Patent ID: 7295643

Claim:
A method for controlling, as a function of frequency (F ref ) and phase of a reference signal (S ref ), the frequency (F vco ) and phase of an output signal of an oscillator having a frequency control input, said method comprising the steps of: detecting continuously in the reference signal (S ref ) and in the signal from the oscillator events representative of the frequency and the phase of that signal, generating a first control signal at a first level (I n ) after detecting one of said events in a first signal of said reference signal and said signal from the oscillator, generating a second control signal at the first level and of opposite polarity to the first control signal after detecting one of said events in a second signal of said reference signal and said signal from the oscillator, applying the control signal (I o ; V o ) thus generated to the control input of the oscillator, and halting generation of the first and second control signals if they are generated simultaneously, which method is characterized in that it further comprises the steps of: triggering the generation of a third control signal at a second level (In+ε) after detecting one of said events in said first signal of said reference signal (S ref ) and said signal from the oscillator, if the first control signal is generated, triggering the generation of a fourth control signal at the second level and of the opposite polarity to the third control signal after detecting one of said events in said second signal of the reference signal and the signal from the oscillator, if the second control signal is generated, determining the control signal (I o ; V o ) to be applied to the control input of the oscillator by adding all of the control signals thus generated, and halting generation of all the control signals if the third and fourth control signals are generated simultaneously.