Method and device for synchronizing and time-stamping for equipment items of a communication network of AFDX type

1. A method for transmitting synchronization frames in a communication network in order to permit synchronization of a local clock of at least one equipment item connected to the communication network with a clock of a reference equipment item also connected to the communication network, the at least one equipment item, separate from the reference equipment item, being connected to the reference equipment item via at least one switch, the method, employed in the at least one switch, comprising:

calculating a calculated transmission delay to be different than a fixed transmission delay when a previous transmission delay of a synchronization frame that was previously transmitted by the at least one switch is also different than the fixed transmission delay;

receiving at least one synchronization frame emitted by the reference equipment item, the at least one synchronization frame including a time point of emission of the at least one synchronization frame according to the clock of the reference equipment item; and

transmitting the at least one received synchronization frame after the calculated transmission delay from the reception of the at least one synchronization frame by the switch,

the local clock of the at least one equipment item, after reception the receiving of the at least one synchronization frame by the at least one equipment item, being synchronized according to at least the time point of emission, a time point of reception of the at least one synchronization frame at the at least one equipment item, and the fixed transmission delay.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the calculated transmission delay is determined according to a length of a longest frame that can be transmitted by the switch.

3. The method according to claim 1 , additionally comprising:

transmitting part of a frame during the calculated transmission delay.

4. A method for synchronizing a local clock of an equipment item relative to a clock of a reference equipment item, the equipment item and the reference equipment item belonging to a communication network and being connected to one another via at least one switch, the reference equipment item transmitting at least one synchronization frame that includes the time point of emission of the at least one synchronization frame according to the clock of the reference equipment item, the method comprising:

receiving the at least one synchronization frame emitted by the reference equipment item;

calculating a theoretical time point of emission of the at least one synchronization frame according to the time point of reception of the at least one synchronization frame by the equipment item and a fixed transmission delay associated with at least one calculated transmission delay; and

synchronizing the local clock of the equipment item according to the said theoretical time point of emission and the time point of emission included in the at least one synchronization frame,

the at least one switch transmitting the at least one synchronization frame after the at least one calculated transmission delay counting from the reception of the at least one synchronization frame at the at least one switch, wherein the calculated transmission delay is calculated to be different than the fixed transmission delay when a previous transmission delay of a synchronization frame that was previously transmitted by the at least one switch is also different than the fixed transmission delay.

5. The method according to claim 1 , additionally comprising:

calculating the calculated transmission delay according to the fixed transmission delay and a topology of the communication network.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform steps comprising:

calculating a calculated transmission delay to be different than a fixed transmission delay when a previous transmission delay of a synchronization frame that was previously transmitted by at least one switch is also different than the fixed transmission delay;

receiving at least one synchronization frame emitted by a reference equipment item, the at least one synchronization frame including a time point of emission of the at least one synchronization frame according to a clock of the reference equipment item; and

transmitting the at least one received synchronization frame after the calculated transmission delay from reception of the at least one synchronization frame by the switch,

a local clock of at least one equipment item, after the receiving of the at least one synchronization frame by the at least one equipment item, being synchronized according to at least the time point of emission, a time point of reception of the at least one synchronization frame at the at least one equipment item, and the fixed transmission delay.

7. An aircraft comprising:

a switch for transmitting synchronization frames in a communication network in order to permit synchronization of a local clock of at least one equipment item connected to the communication network with a clock of a reference equipment item also connected to the communication network the equipment item being connected to the reference equipment item by the switch, the switch including

a calculating section configured to calculate a transmission delay calculating a calculated transmission delay to be different than a fixed transmission delay when a previous transmission delay of a synchronization frame that was previously transmitted by the at least one switch is also different than the fixed transmission delay,

a receiver that receives at least one synchronization frame emitted by the reference equipment item, the at least one synchronization frame including a time point of emission of the at least one synchronization frame according to the clock of the reference equipment item, and

a transmitter that transmits the at least one received synchronization frame after the calculated transmission delay from the reception of the at least one synchronization frame by the switch,

wherein the local clock of the at least one equipment item, after receiving the at least one synchronization frame by the at least one equipment item, is synchronized according to at least the time point of emission, a time point of reception of the at least one synchronization frame at the at least one equipment item, and the fixed transmission delay.

8. A switch for transmitting synchronization frames in a communication network in order to permit synchronization of a local clock of at least one equipment item connected to the communication network with a clock of a reference equipment item also connected to the communication network, the equipment item being connected to the reference equipment item by the switch, the switch comprising:

a calculating section configured to calculate a transmission delay calculating a calculated transmission delay to be different than a fixed transmission delay when a previous transmission delay of a synchronization frame that was previously transmitted by the at least one switch is also different than the fixed transmission delay;

a receiver that receives at least one synchronization frame emitted by the reference equipment item, the at least one synchronization frame including a time point of emission of the at least one synchronization frame according to the clock of the reference equipment item, and

a transmitter that transmits the at least one received synchronization frame after the calculated transmission delay from the reception of the at least one synchronization frame by the switch,

wherein the local clock of the at least one equipment item, after receiving the at least one synchronization frame by the at least one equipment item, is synchronized according to at least the time point of emission, a time point of reception of the at least one synchronization frame at the at least one equipment item, and the fixed transmission delay.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the calculating further calculates the calculated transmission delay to be different than the fixed transmission delay by an amount equal to a difference between the previous transmission delay and the fixed transmission delay.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the calculating further calculates the calculated transmission delay to be greater than the fixed transmission delay when the previous transmission delay of the synchronization frame that was previously transmitted by the at least one switch is less than the fixed transmission delay.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the calculating further calculates the calculated transmission delay to be less than the fixed transmission delay when the previous transmission delay of the synchronization frame that was previously transmitted by the at least one switch is greater than the fixed transmission delay.