Novel low latency and self-adjusting frame synchronization algorithm for data streaming applications

A circuit comprising:

• a frame synchronizer;
• and
• a local clock communicatively coupled to output clock signals to the frame synchronizer, wherein the frame synchronizer includes:
• a frame state machine;
• a frame interval bit counter communicatively coupled to the frame state machine;
• a buffer communicatively coupled to the frame state machine, wherein the frame state machine is forced to an operate mode following an initial synchronization, the initial synchronization including a search mode, wherein the frame synchronizer searches for a frame synchronization pattern on a bit level while running the frame state machine in the operate mode, and wherein the frame state machine runs in the operate mode without return to the search mode when synchronization is lost.

A method for maintaining a nominal decoder time phase alignment through a data drop-out period, the method comprising:

• determining if a search window is open, wherein a search-window width of the search window is an initial search-window width, wherein the initial search-window width is larger than the width of the frame synchronization pattern;
• determining if a bit clock rising edge is detected;
• searching for the frame synchronization pattern on a bit level when the search window is open and the bit clock rising edge is detected;
• and
• if the frame synchronization pattern is not found responsive to the searching, determining if a receipt time of the bit received when the bit clock rising edge was detected is coincident with an expected start time of the frame synchronization pattern.