Abstract: A device and method provide for an accurate output from a unit, such as an oscillator and/or clock providing an output indicative of frequency and/or time. The device includes a processing section having a microprocessor that develops a model characterizing the performance of the device, including establishing predicted accuracy variations, and the model is then used to correct the unit output. An external reference is used to provide a reference input for updating the model, including updating of predicted variations of the unit, by comparison of the reference input with the unit output. The ability of the model to accurately predict the performance of the unit improves as additional updates are carried out, and this allows the interval between the updates to be lengthened and/or the overall accuracy of the device to be improved. The accuracy of the output is thus adaptively optimized in the presence of systematic and random variations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for maintaining and correcting a time ference in a satellite controlled digital clock system. A time code message including time-of-year information and satellite position information is transmitted in a data stream from a transmitter on earth to a satellite orbiting the earth to be relayed back to receivers located around the world. The data is transmitted at a precise data rate. According to the invention, a local clock oscillator is phase locked with the precise data rate, thereby providing the clock system with time-of-year information by counting the pulses produced by the local oscillator. At the same time, the digital clock system assembles the time code message from the received data stream and compares the message with the time accumulated by counting the pulses produced by the oscillator. After a predetermined number of errors are detected by such comparisons, the clock system resets itself to coincide with the received time code message.

Abstract: Apparatus for measuring the frequency of a reference signal which utilizes he color subcarrier signal of a television receiver as a standard frequency signal. In a first embodiment, the reference signal controls a circuit to develop bursts of a synthesized color subcarrier signal, gated at the horizontal line rate of a color television receiver. The synthesized signal is superimposed on the broadcast television signal and applied to the receiver to produce a modulation bar on the screen. Any frequency/phase difference between synthesized and broadcast color subcarrier signals will cause the modulation bar to move laterally across the screen, and/or cause the sequence of colors within the modulation bar to vary. Movement of the modulation bar is a coarse indication of frequency difference and change of the color sequence within the bar is a precise indication of phase difference.