SubscribeHave you ever thought how the efficient running of an airport relies so heavily on precision timing? Flight Scheduling, Air Traffic Control, Check-in and Baggage Handling, Passenger Information Displays etc. all need feeds from a centralised time system to make the place run efficiently.
Time synchronisation is also critical from a safety point of view. Precise event-tagging of critical data in turn produces a traceable audit trail. This audit trail is essential for pinpointing the specific order in which events occurred, a critical concern for analysing potential or actual safety issues.
Typical airport systems include central computers, security systems, passenger & flight information, baggage, CCTV, telephone systems to name a few.
All of these systems are normally supplied by different vendors, and will have an array of different connection interfaces. So how do we achieve thorough integration so that all these different systems are displaying the same time? And how do we know that the correct time is being used?
The answer is to use a traceable time source, such as GPS, to synchronise the internal clock in the master timing system. GPS uses a network of 24 satellites that produce extremely accurate time information. The internal clock, or oscillator, provides stability to the overall system if the GPS signal is interrupted for any reason.
The next challenge is to take a feed from this clock and convert the time signal into various formats that are identifiable by all the systems that need to receive this synchronised time signal.
Time & Frequency have overcome this by producing a range of flexible modular timing systems together with a wide range of output modules to interface with whatever systems the customer requires. These outputs include serial, parallel, network time protocol, industry-standard timecodes such as IRIG-B, AFNOR, etc.
To overcome any potential internal timing errors, Time & Frequency Solutions recommend the use of a ‘dual-redundant system’ whereby a changeover unit links two timing systems with the ability to switch the signal from one to the other if a failure occurs.
So, what does Time & Frequency Solutions offer over and above other precision timing companies?
- We provide an economic solution to multi-vendor requirement
- Flexibility – we tailor our systems to suit yours
- We can provide a solution to any application
- No system too large or small
- Over 30 years in timing industry
- Extensive airport experience
