Patent · US Expired

System and method for performing clock synchronization of nodes connected via a wireless local area network

US7120092B2 · kind B2 · utility

59Cited by
11References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 7, 2002
Grant dateOct 10, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 7, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04J3/0655
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A clock synchronization method and apparatus is disclosed for use in a communication system including a plurality of wireless nodes communicatively coupled via a wireless network, each of the plurality of wireless nodes having a local time base, and one of the plurality of wireless nodes being designated as a master node having a master time base which serves as a master clock against which the local time bases are synchronized. The clock synchronization method includes the steps of periodically transmitting synchronization frames to the plurality of non-master nodes so as to adjust the slave clocks associated with the respective non-master nodes. The synchronization frames are distributed from the master node at near-periodic intervals and includes a cycle time value that corresponds to the end of the previously transmitted synchronization frame. The slave clocks (i.e., non-master nodes) receiving the synchronization frame determine the cycle time value at the point of reception of the synchronization frame and adjusts their clocks by calculating a difference value between the received cycle time and a previously saved local cycle time value.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.