Method and device for determining a quality of a clock signal

US8913703B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Michael Bernhard Buhl · Grafing, DE
• Dragan Obradovic · Ottobrunn, DE
• Günter Steindl · Poppenricht, DE
• Philipp Wolfrum · Munich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 30, 2012
• Grant date: Dec 16, 2014
• Expiry date: Feb 28, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04J3/14
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Method, device and system for detecting a disturbance, e.g., at least one short mechanical impact (shock or vibration) on a clock of a slave device by detecting a non-typical variation of a tracking error, i.e., a tracking error having a deviation that exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein such a non-typical variation can be determined by the deviation from a statistical measure, e.g., a variance or a standard deviation, such that the determination of the quality of a clock signal is advantageously allowed and thus suitable counter-measures are provided. The method, device and system are applicable for all kinds of technical systems comprising slave devices that have a clock, e.g., devices in industrial and automation systems. The method, device and system are also applicable in communication systems that use a protocol to synchronize the clocks of its devices, e.g., Profinet.