Patent ID: 7466173

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first voltage controlled oscillator configured to operate in at least a first frequency range; at least a second voltage controlled oscillator, configured to operate in at least a second frequency range; a reference oscillator; a phase detector having at least one output indicative of a comparison of a phase of said reference oscillator with a phase of a signal associated with an active voltage controlled oscillator, said active voltage controlled oscillator being one of said first and at least second voltage controlled oscillators; a charge pump operatively coupled to said phase detector; a circuit configured to provide at least one direct current output signal related to linearity of an operation state of said active voltage controlled oscillator, said circuit having an input operatively coupled with the operative coupling between said phase detector and said charge pump; and a switching arrangement operatively coupled with the at least one direct current output signal of the circuit and operatively coupled with an output of the charge pump and in selective cooperative engagement with an input and an output of one of said first and at least second voltage controlled oscillators, the switching arrangement configured to at least operatively couple one of said first and at least second voltage controlled oscillators that is not said active voltage controlled oscillator so as to be the next active voltage controlled oscillator if said at least one direct current output signal indicates that the operation state of the current active voltage controlled oscillator is not linear.