Abstract:
A system and method have been provided for a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit to use a selectable VCO frequency range during the acquisition of a signal, with a larger VCO frequency sweep window once the signal is being tracked. The circuit uses a frequency detector during acquisition, and the VCO is limited to operation is a plurality of discrete frequency bands. Each frequency band is sequentially searched using the low VCO gain. Upon acquisition, the frequency band is locked in, a phase detector is utilized, and the VCO sweep window is increased for tracking purposes.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to phase-locked loops and, more particularly, to a system and method for acquiring and tracking a data signal with a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) having selectable frequency ranges and a selectable frequency sweep window. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Phase-locked loops (PLLs) and clock recovery circuits (CRCs) find wide application in areas such as communications, wireless systems, digital circuits, and disk drive electronics (parts of the following background are excerpts from Behzad Ravavi, “Design of Monolithic Phase-Locked Loops and Clock Recovery Circuits—A Tutorial”). While the concept of phase locking has been in use for more than half a century, monolithic implementation of PLLs and CRCs has become possible only in the last twenty years, and popular in the last ten years. Two factors account for this trend: the demand for higher performance and lower cost in electronic systems, and the advance of integrated-circuit (IC) technologies in terms of speed and complexity. 
     In many systems, data is transmitted or retrieved without any additional timing reference. In optical communications, for example, a stream of data flows over a single fiber with no accompanying clock, but the receiver must eventually process the data synchronously. Thus, the timing information (e.g., the clock) must be recovered from the data at the receive end. Most clock recovery circuits employ phase locking. 
     An ideal voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) generates a periodic output whose frequency is a linear function of a control voltage ν cont : 
     
       
         ω out   =w   FR   +K   VCO   V   cont   
       
     
     where ω FR  is the “free-running” frequency and K VCO  is the “gain” of the VCO (specified in rad/s/V). Since phase is the time integral of frequency, the output of a sinusoidal VCO can be expressed as: 
     
       
           y ( t )= A  cos(ω FR   t+K   VCO ∫ −00   t   V   cont   dt ). 
       
     
     In practical VCOs, K VCO  exhibits some dependence on the control voltage and eventually drops to zero as |V cont | increases. 
     A VCO is considered to be a linear time-invariant system, with the control voltage as the system&#39;s input and the excess phase of the output signal as the system&#39;s output. Since the excess phase is: 
     
       
         φ out ( t )= K   VCO   ∫V   cont   dt,   
       
     
     the input/output transfer function is:              Φ   out          (   s   )           V   cont          (   s   )         =         K   VCO     s     .                            
     The above equation reveals an interesting property of VCOs: to change the output phase, we must first change the frequency and let the integration take place. For example, suppose for t&lt;t 0 , a VCO oscillates at the same frequency as a reference, but with a finite phase error. To reduce the error, the control voltage, V cont , is stepped by +ΔV at t=t 0 , thereby increasing the VCO frequency and allowing the output to accumulate phase faster than the reference. At t=t 1 , when the phase error has decreased to zero, V cont  returns to its initial value. Now, the two signals have equal frequencies and zero phase difference. Note also that the same goal can be accomplished by lowering the VCO frequency during this interval. 
     An ideal phase detector (PD) produces an output signal whose dc value is linearly proportional to the difference between the phases of two periodic inputs: 
     
       
           {overscore (V out )}   =K   PD Δφ 
       
     
     where K PD  is the “gain” of the phase detector (specified in V/rad), and Δφ is the input phase difference. In practice, the characteristic may not be linear or even monotonic for large Δφ. Furthermore, K PD  may depend on the amplitude or duty cycle of the inputs. 
     A phase-locked loop is a feedback system that operates on the excess phase of nominally periodic signals. This is in contrast to familiar feedback circuits where voltage and current amplitudes, and their rate of change are of interest. A simple PLL, consists of a phase detector, a low-pass filter (LPF), and a VCO. The PD serves as an “error amplifier” in the feedback loop, thereby minimizing the phase difference, Δφ, between x(t) and y(t). The loop is considered “locked” if Δφ is constant with time, a result of which is that the input and output frequencies are equal. 
     In the locked condition, all the signals in the loop have reached a steady state and the PLL operates as follows. The phase detector produces an output whose dc value is proportional to Δφ. The low-pass filter suppresses high-frequency components in the PD output, allowing the value to control the VCO frequency. The VCO then oscillates at a frequency equal to the input frequency and with a phase difference equal to Δφ. Thus, the LPF generates the proper control voltage for the VCO. 
     It is important to note that in the above example the loop locks only after two conditions are satisfied: 1) ω out  has become equal to ω in ; and, 2) the difference between φ in , and φ out  has settled to its proper value. If the two frequencies become equal at a point in time but Δφ does not establish the required control voltage for the VCO, the loop must continue the transient, temporarily making the frequencies unequal again. In other words, both “frequency acquisition” and “phase acquisition”, or “tracking”, must be completed. This is, of course, to be expected because for lock to occur again, all the initial conditions of the system, including the VCO output phase, must be updated. 
     Acquisition range is a critical parameter because 1) it trades directly with the loop bandwidth, and therefore, VCO gain. For example, if an application requires a small loop bandwidth, the acquisition range will be proportionally small; 2) it determines the maximum frequency variation in the input or the VCO that can be accommodated. In monolithic implementations, the VCO free-running frequency can vary substantially with temperature and process, thereby requiring a wide acquisition range even if the input frequency is tightly controlled. 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a PLL with aided frequency acquisition (prior art). Here, the system utilizes a frequency detector (FD) and a second low-pass filter, LPF 2 , whose output is added to that of LPF 1 . The FD produces an output having a dc value proportional to, and with the same polarity as ω in −ω out . If the difference between ω in  and ω out  is large, the PD output has a negligible dc component and the VCO is driven by the dc output of the FD with negative feedback, thereby moving ω out  toward ω in . As |ω in −ω out | drops, the dc output of the FD decreases, whereas that of the PD increases. Thus, the frequency detection loop gradually relinquishes the acquisition to the phase-locked loop, becoming inactive when ω in −ω out =0. 
     It is important to note that in a frequency detection loop, the loop gain is relatively constant, independent of |ω in −ω out |, whereas in a simple phase-locked loop, it drops if |ω in −ω out | exceeds ω LPF . For this reason, aided acquisition using FDs can substantially increase the capture range. 
     For a VCO in a PLL, the following parameters are important. 1) Tuning range: i.e., the range between the minimum and maximum values of the VCO frequency. In this range, the variation of the output amplitude and jitter must be minimal. The tuning range must accommodate the PLL input frequency range as well as process- and temperature-induced variations in the VCO frequency range. The tuning range is typically at least ±20%w FR . 2) Jitter and phase noise: timing accuracy and spectral purity requirements in PLL applications impose an upper bound on the VCO jitter and phase noise. 3) Supply and substrate noise rejection: if integrated along with digital circuits, VCOs must be highly immune to supply and substrate noise. When used, a frequency divider can corrupt the VCO output by injecting noise into the common substrate. Such effects become more prominent if a PLL shares the same substrate and package with a large digital processor. 
     Low VCO gain is a desirable feature as it reduces the circuit noise effects at the VCO output. Therefore, a less jittery, more stable VCO output is possible even on very high gate count mixed signal chips (with lots of power supply noise). However, in today&#39;s high performance, low power mixed signal designs, low gain and low power fight against each other. These chips operate at low power because their supply voltages are down to 1.8 Volts or even lower, not necessarily because they draw less current from the power supply. Even though the low power supply voltage does not limit the oscillation frequency of a VCO, it puts a limit on the control voltage range in which VCO frequency is swept linearly. If the maximum and minimum oscillation frequencies obtain from the VCO are labeled F max  and F min , respectively, and the control voltage range in which the VCO can be swept linearly ΔV, the VCO gain is given as below:        VCO_Gain   =         F   max     -     F   min         Δ                 V                              
     Therefore, as ΔV gets smaller with low supply voltage values, the VCO gain becomes larger. To make the matters even worse, the process and temperature variations in CMOS circuits mandate that F max  and F min  be farther apart from each other to ensure the coverage of the actual operating frequency of interest under any condition, and thus causing even higher VCO gain. 
     It would be advantageous if a PLL with aided frequency acquisition circuit could be designed with a low noise output signal. 
     It would be advantageous if a PLL with an aided frequency acquisition circuit could be designed to have a minimal VCO frequency range during acquisition, but a larger frequency range during tracking. 
     It would be advantageous if the above-mentioned PLL with aided frequency acquisition circuit could be designed so that the acquisition occurred through the successive analysis of distinct frequency bands, so that the VCO gain could be minimized. 
     It would be advantageous if a PLL circuit could be designed to automatically select the frequency band of interest and the type of detector used in the acquisition and tracking of a data signal. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, a method for acquiring and tracking a signal with a selectable frequency range VCO is provided. The method comprises: accepting a data signal having a first frequency; accepting a reference signal having approximately the first frequency; selecting a VCO range from a plurality of frequency ranges; acquiring the reference signal in response to selecting the VCO frequency range; and, increasing the frequency sweep to track the data signal. 
     In acquisition, the VCO signal is compared to the reference signal to detect frequency differences. In tracking, the VCO signal is compared to the data signal to detect phase differences. In response to detection, the VCO is supplied with a control voltage. 
     Following acquisition, the method comprises: sensing that the reference signal has been acquired; widening the frequency sweep window; and, switching from frequency detecting the reference signal to phase detecting the data signal, in response to sensing that the reference signal has been acquired. 
     If tracking is lost, the method comprises: switching from phase detecting the data signal to frequency detector the reference signal; while maintaining the larger frequency sweep window. Once reacquired, the method comprises: switching from frequency detecting the reference signal to phase detecting the data signal. 
     An auto-ranging phase-locked loop system for acquiring and tracking a data signal is also provided including a voltage controlled oscillator accepting frequency range commands, sweep window commands, and a control voltage. The VCO supplies a VCO signal having a frequency responsive to the control voltage and a frequency range responsive to the frequency range and sweep window commands. The PLL circuit also includes a frequency detector, phase detector, lock-detect circuit, and range circuit, as explained in more detail below. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a PLL with aided frequency acquisition (prior art). 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the present invention auto-ranging phase-locked loop system for acquiring and tracking an input signal. 
     FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting a method for acquiring and tracking a signal with a selectable frequency sweep window voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the present invention auto-ranging phase-locked loop system  100  for acquiring and tracking an input signal. A voltage controlled oscillator  102  has a first input on line  104  to accept frequency range commands, a second input on line  106  to accept sweep window commands, and a third input on line  108  to accept a control voltage. The VCO  102  has an output on line  110  to supply a VCO signal having a frequency responsive to the control voltage and a frequency range responsive to the frequency range and sweep window commands. 
     A frequency detector  112  has a first input on line  110  connected to the VCO output to accept the VCO signal, a second input on line  114  to accept a reference signal at a first frequency, and an output on line  116  to supply a control voltage, in response to comparing the frequencies of the input signals. 
     A phase detector  118  has a first input on line  110  connected to the VCO output to accept the VCO signal, a second input on line  120  to accept a data signal, at approximately the first frequency, and an output on line  122  to supply a control voltage in response to comparing the frequencies of the input signals. 
     A multiplexor (MUX)  124  has a first input on line  116  connected to the output of the frequency detector  112 , a second input on line  122  connected to the output of the phase detector  118 , a control input on line  126  to accept a lock-detect signal, and an output on line  128  to supply the selected input in response to the lock-detect signal. 
     A reference source  130  has an output on line  114  connected to the second input of frequency detector  112  to supply the reference signal. A low-pass filter  132  has an input on line  128  connected to the MUX output and an output on line  108  connected to the third input of the VCO  102 . 
     A lock-detect circuit  134  has a first output on line  126  to supply a lock-detect signal when the reference signal has been acquired by the PLL system  100 . The MUX  124  switches the MUX output from the frequency detector output on line  116  to the phase detector output on line  122 , in response to the lock-detect signal on line  126 . Likewise, the VCO  102  accepts a sweep window command on line  106 , to switch from a small to a large window, in response to the lock-detect signal on line  126 . As explained in more detail below, the large sweep window command remains set until the system  100  is reinitialized. 
     A clock  136  has an output on line  138  to supply a clock signal having a period. A range select circuit  140  has an input on line  142  responsive to a clock signal on line  138  and an output on line  104  to supply a first frequency range command during a first clock period, a second frequency range command during a second clock period, and a third frequency range command during a third clock period. The VCO  102  supplies a VCO signal on line  110  in the first frequency range during the first period, in a second frequency range during the second period, and in a third frequency range during the third period. Although an example of three range commands, with three frequency ranges, has been given above, the present invention is not limited to any particular number of ranges. 
     A first logic gate  144  has a first input on line  106  responsive to the lock-detect signal on line  126 , and second input connected to the output of the clock circuit  136  on line  138 . The first logic gate has an output on line  142  connected to the range select circuit  140 . The range select circuit  140  receives clock signals on line  142  in response to the lock-detect signal on line  126 . Although an AND gate with one inverted input is shown, the present invention is not limited by any particular logic structure, and many other arrangements of gates are possible to accomplish the same task. 
     A second logic gate  146  has a first input connected to the lock-detect circuit output on line  126  to accept the lock-detect signal, a second input on line  148 , and an output on line  150 . A latch  152  has a data input connected to the output of the second logic gate  146  on line  150 , a first output on line  154  to supply a latched detect signal, and a second output connected to the second input of the second logic gate  146  on line  148  to supply the complement of the latched detect signal. 
     A third logic gate  156  has a first input on line  126  connected to the output of the lock-detect circuit  134  to accept the lock-detect signal, a second input on line  154  connected to the first output of the latch  152  to accept the latch detect signal, and an output on line  106  connected to the sweep window control input of the VCO  102  and the first input of the first logic gate  144  to supply the sweep window command. 
     As depicted, the second logic gate  146  is an AND gate and the third logic gate  156  is an OR gate. It should be understood that the functions performed by these gates can be performed by equivalent logic structures without affecting the performance of the system  100 . Latch  152  can be enabled with a D flip-flop. However, an equivalent latch could be made through a variety of other types of logic structures. 
     An example follows using specific signal states to illustrate the operation of the invention. Note that although the signals are identified as having either “high” or “low” states, the invention is not dependent to any particular set of signal states, and equivalent circuitry can be enabled using different signal values to operate the PLL. 
     The lock-detect circuit  134  first output on line  126  supplies an initial “high” lock-detect signal. The second logic gate  146  supplies a “high” signal on line  150  in response to an initial “high” lock-detect signal on line  126 . The latch  152  first output on line  154  supplies a “high” latched detect signal in response to the initial lock-detect signal, that remains “high” regardless of subsequent “high” signals from the first output of the lock-detect circuit  134 . The third logic gate  156  supplies a “high” signal on line  106  which is the large sweep window command. The large sweep window command is supplied to the VCO  102  and the first gate  144 . The VCO  102  switches to the large VCO sweep window in response to the “high” sweep window command signal, and the first logic gate  144  blocks the clock signal on line  138  in response to the “high” (large) sweep window command signal. Further, the MUX  124  switches from phase detector output to frequency detector output in response to a “high” lock-detect signal. 
     In the event that the data signal is no longer phase-locked, the lock-detect circuit  134  first output supplies a “low” lock-detect signal on line  126 . Then, the MUX  124  switches to the frequency detector output on line  116 . The VCO sweep window and frequency range selection remain fixed. 
     When the reference signal is reacquired by the frequency detector  112 , a second (or any subsequent) “high” lock-detect signal, is presented on line  126 . The second logic gate  140  supplies a “low” signal in response to the second “high” lock-detect signal. The latch  152  first output supplies a “high” latched detect signal in response to the second lock-detect signal. The third logic gate  156  supplies a “high” signal, or a large sweep window command signal in response to every lock-detect signal. Alternately stated, the large sweep window command remains fixed despite the state of the lock-detect signal. The VCO frequency sweep window remains large and the first logic gate  144  continues to blocks the clock signal to the range select circuit  140 . However, the MUX  124  selects the phase detector output on line  122  in response to the second “high” lock-detect signal. 
     In some aspects of the invention, the lock-detect circuit  134  has a second output to supply a “high” reset signal on line  160  and a “low” signal on the first output (line  126 ) when a decision has been made that the acquisition process must be reinitializied. The latch  152  has a reset input connected to the second output on line  160  to accept the reset signal. The latch  152  initializes the latch first output on line  154  to a “low” signal, in response to the “high” reset signal. Likewise, the latch second output on line  148  is set to “high” so that the next “high” lock detect signal will be passed to the latch  152 . The third logic gate  156  supplies a “low” signal, which is the small sweep window command in response to a “high” rest signal on line  160 . Therefore, the VCO frequency sweep window is set to small (narrow) in response to the small sweep window command signal, and the first logic gate  144  supplies the clock signal to the range circuit  142  in response to the small sweep window command signal. Further, the MLUX  124  selects the frequency detector output in response to the “low” lock-detect signal on line  126 . 
     The auto-ranging VCO makes it possible to realize a small frequency range VCO without compromising the total frequency coverage. The range in which a VCO is designed to operate is very much process dependent. In some cases, due to process variations, a VCO can have a range that does not cover the actual operating frequency. With the present invention auto-ranging approach, the occurrences of such events can be reduced, if not eliminated, resulting in higher manufacturing yields. 
     To decrease the VCO frequency range, the separation between F max  and F min  must be decreased. To ensure the coverage of the actual operating frequency under any condition, with a limited frequency range VCO, the auto-ranging system was developed. In the auto-ranging system, F max  and F min  are set to give the desired low VCO gain. The process coverage is achieved by having the VCO centered at different frequencies and sweeping the VCO around that center frequency. Theoretically, there is no limit for the number of ranges. However, in practice, the number of ranges is somehow limited by the required acquisition time. 
     The circuit operates as follows: At the beginning of the acquisition process, it is most likely that the PLL  100  will be out of lock. Therefore, the lock-detect output on line  126  will be “low”. This condition selects the Frequency Detector (FD)  112  at the input to MUX  124  on line  116 , and small sweep window for the VCO  102 . The sweep window command will be “low” and the third logic gate  156  will be open so that the range select circuit  140  is searching for a range. The range select circuit  140  outputs a change state every 1 ms, for example, but the invention is not limited to any particular value. This time is associated with the acquisition time of the loop in every range. Normally, this time is large enough to search each range thoroughly. Only a certain percentage of ΔV, the VCO control voltage is used during the lock search. The control voltage range is responsive to the gain commands on line  106 . 
     After the lock is achieved, ΔV is extended back to its full swing (large sweep window). This is necessary to ensure that only the range that has the operating frequency close to the middle of the frequency range will be selected. If, after the lock is achieved, the environmental conditions change (for example, the temperature changes), the operating frequency will still be covered (the free running frequency of a VCO moves up and down with temperature quite a bit in certain circuits). 
     Table 1 summarizes the PLL control states and their correspondence to some key signal states. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Control States 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                 Sweep 
                 Sweep 
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 RE- 
                 LOCK- 
                   
                 Window 
                 Win- 
               
               
                 STATE 
                 SET 
                 detect 
                 Q 
                 command 
                 dow 
                 PD/FD 
                 SEARCH 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Unlock 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 small 
                 FD 
                 ON 
               
               
                 First 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 PD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Lock 
               
               
                 Unlock 
                 0 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 small 
                 FD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Final 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 PD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Lock 
               
             
          
           
               
                 IF A LOSS OF LOCK OCCURS AFTER THIS STATE 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Unlock 
                 0 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 FD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Final 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 PD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Lock 
               
             
          
           
               
                 ANOTHER SCENARIO (2) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Unlock 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 small 
                 FD 
                 ON 
               
               
                 Final 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 PD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Lock 
               
             
          
           
               
                 IF A LOSS OF LOCK OCCURS AFTER THIS STATE 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Unlock 
                 0 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 FD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Final 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 PD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Lock 
               
             
          
           
               
                 IF A LOCK CANNOT BE ESTABLISHED 
               
               
                 FOR PREDIFINED TIME PERIOD 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Unlock 
                 0 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 FD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Unlock 
                 1 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 small 
                 FD 
                 ON 
               
               
                 First 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 PD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Lock 
               
               
                 Unlock 
                 0 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 FD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Final 
                 0 
                 1 
                 1 
                 1 
                 large 
                 PD 
                 OFF 
               
               
                 Lock 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The range select circuit  140  keeps incrementing (searching), looking for a lock in every range for the duration of 1 ms, until a lock is achieved. When the lock is achieved, the lock-detect and sweep window command signal become “high”. The third logic gate  156  is blocked and searching for a range stops. The loop switches to phase detector (PD)  118  and ΔV, the VCO control voltage, is extended to its full swing (large sweep window). During this phase, the loop aligns the VCO signal to the data signal. If the PLL  100  falls out of lock due to a very large phase misalignment between the VCO  102  and the DATA signal, the lock-detect signal becomes “low” and the loop switches to frequency detector  112 , but sweep window command does not change state. Therefore, the range select circuit  140  maintains its inactive status, as the range is assumed to be correct. The same frequency range is maintained and the frequency acquisition process starts. As the sweep window command is still “high”, the large VCO frequency sweep window is selected. The frequency acquisition takes place under the unlimited, or large ΔV condition. 
     When the frequency lock is achieved, lock-detect signal will go “high” and the phase detector  118  is selected. The phase alignment process starts again. Notice that after the frequency lock is achieved for the first time, the first latch output (Q) goes “high” and (QB) goes “low”. The “low” QB blocks the second logic gate  146  for subsequent lock-detect state changes. As a result, the range selection process is insensitive to the temporary out-of-lock situations. The complete states of PLL control I/O&#39;s are shown in Table 1, above. 
     FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting a method for acquiring and tracking a signal with a selectable frequency sweep window voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). Although the method is depicted as a sequence of numbered steps for clarity, no order should be inferred from the numbering unless explicitly stated. Step  200  is the start. Step  202  accepts a data signal having a first frequency. Step  204  accepts a reference signal having approximately the first frequency. Step  206  selects a VCO range from a plurality of frequency ranges. Step  208  acquires the reference signal in response to selecting the VCO frequency range. Step  210  widens the VCO frequency sweep window to track the data signal. 
     In some aspects of the invention, Step  207   a  compares the VCO signal to the reference signal to detect frequency differences. Step  207   b , in response to frequency detecting, supplies a VCO control voltage. Acquiring the reference signal in response to selecting the VCO range in Step  208  includes acquiring the reference signal with the control voltage supplied in response to frequency detecting. 
     Step  212  compares the VCO signal to the data signal to detect phase differences. Step  214 , in response to phase detecting, supplies a VCO control voltage. Step  216  tracks the data signal with the control voltage supplied in response to phase detecting. 
     Step  209   a  senses that the reference signal has been acquired. Step  209   b  switches from frequency detecting the reference signal to phase detecting the data signal, in response to sensing that the reference signal has been acquired. 
     Widening the VCO frequency sweep window to track the data signal in Step  210  includes widening the VCO frequency sweep window in response to sensing that the reference signal has been acquired. 
     In some aspects of the invention selecting a VCO range from a plurality of frequency ranges in Step  206  includes substeps. Step  206   a  selects a first frequency range for a first period of time. Step  206   b  selects a second frequency range when the input signal has not been acquired within the first period of time. Step  206   c  selects a third frequency range when the input signal has not been acquired within the first period of time. 
     Some aspects of the invention include a further step. Following the widening of the VCO frequency sweep window to track the data signal in Step  210 , Step  218  senses that the data signal is no longer being tracked. Step  220  switches from phase detecting the data signal to frequency detecting the reference signal, in response to sensing that the data signal is no longer being tracked. Step  222  maintains the large VCO frequency sweep window in response to sensing that the data signal is no longer being tracked. Step  224  maintains the selected frequency range in response to sensing that the data signal is no longer being tracked. 
     Step  226  reacquires the reference signal. Step  209   a  senses that the reference signal has been acquired. Step  209   b  switches from frequency detecting the reference signal to phase detecting the data signal, in response to detecting that the reference signal has been acquired. 
     A system and method have been presented for acquiring and tracking a data signal using a selectable frequency range VCO. The invention uses a combination of discrete frequency ranges and variable sweep windows to minimize the VCO gain during acquisition. A specific example of the invention has been presented to clarify the invention. However, the invention is not limited to the specific example. Other variations and embodiments of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art.