Method and apparatus for timing synchronization in a distributed timing system

An output signal circuit comprising:

• a propagation delay circuit configured to provide a plurality of delayed versions of an outgoing timing pulse signal at respective incremental delays, said propagation delay circuit providing the delayed versions of the outgoing timing pulse signal at respective delay taps corresponding to the incremental delays;
• a selection circuit configured to couple a selected one of the delayed versions of the outgoing timing pulse signal to an output port of the output signal circuit;
• and
• a control circuit configured to determine a timing adjustment and to correspondingly control the selection circuit to select the delayed version of the outgoing timing pulse signal that corresponds to the timing adjustment, as said selected one of the delayed versions of the outgoing timing pulse signal.

A timing circuit comprising:

• an input connection configured to receive an incoming timing pulse signal;
• and
• processing circuitry configured to:
• detect assertion of the incoming timing pulse signal, via a sampling clock edge of a sampling clock signal having a sampling clock period;
• generate delayed versions of the incoming timing pulse signal or the sampling clock signal, wherein the delayed versions are separated by incremental delays that are fractions of the sampling clock period;
• determine the state of the incoming timing pulse signal for each of the incremental delays;
• estimate a timing difference between an actual assertion time of the incoming timing pulse signal and the sampling clock edge at which assertion of the incoming timing pulse signal is detected, based on the determined states;
• and
• compensate a timing operation of the timing circuit according to the estimated timing difference.