Optimizing method and apparatus

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF BALANCING AN ALTERNATING-CURRENT BRIDGE HAVING INPUT TERMINALS BETWEEN WHICH AN ALTERNATING-CURRENT POTENTIAL IS IMPRESSED AND OUTPUT TERMINALS FROM WHICH AN ERROR SIGNAL DEPENDENT ON THE UNBALANCE OF THE BRIDGE IS DERIVED, SAID ERROR SIGNAL BEING DISTINGUISHED ONLY BY CHANGES IN AMPLITUDE, SAID BRIDGE ALSO HAVING A VARIABLE-RESISTANCE ARMA AND A VARIABLE PHASEANGLE ARM, THE SAID METHOD COMPRISING VARYING ONE OF SAID ARMS ONLY, AFTER EACH SAID VARIATION DETERMINING THE ERROR SIGNAL, COMPARING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL WITH THE PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL DETERMINED FOLLOWING PRIOR VARIATIONS OF SAID ONE ARM, REJECTING SAID PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL AND STORING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL IN ITS PLACE IN A CONDITION TO BE COMPARED WITH LATER ERROR SIGNALS, SAID LAST-NAMED SIGNAL BEING STORED ONLY IF SAID LASTNAMED ERROR SIGNAL IS LOWER THAN SAID PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL OTHERWISE REJECTING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL AND POSITIVELY REVERTING THE SETTING OF SAID ONE ARM TO ITS SETTING PRIOR TO THE VARIATION WHICH PRODUCED SAID LASTNAMED ERROR SIGNAL, CONTINUING SAID VARIATION OF SAID ONE OF SAID ARMS UNTIL SAID ERROR SIGNAL FOLLOWING A VARIATION IS A FIRST MINIMUM, STORING SAID MINIMUM ERROR SIGNAL, IN A CONDITION TO BE COMPARED WITH LATER ERROR SIGNALS, THEREAFTER VARYING SAID OTHER ARM ONLY, AFTER EACH SAID VARIATION OF SAID OTHER ARM DETERMINING THE ERROR SIGNAL, COMPARING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL WITH THE PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL DETERMINED FOLLOWING PRIOR VARIATIONS OF SAID ONE AND SAID OTHER ARM, REJECTING SAID PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL AND STORING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL IN ITS PLACE IN A CONDITION TO BE COMPARED WITH LATER ERROR SIGNALS, SAID LAST-NAMED SIGNAL BEING STORED ONLY IF SAID LASTNAMED ERROR SIGNAL IS LOWER THAN SAID PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL OTHERWISE REJECTING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL AND POSITIVELY REVERTING THE SETTING OF SAID OTHER ARM TO ITS SETTING PRIOR TO THE VARIATION WHICH PRODUCED SAID LASTNAMED ERROR SIGNAL, CONTINUING SAID VARIATION OF SAID OTHER ARM UNTIL SAID ERROR SIGNAL IS A SECOND MINIMUM LESS THAN SAID FIRST MINIMUM, STORING SAID SECOND MINIMUM ERROR SIGNAL, IN A CONDITION TO BE COMPARED WITH LATER ERROR SIGNALS, AND REPEATING THE ABOVE DESCRIBED VARIATION OF SAID ONE ARM AND THEN SAID OTHER ARM RESPECTIVELY IN THE AFORESAID SUCCESSION UNTIL SAID ERROR SIGNAL IS SUBSTANTIALLY ZERO WITHIN THE LIMITS OF ERROR.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF BALANCING AN ALTERNATING-CURRENT BRIDGE HAVING INPUT TERMINALS BETWEEN WHICH AN ALTERNATING-CURRENT POTENTIAL IS IMPRESSED AND OUTPUT TERMINALS FROM WHICH AN ERROR SIGNAL DEPENDENT ON THE UNBALANCE OF THE BRIDGE IS DERIVED, SAID ERROR SIGNAL BEING DISTINGUISHED ONLY BY CHANGES IN AMPLITUDE, SAID BRIDGE ALSO HAVING A VARIABLE-RESISTANCE ARMA AND A VARIABLE PHASEANGLE ARM, THE SAID METHOD COMPRISING VARYING ONE OF SAID ARMS ONLY, AFTER EACH SAID VARIATION DETERMINING THE ERROR SIGNAL, COMPARING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL WITH THE PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL DETERMINED FOLLOWING PRIOR VARIATIONS OF SAID ONE ARM, REJECTING SAID PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL AND STORING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL IN ITS PLACE IN A CONDITION TO BE COMPARED WITH LATER ERROR SIGNALS, SAID LAST-NAMED SIGNAL BEING STORED ONLY IF SAID LASTNAMED ERROR SIGNAL IS LOWER THAN SAID PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL OTHERWISE REJECTING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL AND POSITIVELY REVERTING THE SETTING OF SAID ONE ARM TO ITS SETTING PRIOR TO THE VARIATION WHICH PRODUCED SAID LASTNAMED ERROR SIGNAL, CONTINUING SAID VARIATION OF SAID ONE OF SAID ARMS UNTIL SAID ERROR SIGNAL FOLLOWING A VARIATION IS A FIRST MINIMUM, STORING SAID MINIMUM ERROR SIGNAL, IN A CONDITION TO BE COMPARED WITH LATER ERROR SIGNALS, THEREAFTER VARYING SAID OTHER ARM ONLY, AFTER EACH SAID VARIATION OF SAID OTHER ARM DETERMINING THE ERROR SIGNAL, COMPARING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL WITH THE PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL DETERMINED FOLLOWING PRIOR VARIATIONS OF SAID ONE AND SAID OTHER ARM, REJECTING SAID PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL AND STORING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL IN ITS PLACE IN A CONDITION TO BE COMPARED WITH LATER ERROR SIGNALS, SAID LAST-NAMED SIGNAL BEING STORED ONLY IF SAID LASTNAMED ERROR SIGNAL IS LOWER THAN SAID PRIOR LOWEST ERROR SIGNAL OTHERWISE REJECTING SAID LAST-NAMED ERROR SIGNAL AND POSITIVELY REVERTING THE SETTING OF SAID OTHER ARM TO ITS SETTING PRIOR TO THE VARIATION WHICH PRODUCED SAID LASTNAMED ERROR SIGNAL, CONTINUING SAID VARIATION OF SAID OTHER ARM UNTIL SAID ERROR SIGNAL IS A SECOND MINIMUM LESS THAN SAID FIRST MINIMUM, STORING SAID SECOND MINIMUM ERROR SIGNAL, IN A CONDITION TO BE COMPARED WITH LATER ERROR SIGNALS, AND REPEATING THE ABOVE DESCRIBED VARIATION OF SAID ONE ARM AND THEN SAID OTHER ARM RESPECTIVELY IN THE AFORESAID SUCCESSION UNTIL SAID ERROR SIGNAL IS SUBSTANTIALLY ZERO WITHIN THE LIMITS OF ERROR.