Patent ID: 6968020

Claim:
In a broadband tuner for use in a broadband receiver, a system for generating selectable signals for tuning, the system comprising: a divider-shifter that divides and shifts a local oscillator signal to obtain in-phase and quadrature components of a selected channel frequency, wherein said divider-shifter divides the local oscillator signal by a first-number when the selected channel frequency is within a first-band, and wherein said divider-shifter divides the local oscillator signal by a second-number when the selected channel frequency is within a second-band; an N-divider that divides the local oscillator signal by a value N before comparison with a reference frequency, thereby enabling a current frequency of the local oscillator signal to be locked to the value N multiplied by the reference frequency, said N-divider comprising: an A-counter that counts an A-number of clock cycles; a B-counter that counts a B-number of clock cycles, said B-counter being coupled with said A-counter; and a dual modulus P/P+1 prescaler having a P-number, said dual modulus P/P+1 prescaler coupled with said A-counter and said B-counter such that for the A-number of clock cycles said N-divider divides the local oscillator signal by a value one greater than the P-number, and for a number of clock cycles equal to the B-number minus the A-number said N-divider divides the local oscillator signal by the P-number; and a selected frequency identifier that determines whether the selected channel frequency falls within the first-band or the second-band, causes said divider-shifter to divide by an appropriate number, and programs the value N such that the current frequency of the local oscillator signal is equal to the first-number times the selected channel frequency when the selected channel frequency falls within the first-band and the current frequency of the local oscillator signal is equal to the second-number times the selected channel frequency when the selected channel frequency falls within the second-band.