System and method for time synchronization

1. A system comprising a plurality of devices for time synchronization, wherein each device comprises:

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for receiving GPS signals to determine location and generate positioning information and a pulse per second (PPS) signal;

an oscillator for generating a periodic signal;

a microprocessor coupled to the GPS receiver and the oscillator for receiving the PPS signal and the periodic signal, the microprocessor comprising a timer for generating a clock signal according to the periodic signal; wherein the microprocessor generates a drift per second according to the difference between the PPS signal and the clock signal; and

a wireless transceiver coupled to the microprocessor for transmitting the positioning information to the other devices and receiving positioning informations from the other devices;

wherein the microprocessor turns off the GPS receiver and calibrates the clock signal constantly according to the drift per second, and then the GPS receiver is turned on after a pre-determined time period to update the drift per second and calibrate the clock signal with the updated drift per second, thereby forming cycle.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a memory coupled to the microprocessor for recording the positioning information.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the microprocessor comprises a PPS filter for filtering a proper PPS signal to calibrate the clock signal.

4. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the positioning information comprises the time when the location is determined, coordinates, and altitude.

5. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the wireless transceiver transmits and receives data by time division multiple access (TDMA) technology.

6. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the GPS receiver is turned off when it fails to determine location and is turned on after the pre-determined time period.

7. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein each of the devices for time synchronization further comprises a function module coupled to the microprocessor for performing a specific function.

8. A method for time synchronization, comprising steps of:

providing a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for receiving GPS signals to determine location and generate a pulse per second (PPS) signal;

providing an oscillator for generating a periodic signal;

providing a microprocessor coupled to the GPS receiver and the oscillator for generating a clock signal according to the periodic signal;

calculating a drift per second according to the difference between the PPS signal and the clock signal;

turning off the GPS receiver; and

calibrating the clock signal constantly according to the drift per second.

9. The method for time synchronization as recited in claim 8 , wherein the step of calculating the drift per second comprises steps of:

recording the drift of each second of the clock signal according to the PPS signal within a time interval;

selecting a main drift range with the center at the drift value of highest count; and

obtaining the drift per second by dividing the sum of the drifts within the main drift range by the time interval.

10. The method for time synchronization as recited in claim 8 , further comprising steps of:

turning on the GPS receiver after a pre-determined time period to determine location and generate the PPS signal;

calculating a compensation per second according to the difference between the PPS signal and the clock signal;

turning off the GPS receiver;

calibrating the clock signal constantly according to the compensation per second; and

turning on the GPS receiver after the pre-determined time period and forming cycle.

11. The method for time synchronization as recited in claim 10 , wherein the step of calculating the compensation per second comprises steps of:

calculating the time interval between an updated PPS signal and the previous PPS signal;

calculating an updated drift of the clock signal according to the updated PPS signal;

obtaining an average drift by dividing the updated drift by the time interval;

obtaining an updated value by multiplying the average drift with a balance factor; and

obtaining an updated compensation per second by summing the previous compensation per second or the drift per second with the updated value.

12. The method for time synchronization as recited in claim 11 , further comprising a step of providing a PPS filter for filtering a proper PPS signal.

13. The method for time synchronization as recited in claim 12 , wherein the PPS filter filters the PPS signal by the steps of:

providing a threshold value; and

comparing the average drift according to the PPS signal with the threshold value, if the average drift is smaller than the threshold value, the PPS signal is a proper PPS signal.

14. The method for time synchronization as recited in claim 13 , wherein the threshold value is within a range from 5 to 15 microseconds.

15. The method for time synchronization as recited in claim 11 , wherein the balance factor is determined according to practical requirement and environmental factors.