# US 12,192,934 B2 · Time synchronization method and apparatus, computer-readable medium, and electronic device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,192,934 B2 - Document ID: US12192934B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/675,531 - Filed: 2022-02-18 - Published: 2022-06-02 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-23 - Assignees: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited - Applicants: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited - Inventors: Chunshan Xiong - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12192934B2 ## CPC - H04J 3/12: Arrangements providing for calling or supervisory signals - H04W 56/0015: {one node acting as a reference for the others} - H04W 76/10: Connection setup - H04W 76/30: Connection release - H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A time synchronization process may include receiving a time sensitive network (TSN) configuration creation request that includes an identifier of a target user equipment (UE) and a trigger condition. The request is transmitted by an application function entity (AF). A TSN authorization request is transmitted to a unified data management entity (UDM) and is used for requesting the UDM to transmit, after confirming authorization, a TSN activation request to an access and mobility management function entity (AMF) registered by the target UE. Control signaling used for performing a TSN time synchronization operation is transmitted to the target UE. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A time synchronization method, comprising: receiving a time sensitive network (TSN) activation request transmitted by a unified data management entity (UDM), the TSN activation request comprising a first information used for indicating a TSN time synchronization trigger condition; detecting whether a target user equipment (UE) is in a connection management idle state; initiating a network triggered service request procedure in response to detecting that the target UE is in the connection management idle state, so as to establish a signal connection to the target UE; and in response to detecting that the target UE is in a connection management connected state, transmitting a control signal to the target UE corresponding to a current access and mobility management function entity (AMF) based on the first information, so as to control the target UE to perform a TSN time synchronization operation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The time synchronization method according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises a second field information used for indicating an activation operation or a deactivation operation, wherein the transmitting a control signaling to a target UE corresponding to a current AMF based on the first information further comprises: when the second field information indicates the activation operation and a TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed, immediately transmitting a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment instruction to the target UE, so as to instruct the target UE to establish a PDU session; when the second field information indicates the activation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed after a predetermined time, transmitting a PDU session establishment instruction to the target UE following the predetermined time after receiving the TSN activation request, so as to instruct the target UE to establish the PDU session; when the second field information indicates the activation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed at a designated time point, transmitting the PDU session establishment instruction to the target UE when a current time reaches the designated time point, so as to instruct the target UE to establish the PDU session; when the second field information indicates the activation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed at a designated time point but the current time has exceeded the designated time point, immediately transmitting the PDU session establishment instruction to the target UE, so as to instruct the target UE to establish the PDU session; or when the first information does not comprise the TSN activation time information and the second field information indicates the activation operation, immediately transmitting the PDU session establishment instruction to the target UE, so as to instruct the target UE to establish the PDU session. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The time synchronization method according to claim 2, wherein when the second field information indicates the activation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed after the predetermined time, and wherein when a time after the TSN activation request is received has not reached the predetermined time and the target UE registers a new AMF or a new AMF is selected for the target UE in a network switching procedure, context information of a TSN synchronization activation is transmitted to the new AMF, so as to cause the new AMF to transmit the PDU session establishment instruction to the target UE after a TSN remaining activation time is reached; and the context information further comprises: a TSN time domain identifier; a first field information used for indicating uplink TSN synchronization or downlink TSN synchronization; a second field information used for indicating the activation operation, network slice information; a data network name; and the TSN activation time information indicating that a time value is the TSN remaining activation time, and the TSN remaining activation time is a difference between the predetermined time and a time that has elapsed after the TSN activation request is received. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The time synchronization method according to claim 2, wherein when the second field information indicates the activation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed at the designated time point, wherein when the current time has not reached the designated time point and the target UE registers a new AMF or a new AMF is selected for the target UE in a network switching procedure, context information of a TSN synchronization activation is transmitted to the new AMF, so as to cause the new AMF to transmit the PDU session establishment instruction to the target UE after the current time reaches the designated time point; and the context information further comprises: a TSN time domain identifier; a first field information used for indicating uplink TSN synchronization or downlink TSN synchronization; a second field information used for indicating the activation operation; network slice information; a data network name; and the TSN activation time information indicating that a time value is the designated time point. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The time synchronization method according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises a second field information used for indicating an activation operation or a deactivation operation, and wherein the transmitting the control signal to a target UE corresponding to a current AMF based on the first information further comprises: when the second field information indicates the activation operation, transmitting a PDU session establishment instruction comprising TSN activation time information to the target UE, wherein the TSN activation time information comes from the first information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The time synchronization method according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises a second field information used for indicating an activation operation or a deactivation operation, and the transmitting the control signal to a target UE corresponding to a current AMF based on the first information further comprises: when the second field information indicates the deactivation operation and TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed, immediately transmitting a PDU session release instruction or PDU session modification instruction to the target UE, so as to instruct the target UE to initiate a PDU session release procedure or a PDU session modification procedure; or when the second field information indicates the deactivation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed after a predetermined time, transmitting the PDU session release instruction or PDU session modification instruction to the target UE after the predetermined time after receiving the TSN activation request, to instruct the target UE to initiate the PDU session release procedure or the PDU session modification procedure; or when the second field information indicates the deactivation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed at a designated time point, transmitting the PDU session release instruction or PDU session modification instruction to the target UE when a current time reaches the designated time point, to instruct the target UE to initiate the PDU session release procedure or the PDU session modification procedure; or when the second field information indicates the deactivation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed at a designated time point but the current time has exceeded the designated time point, immediately transmitting the PDU session release instruction or PDU session modification instruction to the target UE, to instruct the target UE to initiate the PDU session release procedure or the PDU session modification procedure; or when the first information does not comprise the TSN activation time information and the second field information indicates the deactivation operation, immediately transmitting the PDU session release instruction or PDU session modification instruction to the target UE, to instruct the target UE to initiate the PDU session release procedure or the PDU session modification procedure. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The time synchronization method according to claim 6, wherein the PDU session release instruction or PDU session modification instruction further comprises: a TSN time domain identifier; a first field information used for indicating uplink TSN synchronization or downlink TSN synchronization; a second field information used for indicating the deactivation operation; a network slice information; and a data network name, wherein each of the TSN time domain identifier, the first field information, the second field information, the network slice information, and the data network name are from the first information. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The time synchronization method according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises second field information used for indicating an activation operation or a deactivation operation, wherein the transmitting a control signal to a target UE corresponding to a current AMF based on the first information further comprises: when the second field information indicates the deactivation operation and TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed, immediately initiating a PDU session release procedure or a PDU session modification procedure; or when the second field information indicates the deactivation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed after a predetermined time, initiating the PDU session release procedure or the PDU session modification procedure after the predetermined time after receiving the TSN activation request; or when the second field information indicates the deactivation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed at a designated time point, initiating the PDU session release procedure or the PDU session modification procedure when a current time reaches the designated time point; or when the second field information indicates the deactivation operation and the TSN activation time information comprised in the first information indicates that the TSN time synchronization operation is performed at a designated time point but the current time has exceeded the designated time point, immediately initiating the PDU session release procedure or the PDU session modification procedure; or when the first information does not comprise the TSN activation time information and the second field information indicates the deactivation operation, immediately initiating the PDU session release procedure or the PDU session modification procedure. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The time synchronization method according to claim 8, wherein the initiating the PDU session release procedure or the PDU session modification procedure comprises: generating PDU session update information, wherein the PDU session update information comprises an identifier of a to-be-deactivated target TSN time domain; and transmitting the PDU session update information to a session management function entity (SMF), to cause the SMF to instruct a user plane function entity to stop forwarding TSN time synchronization data of the target TSN time domain to the target UE. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The time synchronization method according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises second field information used for indicating an activation operation or a deactivation operation, wherein the transmitting a control signal to a target UE corresponding to a current AMF based on the first information further comprises: when the second field information indicates the deactivation operation, transmitting a PDU session release instruction or PDU session modification instruction comprising TSN activation time information to the target UE, wherein the TSN activation time information comes from the first information.