There are provided a clock node, a controller, a method of operating the clock node and a method of operating the controller in a time distribution network (TDN) comprising the controller being in data communication with the clock nodes via a control path. The method of operating the clock node comprises: sending, from the clock node via the control path to the controller, a first timestamp-related data; receiving, by the clock node via the control path from the controller, clock-recovery control data generated by the controller using the first timestamp-related data received from the clock node; processing the received clock-recovery control data to extract data usable for phase and frequency recovery; and using the extracted data to steer frequency and phase characterizing the clock node.

An automotive communication system includes multiple communication devices and a processor. The communication devices are configured to be installed in a vehicle and to communicate with one another over point-to-point Ethernet links. In each Ethernet link, a first communication device serves as a link master that is configured to set a clock signal for the link, and a second communication device serves as a slave that is configured to synchronize to the clock signal set by the first communication device. The communication devices are configured to receive data from sensors and to transmit the data over the Ethernet links. The processor is configured to receive the data from the communication devices over the Ethernet links, to synchronize the data originating from the multiple sensors to a common time-base based on link-specific clock-signal synchronization achieved on each of the links by each link master, and to process the synchronized data.

In a transceiver, the accuracy of a packet time stamp can be improved by compensating for errors introduced by processing of the packet. A received packet can be received via multiple lanes. A packet time stamp can be measured using a start of frame delimiter (SFD). A last arriving lane can be used to provide a recovered clock signal. A phase offset between the recovered clock signal and the system clock of the transceiver can be used to adjust the time stamp. A position of the SFD within a data block can be used to adjust the time stamp. A position of the data block within a combined group of data blocks can be used to adjust the time stamp. Also, a serializer-deserializer delay associated with the last arriving lane can be used to adjust the time stamp.

A network device includes a port, a transmission pipeline and a time-stamping circuit. The port is configured for connecting to a network. The transmission pipeline includes multiple pipeline stages and is configured to process packets and to send the packets to the network via the port. The time-stamping circuit is configured to temporarily suspend at least some processing of at least a given packet in the transmission pipeline, to verify whether a pipeline stage having a variable processing delay, located downstream from the time-stamping circuit, meets an emptiness condition, and, only when the pipeline stage meets the emptiness condition, to time-stamp the given packet and resume the processing of the given packet.

Apparatuses, methods, and systems for dynamically estimating a propagation time between a first node and a second node of a wireless network are disclosed. One method includes receiving, by the second node, from the first node a packet containing a first timestamp representing the transmit time of the packet, receiving, by the second node, from a local time source, a second timestamp corresponding with a time of reception of the first timestamp received from the first node, calculating a time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp, storing the time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp, calculating a predictive model for predicting the propagation time based the time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp, and estimating the propagation time between the first node and the second node at a time by querying the predictive model with the time.

A technique of transporting a time protocol message for time-sensitive networking, TSN, from a first station (910) to a second station (920) through a wireless network (900) including at least one radio device wirelessly connected to at least one base station (400) of the wireless network (900) is provided. As to a method aspect, a method performed by at least one or each of the at least one radio device comprises a step of transmitting to the wireless network (900) a radio device request message requesting establishment of a packet data unit, PDU, session between the radio device and the wireless network (900), the radio device request message being indicative of a time protocol of the time protocol message. The method further comprises at least one of the steps of receiving from and transmitting to the at least one base station (400) of the wireless network (900) the time protocol message according to a Quality of Service, QoS, flow for transporting the time protocol message in the wireless network (900). The QoS flow is unambiguously or uniquely associated with at least one of the PDU session and the time protocol.

A receiving device uses an elastic buffer that is wider than the number of data elements transferred in each cycle. To compensate for frequency differences between the transmitter and the receiver, the transmitting device periodically sends a skip request with a default number of skip data elements. If the elastic buffer is filling, the receiving device ignores one or more of the skip data elements. If the elastic buffer is emptying, the receiving device adds one or more skip data elements to the skip request. To maintain the ordering of data despite the manipulation of the skip data elements, two rows of the wide elastic buffer are read at a time. This allows construction of a one-row result from any combination of the data elements of the two rows. The column pointers are adjusted appropriately, to ensure that they continue to point to the next data to be read.

This disclosure provides systems, methods, apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media for orthogonal multiplexing of high efficiency (HE) and extremely high throughput (EHT) wireless traffic. Devices in a wireless local area network (WLAN) may operate under HE or EHT conditions. An access point (AP) may support both HE and EHT communications with WLAN devices. To enable substantially simultaneous downlink HE and EHT transmissions and substantially simultaneous uplink HE and EHT transmissions, the AP may support orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) of HE and EHT transmissions. For example, pre-HE and pre-EHT modulated fields, HE and EHT modulated fields, and payloads may be aligned in time for the HE and EHT transmissions. The AP may ensure orthogonality for multiplexing the HE and EHT transmissions based on the alignment. In some implementations, a trigger frame may be utilized to indicate uplink transmission alignments.

A method (1200) by a network node (160, 160c) includes determining (1202) a plurality of Time Sensitive Communication, TSC, or Time Sensitive Networking, TSN, domains (12) that exist in a network. The network node instantiates (1204) at least one virtual bridge (14), wherein each virtual bridge serves at least one TSC and/or TSN domain.

A method for securing the time synchronization of an Ethernet on-board network of a motor vehicle, by: determining a delay time of a first signal on a first connecting path between a first control unit of the network and a second control unit of the network; determining a maximum speed of the first connecting path on the basis of the delay time; and determining a type of a transmission medium of the first connecting path on the basis of the maximum speed. The determination of the delay time of a first signal, the determination of the maximum speed of the first connecting path, and the determination of the type of a transmission medium of the first connecting path result in an entropy source being formed that is used to ascertain at least one dynamic key for the connecting path to encrypt a time synchronization message for the connecting path.