KR20230119564A - Electronic device for time synchronization with external electronic device and operating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus and method for time synchronization between an electronic device and an external electronic device. According to various embodiments, an electronic device includes a communication circuit supporting wireless LAN communication and at least one processor operatively connected to the communication circuit, wherein the at least one processor operates an external electronic device through the communication circuit. Connecting communication with a device, acquiring time information managed by the communication circuit, checking time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit, and managing time information and A frame including time information managed by the processor may be transmitted to the external electronic device through the communication circuit. Other embodiments may also be possible.

Description

Electronic device for time synchronization with an external electronic device and its operation method

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device for time synchronization with an external electronic device and an operating method thereof.

BACKGROUND Electronic devices may provide various functions due to the development of information communication technology and semiconductor technology. For example, the various functions may include at least one of a call function, a message function, a broadcasting function, a wireless Internet function, a camera function, an electronic payment function, or a content playback function.

The electronic device may interwork with at least one external electronic device to enhance user convenience. For example, the electronic device may output audio data (eg, voice and/or music) using at least one audio output device (eg, earphone).

The electronic device may interwork with at least one external electronic device connected wirelessly. For example, the electronic device may generate an image based on pose information related to a user obtained from a wearable device in the form of glasses (eg, augmented reality (AR) glass). The electronic device may add time information (eg, a time stamp) to the image and transmit it to the wearable device. The wearable device may output a corrected image based on the time information included in the image received from the electronic device and the time information of the wearable device.

If the time information of the electronic device and/or the external electronic device is not synchronized, the quality of a function executed based on interworking between the electronic device and the external electronic device may deteriorate due to a time error. For example, the wearable device outputs an image corrected at an incorrect time due to a time error with an electronic device whose time information is not synchronized, so that latency experienced by a user of the wearable device may increase.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a device and method for time synchronization with an external electronic device in an electronic device.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device includes a communication circuit supporting wireless LAN communication and at least one processor operatively connected to the communication circuit, wherein the at least one processor operates an external electronic device through the communication circuit. Connecting communication with a device, acquiring time information managed by the communication circuit, checking time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit, and managing time information and A frame including time information managed by the processor may be transmitted to the external electronic device through the communication circuit.

According to various embodiments, a method of operating an electronic device including a communication circuit and a processor includes an operation of connecting communication with an external electronic device through wireless LAN communication and an operation of obtaining time information managed by the communication circuit by the processor. and checking the time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit and transmitting a frame including the time information managed by the communication circuit and the time information managed by the processor to the external electronic device. It may include an operation to transmit.

According to various embodiments, an external electronic device includes a communication circuit supporting wireless LAN communication and at least one processor operatively connected to the communication circuit, wherein the at least one processor includes electronic communication through the communication circuit. Connect communication with the device, check time information managed by the communication circuit of the electronic device and time information managed by the processor of the electronic device in a frame received from the electronic device through the communication circuit, and check the external electronic device Obtains time information managed by a communication circuit of the electronic device, based on the time information managed by the communication circuit of the electronic device, the time information managed by the processor of the electronic device, and the time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device. Thus, time information managed by the processor of the external electronic device may be corrected.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, when an electronic device communicates with an external electronic device, time information (eg, time synchronization function (TSF)) managed by a communication circuit of the electronic device and information managed by a processor of the electronic device A time error with an external electronic device may be reduced by performing time synchronization with an external electronic device based on time information (eg, universal time coordinated or coordinated universal time (UTC)).

According to various embodiments, when an electronic device communicates with an external electronic device, time information (eg, UTC) managed by a communication circuit of the electronic device is corrected based on time information (eg, UTC) managed by a processor of the electronic device. : TSF) to the external electronic device to perform time synchronization with the external electronic device, thereby reducing a time error with the external electronic device.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment, according to various embodiments.
2 is an example of a wireless communication system for communication between an electronic device and an external electronic device according to various embodiments.
3 is a flowchart for transmitting time information of an electronic device to an external electronic device in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
4 is an example of a communication connection between an electronic device and an external electronic device according to various embodiments.
5 is an example of a flowchart for obtaining time information of a processor and a communication circuit in an electronic device according to various embodiments.
6 is an example for obtaining time information of a processor and a communication circuit in an electronic device according to various embodiments.
7 is another example of a flowchart for obtaining time information of a processor and a communication circuit in an electronic device according to various embodiments.
8 is an example of synchronizing time with an external electronic device in an electronic device according to various embodiments.
9 is a flowchart for updating time information of a communication circuit in an electronic device according to various embodiments.
10 is an example of a flowchart for synchronizing time with an external electronic device in an external electronic device according to various embodiments.
11 is a flowchart for updating time information of an external electronic device in an external electronic device according to various embodiments.
12 is a flowchart for obtaining time information of a communication circuit in an external electronic device according to various embodiments.
13 is a flowchart for transmitting time information of a communication circuit from an electronic device to an external electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
14 is another example of a flowchart for synchronizing time with an external electronic device in an external electronic device according to various embodiments.
15 is another example of synchronizing time with an external electronic device in an electronic device according to various embodiments.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 101 within a network environment 100, according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1 , in a network environment 100, an electronic device 101 communicates with an electronic device 102 through a first network 198 (eg, a short-range wireless communication network) or through a second network 199. It may communicate with at least one of the electronic device 104 or the server 108 through (eg, a long-distance wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 through the server 108 . According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 includes a processor 120, a memory 130, an input module 150, an audio output module 155, a display module 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module ( 176), interface 177, connection terminal 178, haptic module 179, camera module 180, power management module 188, battery 189, communication module 190, subscriber identification module 196 , or the antenna module 197 may be included. In some embodiments, in the electronic device 101, at least one of these components (eg, the connection terminal 178) may be omitted or one or more other components may be added. In some embodiments, some of these components (eg, sensor module 176, camera module 180, or antenna module 197) are integrated into a single component (eg, display module 160). It can be.

The processor 120, for example, executes software (eg, the program 140) to cause at least one other component (eg, hardware or software component) of the electronic device 101 connected to the processor 120. It can control and perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of data processing or operation, processor 120 transfers instructions or data received from other components (e.g., sensor module 176 or communication module 190) to volatile memory 132. , processing commands or data stored in the volatile memory 132 , and storing resultant data in the non-volatile memory 134 . According to one embodiment, the processor 120 includes a main processor 121 (eg, a central processing unit or an application processor) or a secondary processor 123 (eg, a graphic processing unit, a neural network processing unit ( NPU: neural processing unit (NPU), image signal processor, sensor hub processor, or communication processor). For example, when the electronic device 101 includes the main processor 121 and the auxiliary processor 123, the auxiliary processor 123 may use less power than the main processor 121 or be set to be specialized for a designated function. can The secondary processor 123 may be implemented separately from or as part of the main processor 121 .

The secondary processor 123 may, for example, take the place of the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (eg, sleep) state, or the main processor 121 is active (eg, running an application). ) state, together with the main processor 121, at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (eg, the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) It is possible to control at least some of the related functions or states. According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (eg, an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of other functionally related components (eg, the camera module 180 or the communication module 190). there is. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (eg, a neural network processing device) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. AI models can be created through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, in the electronic device 101 itself where the artificial intelligence model is performed, or may be performed through a separate server (eg, the server 108). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning or reinforcement learning, but in the above example Not limited. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. Artificial neural networks include deep neural networks (DNNs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), restricted boltzmann machines (RBMs), deep belief networks (DBNs), bidirectional recurrent deep neural networks (BRDNNs), It may be one of deep Q-networks or a combination of two or more, but is not limited to the above examples. The artificial intelligence model may include, in addition or alternatively, software structures in addition to hardware structures.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component (eg, the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronic device 101 . The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (eg, program 140) and commands related thereto. The memory 130 may include volatile memory 132 or non-volatile memory 134 .

The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 and may include, for example, an operating system 142 , middleware 144 , or an application 146 .

The input module 150 may receive a command or data to be used by a component (eg, the processor 120) of the electronic device 101 from the outside of the electronic device 101 (eg, a user). The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (eg, a button), or a digital pen (eg, a stylus pen).

The sound output module 155 may output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 101 . The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as multimedia playback or recording playback. A receiver may be used to receive an incoming call. According to one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of it.

The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 101 (eg, a user). The display module 160 may include, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. According to an embodiment, the display module 160 may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch or a pressure sensor configured to measure the strength of a force generated by a touch.

The audio module 170 may convert sound into an electrical signal or vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 acquires sound through the input module 150, the sound output module 155, or an external electronic device connected directly or wirelessly to the electronic device 101 (eg: Sound may be output through the electronic device 102 (eg, a speaker or a headphone).

The sensor module 176 detects an operating state (eg, power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an external environmental state (eg, a user state), and generates an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. can do. According to one embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an air pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a bio sensor, It may include a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, or light sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device 101 to an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102). According to one embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection terminal 178 may include a connector through which the electronic device 101 may be physically connected to an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (eg, a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (eg, vibration or motion) or electrical stimuli that a user may perceive through tactile or kinesthetic senses. According to one embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

The camera module 180 may capture still images and moving images. According to one embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to the electronic device 101 . According to one embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), for example.

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 101 . According to one embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary cell, a rechargeable secondary cell, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 is a direct (eg, wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108). Establishment and communication through the established communication channel may be supported. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor 120 (eg, an application processor) and support direct (eg, wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module 190 may be a wireless communication module 192 (eg, a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (eg, a : a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication module). Among these communication modules, a corresponding communication module is a first network 198 (eg, a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (eg : It can communicate with the external electronic device 104 through a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a long-distance communication network such as a computer network (eg, LAN or WAN). These various types of communication modules may be integrated as one component (eg, a single chip) or implemented as a plurality of separate components (eg, multiple chips). The wireless communication module 192 uses subscriber information (eg, International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module 196 within a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199. The electronic device 101 may be identified or authenticated.

The wireless communication module 192 may support a 5G network after a 4G network and a next-generation communication technology, for example, NR access technology (new radio access technology). NR access technologies include high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)), minimization of terminal power and access of multiple terminals (massive machine type communications (mMTC)), or high reliability and low latency (ultra-reliable and low latency (URLLC)). -latency communications)) can be supported. The wireless communication module 192 may support a high frequency band (eg, mmWave band) to achieve a high data throughput, for example. The wireless communication module 192 uses various technologies for securing performance in a high frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), and full-dimensional multiplexing. Technologies such as input/output (FD-MIMO: full dimensional MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna may be supported. The wireless communication module 192 may support various requirements defined for the electronic device 101, an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 104), or a network system (eg, the second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may be configured to achieve peak data rate (eg, 20 Gbps or more) for eMBB realization, loss coverage (eg, 164 dB or less) for mMTC realization, or U-plane latency (eg, URLLC realization). Example: downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) each of 0.5 ms or less, or round trip 1 ms or less) may be supported. According to various embodiments, the subscriber identification module 196 may include a plurality of subscriber identification modules. For example, a plurality of subscriber identification modules may store different subscriber information.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive signals or power to the outside (eg, an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (eg, PCB). According to one embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (eg, an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199 is selected from a plurality of antennas by the communication module 190, for example. It can be. A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and an external electronic device through at least one selected antenna. According to some embodiments, other components (eg, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module 197 in addition to the radiator.

According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form a high-frequency (eg, mmWave) antenna module. According to one embodiment, a high frequency (eg mmWave) antenna module is disposed on or adjacent to a printed circuit board, a first side (eg bottom side) of the printed circuit board and supports a designated high frequency band (eg mmWave band). an RFIC that can transmit or receive signals in a designated high frequency band (eg, an array antenna) disposed on or adjacent to a second surface (eg, a top surface or a side surface) of a printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in a designated high-frequency band; can include For example, the plurality of antennas may include a patch array antenna and/or a dipole array antenna.

At least some of the components are connected to each other through a communication method between peripheral devices (eg, a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and signal (eg, : commands or data) can be exchanged with each other.

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 through the server 108 connected to the second network 199 . Each of the external electronic devices 102 or 104 may be the same as or different from the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, all or part of operations executed in the electronic device 101 may be executed in one or more external electronic devices among the external electronic devices 102 , 104 , or 108 . For example, when the electronic device 101 needs to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 instead of executing the function or service by itself. Alternatively or additionally, one or more external electronic devices may be requested to perform the function or at least part of the service. One or more external electronic devices receiving the request may execute at least a part of the requested function or service or an additional function or service related to the request, and deliver the execution result to the electronic device 101 . The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least part of a response to the request as it is or additionally processed. To this end, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device 101 may provide an ultra-low latency service using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In another embodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include an internet of things (IoT) device. Server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and/or neural networks. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device 104 or server 108 may be included in the second network 199 . The electronic device 101 may be applied to intelligent services (eg, smart home, smart city, smart car, or health care) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

Electronic devices according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be devices of various types. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (eg, a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present document is not limited to the aforementioned devices.

Various embodiments of this document and terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numbers may be used for like or related elements. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one item or a plurality of items, unless the relevant context clearly dictates otherwise. In this document, "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C", and "A Each of the phrases such as "at least one of , B, or C" may include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", or "first" or "secondary" may simply be used to distinguish a given component from other corresponding components, and may be used to refer to a given component in another aspect (eg, importance or order) is not limited. A (e.g., first) component is said to be "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., second) component, with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively." When mentioned, it means that the certain component may be connected to the other component directly (eg by wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

The term "module" used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and is interchangeably interchangeable with terms such as, for example, logic, logical blocks, components, or circuits. can be used A module may be an integrally constructed component or a minimal unit of components or a portion thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, the module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of this document provide one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (eg, internal memory 136 or external memory 138) readable by a machine (eg, electronic device 101). It may be implemented as software (eg, the program 140) including them. For example, a processor (eg, the processor 120 ) of a device (eg, the electronic device 101 ) may call at least one command among one or more instructions stored from a storage medium and execute it. This enables the device to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one command invoked. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The device-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-temporary' only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g. electromagnetic wave), and this term refers to the case where data is stored semi-permanently in the storage medium. It does not discriminate when it is temporarily stored.

According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be included and provided in a computer program product. Computer program products may be traded between sellers and buyers as commodities. A computer program product is distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (eg compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or through an application store (eg Play Store ^TM ) or on two user devices ( It can be distributed (eg downloaded or uploaded) online, directly between smart phones. In the case of online distribution, at least part of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created in a device-readable storage medium such as a manufacturer's server, an application store server, or a relay server's memory.

According to various embodiments, each component (eg, module or program) of the components described above may include a single object or a plurality of entities, and some of the plurality of entities may be separately disposed in other components. . According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations among the aforementioned corresponding components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (eg modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by a corresponding component of the plurality of components prior to the integration. . According to various embodiments, operations performed by modules, programs, or other components are executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations are executed in a different order, omitted, or , or one or more other operations may be added.

In the following description, the electronic device 101 may perform communication with an external electronic device based on a wireless LAN. However, communication between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device is not limited to a wireless LAN, and may be performed based on another communication method in which time information is added to transmitted and/or received data.

2 is an example of a wireless communication system for communication between an electronic device and an external electronic device according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments referring to FIG. 2 , the electronic device 101 may communicate with an external electronic device 210 (eg, the electronic device 102 of FIG. 1 ) based on a wireless LAN. For example, the external electronic device 210 is a device that performs wireless LAN-based communication with the electronic device 101 and may include a wearable device (eg, AR glass). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may use an interface related to a software enabled access point (soft AP) for wireless LAN-based communication with the external electronic device 210 . The external electronic device 210 may use an interface related to a station (STA) for wireless LAN-based communication with the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 may perform direct communication based on a wireless LAN using a peer to peer (P2P) interface. For example, the electronic device 101 may operate in a P2P group owner (GO) mode for direct communication with the external electronic device 210 . The external electronic device 210 may operate in a P2P group client (GC) mode for direct communication with the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 may perform time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 based on a communication connection with the external electronic device 210 . According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may transmit time information of the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 210 based on a communication connection with the external electronic device 210 . The external electronic device 210 may perform time synchronization with the electronic device 101 based on time information of the electronic device 101 . For example, time synchronization may include a series of operations to substantially match the times managed by the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 . For example, the time information of the electronic device 101 is either universal time coordinated or coordinated universal time (UTC) of the processor 202 included in the electronic device 101 or time synchronization function (TSF) of the communication circuit 204. It may contain information related to at least one. For example, UTC of the processor 202 is time information managed by the processor 202 (eg, AP) and may include local time. For example, the TSF of the communication circuit 204 may include time information managed by the communication circuit 204 . For example, the TSF may include a time stamp of a specified size (eg, about 8 bytes) defined in a wireless LAN-related standard (eg, IEEE 802.11). For example, the UTC of the processor 202 and the TSF of the communication circuit 204 may operate based on different clocks.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 may include a processor 202 , a communication circuit 204 , and/or a memory 206 . According to one embodiment, processor 202 may be substantially the same as processor 120 of FIG. 1 or included in processor 120 . For example, the processor 202 may include the main processor 121 (eg, an application processor) of FIG. 1 . According to one embodiment, the communication circuitry 204 may be substantially the same as the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1 or included in the wireless communication module 192 . According to one embodiment, memory 206 may be substantially the same as memory 130 of FIG. 1 or included in memory 130 . According to one embodiment, processor 202 may be operatively, functionally and/or electrically coupled with communication circuitry 204 and/or memory 206 .

According to various embodiments, the communication circuit 204 communicates signals and/or data with at least one external electronic device (eg, the external electronic device 210 of FIG. 2 ) through a wireless local area network (WLAN). transmit and/or receive. For example, the wireless LAN is short-distance wireless communication and may include Wi-Fi. According to one embodiment, the communication circuit 204 communicates with the external electronic device 210 through a designated frequency band (eg, about 2.4 GHz band, about 5 GHz band, or about 6 GHz band) for wireless LAN-based communication and / or Alternatively, data may be transmitted and/or received. For example, the communication circuit 204 uses a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) and/or a radio frequency front end (RFFE) for communication with the external electronic device 210 through a designated frequency band related to wireless LAN-based communication. can include

According to various embodiments, the processor 202 may control the communication circuit 204 to establish communication with the external electronic device 210 . According to an embodiment, the processor 202 may determine whether an external electronic device 210 connectable to the electronic device 101 exists. For example, the processor 202 is an external electronic device 210 connectable to the electronic device 101 through out of band (OOB) communication using the communication circuit 204 and/or a separate short-range communication circuit (not shown). ) can be checked. For example, OOB communication may include near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth (Bluetooth), Bluetooth low energy (BLE), ultra-wideband (UWB), wireless LAN (e.g., about 2.4 GHz band), and/or quick response (QR). Can contain code. According to an embodiment, the processor 202 uses a communication circuit 204 to connect communication with the external electronic device 210 through a wireless LAN when an external electronic device 210 connectable to the electronic device 101 is detected. can control. For example, when the external electronic device 210 connectable to the electronic device 101 is detected, the processor 202 transmits connection information for wireless LAN-based communication with the external electronic device 210 to the external electronic device 210. ). The processor 202 may control the communication circuit 204 to connect communication with the external electronic device 210 based on connection information for wireless LAN-based communication. As an example, the connection information (eg, WLAN connection information) for wireless LAN-based communication with the external electronic device 210 includes information related to a wireless LAN connection channel for communication with the external electronic device 210 based on the wireless LAN. can do.

According to various embodiments, the processor 202 may control the communication circuit 204 to transmit time information of the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 210 based on a communication connection with the external electronic device 210. there is. According to one embodiment, the processor 202 may obtain information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 from the communication circuit 204 in response to a request message related to time information. The processor 202 may obtain information related to UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 . For example, the TSF of the communication circuit 204 receives a frame (eg, a probe request frame) from the external electronic device 210 through the communication circuit 204, or receives the external electronic device 210 through the communication circuit 204. may include the TSF at the time of transmission of the raw frame (eg, beacon frame and/or probe response frame). For example, a request message related to time information may be sent based on execution of an application program (or function) requiring time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 or communication connection with the external electronic device 210 . For example, the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 may indicate UTC at a time when the processor 202 obtains information related to the TSF from the communication circuit 204 . For example, the frame may include a basic form of signals and/or data transmitted and/or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication. For example, the frame may include a management frame, a control frame, and/or a data frame. For example, the management frame may include at least one frame related to a communication connection (eg, initial communication connection) between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 based on a wireless LAN. For example, the control frame may include at least one frame related to control of transmission and/or reception of a data frame in a state in which wireless LAN-based communication between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 is connected. For example, the data frame may include information (or data) to be transmitted and/or received by the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication.

According to one embodiment, the processor 202 provides information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 for time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 ( For example, the communication circuit 204 may be controlled to transmit time information of the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 210 . For example, the time information of the electronic device 101 transmitted to the external electronic device 210 is the TSF of the communication circuit 204 obtained by the processor 202 from the communication circuit 204 and the TSF of the communication circuit 204. It may include information related to UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to . For example, the time information of the electronic device 101 transmitted to the external electronic device 210 is the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time of transmitting the time information of the electronic device 101 and the UTC of the electronic device 101. The TSF of the communication circuit 204 updated based on the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time of transmitting the time information may be included.

According to an embodiment, the processor 202 transmits TSF-related information (eg, time information of the electronic device 101) of the communication circuit 204 to the external electronic device 210 for time synchronization with the external electronic device 210. ). For example, the time information of the electronic device 101 transmitted to the external electronic device 210 is updated based on the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time of transmitting the time information of the electronic device 101. (204) may include the TSF.

According to various embodiments, the memory 206 may store various data used by at least one component (eg, the processor 202 and/or the communication circuit 204) of the electronic device 101 . According to one embodiment, memory 206 may store various instructions that may be executed by processor 202 .

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 may include a processor 212 , a communication circuit 214 , and/or a memory 216 . According to one embodiment, the processor 212 may be substantially the same as the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or included in the processor 120 . For example, the processor 212 may include the main processor 121 (eg, an application processor) of FIG. 1 . According to one embodiment, the communication circuitry 214 may be substantially the same as the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1 or included in the wireless communication module 192 . According to one embodiment, memory 216 may be substantially the same as memory 130 of FIG. 1 or included in memory 130 . According to one embodiment, processor 212 may be operatively, functionally and/or electrically coupled with communication circuitry 214 and/or memory 216 .

According to various embodiments, the communication circuit 214 may transmit and/or receive signals and/or data with at least one electronic device 101 through a wireless local area network (WLAN). According to one embodiment, the communication circuit 214 communicates with the electronic device 101 through a designated frequency band (eg, about 2.4 GHz band, about 5 GHz band, or about 6 GHz band) for wireless LAN-based communication and/or Data may be transmitted and/or received. For example, the communication circuit 214 may include an RFIC and/or RFFE for communication with the electronic device 101 through a designated frequency band.

According to various embodiments, the processor 212 may control the communication circuit 214 to establish communication with the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may obtain connection information for wireless LAN communication with the electronic device 101 from the electronic device 101 through OOB communication. The processor 212 may receive a beacon frame from the electronic device 101 through the communication circuit 214 based on connection information for wireless LAN communication with the electronic device 101 . When receiving a beacon frame from the electronic device 101, the processor 212 may control the communication circuit 214 to transmit a probe request frame to the electronic device 101. Processor 212 may receive a probe response frame through communication circuitry 214 . According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may set the TSF of the communication circuit 214 based on the TSF of the electronic device 101 included in the beacon frame and/or the probe response frame. For example, OOB communication may include NFC, Bluetooth, BLE, UWB, wireless LAN (eg, about 2.4 GHz band) and/or QR code.

According to various embodiments, the processor 212 may perform time synchronization with the electronic device 101 based on a communication connection with the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may obtain information related to TSF and UTC of the electronic device 101 from a frame (eg, data frame) received from the electronic device 101 through the communication circuit 214. there is. The processor 212 may correct the UTC of the processor 212 based on the TSF of the communication circuit 214, the TSF of the electronic device 101, and the UTC of the electronic device 101. For example, the TSF of the communication circuitry 214 may be received from the communication circuitry 214 together with the frame received from the electronic device 101 . For example, the TSF of the communication circuitry 214 may be obtained from the communication circuitry 214 in response to a request message related to time information. For example, a request message related to time information may be sent based on the processor 212 acquiring a frame received from the electronic device 101 from the communication circuit 214 . For example, the TSF of the communication circuit 214 is updated based on the UTC of the processor 212 corresponding to the time when the processor 212 acquires the frame received from the electronic device 101 from the communication circuit 214. may include the TSF of the communication circuitry 214. For example, the TSF of the electronic device 101 may include time information managed by the communication circuit 204 of the electronic device 101 . For example, UTC of the electronic device 101 may include time information managed by the processor 202 of the electronic device 101 . For example, the TSF of the communication circuit 214 may include time information managed by the communication circuit 214 .

According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may obtain information related to the TSF of the electronic device 101 from a frame (eg, a data frame) received from the electronic device 101 through the communication circuit 214 . The processor 212 determines the electronic device 101 based on the TSF of the communication circuit 214 obtained at the previous time, the UTC of the processor 212 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 214, and the TSF of the electronic device 101. A difference between when the frame is transmitted and when the external electronic device 210 receives the frame may be checked. For example, the processor 212 converts content (eg: image) can be corrected. For example, the TSF of the communication circuit 214 obtained at the previous time transmits a frame (eg, a probe request frame) to the electronic device 101 through the communication circuit 214 or the electronic device through the communication circuit 214 It may include the TSF at the time of receiving a frame (eg, a beacon frame and/or a probe response frame) from (101). For example, the previous time point may include a time point prior to the time point at which the external electronic device 210 acquires information related to the TSF of the electronic device 101 . For example, UTC of the processor 212 is time information managed by the processor 212 (eg, AP) and may include local time.

According to various embodiments, the memory 216 may store various data used by at least one component (eg, the processor 212 and/or the communication circuit 214) of the external electronic device 210 . According to one embodiment, memory 216 may store various instructions that may be executed by processor 212 .

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 may transmit and/or receive data (or frames) based on time synchronization. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 210 may transmit posture information (eg, pose data) related to a user wearing the external electronic device 210 to the electronic device 101 . The electronic device 101 may transmit to the external electronic device 210 an image generated based on posture information related to the user obtained from the external electronic device 210 . The external electronic device 210 may output an image obtained from the electronic device 101 . As an example, the posture information may include at least one of an image or sensor data obtained from the external electronic device 210 .

According to various embodiments, the processor 202 and/or 212 may obtain information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and/or 214 from a wireless LAN-related driver (eg, Wi-Fi driver) or firmware. . For example, a driver related to a wireless LAN may include a driver program for driving the communication circuits 204 and/or 214 in the processor 202 and/or 212 .

According to various embodiments, an electronic device (eg, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 ) may include a communication circuit supporting wireless LAN communication (eg, the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1 or the communication circuit of FIG. 2 ). circuit 204) and at least one processor (eg, processor 120 of FIG. 1 or processor 202 of FIG. 2) operatively coupled with the communication circuit, wherein the at least one processor comprises: Connecting communication with an external electronic device through a communication circuit, acquiring time information managed by the communication circuit, checking time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit, and A frame including time information managed by the processor and time information managed by the processor may be transmitted to the external electronic device through the communication circuit.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor transmits a request message related to time information to the communication circuit based on a function supporting time synchronization with the external electronic device and/or execution of an application program, and In response to the request message, time information managed by the communication circuit may be received from the communication circuit, and time information managed by the processor corresponding to a reception point of time information managed by the communication circuit may be checked.

According to various embodiments, when the communication circuit transmits and/or receives a frame with the external electronic device through the wireless LAN, the time information managed by the communication circuit related to the frame in response to the request signal. may be transmitted to the processor.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor transmits a request message related to time information to the communication circuit based on a communication connection with the external electronic device, and transmits the request message from the communication circuit in response to the request message. Time information managed by the communication circuit may be received, and time information managed by the processor corresponding to a receiving time point of the time information managed by the communication circuit may be checked.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor determines the information based on time information managed by the communication circuit acquired from the communication circuit and time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit. Estimating time information managed by the communication circuit corresponding to a frame transmission time point, and time managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the estimated communication circuit and the time information managed by the estimated communication circuit Information may be transmitted to the external electronic device through the frame through the communication circuit.

According to various embodiments, the time information managed by the communication circuit may include a time synchronization function (TSF), and the time information managed by the processor may include universal time coordinated or coordinated universal time (UTC). .

According to various embodiments, an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device 210 of FIG. 2 ) may include a communication circuit supporting wireless LAN communication (eg, the wireless communication module of FIG. 1 ). 192 or communication circuitry 214 of FIG. 2) and at least one processor in operative connection with the communication circuitry (e.g., processor 120 of FIG. 1 or processor 212 of FIG. 2), The at least one processor connects communication with the electronic device through the communication circuit, and in a frame received from the electronic device through the communication circuit, time information managed by the communication circuit of the electronic device and the processor of the electronic device Checking time information managed by the external electronic device, obtaining time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device, time information managed by the communication circuit of the electronic device, time information managed by the processor of the electronic device, and the external electronic device. Time information managed by the processor of the external electronic device may be corrected based on time information managed by the communication circuit of the electronic device.

According to various embodiments, the time information managed by the communication circuit may include a time synchronization function (TSF), and the time information managed by the processor may include universal time coordinated or coordinated universal time (UTC). .

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor obtains time information managed by the processor of the external electronic device corresponding to a time point at which the frame is received from the electronic device through the communication circuit, and at a previous time point. Receiving the obtained time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device, the time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device acquired at the previous point in time, and the frame Based on the time information managed by the processor of the external electronic device corresponding to the viewpoint, time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device corresponding to the current viewpoint may be estimated.

According to various embodiments, the communication circuit, when receiving the frame from the electronic device, determines whether the frame is a frame related to time synchronization, and when it is determined that the frame is a frame related to time synchronization, the communication circuit determines whether the frame is a frame related to time synchronization. Time information managed by the communication circuit of an external electronic device and the frame are transmitted to the processor, and the processor transmits the time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device received together with the frame from the communication circuit. You can check.

According to various embodiments, the communication circuit may transmit the frame received from the electronic device to the processor when it is determined that the frame is not a frame related to time synchronization.

According to various embodiments, when the frame is received from the electronic device through the communication circuit, the at least one processor transmits a request message related to time information to the communication circuit, and in response to the request message. Time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device may be received from the communication circuit.

According to various embodiments, the time information managed by the communication circuit may include time information managed by the communication circuit related to a frame transmitted and/or received with the electronic device through the wireless LAN.

According to various embodiments, the processor detects a difference between time information managed by the communication circuit of the electronic device and time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device, and based on the difference between the detected time information. Thus, time information managed by the processor of the electronic device may be updated, and time information managed by the processor of the external electronic device may be corrected with the updated time information.

3 is a flowchart 300 for transmitting time information of an electronic device to an external electronic device in an electronic device according to various embodiments. In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. As an example, the electronic device of FIG. 3 may be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to FIG. 3 , the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or the processor 202 of FIG. 2 ), in operation 301 , communicates with an external device via a communication circuit 204 . Communication with the electronic device 210 may be connected. According to an embodiment, the processor 202 connects (eg, direct connection) to the electronic device 101 through a wireless LAN through OOB communication using the communication circuit 210 and/or a separate short-range communication circuit (not shown). ) It is possible to check whether an external electronic device 210 exists. For example, OOB communication may include NFC, Bluetooth, BLE, UWB, wireless LAN (eg, about 2.4 GHz band) and/or QR code. According to an embodiment, the processor 202 uses a communication circuit 204 to connect communication with the external electronic device 210 through a wireless LAN when an external electronic device 210 connectable to the electronic device 101 is detected. can control.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202 ) may check the TSF of the communication circuit 204 included in the electronic device 101 in operation 303 . According to one embodiment, the processor 202 may obtain information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 from the communication circuit 204 in response to a request message related to time information. For example, the processor 202 sends a request message related to time information based on the execution of an application program (or function) requiring time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 or a communication connection with the external electronic device 210. communication circuitry 204. The communication circuit 204 may transmit information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 to the processor 202 in response to a request message related to time information. For example, the communication circuit 204 receives a frame (eg, a probe request frame) from the external electronic device 210 through the communication circuit 204 or receives a frame from the external electronic device 210 through the communication circuit 204. Information related to the TSF at the time of transmitting (eg, a beacon frame and/or a probe response frame) may be transmitted to the processor 202 . As an example, the TSF of the communication circuit 204 is time information managed by the communication circuit 204, and a time stamp of a specified size (eg, about 8 bytes) defined in a standard (eg, IEEE 802.11) related to a wireless LAN. can include

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202 ) may check the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 in operation 305 . According to an embodiment, the processor 202 may check the UTC of the processor 202 at the time of acquiring information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 from the communication circuit 204 . For example, the UTC of the processor 202 at the time of obtaining information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 may represent the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 .

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202), in operation 307, the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 A frame (eg, a data frame) including information related to UTC of may be transmitted to the external electronic device 210 . According to one embodiment, the processor 202 frames the TSF of the communication circuit 204 obtained from the communication circuit 204 and information related to the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204. It is possible to control the communication circuit 204 to transmit to the external electronic device 210. According to an embodiment, the processor 202 obtains the TSF of the communication circuit 204 from the communication circuit 204 based on the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time of transmitting the time information of the electronic device 101. can be updated. The processor 202 is configured to transmit a frame including the updated TSF of the communication circuit 204 and information related to the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the updated TSF of the communication circuit 204 to the external electronic device 210. The communication circuitry 204 can be controlled. For example, the time information of the electronic device 101 may include at least one of the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 .

4 is an example of a communication connection between an electronic device and an external electronic device according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to FIG. 4 , in operations 400 and 402 , the external electronic device 210 detects the existence of the external electronic device 210 when the electronic device 101 adjacent to the external electronic device 210 recognizes the existence of the external electronic device 210 . A discovery request message (eg, BLE advertisement) may be transmitted (or broadcasted) through OOB communication. For example, the discovery request message may be transmitted periodically. For example, the discovery request message may include identification information of the external electronic device 210 .

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 101 receives the discovery request message of the external electronic device 210, in operation 404, the external electronic device 210 capable of communication connection with the electronic device 101 exists. can be judged to be According to an embodiment, in operation 404, the electronic device 101 may operate in a scan mode (eg, BLE scan state) to determine whether an external electronic device 210 capable of communication connection exists. In operation 404, when the electronic device 101 receives the discovery request message of the external electronic device 210 in the scan mode, it is determined that an external electronic device 210 capable of communication connection with the electronic device 101 exists. can

According to various embodiments, in operation 406, when the electronic device 101 determines that there is an external electronic device 210 capable of communication connection with the electronic device 101, the electronic device 101 is configured for communication connection with the external electronic device 210. A wireless LAN connection channel can be determined.

According to various embodiments, in operation 408, the electronic device 101 transmits connection information (eg, WLAN connection information) for communication with the external electronic device 210 based on a wireless LAN to the external electronic device 210 through OOB communication. can be sent to For example, connection information (eg, WLAN connection information) for communication with the external electronic device 210 is related to a wireless LAN connection channel for communication between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 based on the wireless LAN. information may be included.

According to various embodiments, in operation 410, the external electronic device 210 may transmit a response message corresponding to connection information received from the electronic device 101 to the electronic device 101 through OOB communication (eg, BLE). there is. For example, the response message may include information related to successful reception of connection information (eg, ACK) or information related to failure in reception of connection information (eg, NACK).

According to various embodiments, in operation 410, the electronic device 101 may receive information related to successful reception corresponding to connection information (eg, ACK) from the external electronic device 210 . In operation 414, the electronic device 101 transmits a beacon frame to the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN communication based on reception of information (eg, ACK) related to successful reception corresponding to the connection information. there is. As an example, the beacon frame may be transmitted through a wireless LAN connection channel established for communication between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 . For example, the beacon frame may include information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 included in the electronic device 101 corresponding to the transmission time of the beacon frame. For example, information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 may be included in a time stamp field of a beacon frame.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 may check whether a beacon frame is received from the electronic device 101 based on connection information received from the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, in operation 412, the external electronic device 210 sets a wireless LAN scan state (eg, Wi-Fi scan state) based on connection information (eg, WLAN connection information) received from the electronic device 101. can work as According to an embodiment, in operation 414, the external electronic device 210 may receive a beacon frame from the electronic device 101 through wireless LAN-based communication in a wireless LAN scan state. In operation 416, the external electronic device 210 may transmit a probe request frame to the electronic device 101 based on the reception of the beacon frame from the electronic device 101.

According to various embodiments, in operation 418, the electronic device 101 may transmit a probe response frame to the external electronic device 210 in response to the probe request frame.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 may perform an authentication procedure. When the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 210 succeed in authentication, it may be determined that the wireless LAN-based communication connection is completed.

According to various embodiments, when the external electronic device 210 communicates with the electronic device 101, the communication circuit ( 214) TSF can be set. For example, the TSF of the electronic device 101 may include the TSF of the communication circuit 204 included in the electronic device 101 .

5 is an example of a flowchart 500 for obtaining time information of a processor and a communication circuit in an electronic device according to various embodiments. According to an embodiment, at least a part of FIG. 5 may include detailed operations of operations 303 and 305 of FIG. 3 . In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. As an example, the electronic device of FIG. 5 may be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to FIG. 5 , the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or the processor 202 of FIG. 2 ) determines, in operation 501, time with the external electronic device 210. It can be checked whether an application program (or function) requiring synchronization is executed. For example, an application program requiring time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 may include an application program related to driving an augmented reality device (eg, AR glass).

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202) does not execute an application program (or function) that requires time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 (eg, the processor 120 or 202). : 'No' in operation 501), an embodiment for obtaining time information of the electronic device 101 may be ended. For example, the time information of the electronic device 101 may include information related to at least one of UTC of the processor 202 or TSF of the communication circuit 204 included in the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202) executes an application program (or function) requiring time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 (eg, the processor 120 or 202). In operation 503 (yes of operation 501), a request message related to time information (eg, TSF) may be transmitted to the communication circuit 204. For example, a request message related to time information may be transmitted to the communication circuit 204 through a driver related to a wireless LAN (eg, a Wi-Fi driver).

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202), in operation 505, transmits information from the communication circuit 204 to the communication circuit 204 in response to a request message related to time information. It can be checked whether information related to time information (eg, TSF) is received. According to an embodiment, when traffic related to the external electronic device 210 occurs, the communication circuit 204 may transmit information related to the TSF at the time when the traffic occurs to the processor 202 . For example, the time at which traffic is generated is when a frame (eg, a probe request frame) is received from the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication or transmitted to the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication. It may include at least one of transmission timings of frames (eg, a beacon frame and/or a probe response frame).

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, processor 120 or 202) does not receive information related to time information (eg, TSF) of the communication circuit 204 (eg, operation 505 'No' of), an embodiment for obtaining time information of the electronic device 101 may be ended.

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202) receives information related to time information (eg, TSF) of the communication circuit 204 (eg, in operation 505). 'Yes'), in operation 507, time information (eg, UTC) of the processor 202 corresponding to time information (eg, TSF) of the communication circuit 204 may be checked. For example, the time information (eg, UTC) of the processor 202 corresponding to the time information (eg, TSF) of the communication circuit 204 is the time point at which the TSF of the communication circuit 204 is acquired from the communication circuit 204. It may include UTC of the processor 202.

According to various embodiments, processor 202 may store in memory 206 a specified number of TSFs of communication circuits 204 and pairs (or sets) of UTCs of processor 202 corresponding to communication circuits 204. there is. For example, the specified number may include the maximum number of pairs of TSF and UTC for the processor 202 to store.

According to various embodiments, when the processor 202 determines that time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 has been completed or determines that the TSF of the communication circuit 204 is not needed, the processor 202 transmits a stop message related to time information to the communication circuit ( 204). The communication circuitry 204 may stop transmitting information related to the TSF of the communication circuitry 204 to the processor 202 based on the suspend message related to the time information. For example, the state in which it is determined that the TSF of the communication circuit 204 is not needed may include a state in which execution of an application program (or function) requiring time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 is terminated.

6 is an example for obtaining time information of a processor and a communication circuit in an electronic device according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure referring to FIG. 6 , in operation 611 , the processor 202 of the electronic device 101 may transmit a request message related to time information (eg, TSF) to the communication circuit 204 . According to an embodiment, the processor 202 may transmit a request message related to time information to the communication circuit 204 when an application program (or function) requiring time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 is executed. there is. For example, a request message related to time information may be transmitted to the communication circuit 204 through a driver related to a wireless LAN (eg, a Wi-Fi driver).

According to various embodiments, in operation 613, when the communication circuit 204 of the electronic device 101 receives a request message related to time information, it may check whether traffic related to the external electronic device 210 occurs.

According to various embodiments, in operation 615, the communication circuitry 204 transmits information related to the TSF of the communication circuitry 204 corresponding to the time when traffic is generated based on the generation of traffic related to the external electronic device 210 to the processor. (202). For example, the time at which traffic is generated is when a frame (eg, a probe request frame) is received from the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication or transmitted to the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication. It may include at least one of transmission timings of frames (eg, a beacon frame and/or a probe response frame).

According to various embodiments, in operation 615, the processor 202 of the electronic device 101 may receive information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 from the communication circuit 204. In operation 617 , the processor 202 may determine the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 based on receiving information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 . For example, the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 may include the UTC of the processor 202 at the time of obtaining the TSF of the communication circuit 204 from the communication circuit 204 .

7 is another example of a flowchart 700 for obtaining time information of a processor and a communication circuit in an electronic device according to various embodiments. According to an embodiment, at least a part of FIG. 7 may include detailed operations of operations 303 and 305 of FIG. 3 . In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. As an example, the electronic device of FIG. 7 may be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure referring to FIG. 7 , the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or the processor 202 of FIG. 2 ), in operation 701, operates an external electronic device based on a wireless LAN. It can be confirmed that communication with (210) is connected.

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202) does not communicate with the external electronic device 210 (eg, 'No' in operation 701), the electronic device An embodiment for acquiring time information of (101) may be completed. For example, the time information of the electronic device 101 may include information related to at least one of UTC of the processor 202 or TSF of the communication circuit 204 included in the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202) communicates with the external electronic device 210 (eg, 'Yes' in operation 701), in operation 703, A request message related to time information (eg, TSF) may be transmitted to the communication circuit 204 . For example, a request message related to time information may be transmitted to the communication circuit 204 through a driver related to a wireless LAN (eg, a Wi-Fi driver).

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202), in operation 705, sends the communication circuit 204 from the communication circuit 204 in response to a request message related to time information. It can be checked whether information related to time information (eg, TSF) is received. According to an embodiment, when traffic related to the external electronic device 210 occurs, the communication circuit 204 may transmit information related to the TSF at the time when the traffic occurs to the processor 202 . For example, the time at which traffic is generated is when a frame (eg, a probe request frame) is received from the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication or transmitted to the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication. It may include at least one of transmission timings of frames (eg, a beacon frame and/or a probe response frame). According to one embodiment, the communication circuitry 204 may transmit information related to the TSF of the communication circuitry 204 to the processor 202 in response to a request message related to time information.

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, processor 120 or 202) does not receive information related to time information (eg, TSF) of the communication circuit 204 (eg, operation 705 'No' of), an embodiment for obtaining time information of the electronic device 101 may be ended.

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, processor 120 or 202) receives information related to time information (eg, TSF) of the communication circuit 204 (eg, operation 705 'Yes'), in operation 707, time information (eg, UTC) of the processor 202 corresponding to time information (eg, TSF) of the communication circuit 204 may be checked. For example, the time information (eg, UTC) of the processor 202 corresponding to the time information (eg, TSF) of the communication circuit 204 is the time point at which the TSF of the communication circuit 204 is acquired from the communication circuit 204. It may include UTC of the processor 202.

According to various embodiments, when the processor 202 determines that time synchronization with the external electronic device 210 has been completed or determines that the TSF of the communication circuit 204 is not needed, the processor 202 transmits a stop message related to time information to the communication circuit ( 204). The communication circuitry 204 may stop transmitting information related to the TSF of the communication circuitry 204 to the processor 202 based on the suspend message related to the time information. For example, the state in which the TSF of the communication circuit 204 is determined to be unnecessary may include a state in which the communication connection with the external electronic device 210 is released.

8 is an example of synchronizing time with an external electronic device in an electronic device according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure referring to FIG. 8 , in operation 811, the electronic device 101 may connect communication with the external electronic device 210 based on a wireless LAN. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may check whether an external electronic device 210 capable of being connected to the electronic device 101 through a wireless LAN through OOB communication (eg, direct connection) exists. When an external electronic device 210 connectable to the electronic device 101 is detected, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the external electronic device 210 through a wireless LAN.

According to various embodiments, in operation 813, the processor 202 of the electronic device 101 communicates a request message related to time information (eg, TSF) based on a communication connection with the external electronic device 210 through a wireless LAN. circuit 204. For example, a request message related to time information may be transmitted to the communication circuit 204 through a driver related to a wireless LAN (eg, a Wi-Fi driver).

According to various embodiments, in operation 815, the communication circuit 204 of the electronic device 101 may transmit information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 to the processor 202 based on the request message related to the time information. . According to one embodiment, the communication circuitry 204 may transmit information related to the TSF of the communication circuitry 204 to the processor 202 in response to a request message related to time information. For example, the communication circuit 204 may transmit information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 corresponding to the time of receiving the request message related to the time information to the processor 202 .

According to an embodiment, when traffic related to the external electronic device 210 is generated through wireless LAN-based communication, the communication circuit 204 is related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 corresponding to the time when the traffic is generated. Information may be transmitted to the processor 202 . For example, the time at which traffic is generated is when a frame (eg, a probe request frame) is received from the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication or transmitted to the external electronic device 210 through wireless LAN-based communication. It may include at least one of transmission timings of frames (eg, a beacon frame and/or a probe response frame).

According to various embodiments, in operation 815, the processor 202 of the electronic device 101 may receive information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 from the communication circuit 204. At operation 817 , the processor 202 may determine the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 based on receiving information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 . For example, the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 may include the UTC of the processor 202 at the time of obtaining the TSF of the communication circuit 204 from the communication circuit 204 .

According to various embodiments, in operation 819, the processor 202 of the electronic device 101 includes information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204. may be transmitted to the external electronic device 210 through the communication circuit 204.

According to various embodiments, in operation 821, the processor 212 of the external electronic device 210 obtains time information of the electronic device 101 from a frame received from the electronic device 101 through the communication circuit 214. can

According to various embodiments, in operation 823, the processor 212 of the external electronic device 210 may synchronize the UTC of the processor 212 of the external electronic device 210 based on the time information of the electronic device 101. there is. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may obtain TSF and UTC-related information of the electronic device 101 from a frame received from the electronic device 101 through the communication circuit 214 . The processor 212 may correct the UTC of the processor 212 based on the TSF of the communication circuit 214, the TSF of the electronic device 101, and the UTC of the electronic device 101. For example, the TSF of the electronic device 101 may include the TSF of the communication circuit 204 included in the electronic device 101 . For example, UTC of the electronic device 101 may include UTC of the processor 202 included in the electronic device 101 .

9 is a flowchart 900 for updating time information of a communication circuit in an electronic device according to various embodiments. According to an embodiment, at least a part of FIG. 9 may include a detailed operation of operation 307 of FIG. 3 . In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. As an example, the electronic device of FIG. 9 may be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to FIG. 9 , the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or the processor 202 of FIG. 2 ) includes the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and the communication circuit 204 When the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF of ) is obtained, in operation 901, the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time of transmitting the time information of the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 210 is obtained. You can check. For example, the time of transmitting the time information of the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 210 may include the time of generating a frame including the time information of the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202), in operation 903, transmits time information of the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 210 corresponding to a time point. Based on the UTC of the processor 202, the TSF of the communication circuitry 204 may be updated. According to an embodiment, the processor 202 may update the TSF of the communication circuit 204 based on the change in UTC of the processor 202 as shown in Equation 1. For example, the change of UTC of the processor 202 converts the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time when the processor 202 acquires the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and the time information of the electronic device 101 to an external electronic device. It may include the difference between UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time of transmission to 210.

As an example, curr_TSF represents the updated TSF of the communication circuit 204, pre_TSF represents the TSF of the communication circuit 204 obtained by the processor 202 at a previous point in time (eg, operation 303 of FIG. 3), and curr_UTC represents Indicates the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time of transmitting the time information of the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 210, and pre_UTC is the communication circuit obtained at the previous time (eg, operation 303 of FIG. 3) ( 204) and the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the TSF.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202), in operation 905, transmits the time information of the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 210 corresponding to the timing. Communication circuit 204 updated based on the UTC of the processor 202 (eg, curr_UTC) and the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time of transmitting the time information of the electronic device 101 to the external electronic device 210 A frame (eg, data frame) including information related to the TSF (eg, curr_TSF) of may be transmitted to the external electronic device 210 .

10 is an example of a flowchart 1000 for synchronizing time with an external electronic device in an external electronic device according to various embodiments. In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. As an example, the external electronic device of FIG. 10 may be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device 210 of FIG. 2 .

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure referring to FIG. 10 , an external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or the processor 212 of FIG. 2 ), in operation 1001, via a communication circuit 214 Communication with the electronic device 101 may be established. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may obtain connection information for wireless LAN communication with the electronic device 101 from the electronic device 101 through OOB communication. When a beacon frame is received from the electronic device 101 through the communication circuit 214 based on connection information for wireless LAN communication with the electronic device 101, the processor 212 requests a probe request. ) may control the communication circuit 214 to transmit the frame to the electronic device 101 . Processor 212 may receive a probe response frame through communication circuitry 214 . When authentication with the electronic device 101 succeeds (or is completed), the processor 212 may determine that the communication connection with the electronic device 101 is completed. For example, OOB communication may include NFC, Bluetooth, BLE, UWB, wireless LAN (eg, about 2.4 GHz band) and/or QR code.

According to various embodiments, in operation 1003, the external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212) synchronizes time information (eg, TSF) of the electronic device 101 and the communication circuit 214. can do. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may set the TSF of the communication circuit 214 based on the TSF of the electronic device 101 included in the beacon frame and/or the probe response frame. For example, the TSF of the electronic device 101 may include the TSF of the communication circuit 204 included in the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212 ) may determine whether a frame is received from the electronic device 101 in operation 1005 . According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may check whether a frame including time information of the electronic device 101 is received through the communication circuit 214 . For example, time information of the electronic device 101 may include information related to at least one of UTC and TSF of the electronic device 101 . For example, UTC of the electronic device 101 may include UTC of the processor 202 included in the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212), when no frame is received from the electronic device 101 (eg, 'No' in operation 1005), the electronic device One embodiment for synchronizing time with (101) may end.

According to various embodiments, when the external electronic device 210 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212) receives a frame from the electronic device 101 (eg, 'Yes' in operation 1005), in operation 1007 , information related to the TSF and UTC of the electronic device 101 may be checked in the frame received from the electronic device 101 . For example, the UTC of the electronic device 101 may include the UTC of the electronic device 101 corresponding to the TSF of the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212 ) may check the TSF of the external electronic device 210 in operation 1009 . For example, the TSF of the external electronic device 210 may include the TSF of the communication circuit 214 included in the external electronic device 210 . For example, the TSF of the external electronic device 210 may be received from the communication circuit 214 together with the frame received from the electronic device 101 . For example, the TSF of the external electronic device 210 may include the TSF of the communication circuit 214 corresponding to the timing at which the communication circuit 214 of the external electronic device 210 receives a frame from the electronic device 101. there is. For example, the TSF of the external electronic device 210 may be obtained from the communication circuit 214 in response to a request message related to time information. For example, a request message related to time information may be sent based on the processor 212 acquiring a frame received from the electronic device 101 from the communication circuit 214 . For example, the TSF of the external electronic device 210 is updated based on the UTC of the processor 212 corresponding to the time point at which the processor 212 acquires the frame received from the electronic device 101 from the communication circuit 214. may include the TSF of the communication circuit 214. As an example, the TSF of the communication circuit 214 may be updated based on Equation 1.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212), in operation 1011, the TSF of the communication circuit 214, the TSF of the electronic device 101, and the electronic device 101 UTC of the processor 212 may be corrected based on the UTC of . According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may correct the UTC of the processor 212 based on the change in TSF of the communication circuit 214 as shown in Equation 2. For example, the change in the TSF of the communication circuit 214 may include a difference between the TSF of the electronic device 101 and the TSF of the communication circuit 214 obtained in operation 1009 .

As an example, AR_curr_UTC represents the UTC of the calibrated processor 212, c_UTC represents the UTC of the electronic device 101, AR_curr_TSF represents the TSF of the communication circuit 214 obtained in operation 1009, and c_TSF represents the electronic device ( 101) can indicate the TSF.

11 is a flowchart 1100 for updating time information of an external electronic device in an external electronic device according to various embodiments. According to an embodiment, at least a part of FIG. 11 may be a detailed operation of operation 1009 of FIG. 10 . In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. For example, the external electronic device of FIG. 11 may be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device 210 of FIG. 2 .

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure referring to FIG. 11 , the external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or the processor 212 of FIG. 2 ) checks the TSF and UTC of the electronic device 101. In this case (eg, operation 1007 of FIG. 10 ), in operation 1101, the UTC of the external electronic device 210 may be checked. According to one embodiment, the processor 212 may check the UTC of the processor 212 corresponding to the current time point.

According to various embodiments, in operation 1103, the external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212) may check the UTC and TSF of the external electronic device acquired at a previous point in time. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 transmits a request message related to time information (eg, TSF) to the communication circuit 214 when the external electronic device 210 is driven or communication is connected with the electronic device 101. ) can be transmitted. The communication circuit 214 may transmit information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 214 corresponding to a time point at which traffic is generated to the processor 212 based on a request message related to time information (eg, TSF). For example, the time at which traffic is generated is when a frame (eg, a beacon frame and/or a probe response frame) is received from the electronic device 101 through communication based on a wireless LAN, or a time when the electronic device 101 through communication based on a wireless LAN ( 101) may include at least one of transmission times of a frame (eg, a probe request frame). According to one embodiment, processor 212 may store in memory 216 a specified number of TSFs of communication circuits 214 and pairs (or sets) of UTCs of processor 212 corresponding to communication circuits 214. there is. For example, the UTC and TSF of the external electronic device obtained at the previous time may include at least one of the TSF of the communication circuit 214 stored in the memory 216 and the UTC of the processor 212 corresponding to the communication circuit 214. can For example, the previous time point may include a time point prior to the time point at which UTC of the external electronic device 210 is obtained in operation 1101 .

According to various embodiments, in operation 1105, the external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212) obtains the external electronic device 210 based on the UTC of the external electronic device 210 at a previous time. ) can update the TSF. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may update the TSF of the communication circuit 214 based on the change in UTC of the processor 212 as shown in Equation 1. For example, the change in UTC of the processor 212 is the difference between the UTC of the processor 212 corresponding to the time when the processor 212 acquires the TSF of the communication circuit 214 and the UTC of the processor 212 obtained in operation 1101. May contain tea.

12 is a flowchart 1200 for obtaining time information of a communication circuit in an external electronic device according to various embodiments. According to an embodiment, at least a part of FIG. 12 may be detailed operations of operations 1005, 1007, and 1009 of FIG. 10 . In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. As an example, the external electronic device of FIG. 12 may be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device 210 of FIG. 2 .

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure referring to FIG. 12 , an external electronic device 210 or a communication circuit (eg, the wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1 or the communication circuit 214 of FIG. 2 ) communicates with the electronic device 101 . When time information (eg, TSF) of the circuit 214 is synchronized (eg, operation 1003 of FIG. 10 ), in operation 1201 , it may be checked whether a frame is received from the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or the communication circuit (eg, the wireless communication module 192 or the communication circuit 214) may not receive a frame from the electronic device 101 (eg, in operation 1201). 'No'), an embodiment for synchronizing the time with the electronic device 101 may be terminated.

According to various embodiments, when the external electronic device 210 or the communication circuit (eg, the wireless communication module 192 or the communication circuit 214) receives a frame from the electronic device 101 (eg, operation 1201 ' Yes'), in operation 1203, it may be checked whether the frame received from the electronic device 101 includes time information of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, a frame including time information of the electronic device 101 may be configured as a frame of a specified type (eg, an action frame and/or a management frame). When receiving a frame of a specified type from the electronic device 101 , the communication circuit 214 may determine that the corresponding frame includes time information of the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or the communication circuit (eg, the wireless communication module 192 or the communication circuit 214) determines that the frame received from the electronic device 101 is the time information of the electronic device 101. (eg, 'Yes' in operation 1203), in operation 1205, the TSF of the external electronic device 210 corresponding to the time of receiving the frame from the electronic device 101 may be checked.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or the communication circuit (eg, the wireless communication module 192 or the communication circuit 214), in operation 1207, receives the frame received from the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device ( Information related to the TSF of 210 may be transmitted to the processor 212 of the external electronic device 210 . According to an embodiment, the processor 212 determines UTC of the external electronic device 210 based on TSF-related information of the external electronic device 210 received along with a frame including time information of the electronic device 101. can be corrected

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or the communication circuit (eg, the wireless communication module 192 or the communication circuit 214) determines that the frame received from the electronic device 101 is the time information of the electronic device 101. is not included (eg, 'No' in operation 1203), in operation 1209, the frame received from the electronic device 101 may be transmitted to the processor 212 of the external electronic device 210. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may acquire information related to the TSF of the external electronic device 210 by transmitting a request message related to time information to the communication circuit 214 . According to an embodiment, the processor 212 is configured to obtain a frame received from the electronic device 101 at a previous time based on UTC of the processor 212 corresponding to a time when the processor 212 acquires the frame from the communication circuit 214. The acquired TSF of the external electronic device 210 may be updated.

13 is a flowchart 1300 for transmitting time information of a communication circuit from an electronic device to an external electronic device according to various embodiments. In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. As an example, the electronic device of FIG. 13 may be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2 .

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure referring to FIG. 13 , the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or the processor 202 of FIG. 2 ) in operation 1301 operates an external electronic device based on a wireless LAN. (210) and communication can be connected. According to an embodiment, the processor 202 may check whether an external electronic device 210 capable of being connected to the electronic device 101 through a wireless LAN through OOB communication (eg, direct connection) exists. When an external electronic device 210 connectable to the electronic device 101 is detected, the processor 202 may control the communication circuit 204 to establish communication with the external electronic device 210 through a wireless LAN. For example, OOB communication may include NFC, Bluetooth, BLE, UWB, wireless LAN (eg, about 2.4 GHz band) and/or QR code.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202 ) may check whether a frame to be transmitted to the external electronic device 210 exists in operation 1303 .

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202) communicates when there is no frame to be transmitted to the external electronic device 210 (eg, 'No' in operation 1303). An embodiment for transmitting the time information of the circuit 204 to an external electronic device may be completed.

According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 101 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202) has a frame to be transmitted to the external electronic device 210 (eg, 'Yes' in operation 1303), operation 1305 In , UTC of the processor 202 included in the electronic device 101 corresponding to the current time point can be checked.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202 ) may obtain the TSF of the communication circuit 204 corresponding to the UTC of the processor 202 in operation 1307 . According to one embodiment, the processor 202 has a TSF of the communication circuit 204 obtained from the communication circuit 204 at a previous point in time in the memory 206 and a TSF of the communication circuit 204 corresponding to the TSF of the communication circuit 204. You can check UTC. As shown in Equation 1, the processor 202 updates the TSF of the communication circuit 204 obtained at a previous point in time based on the change in UTC of the processor 202, so that the communication circuit corresponding to UTC of the processor 202 ( 204) can be obtained. For example, the change in UTC of the processor 202 is the difference between the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time when the processor 202 obtains the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and the UTC of the processor 202 determined in operation 1305. can include

According to various embodiments, in operation 1309, the electronic device 101 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 202) transmits a frame (eg, a data frame) including information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 to the outside. It can be transmitted to the electronic device 210. According to an embodiment, the processor 202 may control the communication circuit 204 to transmit a frame including information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 acquired in operation 1307 to the external electronic device 210. .

14 is another example of a flowchart 1400 for synchronizing time with an external electronic device in an external electronic device according to various embodiments. In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but not necessarily sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, or at least two operations may be performed in parallel. As an example, the external electronic device of FIG. 14 may be the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device 210 of FIG. 2 .

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure referring to FIG. 14 , an external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 or the processor 212 of FIG. 2 ), in operation 1401, the electronic device based on the wireless LAN. (101) and communication can be connected. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may obtain connection information for wireless LAN communication with the electronic device 101 from the electronic device 101 through OOB communication. When a beacon frame is received from the electronic device 101 through the communication circuit 214 based on connection information for wireless LAN communication with the electronic device 101, the processor 212 requests a probe request. ) may control the communication circuit 214 to transmit the frame to the electronic device 101 . Processor 212 may receive a probe response frame through communication circuitry 214 . When authentication with the electronic device 101 succeeds (or is completed), the processor 212 may determine that the communication connection with the electronic device 101 is completed.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212 ) may determine whether a frame is received from the electronic device 101 in operation 1403 .

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212), when a frame is not received from the electronic device 101 (eg, 'No' in operation 1403), the electronic device One embodiment for synchronizing time with may end.

According to various embodiments, when the external electronic device 210 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212) receives a frame from the electronic device 101 (eg, 'Yes' in operation 1403), in operation 1405 , information related to the TSF of the electronic device 101 may be checked in the frame received from the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or a processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212) may obtain the TSF of the external electronic device corresponding to the UTC of the external electronic device 210 in operation 1407. . According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may determine the UTC of the processor 212 corresponding to the current time point as the UTC of the external electronic device 210 . For example, the current time point may include a time point at which the processor 212 checks the TSF of the electronic device 101 . The processor 212 may check the TSF of the external electronic device 210 obtained from the communication circuit 214 at a previous time in the memory 216 and the UTC of the external electronic device 210 corresponding to the TSF of the external electronic device. . As shown in Equation 1, the processor 212 updates the TSF of the external electronic device 210 obtained at a previous time based on the change in UTC of the external electronic device 210, thereby determining the UTC of the external electronic device 210. A TSF of a corresponding external electronic device may be acquired. For example, the change in UTC of the external electronic device 210 is the difference between UTC of the external electronic device 210 corresponding to the TSF of the external electronic device obtained at a previous time point and UTC of the external electronic device 210 corresponding to the current time point. May contain tea.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 210 or the processor (eg, the processor 120 or 212), in operation 1409, based on the TSF of the electronic device 101 and the TSF of the external electronic device 210, the electronic device A difference between the time point 101 transmits the frame and the time point external electronic device 210 receives the frame can be confirmed. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 determines the time when the frame is transmitted from the electronic device 101 and the external device 210 based on the difference between the TSF of the electronic device 101 and the TSF of the external electronic device 210 obtained in operation 1407. The electronic device 210 may check the difference in received time. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 converts content (eg, an image) from the external electronic device 210 based on a difference between a time when a frame is transmitted from the electronic device 101 and a time when the frame is received from the external electronic device 210 . ) can be calibrated.

15 is another example of synchronizing time with an external electronic device in an electronic device according to various embodiments.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure referring to FIG. 15 , in operation 1511, the electronic device 101 may connect communication with the external electronic device 210 based on a wireless LAN. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may check whether an external electronic device 210 capable of being connected to the electronic device 101 through a wireless LAN through OOB communication (eg, direct connection) exists. When an external electronic device 210 connectable to the electronic device 101 is detected, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the external electronic device 210 through a wireless LAN.

According to various embodiments, in operation 1513, the processor 202 of the electronic device 101 may obtain the TSF of the communication circuit 204 when communication is connected with the external electronic device 210 through a wireless LAN. According to an embodiment, the processor 202 may provide time information (eg: TSF) may be transmitted to the communication circuit 204. According to one embodiment, the communication circuitry 204 may transmit information related to the TSF of the communication circuitry 204 to the processor 202 in response to a request message related to time information. For example, the communication circuit 204 may transmit information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 corresponding to the time of receiving the request message related to the time information to the processor 202 . For example, when traffic related to the external electronic device 210 occurs through wireless LAN-based communication, the communication circuit 204 transmits information related to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 corresponding to the time when the traffic is generated. to the processor 202.

According to various embodiments, in operation 1515, if there is a frame to be transmitted to the external electronic device 210, the processor 202 of the electronic device 101 communicates based on the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the current time point. The TSF of circuit 204 can be updated. According to one embodiment, the processor 202 corresponds to the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and the TSF of the communication circuit 204 obtained from the communication circuit 204 at a previous point in time (eg, operation 1513) in the memory 206. UTC of the processor 202 may be checked. As shown in Equation 1, the processor 202 may update the TSF of the communication circuit 204 obtained at a previous time based on the change in UTC of the processor 202. For example, the change in UTC of the processor 202 is the difference between the UTC of the processor 202 corresponding to the time when the processor 202 obtains the TSF of the communication circuit 204 and the UTC of the processor 202 confirmed at the current time. can include

According to various embodiments, in operation 1517, the processor 202 of the electronic device 101 transmits a frame including information related to the updated TSF of the communication circuit 204 to the external electronic device 210 via the communication circuit 204. ) can be transmitted.

According to various embodiments, in operation 1519, the processor 212 of the external electronic device 210 receives time information of the electronic device 101 (eg: An updated TSF of the communication circuit 204 can be obtained. According to various embodiments, in operation 1521, the processor 212 of the external electronic device 210 may determine a difference between a transmission time and a reception time of a frame based on the time information of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may check the UTC of the external electronic device 210 corresponding to the current time point. For example, the current time point may include a time point at which the processor 212 checks the TSF of the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, the processor 212 may estimate the TSF of the external electronic device 210 based on the UTC of the external electronic device 210 corresponding to the current time point. For example, the processor 212 corresponds to the TSF of the external electronic device 210 obtained from the communication circuit 214 at a previous point in time with the UTC of the external electronic device 210 corresponding to the TSF of the external electronic device and the current point in time. The TSF of the external electronic device 210 may be estimated by updating based on the difference between UTCs of the external electronic device 210. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 determines the timing at which the electronic device 101 transmits the frame and the external electronic device 210 based on the difference between the TSF of the electronic device 101 and the TSF of the external electronic device 210. It is possible to check the difference in the time point at which the frame is received. According to an embodiment, the processor 212 is configured to output content from the external electronic device 210 based on a difference between when the frame is transmitted from the electronic device 101 and when the frame is received by the external electronic device 210. point of view can be corrected.

According to various embodiments, a communication circuit (eg, wireless communication module 192 of FIG. 1 or communication circuit 204 of FIG. 2 ) and a processor (eg, processor 120 of FIG. 1 or processor 202 of FIG. 2 ) A method of operating an electronic device (eg, the electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or 2) including a) includes an operation of connecting communication with an external electronic device through wireless LAN communication and management by the communication circuit in the processor. A frame including an operation of acquiring time information, an operation of checking time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit, and the time information managed by the communication circuit and the time information managed by the processor. may include an operation of transmitting to the external electronic device.

According to various embodiments, the operation of obtaining time information managed by the communication circuit may include a request related to time information based on a function for supporting time synchronization with the external electronic device and/or execution of an application program by the processor. The method may include transmitting a message to the communication circuit and receiving, by the processor, time information managed by the communication circuit from the communication circuit in response to the request message.

According to various embodiments, the time information managed by the communication circuit may include time information managed by the communication circuit related to frames transmitted and/or received with the external electronic device through the wireless LAN.

According to various embodiments, the obtaining of the time information managed by the communication circuit may include transmitting, by the processor, a request message related to time information to the communication circuit based on a communication connection with the external electronic device; The processor may receive, from the communication circuit, time information managed by the communication circuit in response to the request message.

According to various embodiments, the operation of transmitting to the external electronic device may include time information managed by the communication circuit obtained by the processor from the communication circuit and time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit. An operation of estimating time information managed by the communication circuit corresponding to a point in time at which the frame is transmitted based on time information and corresponding to the time information managed by the estimated communication circuit and the time information managed by the estimated communication circuit and transmitting the time information managed by the processor to the external electronic device through the communication circuit.

According to various embodiments, the time information managed by the communication circuit may include a time synchronization function (TSF), and the time information managed by the processor may include universal time coordinated or coordinated universal time (UTC). .

The embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the present specification and drawings are only presented as specific examples to easily explain the technical content according to the embodiments of the present invention and help understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, and limit the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. It's not what I want to do. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the present invention should be construed as including all changes or modified forms derived based on the technical spirit of various embodiments of the present invention in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein are included in the scope of various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (20)

In electronic devices,
A communication circuit supporting wireless LAN communication, and
at least one processor in operative connection with the communication circuitry;
The at least one processor,
Connecting communication with an external electronic device through the communication circuit;
obtaining time information managed by the communication circuit;
Checking time information managed by the processor corresponding to time information managed by the communication circuit;
An electronic device that transmits a frame including time information managed by the communication circuit and time information managed by the processor to the external electronic device through the communication circuit.
According to claim 1,
The at least one processor transmits a request message related to time information to the communication circuit based on a function supporting time synchronization with the external electronic device and/or execution of an application program;
receiving time information managed by the communication circuit from the communication circuit in response to the request message;
An electronic device for checking time information managed by the processor corresponding to a reception point of time information managed by the communication circuit.
According to claim 2,
The communication circuit transmits time information managed by the communication circuit related to the frame to the processor in response to the request signal when transmitting and/or receiving a frame with the external electronic device through the wireless LAN. electronic device.
According to claim 1,
The at least one processor transmits a request message related to time information to the communication circuit based on a communication connection with the external electronic device;
receiving time information managed by the communication circuit from the communication circuit in response to the request message;
An electronic device for checking time information managed by the processor corresponding to a reception point of time information managed by the communication circuit.
According to claim 1,
The at least one processor transmits the frame based on time information managed by the communication circuit obtained from the communication circuit and time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit. Estimating time information managed by the corresponding communication circuit;
Transmitting the frame including time information managed by the estimated communication circuit and time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the estimated communication circuit to the external electronic device through the communication circuit Device.
According to claim 1,
The time information managed by the communication circuit includes a time synchronization function (TSF),
The time information managed by the processor includes universal time coordinated or coordinated universal time (UTC).
A method of operating an electronic device including a communication circuit and a processor,
An operation of connecting communication with an external electronic device through wireless LAN communication;
obtaining, by the processor, time information managed by the communication circuit;
checking time information managed by the processor corresponding to time information managed by the communication circuit; and
and transmitting a frame including time information managed by the communication circuit and time information managed by the processor to the external electronic device.
According to claim 7,
The operation of obtaining time information managed by the communication circuit,
Transmitting, by the processor, a request message related to time information to the communication circuit based on a function supporting time synchronization with the external electronic device and/or execution of an application program; and
and receiving, by the processor, time information managed by the communication circuit from the communication circuit in response to the request message.
According to claim 8,
The time information managed by the communication circuit includes time information managed by the communication circuit related to frames transmitted and/or received with the external electronic device through the wireless LAN.
According to claim 7,
The operation of obtaining time information managed by the communication circuit,
transmitting, by the processor, a request message related to time information to the communication circuit based on a communication connection with the external electronic device; and
and receiving, by the processor, time information managed by the communication circuit from the communication circuit in response to the request message.
According to claim 7,
The operation of transmitting to the external electronic device,
The communication corresponding to a time point at which the frame is transmitted based on time information managed by the communication circuit acquired by the processor from the communication circuit and time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the communication circuit. An operation of estimating time information managed by the circuit, and
Transmitting the frame including time information managed by the estimated communication circuit and time information managed by the processor corresponding to the time information managed by the estimated communication circuit to the external electronic device through the communication circuit How to include.
According to claim 7,
The time information managed by the communication circuit includes a time synchronization function (TSF),
The time information managed by the processor includes universal time coordinated or coordinated universal time (UTC).
In the external electronic device,
A communication circuit supporting wireless LAN communication, and
at least one processor in operative connection with the communication circuitry;
The at least one processor,
Connecting communication with an electronic device through the communication circuit,
Checking time information managed by a communication circuit of the electronic device and time information managed by a processor of the electronic device in a frame received from the electronic device through the communication circuit;
obtaining time information managed by a communication circuit of the external electronic device;
Time managed by the processor of the external electronic device based on time information managed by the communication circuit of the electronic device, time information managed by the processor of the electronic device, and time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device. An electronic device that calibrates information.
According to claim 13,
The time information managed by the communication circuit includes a time synchronization function (TSF),
The time information managed by the processor includes universal time coordinated or coordinated universal time (UTC).
According to claim 13,
The at least one processor,
obtaining time information managed by the processor of the external electronic device corresponding to a time point at which the frame is received from the electronic device through the communication circuit;
Time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device obtained at a previous time, time information managed by the processor corresponding to time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device obtained at a previous time, and the frame An electronic device for estimating time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device corresponding to a current point of time based on time information managed by the processor of the external electronic device corresponding to the point of time when the .
According to claim 13,
The communication circuit, when receiving the frame from the electronic device, determines whether the frame is a frame related to time synchronization,
When it is determined that the frame is a frame related to time synchronization, transmitting time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device and the frame to the processor;
The processor checks time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device, which is received together with the frame from the communication circuit.
According to claim 16,
wherein the communication circuit transmits the frame received from the electronic device to the processor when it is determined that the frame is not a frame related to time synchronization.
According to claim 13,
The at least one processor,
When the frame is received from the electronic device through the communication circuit, transmits a request message related to time information to the communication circuit;
An electronic device receiving time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device from the communication circuit in response to the request message.
According to claim 18,
The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the time information managed by the communication circuit includes time information managed by the communication circuit related to a frame transmitted and/or received with the electronic device through the wireless LAN.
According to claim 13,
The processor detects a difference between time information managed by a communication circuit of the electronic device and time information managed by the communication circuit of the external electronic device;
Update time information managed by a processor of the electronic device based on the difference between the detected time information;
An electronic device that corrects time information managed by the processor of the external electronic device with the updated time information.

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