Mitigating interaction between adaptive equalization and timing recovery

Abstract

System and method of timing recovery for recovering a clock signal with reduced interference with clock phase correction by an adaptive equalizer. The equalizer in the timing recovery loop is dynamically adapted to the current channel characteristics that vary over time. Upon a good Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) being achieved, a selected set of the tap weights of the equalizer filter are frozen or set to smaller values, while others continue to adapt and the timing recovery loop continues the clock recovery process. Thereby, the adaptation of equalization can be adjusted to attenuate the equalization filter's effect on clock delay correction by limiting the adaptation time or speed relative to those of the entire timing recovery loop.