchronization using a navigation device, comprising:

(a) performing time synchronization between a GPS satellite and a navigation device by receiving GPS signals by a navigation device from at least one GPS satellite;

(b) establishing an interface between the navigation device and a time-using device;

(c) setting conditions for transmitting time information to the navigation device; and

(d) performing time synchronization between the navigation device and the time-using device by transmission of time information from the navigation device to the time-using device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when time synchronization between the time-using device and the navigation device is cut off because the navigation device is not connected to the GPS satellite, the method further comprises:

(e) changing the time-using device to an internal clock generation mode to generate a clock according to its internal clock.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein if the navigation device receives GPS signals from the GPS satellite again, the method further comprises:

(f) performing time synchronization again between the GPS satellite and the navigation device by receiving the GPS signals by the navigation device from the GPS satellite; and

(g) performing time synchronization again between the navigation device and the time-using device by the transmission of time information from the navigation device to the time-using device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

completing the interface between the navigation device and the time-using device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the GPS satellite is one of GPS, GLONASS, or Galileo satellites.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-using device is installed in a transporter, and the transporter is a general vehicle or a ship.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-using device is a clock device installed in the transporter or a black box installed in the transporter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is a wired or wireless interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wired nterface uses on e of USB, RS-232C, and IEEE 1394.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless interface uses one of bluetooth, infrared rays, and UWB.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration comprises setting the period in which the time information transmitted.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditions are reset whenever necessary after (d) operation.

13. A time synchronization navigation system, comprising:

a navigation device receiving GPS signals from a GPS satellite so as to generate time information, and transmitting the time information;

an interface used to transmit the time information between the navigation device and a time-using device; and

the time-using device receiving the time information from the navigation device through the interface so as to use the time information.

14. The time synchronization navigation system of claim 13, wherein the time information is universal coordinated time (UTC).

15. The time synchronization navigation system of claim 13, wherein the interface is a wired or wireless interface.

16. The time synchronization navigation system of claim 15, wherein the wired interface uses one of USB, RS-232C, and IEEE1394.

17. The time synchronization navigation system of claim 15, wherein the wireless interface uses one of blue-tooth, infrared rays, and UWB.

18. The time synchronization navigation system of claim 13, wherein the time-using device is a black box installed in a clock device or transporter.

19. A time synchronization navigation device, comprising:

a GPS signal receiving unit receiving GPS signals from a GPS satellite;

a condition setting unit setting conditions receiving the GPS signals;

a time information generating unit generating time information from the GPS signal; and

a time information transmitting unit transmitting the generated time information to the outside.

20. A clock device, comprising:

a time information receiving unit receiving time information from a navigation device;

a clock generating unit generating its own time information; and

a controller operating so as to use time information from the clock generating unit when the time information receiving unit which uses the time information transmitted from the navigation device cannot receive the time information anymore.

21. The clock device of claim 20, further comprising a display unit displaying the time information.

22. The clock device of claim 20, wherein the clock device is installed in a transporter.

23. A time synchronization black box, comprising:

a time information receiving unit receiving time information from a navigation device;

an event receiving unit receiving event information when a transporter has problems;

a clock generating unit generating its own time information; and

a controller using time information from the clock generating unit when the time information receiving unit which uses the time information transmitted from the navigation device cannot receive the time information anymore, and remembering the time information when the event receiving unit receives the event information.