# US 9,521,638 B2 · Time synchronizing method for AVB in vehicle and system thereof

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- Number: US 9,521,638 B2
- Document ID: US9521638B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/697,912
- Filed: 2015-04-28
- Published: 2016-05-19
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2014-11-13
- Assignees: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd
- Inventors: Bo Seob Lim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9521638B2

## CPC

- H04W 56/0015: {one node acting as a reference for the others}
- H04J 3/0664: {unidirectional timestamps}
- H04N 21/41422: {located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle (arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62)}
- H04N 21/8547: involving timestamps for synchronizing content
- H04B 1/3822: specially adapted for use in vehicles (H04B1/3827 takes precedence)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- 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)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04B: TRANSMISSION

## Abstract

Disclosed are a time synchronizing method under a vehicle AVB environment and a system using the same. An AVN, which communicates with at least one device which is provided in a vehicle and performs a predetermined operation under an Ethernet AVB environment, synchronizes the at least one device by receiving a RTC time information message in the form of a RTC protocol packet which applies an IP protocol. Therefore, various services which synchronize a plurality of devices in the vehicle are provided, to improve convenience of a driver.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A time synchronizing method under a vehicle Audio Video Bridging (AVB) environment of a time synchronizing system including at least one device which is provided in a vehicle and performs a predetermined operation and an Audio Video Navigation (AVN) which communicates with the at least one device under an Ethernet AVB environment, the method comprising: transmitting, by the at least one device, a Real Time Clock (RTC) time information message to the AVN; mapping, by the AVN, RTC information of the AVN to device RTC time information included in the RTC time information message when the RTC time information message is received from the at least one device to store the mapped information; determining, by the AVN, whether N RTC time information messages are continuously received from each of the at least one device; and registering, by the AVN, the device as a device to interwork with the AVN when the N RTC time information messages are continuously received and setting a synchronous time using a time difference between the device RTC time information and the AVN RTC time information which are mapped with each other.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the setting of the synchronous time includes:
enumerating the device RTC time information and the AVN RTC time information in the time order to generate a RTC time array and an AVN time array;
comparing the RTC time array with the AVN time array to generate N time differences; and
calculating an average of N time differences to obtain the synchronous time.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the AVN sets the N as different values for each of the at least one device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
after the setting of a synchronous time, correcting the synchronous time with the at least one device when change of a predetermined period or status change of the at least one device to which the synchronous time is set occurs.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the correcting of the synchronous time includes:
determining, by the AVN, whether the RTC time information message for at least one registered device is applied at the predetermined period;
mapping the device RTC time information of the RTC time information message with the AVN RTC time information to store the mapped information when the RTC time information message is applied at the predetermined period; and
recalculating and storing the synchronous time using a time difference between the device RTC time information and the AVN RTC time information which are stored.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the correcting of the synchronous time includes:
determining whether a predetermined status change determining reference number or more of RTC time information messages are continuously received when the RTC time information message is not applied at the period;
recalculating and storing the synchronous time using the time difference between the device RTC time information and the AVN RTC time information which are previously stored when the predetermined status change determining reference number or more of RTC time information messages are continuously received; and
performing a predetermined device status changing job when the predetermined status change determining reference number or more of RTC time information messages are not continuously applied.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the performing of the device status changing job includes:
driving, by the AVN, a predetermined device status changing process to stop the interworking with the at least one device; and
deleting, by the AVN, the device RTC time information, the AVN RTC time information, and the synchronous time which are previously stored.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising:
after the setting of the synchronous time, transmitting the device RTC time information, the AVN RTC time information, and the synchronous time to an external storage server which is provided at the outside of the vehicle to store them in the external storage server.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the performing of the device status changing job further includes:
after the deleting of the synchronous time,
transmitting the status change information to the external storage server to delete the device RTC time information, the AVN RTC time information, and the synchronous time which are stored in the external storage server.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the correcting of the synchronous time further includes:
after the recalculating and storing of the synchronous time,
determining whether the number of the device RTC time information for the at least one device, which is stored in the AVN is equal to or larger than a predetermined reference number;
transmitting the device RTC time information, the AVN RTC time information, and the synchronous time which are stored in the AVN to the external storage server and storing them in the external storage server, when the number of the device RTC time information is equal to or larger than the reference number; and
deleting the device RTC time information, the AVN RTC time information, and the synchronous time which are stored in the AVN.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the RTC time information message is configured in the form of a RTC protocol packet including the number of times of transmitting a message, a device identifier, and a RTC time in an option area of an IP protocol packet.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the RTC time information message further includes a previous RTC time, a CPU clock tick of the device, and a previous CPU clock tick of the device.

### Claim 13

A time synchronizing system under a vehicle Audio Video Bridging (AVB) environment, the system comprising: at least one device which is provided in a vehicle, includes a Real Time Clock (RTC), generates a RTC time information message, and performs a predetermined operation; and an Audio Video Navigation (AVN) which is provided in the vehicle, maps the RTC information of the AVN to device RTC time information included in the RTC time information message when the RTC time information message is received from the at least one device under an Ethernet AVB environment and stores the mapped information, registers a corresponding device when it is determined that N stored RTC Time information messages are continuously received, and sets a synchronous time using a time difference between the device RTC time information and the AVN RTC time information which are mapped with each other.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the AVN includes:
an RTC manager which receives and analyzes the RTC time information message to obtain the RTC time information and the AVN RTC time information;
a database which stores the RTC time information, the AVN RTC time information, and the synchronous time; and
a device time controller which calculates an average of time differences between the N RTC Time information and the N AVN RTC time information which are stored in the database to obtain the synchronous time and stores the obtained synchronous time in the database.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the device time controller determines whether the RTC time information message is received from the at least one device at a predetermined period and when the RTC time information message is received, recalculates the synchronous time using the RTC time information of the received RTC time information message and the AVN RTC time information to store the synchronous time in the database.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the device time controller determines whether a predetermined status change determining reference number or more of RTC time information messages are continuously received when the RTC time information message is not applied at the period and when the predetermined status change determining reference number or more of RTC time information messages are continuously received, recalculates and stores the synchronous time using a time difference between the device RTC time information and the AVN RTC time information which are previously stored.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein when the predetermined status change determining reference number or more of RTC time information messages are not continuously received, the device time controller drives a predetermined device status change process to stop interworking with the at least one device and deletes the device RTC time information, the AVN RTC time information, and the synchronous time which are stored in the database.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the AVN further includes:
telematics which communicates with an external storage server which is provided at the outside of the vehicle, and
when the number of the RTC time information which is stored in the database is equal to or larger than a predetermined reference number or the device status change process is driven, the device time controller stores the device RTC time information, the AVN RTC time information, and the synchronous time in the external storage server, and then deletes the device RTC time information, the AVN RTC time information, and the synchronous time which are stored in the database.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the RTC time information message is configured in the form of a RTC protocol packet including the number of times of transmitting a message, a device identifier, and a RTC time in an option area of an IP protocol packet.
