Provided are a time synchronization method using 5G reference time distribution and a network entity performing the same. The time synchronization method may include receiving, by a time sensitive communication time synchronization function (TSCTSF), a 5G reference time distribution request including time synchronization parameter values from an application function (AF); performing, by the TSCTSF, policy modification; and transmitting, by the TSCTSF, a setting of the 5G reference time distribution to the AF.

To solve the problem of still being able to use an inexpensive network controller which can store only a single transmission time, even when telegrams from a plurality of application modules need to be sent in synchronized fashion and the transmission times thereof need to be reliably ascertained and reliably associated with the respective telegrams, provided is a communication device for the synchronized sending of telegrams, a communication system including such a communication device, and a method for the synchronized sending of telegrams. The communication device comprises a coordination device.

A network element includes a port; and a device with circuitry configured to encode data for communication to a second device via a plurality of physical channels, and utilize one of the plurality of physical channels as a dedicated timing channel with encoding thereon different from encoding on the other plurality of physical channels, and interface encoded data via the plurality of physical channels with the port for transmission and reception with a second device.

A self-organizing mesh network and protocol, herein identified as the HSN Mesh or Self-Expanding Mesh (SEM), enables dynamic addition and subtraction of mesh nodes by allowing nodes to claim a conflict-free slot for transmission. Slot allocation will not be fixed or predetermined and will be performed in a decentralized manner that suits the existing SEM mesh structure which does not have any strict hierarchy or central coordinator nodes. The dynamic slot allocation strategy will allow the seamless expansion of the mesh. The disclosed self-organizing mesh is: a distributed self organizing mobile mesh network; highly reliable and resilient mesh through redundant connections and built in self-discovery; and a peer to peer network with flat hierarchy, meaning no need for central hub or coordinator node. Distributed slot reusability ensures efficient slot allocation. synchronized mesh allows to deploy time critical applications

A communication method includes receiving, by a terminal device, first clock source information. The first clock source information corresponds to clock source information of a wireless communication system. The first clock source information indicates that a fifth generation (5G) system clock is useable as a clock source. The method further includes sending, by the terminal device, the first clock source information to an adjacent device.

A system (100) comprising: a first unit (104) and one or more second units (104). The first unit (102) comprises: a timing reference (114) configured to provide a master-timing-reference-signal; a master time block configured to provide a master-time-signal (117) for the first unit (102) based on the master-timing-reference-signal; and a first interface (122) configured to: receive timestamped-processed-second-RF-signals from the one or more second units (104); and provide a first-unit-timing-signal (262) to the one or more second units (104) based on the master-time-signal. The one or more second units (104) each comprise: a slave time block (141) configured to: determine a slave-time-signal (142) for the second unit (104) based on the master-timing-reference-signal; determine one or more second-timing-values based on the slave-time-signal; determine an adjustment-time based on the first-unit-timing-signal received from the first unit (102) and the second-timing-values; and adjust the slave-time-signal based on the adjustment-time.

An industrial system for controlling backplane communication, including: a cluster manager including a primary switch linked to a primary control module, at least one Input/Output, I/O, module including a secondary switch linked to a secondary control module, a unidirectional communication line linking the cluster manager to the at least one IO module through passive base plates, wherein the cluster manager includes a transmission port and a reception port on the unidirectional communication line and the at least one Input/Output module includes a reception port on the unidirectional communication line, wherein the primary control module is configured to generate a pulse via the transmission port on the unidirectional communication line, wherein, upon reception of the pulse, the primary control module is configured to create a primary timestamp from a primary clock of the primary switch and the secondary control module is configured to create a secondary timestamp from a secondary clock of the secondary switch, wherein the primary control module is configured to send a message via the transmission port on the unidirectional communication line to the secondary control module, the message including the primary timestamp, wherein, upon reception of the message, the secondary control module is configured to synchronize the secondary clock with the primary clock based on the received primary timestamp and secondary timestamp.

A method for exchanging a clock synchronization packet performed by a network apparatus, including: exchanging a clock synchronization packet with a first clock source, where the network apparatus includes a boundary clock; determining a first time deviation of the boundary clock relative to the first clock source according to the clock synchronization packet exchanged with the first clock source, where the boundary clock avoids performing an operation of calibrating a time of a local clock of the boundary clock according to the first time deviation; and sending a clock synchronization packet to a first slave clock of the boundary clock, where the clock synchronization packet includes a first timestamp, a value of the first timestamp is equal to a first corrected value, and the first corrected value is a value obtained by the boundary clock by correcting the time of the local clock by using the first time deviation.

A wireless protocol in a sensing system, including: sending, by a wireless network controller (WNC), to a plurality of wireless sensor nodes, based on a time division multiple access (TDMA), a synchronization message; and receiving, by the wireless network controller, based on the TDMA, first sensor data from each wireless sensor node of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes.

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for performing a time-triggered distribution of messages from a region of networked machines to multiple destinations. In an embodiment, the system runs a software-based synchronization process to synchronize each of a plurality of gateways with a reference clock, wherein each gateway is a machine on a perimeter of the region of networked machines and is connected to transmit messages to multiple destinations. The gateways receive messages from within the region of networked machines for distribution to multiple destinations outside the region of networked machines according to a distribution schedule based on absolute time relative to the reference clock. The gateways perform the distribution of received messages, wherein each gateway determines absolute time based on that gateway's synchronization with the reference clock.