Tracking of sampling phase in a receiver device

A method for tracking a sampling phase in a receiver device, the method comprising:

• receiving an input signal at a sampler device of the receiver device;
• sampling, by the sampler device, the input signal to generate a sampled input signal, the input signal sampled at a current sampling phase corresponding to a sampling clock;
• equalizing, with an adaptive equalizer of the receiver device, the sampled input signal to generate an equalized input signal;
• adapting, with the adaptive equalizer based on the equalized input signal, one or more parameters of the adaptive equalizer, the adaptation of the one or more parameters being performed under one or more adaptation constraints;
• determining, by an adaptation constraint controller of the receiver device, phase gradient information indicative of an offset of the current sampling phase from an optimal sampling phase for the input signal, the optimal sampling phase corresponding to an estimated peak of the input signal;
• and
• updating, by the adaptation constraint controller, the one or more adaptation constraints of the adaptive equalizer based on the phase gradient information to move the current sampling phase towards the optimal sampling phase.