Method for detecting the beginning of time messages

US5805647A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Temic Telefunken Microelectronik · DE

Inventors

• Gerhard Schafer · Neunkirchen, DE
• Bernd Memmler · Riemerling, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 12, 1996
• Grant date: Sep 8, 1998
• Expiry date: Apr 12, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G04R20/12
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for detecting the beginning of time messages in the signal received from a time-signal transmitter. The signal of the time-signal transmitter consists of a series of blanking intervals on a carrier signal in the seconds clock cycle in which blanking intervals of different length cause different information units to be transmitted (ZERO pulse, ONE pulse, frame pulse). A time message, comprising the information units transmitted over a period of one minute, contains the actual time information in coded form. The time message has areas/sectors with defined, constant information units and areas/sectors with variable contents that code the time information. A reference message is stored in a first area of memory that contains the defined, constant information units that are located in fixed areas/sectors. A number of successive information units corresponding to the length of a time message are stored in a second area of memory. The contents of the first area of memory are compared unit for unit with the second area of memory. If an error occurs during comparison, the reference message in the first area of memory is shifted by one unit with respect to t…