US2188611A - Impulse generator - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 30, 1940. L. E. NORTON 188,611

IMPULSE GENERATOR Filed June 18, 1938 Ffa. i.

Snoentor Lowell', E. Noron il) Continuously indicating radio compass", Serial ferentiated currents may be applied to any amamfeanaaciso l n l l 2,188,611.

UNITED s-TATEs PATENT oF/FlcEw mulaslsm'l'o "Lowell E. Norton, Collingswood, N. J., assigner to A Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application June 1s, 193s, serial 10.214,473

1 claims. conso-ss) This invention relates to impulse generators is the limiting valueof the ratio of the increment and more specifically to impulse generators in? of the function to the increment of the variable, which sinusoidal currents are applied to the inas the latter increment approaches zero. Briefly Y put of the generator and sharply defined imthe circuit derives the differential of the applied 5 pulses, having a xed phase with respect'to the current, or the voltage derived depends upon 5 sinusoidal currents, are obtained in the generthe rate of change of the applied current. The ator output. l y negative portions I9 ofthe differentiated cur- One of the applications of this invention is rents are of larger amplitude and more sharpdescribed in the copending application entitled ly defined than the positive portions. The dif- No. 216,825, filed June 30, 1938, by David G. C. plifer 2| for further amplification, and there- Luck, and assigned to the same assignee as the ,after applied to a second differentiation circuit instant application. In the above-mentioned co- 23. The amplifier, if it is a single stage, will pending application, currents of sine wave form reverse the phase of the applied currents. The

l5 arederivedfromarotating radio field. The phase last mentioned differentiated currents 25 have 15 of the field is determined by converting the depositive peaks which are quite sharply dened. rived sine Wave currents into sharply defined im- The impulse output4 stage 21 is so negatively pulses, which have a fixed phasal relation to the biased that only the upper portions of the posisine waves, and indicating the phase of the im'- tive peaks 25 are effective. The small negative pulses with respect to a reference phase. swings may be neglected because Ca discharges 20 One object of this inventionl is the provision through resistance 41 only on positive grid 'swings of means in which sharply defined impulses are to tube 45. The output currents 29 are very generated from sine wave currents. Another obsharply defined negative impulses which have ject is to provide means for generating sharply the same phasal relation as the sine wave input defined impulses having fixed phasal relations currents. Output currents 29 could also be 25 with respect to the sine waves from which the sharply defined positive impulses by placing disimpulses are generated. A further object is to charge resistance 41 in cathode circuit. provide means whereby sine wave currents may One practical embodiment of the invention is be rectified, the rectified currents made asymillustrated in Fig. 2. The input circuit 3I is 30 metrical, the asymmetrical currents once or connected to a thermionic' amplifier 33. The 30 twice differentiated, and the differentiated curoutput of the amplifier 33 includes a tuned cirrents applied to a gaseous discharge tube from cuit 35` which is resonant to signal currents of which impulse currents are derived. the desired frequency. The resonant circuit 35 In describing the invention', reference will be is coupled to a second resonant circuit 31. The made t0 the accompanying drawing inv.which; pair 0f Circuits .and a Series Circuit 39 OIm a. 35

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the filter which attenuates currents of undesired fre-` invention; and quencies. The filter is connected to the diode Figure 2 is a schematic circuit'diagram of one section of a thermionic tube 4I. The diode is embodimentof the invention. connected to a discharge circuit including a re- 40 Referring to Fig. l, currents of sine wave form sistor R and a capacitor C. The Values of the 40 I, which mayinclude undesired frequencies, are constants C and R and the-diode rectifier imapplied to the input of an amplifier 3. The ampedance are so related that they rectified curpliiied currents 5 are applied to a filter 1, which rents have an asymmetrical form. passes currents of the sine wave 9 desired. The The discharge circuit CR is connected to the sine Wave currents are applied to a rectifier II, amplifier input section of the thermionic tube 4 5 which preferably is of the half wave type al- 4I. The input section of the amplifier tube 4I though full wave rectification may be used. The includes a differentiating circuit which consists rectified currents I3 are applied tola discharge of a. capacitor C1 and a resistor R1. The outcircuit having a time constant, which makes the put circuit includes a second differentiating Wave form of the currents I5 asymmetrical. 'I'he circuit CzRz. ,One terminal of the resistor Rz 50 currents of asymmetrical wave form are applied is connected to a source of negative bias voltage to a differentiation circuit I1. The term dif- 43. The positive terminal of the source 43 is ferentiation is used in the mathematical sense; connected to the cathode of a gaseous discharge i. e., the process of finding the derivative of a. tube'45. The junction of the capacitor C2 and given function. The derivation of a function -the resistor Rz is connected to the grid of the 55 gaseous discharge tube I5. The output oi the tube 45 includes a potentiometer 41 across which the output impulses are obtained.

Thus an impulse generator has been described in which sine wave currents are amplified, illtered and applied to a rectifier. The asymmetrical currents from the rectifier discharge circuit are differentiated, amplified and, if desired, again differentiated. These differentiated currents trigger a gaseous discharge tube. The output circuit of the discharge tube includes sharply delned impulse currents of the same phasal relation as the sine Wave currents. If the input currents are of sufiicient amplitude and of sufficiently pure sine wave form, the initial steps of amplifying and filtering may be omitted. Likewise, in some applications one differentiation may be used in place of two.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of generating sharply defined impulses by means of a gaseous dischargey device which includes rectifying sine wave currents, altering the wave form of the rectified currents to produce an asymmetrical wave form, differentiating said currents of asymmetrical wave form, applying said differentiated currents to said gaseous discharge device to establish therein gaseous discharge currents, and deriving therefrom sharply defined impulses:

2. The method of generating sharply dened impulses by means of a gaseous discharge device which includes rectifying sine Wave currents, a1- tering the wave form of the rectified currents to produce an asymmetrical wave form, differentiating said currents of asymmetrical wave form, amplifying said differentiating currents, applying said differentiated currents to said gaseous discharge currents device to establish gaseous discharge currents, and deriving therefrom sharply defined impulses.

3. 'I'he method of generating sharply dened impulses which includes rectifying sine wave currents, altering the wave form of the rectified currents to produce an asymmetrical wave form, differentiating said currents `of asymmetrical wave form, amplifying said differentiating currents', further differentiating said amplified currents, establishing a gaseous discharge current as a function of said amplified differentiated currents, and deriving therefrom sharply defined impulses.

4. The method of generating sharply defined impulses which include amplifying sinusoidal currents, filtering said amplified currents, rectifying said amplified currents, altering the f'orm of the rectified currents, differentiating said last mentioned currents, amplifying said differentiated currents, further differentiating said amplifled differentiated currents, establishing gaseous discharge currents as functions of said last mentioned differentiated currents, and deriving from said discharge currents sharply defined impulse currents.

5. An impulse generator including, in combination, a source of sine wave currents, means for rectifying said currents, means including a discharge circuit for making the wave form of the rectified currents asymmetrical, means including a circuit for differentiating said currents of asymmetrical wave form, 'a gaseous discharge tube, means for applying said differentiated currents to said tube, and means including connections in the output circuit of said tube for deriving therefrom sharply defined impulses.

6. An impulse generator including, in combination, a source of sine wave currents, means for rectifying said currents, means including 4a discharge circuit for making the wave form of the rectified currents asymmetrical, means including a circuit for differentiating said currents of LOWELL E. NORTON.

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