Method and apparatus for aligning the clock signals of transceivers in a multiple access communication system utilizing programmable, multi-tap phase-locked loops

摘要

A multi-sectored, multiple access communication system provides for low-skew sector transceiver clocks by novelly utilizing a multi-tap digital Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) in the delay match circuitry of each transceiver to efficiently and inexpensively generate clock signals for each transceiver that are temporally aligned within acceptable limits of the other transceivers. The inventive system and method obviate the need for matching the lengths of all of the cables connecting the base station (“master sector equipment”) to the transceivers (“slave sector equipment”), and also reduces the power requirement as a byproduct.