CN116056200A - Method for time synchronization between stations and related equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application discloses a method for time synchronization between stations and related equipment, which is applied in the technical field of communication. Including: the base station to be synchronized monitors the synchronization signal. The synchronization signal is periodically sent by the clock source base station, and the clock of the clock source base station is determined by an absolute time. When the base station to be synchronized detects the synchronization signal, the clock of the clock source base station is determined according to the synchronization signal. The base station to be synchronized determines the time offset between the base station to be synchronized and the clock source base station according to the clock of the clock source base station. The base station to be synchronized adjusts the clock corresponding to the base station to be synchronized according to the time deviation, so that the clock corresponding to the base station to be synchronized is synchronized with the clock of the clock source base station.

Description

Method and related equipment for time synchronization between stations

technical field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a method and related equipment for time synchronization between stations.

Background technique

In order to realize the time division multiplexing of transmission resources and the coordinated communication of multiple cells in the mobile communication network, each network element is required to maintain transmission synchronization. Therefore, each network element has strict requirements on the accuracy of the clock signal. Wherein, when the mobile terminal is between adjacent cells across stations, cell cooperative communication between adjacent cells is required, and time synchronization between stations is a prerequisite for cell cooperation.

At present, the base station generally obtains the absolute time through two methods. One is that all base stations are equipped with a global positioning system (global positioning ststem, GPS), the current absolute time is obtained through GPS, and the cell clock is determined through the current absolute time, so that the time synchronization between each cell can be realized. The other is that the base station obtains the absolute time through a clock server that supports the precision clock synchronization standard version of the network measurement and control system (the institute of electrical and electronics engineers 1588version2, IEEE 1588V2), so that each base station determines the cell clock based on the obtained absolute time , so as to achieve time synchronization between cells.

In the above two methods, each base station needs to configure GPS\1588 hardware to obtain the absolute time, which will lead to an increase in equipment cost. At the same time, for the first method, the GPS hardware has certain requirements on the installation location and is susceptible to interference from the electromagnetic environment, which will lead to low reliability of the absolute time obtained by the base station. For the second method, it requires all devices in the mobile communication network to support the IEEE 1588V2 protocol, which greatly increases the complexity of the mobile communication network. Therefore, how to implement time synchronization between stations more efficiently and concisely becomes an urgent problem to be solved.

Contents of the invention

The embodiment of the present application provides a method and related equipment for inter-station time synchronization. Each base station determines the clock of the clock source base station by detecting the relevant channel sent by the clock source base station, and then adjusts its own clock based on the clock of the clock source base station to realize The purpose of time synchronization with the clock source base station is to finally realize time synchronization between stations.

The first aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a method for inter-station time synchronization, the method comprising:

The base station needs to perform periodic time synchronization to provide a prerequisite for cooperative communication between stations. Therefore, the base station to be synchronized can periodically monitor the synchronization signal sent by the clock source base station. The time synchronization with the clock source base station is completed according to the monitored synchronization signal. Wherein, in the mobile communication network, multiple clock source base stations may be deployed, and GPS hardware may be installed on the clock source base stations to obtain the absolute time, and then determine the clock based on the obtained absolute time. Other base stations only need to ensure that they are synchronized with the clock of the clock source base station. Therefore, the base station to be synchronized needs to monitor the synchronization signal. After receiving the synchronization signal, it can determine the clock of the clock source base station based on the synchronization signal, and then compare the clock of the clock source base station with its own clock to obtain the time deviation. The base station to be synchronized can adjust its own clock based on the time deviation, so as to achieve the purpose of being synchronized with the clock of the clock source base station.

In the above method, the base station to be synchronized can complete time synchronization through the synchronization signal. In this way, in the mobile communication network, only a small number of base stations can be selected as the clock source base stations, and hardware such as GPS only needs to be installed for the clock source base stations. This can greatly reduce the cost of mobile network construction. At the same time, the base station to be synchronized directly obtains the synchronization signal sent by the clock source, so the delay can be reduced and the time synchronization accuracy can be improved.

In an optional implementation manner, the clock source base station can determine the actual position of its own radio frame based on the absolute time. The clock source base station needs to send a synchronization signal to the outside in a preset time slot of each radio frame. In this way, after receiving the synchronization signal, the base station to be synchronized can determine the frame number and the subframe number of the wireless frame corresponding to the synchronization signal according to the information carried by the synchronization signal. Then the base station to be synchronized can determine the start position of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station according to the obtained frame number and subframe number, that is, the clock of the clock source base station is known.

Using the frame number and subframe number of the wireless frame to determine the clock of the clock source can control the error within the range of milliseconds, which will greatly improve the accuracy of time synchronization.

In an optional embodiment, after the base station to be synchronized obtains the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station, it needs to compare the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station to be synchronized with the time of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source At the initial moment, the time deviation between the two is obtained. Then the base station to be synchronized needs to adjust the start time of its own radio frame according to the time offset, so that the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station to be synchronized is the same as the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station. In this way, time synchronization between the base station to be synchronized and the clock source base station is realized.

In an optional implementation manner, the clock source base station may send a synchronization signal on the downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station, so that the base station to be synchronized needs to receive the synchronization signal on the downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station. In this way, the transmission of the synchronization signal can avoid interfering with the uplink signal sent by the clock source base station. Or the clock source base station can send a synchronization signal on the uplink channel corresponding to the base station to be synchronized, so that the base station to be synchronized needs to receive the synchronization signal on the uplink channel corresponding to the base station to be synchronized, so that the transmission of the synchronization signal can avoid interfering with the base station to be synchronized The base station receives downlink signals.

In an optional embodiment, the base station to be synchronized performs related business operations most of the time, and only needs to perform time synchronization periodically. Before entering the time synchronization state to monitor the synchronization signal, the base station to be synchronized first needs to adjust the antenna, etc. way to adjust its coverage area. In order to better receive the synchronization signal. When the ability of the base station to be synchronized to receive the synchronization signal is enhanced, the number of clock source base stations in the mobile communication network can be reduced, further reducing the network installation cost.

The second aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides another method for inter-station time synchronization. The method includes:

First, the clock source base station deployed in the mobile communication network needs to obtain the absolute time, and determine the clock according to the absolute time, that is, the start time of the radio frame corresponding to itself. Use this as the basis for time synchronization between stations. After determining the starting position of the radio frame, the clock source base station needs to send a synchronization signal in a preset time slot of each radio frame. It is used for other base stations to be synchronized to complete inter-station time synchronization according to the synchronization signal.

In an optional embodiment, the synchronization signal may carry a frame number corresponding to the radio frame and a subframe number corresponding to a preset time slot, and the frame number and the subframe number corresponding to the preset time slot may indicate the base station to be synchronized, The start position of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

In an optional implementation manner, the clock source base station may send a synchronization signal on the downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station, so that the base station to be synchronized needs to receive the synchronization signal on the downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station. In this way, the transmission of the synchronization signal can avoid interfering with the uplink signal sent by the clock source base station. Or the clock source base station can send a synchronization signal on the uplink channel corresponding to the base station to be synchronized, so that the base station to be synchronized needs to receive the synchronization signal on the uplink channel corresponding to the base station to be synchronized, so that the transmission of the synchronization signal can avoid interference to the synchronization signal The base station receives downlink signals.

In an optional implementation manner, before sending the synchronization signal, the clock source base station first needs to adjust its coverage area by adjusting the antenna or the like. This enables the clock source base station to cover base stations in a wider range. When the ability of the clock source base station to send synchronization signals is enhanced, the number of clock source base stations in the mobile communication network can be reduced, further reducing network installation costs.

The third aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a base station device, where the base station device includes:

The monitoring unit is used for monitoring the synchronization signal. The synchronization signal is periodically sent by the clock source base station, and the clock of the clock source base station is determined by the absolute time.

The determination unit is configured to determine the clock of the clock source base station according to the synchronization signal when the monitoring unit detects the synchronization signal.

The determining unit is further configured to determine the time offset between the base station device and the clock source base station according to the clock of the clock source base station.

The processing unit is configured to adjust the clock corresponding to the base station device according to the time deviation, so that the clock corresponding to the base station device is synchronized with the clock of the clock source base station.

In an optional implementation manner, the clock source base station sends a synchronization signal in a preset time slot of a radio frame.

The determining unit is specifically configured to determine the frame number and subframe number corresponding to the synchronization signal according to the synchronization signal, and determine the start time of the wireless frame corresponding to the clock source base station according to the frame number and subframe number corresponding to the synchronization signal.

In an optional implementation manner, the determining unit is specifically configured to determine a time offset between the start moment of the radio frame corresponding to the base station device and the start moment of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

The processing unit is specifically configured to adjust the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station device, so that the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station device is the same as the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

In an optional implementation manner, the monitoring unit is specifically configured to receive a synchronization signal on a downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station. Or receive the synchronization signal on the uplink channel corresponding to the base station equipment.

In an optional embodiment, the processing unit is further configured to adjust the coverage area corresponding to the base station to be synchronized before the monitoring unit detects the synchronization signal.

The fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a clock source base station, where the clock source base station includes:

The determining unit is configured to determine the starting moment of the radio frame according to the absolute moment.

The sending unit is used to periodically send the synchronization signal in the preset time slot included in the wireless frame. The synchronization signal is used by the base station device to determine the clock of the clock source base station, and adjust the clock of the base station device according to the clock of the clock source base station, so that the corresponding clock of the base station device is synchronized with the clock of the clock source base station.

In an optional implementation manner, the synchronization signal includes a frame number corresponding to the radio frame and a subframe number corresponding to the preset time slot. The frame number corresponding to the radio frame and the subframe number corresponding to the preset time slot are used to indicate the starting position of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

In an optional embodiment, the sending unit is further configured to send a synchronization signal on a downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station. Or send a synchronization signal on the uplink channel corresponding to the base station to be synchronized.

In an optional implementation manner, the clock source base station further includes a processing unit. The processing unit is specifically configured to adjust the coverage area corresponding to the clock source base station before the sending unit periodically sends the synchronization signal in the preset time slot included in the wireless frame.

The fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a base station device, including: at least one processor and a memory, the memory stores computer-executable instructions that can run on the processor, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed by the processor The base station device executes the method for inter-station time synchronization as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

The sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a clock source base station, including: at least one processor and a memory, the memory stores computer-executable instructions that can run on the processor, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed by the processor , the clock source base station executes the inter-station time synchronization method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

The seventh aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, the computer program product includes computer software instructions, and the computer software instructions can be loaded by a processor to implement any one of the first aspect or the second aspect. A method for time synchronization between stations.

The eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect. The method for time synchronization between stations described in any one of the aspects.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a network architecture diagram of a mobile communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless frame structure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow diagram of an inter-station time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a network architecture diagram of another mobile communication network provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a clock source base station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another base station device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another clock source base station provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

The embodiment of the present application provides a method and related equipment for inter-station time synchronization. Each base station determines the clock of the clock source base station by detecting the relevant channel sent by the clock source base station, and then adjusts its own clock based on the clock of the clock source base station to realize The purpose of time synchronization with the clock source base station is to finally realize time synchronization between stations.

The technical terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "the" and "the" are used to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Further, the use of "comprising" and/or "comprising" used in the description means that there are said features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but it does not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components.

FIG. 1 is a network architecture diagram of a mobile communication provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1 , the terminal device is located at the edge of the coverage area corresponding to the base station A, and the terminal device performs network communication with the base station A at this moment. When the terminal device moves away from the coverage area corresponding to the base station A and enters the coverage area of the base station B, that is, the terminal device needs to communicate with the base station B when the cell cross-site is performed. In the Long Term Evolution LTE system, the base station generally has two working forms, including time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing. Among them, time division multiplexing is a transmission technology that uses different periods of the same physical connection to transmit different signals.

Since base station A and base station B are cells of the same frequency group, when the terminal device is located at the edge of cell A (overlapping area of the two cells), the terminal device is likely to receive downlink signals sent by base station A and base station B at the same time, causing the terminal device to received signal received serious interference. In order to eliminate interference, communication coordination between stations is required. The premise of inter-station cell coordination feature is time synchronization between cells.

At the same time, with the continuous development of wireless networks, in order to make full use of bandwidth resources and accommodate more network devices in the wireless network, it is usually necessary to perform unified scheduling among base stations to realize coordinated communication. The premise of the wireless network coordination feature is phase synchronization between stations, that is, time synchronization between stations. Subsequent coordinated scheduling can only be performed if the time between stations is synchronized.

Currently, the base station usually determines its own clock according to the absolute time. There are usually two methods for the base station to obtain the absolute time. One is that all the base stations are equipped with a global positioning system (global positioning ststem, GPS), and the current absolute time is obtained through the GPS, and the cell clock is determined through the current absolute time. In this way, each base station can be synchronized with satellite time, so that the time among cells corresponding to each base station is also synchronized. The other is that the base station obtains the absolute time through a clock server that supports the precise clock synchronization standard version IEEE 1588V2 protocol of the network measurement and control system, and then determines the clock of the cell based on the obtained absolute time, so that each base station is synchronized with the time determined by the clock server, Therefore, the time among the cells is also synchronized.

In the above two methods, each base station needs to configure GPS\1588 hardware to obtain the absolute time, which will lead to an increase in equipment cost. For the first method, the GPS hardware has certain requirements on the installation location and is susceptible to interference from the electromagnetic environment, which will lead to low reliability of the absolute time obtained by the base station. Therefore, it is difficult for the clocks corresponding to each cell to be synchronized with high precision. For the second method, it requires all devices in the mobile communication network to support the IEEE 1588V2 protocol, which will greatly increase the complexity of the mobile communication network. Therefore, how to implement time synchronization between stations more efficiently and concisely becomes an urgent problem to be solved.

Based on the above problems, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for inter-station time synchronization. First plan the wireless network, determine the clock source base station in the wireless network, and ensure that the clock source base station obtains the absolute time, so as to determine the clock. Then other base stations determine the clock of the clock source base station by detecting the synchronization signal sent by the clock source base station, and then adjust their own clocks based on the clock of the clock source base station to achieve the purpose of time synchronization with the clock source base station, and finally realize inter-station time synchronization. In this way, the cost of equipment can be greatly reduced, and the purpose of time synchronization between stations can be realized quickly and efficiently through communication between base stations.

Before introducing the method for inter-station time synchronization provided by the embodiment of this application, the data transmission of the base station will be introduced in detail:

The mobile communication network transmits network data according to the wireless frame structure. Wherein, the total length of the radio frame is 10 ms (millisecond). Exemplarily, in time division duplex TDD mode, a radio frame is composed of two half-frames with a length of 5ms, and each half-frame includes five subframes with a length of 1ms. Among the 5 subframes, there are 4 normal subframes and 1 special subframe. Wherein, a subframe is a unit of data scheduling and transmission. That is, the base station can send a downlink signal in one subframe, and receive an uplink signal sent by a terminal device in another subframe. It can be understood that the clock of the base station can be reflected by the radio frame, and when the inter-station time synchronization is completed, it only needs to ensure that the start times of the radio frames corresponding to the two base stations are the same.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless frame structure provided by an embodiment of the present application. Wherein, the base station corresponds to multiple consecutive radio frames, and each radio frame includes a corresponding radio frame number. The total length of a radio frame is 10 ms, and a radio frame includes 10 subframes, and each subframe has a corresponding subframe number, for example, the subframe numbers are 0 to 9. Each subframe includes two slots. In the TDD frame structure, subframe 1 and subframe 6 can be configured as special subframes, and the special subframe includes 3 special time slots. Among them, the special time slot is no longer used for ordinary network data transmission, but can be used for transmission of downlink control channels and downlink shared channels, transmission of synchronization signals, and the like. The base station can determine the starting position of the radio frame based on an absolute moment, and then perform data transmission according to the radio frame structure. However, the stations only need to ensure that the start positions of their corresponding wireless frames are the same, so as to realize time synchronization between stations and avoid data transmission interference.

Based on the above wireless frame structure, a method for time synchronization between stations provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced in detail below. FIG. 3 is a schematic flow diagram of an inter-station time synchronization method provided in an embodiment of the present application, including:

301. The clock source base station acquires an absolute time, and determines a start time of a radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station according to the absolute time.

Firstly, network planning is performed on the mobile communication network, and multiple clock source base stations in the mobile communication network are determined. Wherein, the clock source base station is a reference station, and the clocks of each base station are synchronized with the clock of the clock source base station. It can be understood that the clock source base station determines the start position of the radio frame based on the absolute time. Exemplarily, GPS hardware may be installed on the base station of the clock source, so that the clock source obtains the absolute time provided by the satellite, and then determines the starting position of the radio frame based on a certain preset time. Exemplarily, the clock source base station can also obtain an absolute time provided by the clock server through the IEEE 1588V2 protocol, and then determine the start position of the wireless frame based on the absolute time, which is not specifically limited. It can be understood that each base station can directly communicate with the clock source. Therefore, in a preferred solution, a clock source base station can only serve as a reference station for multiple neighboring base stations.

302. The clock source base station sends a synchronization signal in a preset subframe included in a radio frame.

When the clock source base station has determined the position of its corresponding wireless frame, it can periodically send a synchronization signal based on the wireless frame for other base stations to monitor the synchronization signal, and according to the synchronization signal to achieve the time with the clock source base station Synchronization purpose. Among them, the clock source base station can send the following synchronization signals:

Example 1: The clock source base station can implement time synchronization between stations by sending a primary synchronization signal PSS or a secondary synchronization signal SSS. PSS is a special physical layer signal that can be used for synchronization of wireless frames. In the frequency division multiplexing FDD mode, the PSS is located in the first subframe and the sixth subframe of the radio frame. In TDD mode, it is located in the second subframe and the seventh subframe of the radio frame. The SSS is similar to the PSS and is also a special physical layer signal. In the frequency division multiplexing FDD mode, the SSS is located in the first subframe and the sixth subframe of the wireless frame, and the first subframe and the sixth subframe The SSS sequences corresponding to subframes are different. Wherein, both the PSS and the SSS are one of the keys for determining the physical cell ID.

Example 2: The clock source base station can implement inter-station synchronization by sending a cell reference signal CRS. Usually, a CRS can be sent in each downlink subframe in the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

Example 3: The clock source base station can also implement inter-station time synchronization by sending a physical broadcast channel PBCH, usually the PBCH is located in subframe 0 included in the radio frame.

It can be understood that the clock source base station can also send other self-defined synchronization signals, and it is only required to periodically send the self-defined synchronization signals in preset subframes of each radio frame, and there is no specific limitation.

In order to prevent the synchronization signal from interfering with other data signals, the clock source base station may choose to send the synchronization signal in a downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station (the downlink channel is originally used for receiving signals). In this way, mutual interference between the synchronization signal and the uplink signal corresponding to the clock source base station can be avoided. Or, the clock source base station can choose to send the synchronization signal in the uplink channel of other base stations to be synchronized, so that the base station to be synchronized can receive the synchronization signal in its own corresponding uplink channel (originally the uplink channel is used to send signals), like this, This can prevent the synchronization signal from interfering with the downlink signal corresponding to the base station to be synchronized.

303. The base station to be synchronized monitors the synchronization signal.

The clock source base station periodically sends a synchronization signal, and the base station to be synchronized needs to monitor the synchronization signal at any time, and then adjust its own clock according to the monitored synchronization signal.

304. After the base station to be synchronized detects the synchronization signal, determine the frame number and the subframe number of the wireless frame corresponding to the synchronization signal according to the synchronization signal.

After the base station to be synchronized detects the synchronization signal, it can obtain the frame number and the subframe number of the wireless frame corresponding to the synchronization signal according to the synchronization signal. Since the synchronization signal is sent by the base station of the clock source based on its own clock, and the position of the synchronization signal is known, then it can be determined according to the frame number and subframe number of the radio frame corresponding to the synchronization signal that the base station of the clock source corresponds to The starting position of the radio frame.

305. The base station to be synchronized determines the start position of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station according to the corresponding frame number and subframe number corresponding to the synchronization signal.

It can be understood that the length of each subframe is 1ms, and the length of each radio frame is 10ms. Therefore, the start position of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station can be determined according to the frame number and subframe number corresponding to the received synchronization signal.

306. The base station to be synchronized determines the time offset between the base station to be synchronized and the base station with the clock source according to the start position of the radio frame corresponding to the base station with the clock source.

After the base station to be synchronized determines the start position of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station, it can compare with the start position of the radio frame corresponding to itself to determine the time offset between the base station to be synchronized and the clock source base station. Then, its own clock can be adjusted based on the time offset, so that the time of the base station to be synchronized and the clock source base station are synchronized.

307. The base station to be synchronized adjusts the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station to be synchronized according to the clock deviation.

Finally, the base station to be synchronized adjusts the starting position of its own radio frame according to the clock deviation. It can be understood that when the start times of the radio frames of the base station to be synchronized and the base station of the clock source are the same, the time of the base station to be synchronized and the base station of the clock source will also be synchronized. In this way, subsequent collaborative communication can be performed.

In the embodiment of the present application, the base station to be synchronized directly communicates with the clock source base station, monitors the synchronization signal sent by the clock source base station, and then determines the time deviation between the clock source base station and itself based on the synchronization signal, and based on this time deviation, performs its own The clock of the base station is adjusted, and finally the time synchronization between the base station to be synchronized and the clock source base station is achieved. Through this method, the mobile communication device can realize time synchronization between stations without installing a large number of hardware devices. At the same time, when the time synchronization is realized through the synchronization signal, a millisecond-level high-precision time deviation can be obtained, so that the purpose of real-time high-quality and high-precision time synchronization between stations can be realized.

FIG. 4 is a network architecture diagram of another mobile communication network provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the base station in the middle is the clock source base station, and other base stations in the fan-shaped coverage area of the base station are base stations to be synchronized. During the time synchronization operation, each base station to be synchronized directly communicates with the clock source base station, and realizes time synchronization with the clock source base station by monitoring various synchronization signals.

It can be understood that, in a general state, both the clock source base station and the common base station perform service communication. Ordinary base stations only need to monitor synchronization signals periodically to synchronize time between stations. When performing inter-station time synchronization, the clock source base station can increase the coverage of its synchronization signal by adjusting the antenna. Or increase the transmission power of the synchronization signal to increase the coverage of the synchronization signal. This enables more base stations to be synchronized to receive the synchronization signal. In this way, when the coverage of the clock source base station is wider, the number of clock source base stations in the entire mobile communication network can be reduced. Therefore, the hardware installation cost of the clock source base station is further reduced. Similarly, when the base station to be synchronized monitors the synchronization signal, the receiving range of the base station to be synchronized can also be expanded by adjusting the antenna, and the ability of the base station to be synchronized to receive the synchronization signal can be improved, which can also reduce the number of clock source base stations in the entire mobile communication network. quantity.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station device provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Fig. 5 , including:

The monitoring unit 501 is configured to monitor the synchronization signal. The synchronization signal is periodically sent by the clock source base station, and the clock of the clock source base station is determined by the absolute time.

The determination unit 502 is configured to determine the clock of the clock source base station according to the synchronization signal when the monitoring unit detects the synchronization signal.

The determining unit 502 is further configured to determine a time offset between the base station device and the clock source base station according to the clock of the clock source base station.

The processing unit 503 is configured to adjust the clock corresponding to the base station device according to the time deviation, so that the clock corresponding to the base station device is synchronized with the clock of the clock source base station.

In an optional implementation manner, the clock source base station sends a synchronization signal in a preset time slot of a radio frame.

The determining unit 502 is specifically configured to determine the frame number and subframe number corresponding to the synchronization signal according to the synchronization signal, and determine the start time of the wireless frame corresponding to the clock source base station according to the frame number and subframe number corresponding to the synchronization signal.

In an optional implementation manner, the determining unit 502 is specifically configured to determine a time offset between the start moment of the radio frame corresponding to the base station device and the start moment of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

The processing unit 503 is specifically configured to adjust the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station device, so that the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station device is the same as the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

In an optional implementation manner, the monitoring unit 501 is specifically configured to receive a synchronization signal on a downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station. Or receive the synchronization signal on the uplink channel corresponding to the base station equipment.

In an optional implementation manner, the processing unit 503 is further configured to adjust the coverage area corresponding to the base station to be synchronized before the monitoring unit detects the synchronization signal.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a clock source base station provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 6, including:

The determining unit 601 is configured to determine the starting moment of the radio frame according to the absolute moment.

The sending unit 602 is configured to periodically send a synchronization signal in a preset time slot included in the radio frame. The synchronization signal is used by the base station device to determine the clock of the clock source base station, and adjust the clock of the base station device according to the clock of the clock source base station, so that the corresponding clock of the base station device is synchronized with the clock of the clock source base station.

In an optional implementation manner, the synchronization signal includes a frame number corresponding to the radio frame and a subframe number corresponding to the preset time slot. The frame number corresponding to the radio frame and the subframe number corresponding to the preset time slot are used to indicate the starting position of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

In an optional implementation manner, the sending unit 602 is further configured to send a synchronization signal on a downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station. Or send a synchronization signal on the uplink channel corresponding to the base station to be synchronized.

In an optional implementation manner, the clock source base station further includes a processing unit 603 . The processing unit 603 is specifically configured to adjust the corresponding coverage area of the clock source base station before the sending unit periodically sends the synchronization signal in the preset time slot included in the wireless frame.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another base station device provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7 , the base station device includes: a processor 701 , a memory 702 , and a communication interface 703 .

The processor 701, the memory 702, and the communication interface 703 are connected to each other through a bus; the bus may be a peripheral component interconnect standard (PCI for short) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA for short) bus or the like. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus and so on. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 7 , but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The memory 702 may include a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (random-access memory, RAM); the memory may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as a flash memory (flash memory) , a hard disk drive (hard disk drive, HDD) or a solid-state drive (solid-state drive, SSD); the memory 702 may also include a combination of the above-mentioned types of memory.

The processor 701 may be a central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), a network processor (English: network processor, NP) or a combination of CPU and NP. The processor 701 may further include a hardware chip. The aforementioned hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a programmable logic device (programmable logic device, PLD) or a combination thereof. The aforementioned PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (complex programmable logic device, CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (field-programmable gate array, FPGA), a general array logic (generic array logic, GAL) or any combination thereof.

The communication interface 703 may be a wired communication interface, a wireless communication interface or a combination thereof, wherein the wired communication interface may be, for example, an Ethernet interface. The Ethernet interface can be an optical interface, an electrical interface or a combination thereof. The wireless communication interface may be a WLAN interface, a cellular network communication interface or a combination thereof.

Optionally, the memory 702 may also be used to store program instructions. The processor 701 invokes the program instructions stored in the memory 702 to execute the steps performed by the base station to be synchronized in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , and details are not repeated here.

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another clock source base station provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8 , the clock source base station includes: a processor 801 , a memory 802 , and a communication interface 803 .

The processor 801, the memory 802, and the communication interface 803 are connected to each other through a bus; the bus may be a peripheral component interconnect standard (PCI for short) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA for short) bus or the like. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus and so on. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 8 , but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The memory 802 may include a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (random-access memory, RAM); the memory may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as a flash memory (flash memory) , a hard disk drive (hard disk drive, HDD) or a solid-state drive (solid-state drive, SSD); the memory 802 may also include a combination of the above-mentioned types of memory.

The processor 801 may be a central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), a network processor (English: network processor, NP) or a combination of CPU and NP. The processor 801 may further include a hardware chip. The aforementioned hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a programmable logic device (programmable logic device, PLD) or a combination thereof. The aforementioned PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (complex programmable logic device, CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (field-programmable gate array, FPGA), a general array logic (generic array logic, GAL) or any combination thereof.

The communication interface 803 may be a wired communication interface, a wireless communication interface or a combination thereof, wherein the wired communication interface may be, for example, an Ethernet interface. The Ethernet interface can be an optical interface, an electrical interface or a combination thereof. The wireless communication interface may be a WLAN interface, a cellular network communication interface or a combination thereof.

Optionally, the memory 802 may also be used to store program instructions, and the processor 801 invokes the program instructions stored in the memory 802 to execute the steps performed by the clock source base station in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , which will not be repeated here.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer storage medium, and the computer storage medium stores computer program instructions for implementing the base station to be synchronized or the clock source base station in the method for inter-station time synchronization provided in the embodiment of the present application.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, the computer program product includes computer software instructions, and the computer software instructions can be loaded by a processor to implement the flow in the method for time synchronization between stations shown in FIG. 3 above.

In the above embodiments, all or part of them may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working process of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or May be integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored, or not implemented. In another point, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, each unit may exist separately physically, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

If the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or part of the contribution to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium , including several instructions to make a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM, read-only memory), random access memory (RAM, random access memory), magnetic disk or optical disc and other media that can store program codes.

Claims (21)

1. A method of inter-station time synchronization, the method comprising:

the base station to be synchronized monitors the synchronous signals; the synchronous signal is periodically transmitted by a clock source base station; the clock of the clock source base station is determined by absolute time;

when the base station to be synchronized detects the synchronizing signal, determining the clock of the clock source base station according to the synchronizing signal;

the base station to be synchronized determines the time deviation between the base station to be synchronized and the clock source base station according to the clock of the clock source base station;

the base station to be synchronized adjusts the clock corresponding to the base station to be synchronized according to the time deviation; so that the clock corresponding to the base station to be synchronized is synchronized with the clock of the clock source base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the clock source base station transmits the synchronization signal within a preset time slot of a radio frame;

the base station to be synchronized determines the clock of the clock source base station according to the synchronizing signal, and comprises the following steps:

the base station to be synchronized determines a frame number and a subframe number corresponding to the synchronizing signal according to the synchronizing signal;

and determining the starting time of the wireless frame corresponding to the clock source base station according to the frame number and the subframe number corresponding to the synchronous signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the determining, by the base station to be synchronized, a time offset between the base station to be synchronized and the clock source base station according to the clock of the clock source base station comprises:

the base station to be synchronized determines the time deviation between the starting time of the wireless frame corresponding to the base station to be synchronized and the starting time of the wireless frame corresponding to the clock source base station;

the base station to be synchronized adjusts the clock corresponding to the base station to be synchronized according to the time deviation, and the method comprises the following steps:

the base station to be synchronized adjusts the starting time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station to be synchronized so that the starting time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station to be synchronized is the same as the starting time of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the base station to be synchronized monitors for synchronization signals, comprising:

the base station to be synchronized receives the synchronizing signal on a downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station; or (b)

And the base station to be synchronized receives the synchronization signal on an uplink channel corresponding to the base station to be synchronized.

5. The method according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that before the base station to be synchronized detects a synchronization signal, the method further comprises:

And the base station to be synchronized adjusts the coverage area corresponding to the base station to be synchronized.

6. A method of inter-station time synchronization, the method comprising:

the clock source base station determines the starting time of the wireless frame according to the absolute time;

the clock source base station periodically transmits a synchronous signal in a preset time slot included in the wireless frame; the synchronization signal is used for determining the clock of the clock source base station by the base station to be synchronized, and adjusting the clock of the base station to be synchronized according to the clock of the clock source base station so that the clock corresponding to the base station to be synchronized is synchronous with the clock of the clock source base station.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the synchronization signal includes a frame number corresponding to the radio frame and a subframe number corresponding to the preset time slot; the frame number corresponding to the radio frame and the subframe number corresponding to the preset time slot are used for indicating the starting position of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

8. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 7, further comprising:

the clock source base station sends the synchronous signal on a downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station; or (b)

And the clock source base station transmits the synchronous signal on an uplink channel corresponding to the base station to be synchronized.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein before the clock source base station periodically transmits a synchronization signal in a preset time slot included in the radio frame, the method further comprises:

the clock source base station adjusts the coverage area corresponding to the clock source base station.

10. A base station apparatus, characterized in that the base station apparatus comprises:

the monitoring unit is used for monitoring the synchronous signals; the synchronous signal is periodically transmitted by a clock source base station; the clock of the clock source base station is determined by absolute time;

a determining unit, configured to determine, when the monitoring unit detects the synchronization signal, a clock of the clock source base station according to the synchronization signal;

the determining unit is further configured to determine a time deviation between the base station device and the clock source base station according to the clock of the clock source base station;

the processing unit is used for adjusting the clock corresponding to the base station equipment according to the time deviation; so that the clock corresponding to the base station equipment is synchronous with the clock of the clock source base station.

11. The base station apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the clock source base station transmits the synchronization signal in a preset time slot of a radio frame;

the determining unit is specifically configured to determine, according to the synchronization signal, a frame number and a subframe number corresponding to the synchronization signal, and determine, according to the frame number and the subframe number corresponding to the synchronization signal, a start time of a radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

12. The base station device according to claim 11, wherein the determining unit is specifically configured to determine a time offset between a start time of a radio frame corresponding to the base station device and a start time of a radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station;

the processing unit is specifically configured to adjust a start time of a radio frame corresponding to the base station device, so that the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the base station device is the same as the start time of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

13. The base station device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the monitoring unit is specifically configured to receive the synchronization signal on a downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station; or receiving the synchronous signal on an uplink channel corresponding to the base station equipment.

14. The base station device according to any of claims 10 to 13, wherein the processing unit is further configured to adjust a coverage area corresponding to the base station to be synchronized before the monitoring unit detects the synchronization signal.

15. A clock source base station, the clock source base station comprising:

a determining unit, configured to determine a start time of the radio frame according to the absolute time;

a transmitting unit, configured to periodically transmit a synchronization signal in a preset time slot included in the radio frame; the synchronization signal is used for the base station equipment to determine the clock of the clock source base station, and adjust the clock of the base station equipment according to the clock of the clock source base station so that the clock corresponding to the base station equipment is synchronous with the clock of the clock source base station.

16. The clock source base station of claim 15, wherein the synchronization signal includes a frame number corresponding to the radio frame and a subframe number corresponding to the preset time slot; the frame number corresponding to the radio frame and the subframe number corresponding to the preset time slot are used for indicating the starting position of the radio frame corresponding to the clock source base station.

17. The clock source base station according to any one of claims 15 to 16, wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the synchronization signal on a downlink channel corresponding to the clock source base station; or transmitting the synchronization signal on an uplink channel corresponding to the base station to be synchronized.

18. The clock source base station according to any one of claims 15 to 17, further comprising a processing unit;

the processing unit is specifically configured to adjust a coverage area corresponding to the clock source base station before the sending unit periodically sends the synchronization signal in a preset time slot included in the radio frame.

19. A base station apparatus, the base station apparatus comprising at least one processor and memory;

the memory stores computer-executable instructions executable on a processor which, when executed by the processor, performs the method of any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5.

20. A clock source device comprising at least one processor and memory;

the memory stores computer-executable instructions executable on a processor which, when executed by the processor, performs the method of any one of the preceding claims 6 to 9.

21. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

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