CN110557823A

CN110557823A - clock synchronization method and device, terminal equipment, chip and readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN110557823A
Application number: CN201810555985.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 汲桐; 杨坤; 高峰; 宋兴华; 于光炜
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-05-31
Filing date: 2018-05-31
Publication date: 2019-12-10
Also published as: WO2019228221A1

Abstract

the application provides a clock synchronization method, a clock synchronization device, a terminal device, a chip and a readable storage medium, wherein the method comprises the following steps: the terminal device firstly determines clock information, wherein the clock information comprises at least one of a first clock and a correction parameter, and the first clock is determined by the terminal device according to the first information sent by the network device. And then, the terminal equipment carries out clock synchronization according to the clock information. In the method, the terminal device performs clock synchronization according to clock information, wherein the clock information comprises at least one of a first clock and a correction parameter, that is, the terminal device performs clock synchronization by combining factors such as time delay or deviation, and the like, thereby ensuring clock synchronization between the terminal device and the network device and further ensuring normal communication between the terminal device and the terminal device.

Description

Clock synchronization method and device, terminal equipment, chip and readable storage medium

Technical Field

The present application relates to communications technologies, and in particular, to a clock synchronization method and apparatus, a terminal device, a chip, and a readable storage medium.

background

In a mobile communication system, high-precision clock synchronization (for example, clock synchronization with precision of microsecond) may need to be performed before a terminal device and the terminal device, so that normal information interaction can be performed between the terminal devices. In the current mobile communication system, terminal devices interact with each other through a network device (e.g., a base station), and the network device may be regarded as a centralized controller of the terminal device, so that the network device may serve as a clock synchronization source. Each terminal device only needs to keep clock synchronization with the network respectively, and clock synchronization among the terminal devices can be achieved.

In the prior art, a network device sends clock information to a terminal device through a preset system message and the like, and the terminal device directly uses the clock information to synchronize a clock of the terminal device after receiving the clock information sent by the network device. However, the method in the prior art does not consider the influence of the wireless propagation delay on the clock accuracy, and the propagation delay reduces the clock synchronization accuracy between the terminal device and the base station, so that the requirement of some application scenarios on the high-accuracy clock between the terminal devices cannot be met.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a clock synchronization method, a clock synchronization device, a terminal device, a chip and a readable storage medium, which are used for solving the problem that the prior art cannot meet the high-precision clock requirement of a mobile communication system.

A first aspect of the present application provides a clock synchronization method, including:

The terminal device firstly determines clock information, wherein the clock information comprises at least one of a first clock and a correction parameter, and the first clock is determined by the terminal device according to the first information sent by the network device. And then, the terminal equipment carries out clock synchronization according to the clock information.

in the method, the terminal device performs clock synchronization according to clock information, wherein the clock information comprises at least one of a first clock and a correction parameter, that is, the terminal device performs clock synchronization by combining factors such as time delay or deviation, and the like, thereby ensuring clock synchronization between the terminal device and the network device and further ensuring normal communication between the terminal device and the terminal device.

In one possible design, the correction parameter includes a first deviation value, where the first deviation value is an estimated value of a deviation between a terminal device clock and a network device clock;

The terminal equipment performs clock synchronization according to the clock information, and the clock synchronization comprises the following steps:

And the terminal equipment determines a target clock according to the first deviation value and the original clock of the terminal equipment.

In one possible design, the determining, by the terminal device, a target clock according to the first deviation value and the original clock of the terminal device includes:

And the terminal equipment determines that the target clock is the sum or difference value of the original clock of the terminal equipment and the first deviation value.

In one possible design, the clock synchronization performed by the terminal device according to the clock information includes:

And the terminal equipment performs clock synchronization according to the first clock and the correction parameter.

in one possible design, the correction parameter includes an estimate of uplink timing advance;

The terminal equipment performs clock synchronization according to the first clock and the correction parameter, and the clock synchronization comprises the following steps:

And the terminal equipment determines a target clock according to the first clock and the estimated value of the uplink time advance.

In one possible design, the determining, by the terminal device, a target clock according to the first clock and the estimated value of the uplink time advance includes:

And the terminal equipment determines that a target clock is the sum of the first clock and half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance.

In a possible design, the correction parameter includes an estimated value of an uplink time advance and a second offset value, where the second offset value is a difference between an actual receiving time when the network device receives the second information sent by the terminal device and an ideal receiving time;

and the terminal equipment determines a target clock according to the first clock, the estimated value of the uplink time advance and the second deviation value.

in one possible design, the determining, by the terminal device, a target clock according to the first clock, the estimated value of the uplink time advance, and the second deviation value includes:

And the terminal equipment determines a target clock as the sum of the first clock and a target function, wherein the target function is a function of the estimated value of the uplink time advance and the second deviation value.

In one possible design, the objective function is a sum or a difference of half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance and half of the second deviation value.

in one possible design, before the determining, by the terminal device, clock information, the method further includes:

The terminal equipment receives the first information sent by the network equipment;

And the terminal equipment determines the first clock according to the first information.

In one possible design, the terminal device determines the clock information, including:

and the terminal equipment determines the correction parameter according to at least one of Media Access Control (MAC) CE signaling, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling and physical layer signaling.

In one possible design, the first information is at least one of physical layer signaling, MAC CE signaling, non-access stratum, NAS, signaling, dedicated RRC signaling, and system messages.

A second aspect of the present application provides a clock synchronization method, including:

the network equipment sends first information to the terminal equipment so that the terminal equipment determines a first clock according to the first information;

And the network equipment sends indication information to the terminal equipment so that the terminal equipment determines a correction parameter according to the indication information.

In one possible design, the indication information is at least one of MAC CE signaling, radio resource control RRC signaling, and physical layer signaling.

A third aspect of the present application provides a clock synchronization apparatus that implements the functions in the first aspect. These functions may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions.

In one possible design, the electronic device may include a processing module that may perform the corresponding functions of the above-described method, such as: the terminal device comprises a processing module and a processing module, wherein the processing module is used for determining clock information, the clock information comprises at least one of a first clock and a correction parameter, the first clock is determined by the terminal device according to first information sent by the network device, and the processing module is also used for carrying out clock synchronization according to the clock information.

A fourth aspect of the present application provides a clock synchronization apparatus that implements the functions in the second aspect. These functions may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions.

in one possible design, the electronic device may include a processing module and a sending module, which may perform corresponding functions in the above method, such as: the processing module is used for sending first information to the terminal equipment through the sending module so that the terminal equipment determines a first clock according to the first information, and the processing module is also used for sending indication information to the terminal equipment through the sending module so that the terminal equipment determines a correction parameter according to the indication information.

A fifth aspect of the present application provides a terminal device comprising a memory and a processor. Wherein the processor is configured to be coupled with the memory, read and execute instructions in the memory, so as to perform the method of the first aspect.

a sixth aspect of the present application provides a network device comprising a memory and a processor. Wherein the processor is configured to be coupled with the memory, read and execute the instructions in the memory, so as to execute the method of the second aspect.

A seventh aspect of the present application provides a chip, including: the terminal device comprises at least one communication interface, at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the communication interface, the processor and the memory are in communication connection, and the processor calls instructions stored in the memory to enable the terminal device to execute the method of the first aspect.

An eighth aspect of the present application provides a chip, including: the terminal device comprises at least one communication interface, at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the communication interface, the processor and the memory are in communication connection, and the processor calls instructions stored in the memory to enable the terminal device to execute the method of the first aspect.

A ninth aspect of the present application provides a computer program product comprising computer program code which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

A tenth aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system architecture to which the clock synchronization method provided herein relates;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of a clock synchronization method provided in the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic time diagram illustrating that a terminal device and a base station respectively transmit a time service signal;

FIG. 4 is a time diagram illustrating a terminal device and a base station respectively transmitting a time service signal and a base station scheduling uplink time service signal;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a base station transmitting time service information;

fig. 6 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a clock synchronization apparatus according to the present application;

fig. 7 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a clock synchronization apparatus according to the present application;

fig. 8 is a block diagram of a terminal device 800 provided in the present application;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a chip 900 according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of another clock synchronization apparatus provided in the present application;

Fig. 11 is a block diagram of a network device 1100 provided herein;

Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a chip 1200 provided in the present application.

Detailed Description

With the continuous development of mobile communication technology, the mobile communication technology gradually exerts more and more important influence in various fields such as living, working, leisure, and traffic of people. The communication between the terminal equipment is an important function of the mobile communication technology, and in many application scenarios, such as intelligent manufacturing, smart grid, and the like, the high-precision clock synchronization between the terminal equipment and the terminal equipment is a necessary guarantee for service development. Especially in a novel mobile communication system such as a mobile internet, an internet of things and the like, whether clock synchronization can be achieved between terminal equipment and the terminal equipment or not may directly influence whether some service functions can be normally completed or not. The following is illustrated by two example scenarios.

Example scenario one

In an industrial control scenario, the controller needs to maintain clock synchronization with the actuator. The controller sends a control signaling to the actuator to instruct the actuator to execute a command at a determined time, and if the awareness of the actuator and the controller on the time is different, i.e. clocks are not synchronous, the actuator can execute the command at an incorrect time, and the task execution fails.

For example, the controller informs the actuator (e.g. a mechanical arm) to start rotating to the left at a constant speed at 3 points, the angular velocity is w, and the rotation time is t equal to 5 seconds, but actually, since the clocks of the actuator and the controller are not synchronous, the actuator considers that 3 points are 3 points and zero 1 second in the controller, so the actuator starts rotating at 3 points and zero 1 second in the controller, and rotates for 5 seconds until 3 points and zero 6 seconds. And the 1 second lag may result in a collision with another actuator.

Example scenario two

In a smart grid scenario, clock synchronization is required between phase Measurement modules (PMUs), and the PMUs are deployed on a power line as terminal devices for sensing changes in power information, such as changes in voltage and current. When a fault occurs at a location of the power line, a power wave is generated there, and the power wave is transmitted in both directions along the power line. The voltage or current changes are caused when the power wave passes through each position in the process of propagation, and when the power wave passes through the position where the PMU is deployed, the PMU senses the voltage and current changes, records the information and records the time when the changes occur, wherein the time represents the time when the power wave is transmitted to the position. When the PMUs at two ends of the power line respectively sense the power waves in two directions, because the power waves in the two directions are simultaneously generated, if the time of the two PMUs is synchronous, the position where the power waves are generated, namely the distance difference between the fault position and the 2 PMUs can be calculated through the time difference, and the specific fault position can be calculated by combining the fixed distance between the 2 PMUs.

in a mobile communication system, terminal devices interact with each other through network devices, and the network devices can be regarded as a centralized controller of the terminal devices, so that the network devices can be used as time-sharing sources. Each terminal device only needs to keep clock synchronization with the network device respectively, and clock synchronization between the terminal devices can be achieved.

In the existing mobile communication system, the terminal device directly uses the clock information sent by the network device to perform clock synchronization, and ignores the propagation delay when the network device sends a message to the terminal device or the clock deviation between the terminal device and the network device. In application scenarios such as smart manufacturing or smart grid, the clock synchronization precision between terminal devices is required to be high, and the precision is generally required to be on the order of 1 to 10 microseconds. With such high accuracy requirements, if the propagation delay or clock skew of the message is not considered, fatal errors may result. For example, assuming a cell radius of 30 km, the propagation delay is about 100 microseconds, which is not negligible with respect to the accuracy requirement of 1 to 10 microseconds, otherwise serious errors in the communication between the terminal devices may occur. For example, in the above-described example scenario two, propagation delay or clock skew may cause the fault point location to be calculated incorrectly.

The technical scheme of the application aims to solve the problems.

The present application can be applied to a cellular Communication network System, such as an NR System, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) System, a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) System, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) System, and the like.

Fig. 1 is a system architecture diagram related to a clock synchronization method provided in the present application, and as shown in fig. 1, the method relates to a terminal device and a network device.

The terminal device may be a device providing voice and/or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device having wireless connection capability, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. Wireless terminal devices, which may be mobile terminal devices such as mobile telephones (or "cellular" telephones) and computers having mobile terminal devices, for example, portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, may communicate with one or more core networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN). For example, Personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and the like. A wireless Terminal Device may also be referred to as a system, a Subscriber Unit (Subscriber Unit), a Subscriber Station (Subscriber Station), a Mobile Station (Mobile), a Remote Station (Remote Station), an Access Point (Access Point), a Remote Terminal Device (Remote Terminal), an Access Terminal Device (Access Terminal), a User Terminal Device (User Terminal), a User Agent (User Agent), a User Device (User Device), or a User Equipment (User Equipment).

The network device may be a base station operable to interconvert received air frames and IP packets as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, which may include an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The base station may also coordinate management of attributes for the air interface. For example, the Base Station may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a Base Station (NodeB) in a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), an evolved Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in LTE, or a gNB in NR. The present application is not limited.

it should be noted that at least one of the embodiments described in this application means "one" or "more than one". Illustratively, including at least one of A, B, C, may be defined as follows:

(1) comprises A

(2) Comprising B

(3) Comprising C

(4) Comprising A and B

(5) Comprising A and C

(6) Comprising B and C

(7) Including A, B and C

It should be noted that "the difference between a and B" in the embodiment of the present application refers to a-B, i.e., a minus B, or B-a, i.e., B minus a.

For convenience of description, the following embodiments of the present application all represent network devices by base stations.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of a clock synchronization method provided in the present application, and as shown in fig. 2, the method includes:

S201, the terminal device determines clock information, wherein the clock information comprises at least one of a first clock and a correction parameter, and the first clock is determined by the terminal device according to the first information sent by the network device.

optionally, the first clock is a common clock synchronized by the network device, and the common clock is a common clock having a unified standard and not changing with subjective awareness changes of any independent person or social group, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) clock, Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) time, and a beidou clock.

the first clock is determined by the terminal device according to the first information sent by the network device. Optionally, the first information carries a time information, where the time information is a time corresponding to a determined time reference point, and the time reference point may be a sending time of the first information or any other determined reference time at which the network device and the terminal device have a common identity. Optionally, the first information carries time reference point information and time information of the time reference point. Generally, when a terminal device determines a time reference point time, the terminal device can be considered to acquire clock synchronization. Of course, the clock synchronization may be preliminary clock synchronization, and the terminal device may adjust the preliminary clock synchronization by a certain means.

Illustratively, the first information may be at least one of physical layer signaling or higher layer signaling.

the Physical layer signaling may be a signal carried in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) or a Physical Hybrid automatic repeat indicator Channel (PHICH), or may be a reference signal.

The higher layer signaling may be a system message, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, (Media Access Control element, MAC CE) signaling, or a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling.

Illustratively, the base station broadcasts the time information of the first clock through a system message, and after receiving the system message, the terminal device determines the time information of the first clock according to the content of the system message.

Optionally, when the terminal device obtains the time information of the first clock through the system message and obtains the time information of the first clock through the non-system message (e.g., dedicated RRC signaling, physical layer signaling, MAC CE, or NAS signaling, etc.), the terminal device may determine the first clock according to the time information of the first clock obtained through the non-system message, because the non-system message generally has higher security, privacy, and reliability than the system message.

optionally, when the terminal device obtains the time information of the first clock through the system message and obtains the time information of the first clock through the non-system message, the time information of the two first clocks may be compared, and when a difference between the two time information is smaller than a preset threshold, the terminal device may determine the first clock according to the time information of the first clock obtained through the system message or according to the time information of the first clock obtained through the non-system message, otherwise, the terminal device determines the first clock according to the time information of the first clock obtained through the non-system message.

Optionally, when the terminal device obtains the Time information of the first clock through the system message and obtains the Time information of the first clock through the non-system message within a certain Time range, the terminal device may determine the first clock according to the Time information of the first clock obtained through the non-system message, where the certain Time range may be a positive integer number of symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or Transmission Time Intervals (TTI).

Optionally, the correction parameter may include an estimated value of a deviation value between a terminal device clock and a network device clock, an estimated value of an uplink time advance, and the like.

optionally, the terminal device may determine the modification parameter according to at least one of MAC CE signaling, RRC signaling, and physical layer signaling. The physical layer signaling may be a signal carried in PDCCH or PHICH, or a reference signal.

specifically, the network device sends indication information to the terminal device, where the indication information is at least one of MAC CE signaling, RRC signaling, and physical layer signaling. And after receiving the indication information, the terminal equipment determines the correction parameters according to the indication information.

and S202, the terminal equipment performs clock synchronization according to the clock information.

Optionally, the terminal device may adjust a local clock of the terminal device based on the clock information, so that the local clock of the terminal device and the clock of the base station are kept synchronized.

In this embodiment, the terminal device performs clock synchronization according to clock information, where the clock information includes at least one of the first clock and the correction parameter, that is, the terminal device performs clock synchronization by combining factors such as time delay or deviation, so as to ensure that the accuracy of clock synchronization between the terminal device and the network device is high enough, and further ensure normal communication between the terminal device and the terminal device.

Based on the above embodiments, in the present application, the terminal device may perform clock synchronization in the following three ways.

(1) the terminal equipment performs clock synchronization according to the first clock

(2) The terminal equipment carries out clock synchronization according to the correction parameters

(3) The terminal equipment carries out clock synchronization according to the first clock and the correction parameter

The three modes are described below.

Mode (1)

In this manner, the terminal device performs clock synchronization according to the first clock.

optionally, the network device sends the first information to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first information sent by the network device, and then the terminal device determines the first clock according to the first information.

The network device already takes the information such as propagation delay into account when sending the first information, and correspondingly, the terminal device determines the first clock according to the first information as the clock taking the information such as propagation delay into account. Therefore, the terminal device can perform clock synchronization directly according to the first clock.

Optionally, the network device may determine that the first clock is a function of a common clock synchronized by the network device and the uplink time advance.

for example, the function of the synchronized common clock and the uplink time advance of the network device may specifically be:

and adding the common clock to half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance.

Mode (2)

in this mode, the terminal device performs clock synchronization based on the correction parameter

In this manner, the correction parameter may include a first deviation value, which is an estimated value of the deviation between the terminal device clock and the network device clock.

In the working process of the terminal equipment, due to the problem of crystal oscillation of the terminal equipment, the clock of the terminal equipment may drift, and further the clock of the terminal equipment and the clock of the network equipment are deviated.

In this manner, the terminal device may determine the target clock according to the first deviation value, i.e. the estimated value of the deviation between the terminal device clock and the network device clock, and the terminal device original clock.

The original clock of the terminal equipment is a local clock before the terminal equipment performs clock synchronization.

Optionally, the terminal device determines the target clock as a function of the original clock of the terminal device and the first deviation value.

for example, the function of the original clock of the terminal device and the first deviation value may specifically be:

And adding or subtracting the original clock of the terminal equipment and the first deviation value.

specifically, the terminal device adjusts the time of the first deviation value forward or backward based on the original clock of the terminal device.

for example, assuming that the first deviation value is 5 seconds, and the time of the original clock of the terminal device is 3 o 'clock 01 minutes 08 seconds, if the function of the original clock of the terminal device and the first deviation value is the sum of the original clock of the terminal device and the first deviation value, the time of the target clock of the terminal device after adjustment is 3 o' clock 01 minutes 13 seconds. And if the function of the original clock of the terminal equipment and the first deviation value is the difference value of the original clock of the terminal equipment and the first deviation value, the time of the target clock of the terminal equipment is 3 points 01 minutes 03 seconds after adjustment. Therefore, the clock deviation of the terminal equipment is adjusted.

The method of determining the first deviation value will be described below.

Before performing clock synchronization according to the first deviation value and the original clock, the first deviation value needs to be determined.

The terminal device may determine the first deviation value in the following two alternative ways.

In an alternative embodiment, the first deviation value may be determined according to time information of time service signals respectively transmitted by the terminal device and the network device.

Fig. 3 is a time diagram illustrating that a terminal device and a base station respectively transmit a time service signal, and as shown in fig. 3, the base station and the terminal device each transmit a signal, which is called a time service signal, to each other. The base station sends downlink time service signals to the terminal equipmentand the terminal equipment sends an uplink time service signal to the base station. And the base station is at t₀ ^BSSending a downlink time service signal to the terminal equipment, wherein the terminal equipment is at t₁ ^UEReceiving the downlink time service signal, and the terminal equipment is at t₂ ^UESending an uplink time service signal to the base station, the base station being at t₃ ^BSAnd receiving the uplink time service signal. And the propagation time delay of the uplink and downlink time service signals is respectively P_ULAnd P_DL。

in an actual communication environment, when the transmission times of the downlink time service signal and the uplink time service signal are relatively close to each other, it can be considered that the propagation delays of the uplink and the downlink are approximately the same.

assuming that the first offset value is offset, i.e. there is a time offset of offset between the terminal device and the base station, the first offset value can be defined as the difference between the clock of the terminal device and the clock of the base station, i.e. t^UE＝t^BS+ offset, the following equations (1), (2) and (3) can be obtained from the above fig. 2:

t₀ ^BS+offset+P_DL＝t₁ ^UE (1)

t₂ ^UE–offset+P_UL＝t₃ ^BS (2)

P_UL＝P_DL (3)

Further, the first deviation value offset can be calculated from the above equations (1), (2) and (3), and the calculation equation is the following equation (4):

Further, assume that the time of the original clock of the terminal device isthe target clock of the terminal device has the timeThe time of the target clock may be represented by the following formula(5) calculating to obtain:

It should be understood that the first offset value offset may also refer to the difference between the clock of the base station and the clock of the terminal device, i.e. t^UE＝t^BSOffset, in which case equations (1), (2) and (3) can be replaced by:

t₀ ^BS-offset+P_DL＝t₁ ^UE (1)

t₂ ^UE+offset+P_UL＝t₃ ^BS (2)

P_UL＝P_DL (3)

Correspondingly, equation (4) for calculating offset can be replaced by:

correspondingly, formula (5) for the terminal device to obtain the target always is as follows:

The above t is explained below₀ ^BS、t₁ ^UE、t₂ ^UE、t₃ ^BSthe method of obtaining.

In particular, t₁ ^UEAnd t₂ ^UEThe time for receiving and sending the signal at the terminal device side may be obtained based on a local implementation method of the terminal device, for example, the time may be directly obtained by a local clock of the terminal device, or obtained by receiving indication information sent by the base station, for example, the terminal device may obtain t by receiving clock information and/or indication information of uplink time advance sent by the base station₁ ^UEAnd t₂ ^UEAnd the like.

t₀ ^BSis the time when the base station sends down the downlink time service signal,Before transmitting the downlink time service signal to the terminal device, the base station may indicate the transmission time of the downlink time service signal to the terminal device through indication information such as RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling, and the terminal device may obtain t by receiving the indication information₀ ^BS。

t₃ ^BSthe time is the time when the base station side receives the uplink time service signal.

in an alternative, the base station may send the indication t to the terminal device₃ ^BSThe terminal device may acquire t by receiving the indication information₃ ^BS。

Optionally, the above is used for indicating t₃ ^BSThe indication information can be indicated to the terminal equipment by adopting an indirect indication method

Specifically, the base station may indicate the scheduling time and the actual receiving time of the uplink time service signal to the terminal deviceTo indirectly indicate the deviation ofthe scheduling time of the uplink time service signal refers to the ideal receiving time of the uplink time service signal, that is, the time when the base station requires the terminal device to transmit the uplink time service signal to the base station.

optionally, the downlink timing Signal may be a Cell Reference Signal (CRS), a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a DeModulation Reference Signal (DMRS), a Phase-tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), or the like. The uplink timing Signal may be a channel Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), a DeModulation Reference Signal (DMRS), a Phase-tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), or the like.

Optionally, the downlink time service signal and the uplink time service signal may be transmitted periodically, and the period and the resource location of the downlink time service signal and the uplink time service signal are configured to the terminal device by the base station in advance through RRC signaling or MAC CE.

Optionally, the base station sends the indication to the terminal devicethe indication information of (2) may be transmitted based on two forms. The first is fixed time transmission and the second is non-fixed time transmission. The fixed time transmission means that the base station transmits the indication information to the terminal equipment at a predetermined time. For example, the base station may send the indication information to the terminal device in a semi-persistent scheduling manner; or the base station periodically transmits the indication information to the terminal equipment through RRC signaling, MAC CE or physical layer signaling. The non-fixed time transmission means that the base station occasionally transmits the indication information to the terminal device through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling, and the terminal device monitors a PDCCH channel at a corresponding location to detect whether the base station transmits the indication information to the terminal device.

in another optional implementation manner, the terminal device may determine the first deviation value according to time information of the time service signal and an estimated value of the uplink advance, where the time service signal is sent by the terminal device and the network device respectively.

FIG. 4 is a time diagram illustrating a terminal device and a base station respectively transmitting a time service signal and a base station scheduling uplink time service signal, where t in FIG. 4₀ ^BS、t₁ ^UE、t₂ ^UE、t₃ ^BS、P_UL、P_DLthe meaning and determination method of (a) are the same as those in fig. 3, and reference may be made to the description of fig. 3, which is not described herein again. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, t is₄ ^BSTime position, t, of uplink time service signal scheduled for base station₅ ^UEIs t₄ ^BSThe reception time of the corresponding terminal device side.

The terminal device may calculate the first deviation value by the following equation (6).

further, the terminal device can determine the target clock by the above equation (5).

Wherein, the above-mentioned T_TAIs an estimated value of the current uplink time advance of the terminal equipment.

It should be noted that any formula equivalent to the formula in the above two modes is within the protection scope of the present application.

Mode (3)

in this way, the terminal device performs clock synchronization according to the first clock and the correction parameter.

The network equipment sends first information to the terminal equipment, the terminal equipment receives the first information sent by the network equipment and determines a correction parameter, and then the terminal equipment carries out clock synchronization according to the first clock and the correction parameter.

In this way, optionally, the correction parameter may specifically be two values, where the first value is: the correction parameters include an estimated value of the uplink timing advance. The second value is: the correction parameters comprise an estimated value of the uplink time advance and a second deviation value, wherein the second deviation value is the deviation between the actual receiving time and the ideal receiving time of the network equipment for receiving the second information sent by the terminal equipment.

The following describes the processing procedure when the correction parameter is different values.

1. The correction parameters include an estimate of the uplink timing advance

in this embodiment, the terminal device determines a target clock based on the first clock and the estimated value of the uplink time advance.

Optionally, the terminal device may determine that the target clock is a function of the first clock and the uplink time advance.

illustratively, the function of the first clock and the uplink time advance is specifically:

And summing the first clock and half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance.

The uplink timing advance may be used to determine an estimated value of propagation delay.

The following describes a specific process of the terminal device determining the target clock as a function of the first clock and the uplink time advance.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the base station transmitting time service information, and as shown in FIG. 5, the time of the base station transmitting the time service signal isThe time when the terminal equipment receives the time service signal is

The terminal device determines the target clock by the following formula (7):

Wherein, the TA is an estimated value of the uplink timing advance.

Optionally, the terminal device may obtain the estimated value of the uplink timing advance by receiving the indication information of the uplink timing advance sent by the base station.

Optionally, the base station may send the indication information of the uplink timing advance to the terminal device through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

Optionally, the aboveThe time of the time service signal sent by the base station.

Optionally, before the base station sends the time service signal to the terminal device, the base station may indicate, by sending the time indication information of the time service signal, the time for sending the time service signal to the terminal device.

optionally, the base station may send the time indication information of the time service signal to the terminal device through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

(2) The correction parameters comprise an estimated value and a second deviation value of the uplink time advance

the second deviation value is a deviation between an actual receiving time and an ideal receiving time of the network device for receiving the second information sent by the terminal device.

in this mode, the terminal device determines a target clock based on the first clock, the estimated value of the uplink time advance, and the second offset value.

Optionally, the terminal device determines that the target clock is a sum of the first clock and a target function, where the target function is a function of the estimated value of the uplink time advance and the second deviation value.

For example, the function of the estimated value of the uplink timing advance and the second deviation value may be:

the sum or difference of half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance and half of the second deviation value, or the difference of half of the second deviation value and half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance.

the specific process of the terminal device determining the target clock is explained below.

Alternatively, the terminal device may determine the target clock by using the following formula (8) according to the time of transmission, reception and scheduling of the time service signal shown in fig. 4.

Wherein,The time of the base station sending the time service signal, namely the time of the first clock.Is half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance.Half the second deviation value. Calculatedis the time of the target clock.

And then, the terminal equipment adjusts the time from the time adjusted by the original clock to the time of the target clock according to the time of the target clock.

fig. 6 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a clock synchronization apparatus provided in the present application, where the apparatus is applied to a terminal device, and as shown in fig. 6, the apparatus includes:

The processing module 601 is configured to determine clock information, where the clock information includes at least one of a first clock and a modification parameter, where the first clock is determined by the terminal device according to the first information sent by the network device.

And the processing module is also used for carrying out clock synchronization according to the clock information.

The device is used for realizing the method embodiments, the realization principle and the technical effect are similar, and the details are not repeated here.

In an alternative embodiment, the correction parameter includes a first deviation value, and the first deviation value is an estimated value of a deviation between the clock of the terminal device and the clock of the network device.

The processing module 601 is specifically configured to:

And determining a target clock according to the first deviation value and the original clock of the terminal equipment.

in an optional implementation manner, the processing module 601 is specifically configured to:

And determining the target clock as the sum or difference value of the original clock of the terminal equipment and the first deviation value.

And performing clock synchronization according to the first clock and the correction parameter.

In an optional implementation, the correction parameter includes an estimated value of an uplink timing advance.

The processing module 601 is specifically configured to:

And determining a target clock according to the first clock and the estimated value of the uplink time advance.

And determining the target clock as the sum of the first clock and half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance.

in an optional implementation manner, the correction parameter includes an estimated value of the uplink time advance and a second offset value, where the second offset value is a deviation between an actual receiving time and an ideal receiving time when the network device receives the second information sent by the terminal device.

The processing module 601 is specifically configured to:

And determining a target clock according to the first clock, the estimated value of the uplink time advance and the second deviation value.

And determining the target clock as the sum of the first clock and a target function, wherein the target function is a function of the estimated value of the uplink time advance and the second deviation value.

In an alternative embodiment, the objective function is a sum or a difference between half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance and half of the second deviation value.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a clock synchronization apparatus provided in the present application, and as shown in fig. 7, the apparatus further includes:

A receiving module 602, configured to receive the first information sent by the network device.

The processing module 601 is further configured to:

And determining the first clock according to the first information.

And determining the correction parameter according to at least one of MAC CE signaling, RRC signaling and physical layer signaling.

In an optional implementation manner, the first information is at least one of physical layer signaling, MAC CE signaling, NAS signaling, dedicated RRC signaling, and system message.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram of a terminal device 800 provided in the present application, where as shown in fig. 8, the terminal device 800 includes:

A memory 801 and a processor 802.

The processor 802 is configured to be coupled to the memory 801, and read and execute instructions in the memory 801 to perform the following methods:

And determining clock information, wherein the clock information comprises at least one of a first clock and a correction parameter, and the first clock is determined by the terminal equipment according to the first information sent by the network equipment.

and performing clock synchronization according to the clock information.

the processor 802 is specifically configured to:

in an alternative embodiment, the processor 802 is specifically configured to:

In an alternative embodiment, the processor 802 is specifically configured to:

the processor 802 is specifically configured to:

In an alternative embodiment, the processor 802 is specifically configured to:

The processor 802 is specifically configured to:

In an alternative embodiment, the processor 802 is specifically configured to:

determining the target clock as a sum of the first clock and an objective function as a function of the estimated value for the uplink time advance and the second deviation value.

In an alternative embodiment, the processor 802 is specifically configured to:

And receiving the first information sent by the network equipment.

And determining the first clock according to the first information.

in an alternative embodiment, the processor 802 is specifically configured to:

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a chip 900 provided in the present application, where the chip 900 may be used in a terminal device, as shown in fig. 9, and the chip includes: at least one communication interface 901, at least one processor 902, and at least one memory 903, wherein the communication interface 901, the processor 902, and the memory 903 are interconnected by a circuit (which may also be a bus in some cases) 904, and the processor 902 calls instructions stored in the memory 903 to perform the following method:

And performing clock synchronization according to the clock information.

the processor 902 is specifically configured to:

In an alternative embodiment, the processor 902 is specifically configured to:

The processor 902 is specifically configured to:

In an alternative embodiment, the processor 902 is specifically configured to:

The processor 902 is specifically configured to:

In an alternative embodiment, the processor 902 is specifically configured to:

And receiving the first information sent by the network equipment.

And determining the first clock according to the first information.

In an alternative embodiment, the processor 902 is specifically configured to:

Fig. 10 is a block diagram of another clock synchronization apparatus provided in the present application, and as shown in fig. 10, the apparatus includes:

A processing module 1001 and a sending module 1002;

The processing module 1001 is configured to send first information to a terminal device through the sending module 1002, so that the terminal device determines a first clock according to the first information.

The processing module 1001 is further configured to send instruction information to the terminal device through the sending module 1002, so that the terminal device determines a correction parameter according to the instruction information.

In an optional embodiment, the indication information is at least one of MAC CE signaling, RRC signaling, and physical layer signaling.

in an optional embodiment, the first information is at least one of physical layer signaling, MAC CE signaling, non-access stratum NAS signaling, dedicated RRC signaling, and system message.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram of a network device 1100 provided in the present application, where as shown in fig. 11, the network device 1100 includes:

A memory 1101 and a processor 1102.

The processor 1102 is configured to be coupled to the memory 1101, read and execute instructions in the memory 1101, and perform the following method:

Sending first information to terminal equipment so that the terminal equipment determines a first clock according to the first information;

And sending indication information to the terminal equipment so that the terminal equipment determines the correction parameters according to the indication information.

Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a chip 1200 provided in the present application, where the chip 1200 may be used in a network device, as shown in fig. 12, and the chip includes: at least one communication interface 1201, at least one processor 1202, and at least one memory 1203, wherein the communication interface 1201, the processor 1202, and the memory 1203 are interconnected by a circuit (or bus in some cases) 1204, and the processor 1202 invokes instructions stored in the memory 1203 to perform the following method:

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed on a computer, cause the processes or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the invention to occur, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that incorporates one or more of the available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy Disk, hard Disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

these computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

while the preferred embodiments of the present application have been described, additional variations and modifications in those embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including preferred embodiments and all alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of the application.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

Claims

1. a method of clock synchronization, comprising:

The method comprises the steps that a terminal device determines clock information, wherein the clock information comprises at least one of a first clock and a correction parameter, and the first clock is determined by the terminal device according to first information sent by a network device;

and the terminal equipment carries out clock synchronization according to the clock information.

2. the method of claim 1, wherein the modification parameter comprises a first deviation value, the first deviation value being an estimate of a deviation of a terminal device clock from a network device clock;

3. the method of claim 2, wherein determining, by the terminal device, the target clock based on the first offset value and the native clock of the terminal device comprises:

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal device performs clock synchronization according to the clock information, and comprises:

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the correction parameter comprises an estimate of uplink timing advance;

6. the method of claim 5, wherein the terminal device determines a target clock according to the first clock and the estimated value of the uplink time advance, comprising:

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the modification parameters include an estimated value of uplink timing advance and a second offset value, and the second offset value is a deviation between an actual receiving time and an ideal receiving time when the network device receives the second information sent by the terminal device;

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the terminal device determines a target clock according to the first clock, the estimated uplink time advance value and the second deviation value, and comprises:

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the objective function is a sum or difference of half of the estimated value of the uplink timing advance and half of the second deviation value.

10. The method according to any of claims 1-9, wherein before the terminal device determines the clock information, further comprising:

11. the method according to any of claims 1-10, wherein the terminal device determines clock information, comprising:

12. the method according to any of claims 1-11, wherein the first information is at least one of physical layer signaling, MAC CE signaling, non-access stratum, NAS, signaling, dedicated RRC signaling, and system messages.

13. A clock synchronization device applied to a terminal device is characterized by comprising:

The terminal equipment comprises a processing module, a processing module and a processing module, wherein the processing module is used for determining clock information, the clock information comprises at least one of a first clock and a correction parameter, and the first clock is determined by the terminal equipment according to first information sent by the network equipment;

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the modification parameter comprises a first deviation value, the first deviation value being an estimate of a deviation of a terminal device clock from a network device clock;

The processing module is specifically configured to:

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

17. the apparatus of claim 16, wherein the correction parameter comprises an estimate of uplink timing advance;

the processing module is specifically configured to:

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

and determining that the target clock is the sum of the first clock and half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the modification parameter comprises an estimated value of uplink timing advance and a second offset value, and the second offset value is an offset between an actual receiving time and an ideal receiving time when the network device receives the second information sent by the terminal device;

the processing module is specifically configured to:

20. the apparatus of claim 19, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

determining a target clock as a sum of the first clock and a target function, the target function being a function of the estimated value for the uplink time advance and the second deviation value.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the objective function is a sum or difference of half of the estimated value of the uplink time advance and half of the second deviation value.

22. The apparatus of any one of claims 13-21, further comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive the first information sent by the network device;

the processing module is further configured to:

determining the first clock according to the first information.

23. the apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 22, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

And determining the correction parameter according to at least one of Media Access Control (MAC) layer control unit (CE) signaling, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling and physical layer signaling.

24. the apparatus of any of claims 13-23, wherein the first information is at least one of physical layer signaling, MAC CE signaling, non-access stratum, NAS, signaling, dedicated RRC signaling, and system messages.

25. A terminal device, comprising: a memory and a processor;

The processor is coupled to the memory, and reads and executes instructions in the memory to implement the method steps of any one of claims 1-12.

26. A chip for a terminal device, the chip comprising at least one communication interface, at least one processor, and at least one memory, wherein the communication interface, the processor, and the memory are communicatively coupled, and the processor invokes instructions stored in the memory to cause the terminal device to perform the method steps of any one of claims 1-12.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product comprises computer program code which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-12.

28. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-12.