Patent ID: 8837530

Claim:
A method for adaptive synchronization of timing information provided in communications messages transmitted between independently clocked communication nodes operating in a wireless communications network comprising the steps of: collecting timestamps for messages generated by a plurality of the nodes, each said timestamp being generated by one of the nodes relative to a local time reference thereof; computing a pairwise clock error for at least one pair of nodes based upon a plurality of network messages passed therebetween; adaptively establishing a global time reference for said timestamps responsive to said pairwise clock error; defining a plurality of mapping factors each for translating from one said local time reference to said global time reference; and selectively applying said mapping factors to corresponding ones of said timestamps for adaptive synchronization thereof, wherein said pairwise clock error includes clock drift and clock offset components, each determined based on a ratio of local clock rates for paired nodes of said at least one pair of nodes, and wherein a plurality of timestamped message rounds are collected for said paired nodes, said pairwise clock error being computed to adaptively define between successive rounds of timestamped messages a piecewise linearity in the variation of clock offset modeled between said paired nodes.