GB833368A - Improvements in or relating to electric counting circuits - Google Patents

Abstract

833,368. Electronic counting apparatus. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd; Dec. 18, 1956, No. 38558/56. Class 106 (1). [Also in Group XL (b)] An electric multi-denominational counter comprises rings of ferro-magnetic or ferroelectric cells, and equipment for scanning the cells in a particular order. The decimal counter described comprises 3 rings of magnetic storage cells formed'by a single column 21, Fig. 1, of 30 holes in one or more ferro-magnetic blocks. The holes are threaded by a common column wire connected to amplifier 21W, a common read-out wire connected to amplifier 21R and individual row wires OX ... 29X. The cells are scanned in turn each by a positive halfread pulse 1W1 followed by a negative halfwrite pulse 1W2 applied to the row wire via a 2-way transistor gate IGO ... IG29, similar pulses being applied to the column wires via 21W and gate IG33. The row wire gates are operated in the order IGO ... 9, 0, 10 ... 19, 10, 20 ... 29, 20 under control of distributers 12C, I1C. In operation, a scanning cycle is initiated for each signal " S " to be counted, applied to gate 2G9. At the termination of the signal, bi-stable trigger circuit 21F is switched to the " 1 " condition and its output 21 f1 opens column gate IG33 and, through trigger 11F, gate IG30 whereby 12C is stepped on at the end of each pulse IW2. Pulses 1WI 1 are thus applied continually to the column wire and in succession to all the row wires. Such simultaneously applied pulses will set to " 0 " that cell in the 1st ring (OX-9X) which is in the " 1 " condition, an output being obtained from 21R which sets trigger 22F to " ," Fig. 2. At the end of the following pulse 1W2, 23F is set to " 0 " via gate 2G4, thus openin writeg gate 2G1, Fig. 1. After the next step of 12C, the next pulse 1W2 will be passed to the column wire to write " 1 " in the succeeding cell in the ring, and will reset 22F to "0." At the end of each cycle of 12C, 11C is stepped via 1G32 to scan the next higher ring. If 23F remains at "0," the " 1's " read from the 2nd and 3rd rings will be re-written in the same cell. If, however, the 1st ring registered " 1 " in the " 9 " cell, 24F will be set to "1" via gate 2G6, Fig. 2, thus resetting 23F to " 1 " via 2G7 and causing a " carry " step of " 1 in the 2nd ring, carries being similarly transferred between the 2nd and 3rd rings. At the end of the scanning cycle 11F and 21F are reset to " 0 " via 1G31 and 2G10. As the cells are scanned, the output from 21R may be transferred, e.g. to a set of storage triggers, or to a magnetic drum or a shift register, as described in Specification 833,369. The scanning sequence could be restricted to those decades in which changes are to be made. In a modification (Fig: 3, not shown), three independent single column counters, for determining telegraph message serial numbers, have separate column wires, but common row scanning and control circuits. The telegraph line circuits are arranged to ensure that only one counter is operative at a time.