TIME SYNCHRONIZATION METHOD, AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND NODES USED THEREIN

摘要

There is provided a time synchronization method that is executed by a plurality of nodes in an ad hoc network in which the plurality of nodes, which are wirelessly connected to one another, transmit and receive beacons, in which time information is described, in each beacon period to perform time synchronizations of the nodes. The time synchronization method comprises a generating step in which a number of slots is generated by use of a random number in each beacon period; a determining step in which when no beacon has been received from a different node until a beacon transmission time corresponding to the number of slots, it is determined based on the number of slots whether the beacon transmission is canceled; and a step in which when it is determined that the beacon transmission is canceled in the determining step, the beacon transmission is canceled, and when it is determined that the beacon transmission is not canceled, a beacon, in which time information of the local node is described, is transmitted at the beacon transmission time.