Method and system for encoding a signal into binary code groups

Claim 1

AN ENCODER SYSTEM FOR ENCODING INTO A BINARY CODE GROUP OF FOUR ELEMENTS THE INSTANTANEOUS AMPLITUDE OF A SIGNAL WHOSE AMPLITUDE VARIES WITHIN A GIVEN RANGE, COMPRISING THREE DECODERS, THREE COMPARATORS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING THE INDIVIDUAL OUTPUTS OF SAID DECODERS RESPECTIVELY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TO SAID COMPARATORS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SAID SIGNAL SIMULTANEOUSLY TO ALL OF SAID COMPARATORS, MEANS FOR TRANSLATING THE OUTPUTS OF SAID COMPARATORS INTO BINARY CODE ELEMENTS, A REGISTER, MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF BISTABLE CIRCUITS FOR TRANSFERRING THE BINARY CODE ELEMENTS TO SAID REGISTER, MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID DECODERS TO SUPPLY RESPECTIVELY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TO SAID COMPARATORS THREE PREDETERMINED REFERENCE VOLTAGES RESPECTIVELY REPRESENTATIVE OF DIFFERENT AMPLITUDE LEVELS WITHIN SAID SIGNAL RANGE, WHEREBY THE OUTPUTS OF SAID COMPARATORS ARE TRANSLATED INTO A FIRST PAIR OF BINARY CODE ELEMENTS WHICH ARE STORED IN SAID REGISTER AND WHICH ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF A SUB-RANGE WITHIN SAID SIGNAL RANGE, AND MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID DECODERS TO SUPPLY RESPECTIVELY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TO SAID COMPARATORS THREE OTHER PRE-