Modular circuitry architecture for residual time stamp service clock

Abstract

A service clock regenerator regenerates a local clock from time stamps of a remote clock transmitted over a network by determining the slope of (or difference between current and previous) time stamps of the remote clock and the slope of time stamps of the local clock. A phase difference is formed as the difference between the slope of the time stamps of the remote clock and the slope of the time stamps of the local clock and this phase difference is accumulated to generate a phase error signal. The phase error signal is filtered to generate a frequency adjustment signal having a magnitude that depends on the phase error signal. The frequency of the local clock is adjusted according to the magnitude of the frequency adjustment signal thereby reducing a phase difference between the remote time stamps and the local time stamps. The (local service) clock signal has a nominal frequency of Fc/(N+K/L) Hz over each successive interval of L periods, where N, K and L are integers, and L>K (where K can be the above noted frequency adjustment signal). Each set of L periods includes a first set of K periods and a second set of L-K periods. These two sets of periods are organized by interleaving two or more non-null subsequences of periods of the first set with two or more non-null subsequences of periods of the second set. During each period of one of the subsequences of the first set, the clock is outputted with a frequency of Fc/N Hz. Likewise, during each period of one of the subsequences of the second set, the clock is outputted with a frequency of Fc/(N+1) Hz. A service clock regeneration system with multiple service clock regenerator modules is also provided. A combined service clock regenerator/synchronous residual time stamp generator is furthermore provided.