Pulse generator output voltage calibration circuit
AssigneeHarris Corporation
InventorJoseph P. Mefford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A calibration circuit for a pulse generator which produces pulse rise and pulse fall times by charging and discharging a capacitor at selected currents and clamps the pulse high voltage output and pulse low voltage output at selectable voltage levels. An output voltage error is developed by comparing each output voltage to a reference clamping voltage. The output voltage error is converted to digital form for storage and then reconverted back into a voltage where it effectively compensates the reference clamping voltage, thereby removing the error from the output voltage. The pulse generator output can be calibrated for any combination of currents and voltages and also for any amplification factor selected for the output amplifier.
Claims6
A calibration circuit for a pulse generator circuit which produces pulse rise and pulse fall times by charging and discharging a capacitor at selected currents and clamps the pulse high voltage output at a selected high voltage level, comprising:
- a. a pulse generator circuit including a capacitor, in which the generated pulse rise and pulse fall times are produced by charging and discharging said capacitor at selected currents, and the pulse high voltage output signal is clamped at a selected high voltage level;
- b. means for comparing the high voltage output of the pulse generator to a high reference clamping voltage to develop an analog high voltage output error signal;
- c. means for converting the analog high voltage output error signal to a digital high voltage error signal for storage;
- d. a digital memory for storing the digital high voltage error signal;
- e. means for reconverting the stored digital high voltage error signal into a high voltage analog error signal;
- and
- f. means for recombining the high voltage analog error signal with the high reference clamping voltage to compensate the high reference clamping voltage, thereby removing the error from the pulse high voltage output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.