Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

In a satellite communication network, a reference station simultaneously announces a reference time of a reference clock once in a predetermined duration of time to all terrestrial stations of the network. In each terrestrial station which comprises a local clock, a packet forming arrangement, a data extracting arrangement for extracting a local time datum from a packet received from a different terrestrial station, and a calculation unit for calculating a propagation delay time between the different terrestrial station and the terrestrial station under consideration by subtracting from the local time datum a current time indicated by the local clock when the local time datum is extracted, a time setting arrangement sets the current time at a sum of the local time datum and a constant preassigned to the terrestrial station in question. The constant is preliminarily decided by calculating a distance on the earth between the terrestrial station and the reference station based on their longitudes and latitudes, calculating a physical length of a communication link by using the distance, and calculating a time necessary for electromagnetic waves to travel the physical length.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim