Time synchronization system, master station, and time synchronization method

A master station communicably connected to slave stations, the master station comprising:

• first processing circuitry to
• determine, based on receipt timings of a plurality of first time synchronization frames transmitted from the respective slave stations, whether the plurality of first time synchronization frames have a possibility of contention over relay processing, and
• discard, when determining that the plurality of first time synchronization frames have the possibility of the contention, out of first time synchronization frames that have a possibility of mutual contention, a first time synchronization frame received later.

A time synchronization method executed by a master station communicably connected to slave stations, the time synchronization method comprising:

• determining, based on receipt timings of a plurality of first time synchronization frames transmitted from the respective slave stations, whether the plurality of first time synchronization frames have a possibility of contention over relay processing;
• and
• discarding, when a determination is made that the plurality of first time synchronization frames have the possibility of the contention, out of first time synchronization frames that have a possibility of mutual contention, a first time synchronization frame received later.