Interval-to-rate converter

Abstract

A pulse interval to pulse rate converter for use in a portable, battery-powered, hand-held test instrument useful for evaluating the performance of a pulse generator such as a cardiac pacer or the like. A pulse generator being tested generates output pulses at an unknown rate and it is desired to measure this rate and to visually display same in units of pulses per minute. A count representative of the interval between successive pulses is developed in a first digital counter and subsequently stored in a holding register, thereby freeing the first counter to continue to measure subsequent pulse-to-pulse intervals. A digital downcounter, arranged to be decremented at a fixed high rate, receives the stored interval value and a tally is developed in a display counter of the number of times that the interval value can be decremented to zero within a known time period, e.g., one second. The count developed in the display counter thus corresponds to the rate value expressed in units of pulses per minute (ppm).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.