Patent ID: 6859742

Claim:
An apparatus for generating precision clock information, comprising: a source of power line timing information; a source of externally-generated precision time information; a timing circuit coupled to the source of externally-generated precision time information to receive a precision time signal therefrom, the timing circuit operable to generate clock information based on the precision time signal, the timing circuit further operable to generate clock information based on the power line timing information, the timing circuit comprising an accumulator, the accumulator including an output, a first input, a second input, and a third input; a source of clocking signals operable to generate a clocking signal having a frequency exceeding a frequency of the precision time signal, and wherein the timing circuit is further operable to generate the clock information based on the clocking signal; and, wherein the accumulator increments a value stored therein based on the second input and the third input; the accumulator is operable to receive a precision time pulse at the first input; the accumulator is operable to generate a timing output signal at the output when the value exceeds a predetermined threshold; and the accumulator is operable to generate a timing output signal at the output when the accumulator receives the precision time pulse.