Patent ID: 8855243

Claim:
A method of calculating a time delay between two or more sampling channels in a signal processing system, said method comprising: a) providing a first sampling channel for enabling sampling of a substantially non-delayed signal; and b) providing one or more additional sampling channels, each sampling channel providing a predefined delay τ to said signal, giving rise to a delayed signal, and then enabling sampling of said delayed signal, wherein said predefined delay τ is calculated by using the relationship between said delay τ and a phase difference Δφ of said delayed signal; c) defining the relationship between the time delay τ and the phase difference Δφ by means of at least one of the following: a) 2 ·π·f 1 ·τ=Δφ 1 +2·π· N ; and b) 2·π·( f 1 +Δf )·τ=Δφ 2 +2·π·( N+M ), wherein Δφ 1 is a phase difference of a first delayed signal having a first predefined frequency f 1 , Δφ 2 is a phase difference of a second delayed signal having a second predefined frequency f 2 , Δf is a difference between said second and first predefined frequencies, thereby f 2 =f 1 +Δf, and M and N are integers; d) determining a bound of integer M by using the following relationship: M = τ · Δ ⁢ ⁢ f - Δ ⁢ ⁢ ϕ 2 - Δ ⁢ ⁢ ϕ 1 2 ⁢ π ; e) measuring frequency differences Δf 12 and Δf 13 between the first predefined frequency f 1 , the second predefined frequency f 2 and a third predefined frequency f 3 , giving rise to frequency differences Δf 12 =f 2 −f 1 and Δf 13 =f 3 −f 1 ;and f) calculating the time delay τ approximation by using the one or more of the following: τ = Δ ⁢ ⁢ ϕ 2 - Δ ⁢ ⁢ ϕ 1 2 ⁢ π · Δ ⁢ ⁢ f 12 + M 1 Δ ⁢ ⁢ f 12 ; and a ) τ = Δ ⁢ ⁢ ϕ 3 - Δ ⁢ ⁢ ϕ 1 2 ⁢ π · Δ ⁢ ⁢ f 13 + M 2 Δ ⁢ ⁢ f 13 , b ) wherein Δφ 3 , is a phase difference of a third delayed signal having the third predefined frequency f 3 , and M 1 and M 2 are integers.