System and method for remote clock estimation for reliable communications
AssigneeSynaptive Medical (Barbados) Inc.
InventorsMonroe M. Thomas, Simon Alexander
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic device is provided including a processor, a communications interface coupled to the processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a module saved in the memory. The module configures the processor to receive a first communications packet from a remote device via the communications interface including information useful for estimating a clock offset of the remote device, and determine an upper bound of the clock offset of the remote device with respect to the electronic device based on the information.
Claims20
A medical navigation system for controlling a robotic arm, the medical navigation system comprising:
- a first processor, a first communications interface coupled to the first processor, and a first memory coupled to the first processor, the first memory having a first module saved therein;
- and
- a robotic arm having a second processor coupled to a second memory, a second communications interface communicating with the first communications interface, and a second module saved in the second memory,
- at least one of the first and second modules configuring the corresponding first or second processor to:
- receive a first communications packet from a remote device via the corresponding communications interface including information useful for estimating a clock offset of the remote device;
- determine an upper bound of the clock offset of the remote device with respect to the processor performing the determination based on the information;
- and
- determine a maximum age of data contained in the first communications packet based on the upper bound of the clock offset of the remote device with respect to the processor performing the determination.
A method of determining an upper bound of a clock offset of a remote device relative to an electronic device that is part of a medical navigation system, the electronic device including a first processor, a first communications interface coupled to the first processor, a first memory coupled to the first processor, and a first module saved in the first memory, the first module for configuring the first processor to perform the method comprising:
- receiving a first communications packet from the remote device via the first communications interface including information useful for estimating a clock offset of the remote device;
- determining the upper bound of the clock offset of the remote device with respect to the electronic device based on the information;
- and
- determining a maximum age of data contained in the first communications packet based on the upper bound of the clock offset of the remote device with respect to the electronic device.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that when executed by an electronic device that is part of a medical navigation system perform a method of determining an upper bound of a clock offset of a remote device relative to the electronic device, the electronic device including a first processor, a first communications interface coupled to the first processor, a first memory coupled to the first processor, and a first module saved in the first memory, the first module for configuring the first processor to perform the method comprising:
- receiving a first communications packet from the remote device via the first communications interface including information useful for estimating a clock offset of the remote device;
- determining the upper bound of the clock offset of the remote device with respect to the electronic device based on the information;
- and
- determining a maximum age of data contained in the first communications packet based on the upper bound of the clock offset of the remote device with respect to the electronic device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.