Patent ID: 7719928

Claim:
A multi-region, radio controlled timing apparatus for receiving, and responding to, a different broadcast time-code signal in each of multiple regions, each of said different broadcast time-code signals being transmitted at a different carrier-transmission frequency, said multi-region, radio controlled timing apparatus comprising: a local reference oscillating signal source for generating a local reference timing signal at a first frequency; a real-time signal generator responsive to said local reference timing signal, said real-time signal generator producing a local-time-tracking signal from said local reference timing signal; a frequency synthesizer responsive to said local reference timing signal and having a frequency-select input, said frequency synthesizer converting said local reference timing signal into a local-carrier signal having a frequency determined in accordance with said frequency-select input; a radio receiver coupled to said frequency synthesizer, said radio receiver receiving any of said different broadcast time-code signals and demodulating the received broadcast time-code signal by use of said local-carrier signal to recover a master-time signal; and a timing mechanism coupled to said real-time signal generator and to said radio receiver, said timing mechanism tracking the passage of time as determined from said local-time-tracking signal and adjusting its currently tracked time in accordance with said master-time signal; wherein said frequency synthesizer includes a phase locked loop (PLL) and a frequency-select control logic circuit; said PLL having a phase and/or frequency detector and a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), said phase and/or frequency detector having a signal-in input node responsive to said local reference timing signal and a feedback input node, said VCO producing an oscillating output in response to said phase and/or frequency detector, said oscillating output being coupled to said feedback input node; said frequency-select control logic circuit having an input for receiving said frequency-select input, and at least a first frequency-change output for adjusting a frequency of a signal at one of said signal-in input node and said feedback input node; wherein said frequency-select control logic circuit further has a second frequency-change output, said frequency synthesizer further having: a first adjustable frequency divider coupling said local reference timing signal to said signal-in input node, a first frequency divisor value of said first adjustable frequency divider being set by said first frequency-change output; and an second adjustable frequency divider coupling said oscillating output to said feedback input node, a second frequency divisor value of said second adjustable frequency divider being set by said second frequency-change output; wherein said first and second frequency divisor values are chosen by said frequency-select control logic circuit to assign said local-carrier signal said target frequency.