In a communications system, the time interval required to attain synchronism. In satellite control communications, the time interval required for locking tracking equipment on a signal from a communications satellite.

The time it takes for your GPS unit to acquire a lock onto enough satellites (three for a 2D and four for a 3D) position fix.

Image acquisition time.

The time it takes a GPS receiver to acquire satellite signals and determine the initial position.

Acquisition time is the interval between the release of the hold state (imposed by the input circuitry of a track-and-hold) and the instant at which the voltage on the sampling capacitor settles to within 1 LSB of a new input value. The equation for acquisition time (Tacq) is: where RSOURCE is the source impedance, CSAMPLE is the sampling capacitance, and N is the number of resolution bits.

This term relates to sampling A/Ds which utilize a track/hold amplifier on the input to acquire and hold the analog input signal. Acquisition time is the time required by the T/H amplifier to settle to its final value after it is placed in the track module.