IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OUTPUT SIGNALS IN DIGITAL FORM

摘要

1,271,936. Analogue/digital converter. IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES Ltd. 16 May, 1969 [22 May, 1968], No. 24418/68. Headings G4A and G4H. An analogue/digital converter for converting an unknown frequency signal P 1 (Fig. 10) to a Gray coded binary signal includes a frequency comparator FC comparing the input signal with a reference feedback signal P 2 derived from a frequency multiplier B receiving clock pulses at a reference frequency and delivering a signal P 2 the average frequency of which is related to the count in a Gray coded binary counter GC 1 controlled by the frequency comparator. In the embodiment described the counter GC 1 comprises a chain of JK flip-flops F a -F g (Fig. 2) receiving pulses and a direction control signal from the frequency comparator and delivering a Gray coded output a 2 -g 2 . This output is converted into binary coded form a 1 -g 1 by exclusive OR gates, the outputs from which are fed to the multiplier B (Fig. 10) the least significant bit being additionally fed to the gate receiving the direction control signal. The embodiment of Fig. 2 which prevents overflow in either direction may be modified (Fig. 5, not shown) to accumulate pulses until the counter is full when subsequent pulses are subtracted. The multiplier comprises a chain of flip-flops (F x ...F f , Fig. 7, not shown) operating as a Gray code counter receiving a frequency signal (f) and delivering to gates (G1-G7) signals at frequencies f/2...f/128. The gates are controlled by the counter GC1 so that an output feedback frequency signal, the average value of which is between 0 and 127f/128 is obtained. Alternatively (Fig. 8, or Fig. 9, not shown) a two phase multiplier may be used in which pulses of a reference signal of frequency 2f are fed to each of two leads under the control of a bi-stable (Ft) also receiving the reference pulses. One lead drives the counter to produce the output pulse trains which are connected to two sets of gates (G1-G4, A1-A4). Output frequencies of between 0 and 15f/16 may be obtained from each set of gates. These multipliers may be used in a modification of Fig. 10 (Fig. 13, not shown) in which higher frequency signals may be digitized by increasing the reference feedback signal by pulses from the second set of gates of the multiplier to shift the zero level so that a Gray coded output of, e.g. 0 to a 1000 is obtained for an input frequency of 5000-6000 cycles per second. A phase lock unit PL (Fig. 10) controlled by clock pulses C 1 of frequency 2f is used to prevent coincidence between the arrival of input and feedback pulses at the frequency comparator. Input pulses arriving between pulses C1 are immediately stored and pulses arriving during a pulse C1 are stored at the end of the pulse, stored pulses being read out at the next pulse. Several such digitizers may be connected to a computer (Fig. 14, not shown).