US 12,137,427 B2
Method and apparatus for simple time synchronization of a communication in industrial settings
Ulrich Sinn, Erlangen (DE)
Assigned to Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich (DE)
Appl. No. 17/761,191
Filed by SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, Munich (DE)
PCT Filed Sep. 15, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/075766
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 16, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/052959, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 5, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 19197777 (EP), filed on Sep. 17, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0369259 A1, Nov. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 56/00 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 56/0015 (2013.01) 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for time synchronization of a communication between communication elements in an industrial setting via a first wireless connection with realtime Ethernet systems based on TSN, the method comprising:
initiating synchronization times directly by a hardware (HW) unit that is responsible for the time synchronization and has an accurate clock, or supplying the synchronization times to the HW unit on a side to be synchronized;
converting the synchronization times into synchronization signals; and
transmitting the synchronization signals using a second transmission channel, the second transmission channel being different than the first wireless connection,
wherein the second transmission channel is in the form of a wireless connection,
wherein a transmission process has a variable delay, and
wherein the HW unit is configured to:
determine a value of the variable delay; and
use the value of the variable delay as a correction value for the synchronization signal or convey the value of the variable delay to a receiving communication element of the communication elements via a first radio system.