Measurement averaging counting apparatus employing a randomly phase modulated time base to improve counting resolution

Abstract

A measurement averaging counting apparatus employing a randomly phase modulated time base provides resolution improvement when measuring an applied signal comprising time intervals or pulsed frequencies repetitively occurring at rates synchronous to a counter's clock frequency. The phase of a reference frequency is varied in response to a random signal. The phase modulated reference frequency is applied to a frequency multiplier chain which multiplies both the frequency and the effective amount of phase modulation. The randomly phase shifting output of the frequency multiplier chain is applied as a clock signal to a measurement averaging counter thereby destroying coherence between the clock signal and the applied signal and allowing statistical averaging to take place.

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