Plural oscillator phase continuous frequency encoder
AssigneeControl Data Corporation
InventorsElden Roger Larson, Robert Donald Dreher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A frequency modulation oscillator is provided having three or more output frequencies corresponding to three or more possible input signals, the output frequency being a phase continuous frequency modulated signal with no discontinuities. For each desired output frequency, there is an input amplifier, responsive to an input binary signal, the output of that amplifier being summed with the outputs of the other amplifiers. For each input amplifier there is an active feedback network containing a delay element which will produce oscillation in the associated amplifier, the active feedback network from each amplifier being isolated from the other amplifiers and feedback networks.
Claims6
A frequency modulation oscillator for encoding data having at least three primary frequencies and comprising
- at least three input amplifiers,
- switch means associated with each of said input amplifiers for activating said associated amplifier in response to an input control signal,
- a plurality of feedback amplifiers, one of said feedback amplifiers being associated with each of said input amplifiers and having an output, the inputs of all of said feedback amplifiers being connected in common to an input signal comprised of the electrical summation of signals from each of said input amplifiers,
- a plurality of feedback means, one feedback means being connected between the output of each feedback amplifier and an input of the associated input amplifier and having an electrical characteristic such that said input amplifier acts as an oscillator at a predetermined primary frequency when activated,
- the output of said frequency modulation oscillator being comprised of a signal which is the electrical sum of output signals from all of said input amplifiers and having the characteristic of being an oscillating signal at the primary frequency of an activated input amplifier when only one of said amplifiers is activated and having the further characteristic of consisting of a continuous frequency oscillating signal shifting from a first primary frequency to a second primary frequency when a first input amplifier is smoothly deactivated as a second input amplifier is essentially simultaneously smoothly activated.
A data encoder comprising:
- at least three oscillators, each oscillator responsive to an input control signal to produce an output signal and each oscillator having a different primary frequency,
- each of said oscillators including a feedback means and a feedback amplifier, each feedback amplifier having as an input a signal comprising the electrical sum of the outputs of all of said oscillators, said input being electrically isolated from the output of said feedback amplifier, the output of said feedback amplifier being connected through said feedback means to the associated oscillator, and,
- means for electrically summing the output signals of all of said oscillators to produce an output signal for said encoder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.