Apparatus for generating plurality of signals having variable phase difference

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF OUTPUT SIGNALS OF THE SAME FREQUENCY, SUCCESSIVE ONES OF SAID SIGNALS HAVING A DETERMINABLE PHASE DIFFERENCE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS FOR GENERATING A FIRST MICROWAVE ENERGY SIGNAL OF A PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY; FIRST AND SECOND DELAY LINES EACH HAVING FIRST AND SECOND EXTREMITIES, RESPECTIVELY; MEANS FOR APPLYING SAID FIRST MICROWAVE ENERGY SIGNAL OF A PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY TO SAID FIRST EXTREMITY OF SAID FIRST DELAY LINE; MEANS FOR GENERATING A SECOND MICROWAVE ENERGY SIGNAL OF A FREQUENCY WHICH DIFFERS FROM SAID PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY BY A FIXED NUMBER OF CYCLES PER SECOND; MEANS FOR APPLYING SAID SECOND MICROWAVE ENERGY SIGNAL TO SAID SECOND EXTREMITY OF SAID SECOND DELAY LINE; MEANS FOR COUPLING ENERGY FROM SAID FIRST DELAY LINE AT M SPACED POINTS THEREALONG NUMBERED IN ASCENDING SEQUENCE TOWARDS SAID SECOND EXTREMITY FROM THE POINT NEAREST SAID FIRST EXTREMITY WHEREIN M IS AN INTEGER NO LESS THAN TWO; MEANS FOR COUPLING ENERGY FROM M POINTS ALONG SAID SECOND DELAY LINE, SAID M POINTS BEING NUMBERED IN ASCENDING SEQUENCE TOWARDS SAID SECOND EXTREMITY FROM THE POINT NEAREST SAID FIRST EXTREMITY OF SAID SECOND DELAY LINE AND BEING SPACED TO PROVIDE INTERVALS THEREBETWEEN THAT ARE PROPORTIONAL TO THE ELECTRICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN CORRESPONDING POINTS OF SAID FIRST DELAY LINE THEREBY TO PROVIDE M PAIRS OF POINTS ALONG SAID FIRST AND SECOND DELAY LINES; AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE MICROWAVE ENERGY APPEARING AT EACH PAIR OF THE M PAIRS OF POINTS ALONG SAID FIRST AND SECOND DELAY LINES FOR PRODUCING M OUTPUT SIGNALS EACH OF A FREQUENCY EQUAL TO SAID FIXED NUMBER OF CYCLES PER SECOND AND HAVING A DETERMINABLE PHASE DIFFERENCE FROM THE REMAINING OUTPUT SIGNALS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF OUTPUT SIGNALS OF THE SAME FREQUENCY, SUCCESSIVE ONES OF SAID SIGNALS HAVING A DETERMINABLE PHASE DIFFERENCE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS FOR GENERATING A FIRST MICROWAVE ENERGY SIGNAL OF A PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY; FIRST AND SECOND DELAY LINES EACH HAVING FIRST AND SECOND EXTREMITIES, RESPECTIVELY; MEANS FOR APPLYING SAID FIRST MICROWAVE ENERGY SIGNAL OF A PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY TO SAID FIRST EXTREMITY OF SAID FIRST DELAY LINE; MEANS FOR GENERATING A SECOND MICROWAVE ENERGY SIGNAL OF A FREQUENCY WHICH DIFFERS FROM SAID PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY BY A FIXED NUMBER OF CYCLES PER SECOND; MEANS FOR APPLYING SAID SECOND MICROWAVE ENERGY SIGNAL TO SAID SECOND EXTREMITY OF SAID SECOND DELAY LINE; MEANS FOR COUPLING ENERGY FROM SAID FIRST DELAY LINE AT M SPACED POINTS THEREALONG NUMBERED IN ASCENDING SEQUENCE TOWARDS SAID SECOND EXTREMITY FROM THE POINT NEAREST SAID FIRST EXTREMITY WHEREIN M IS AN INTEGER NO LESS THAN TWO; MEANS FOR COUPLING ENERGY FROM M POINTS ALONG SAID SECOND DELAY LINE, SAID M POINTS BEING NUMBERED IN ASCENDING SEQUENCE TOWARDS SAID SECOND EXTREMITY FROM THE POINT NEAREST SAID FIRST EXTREMITY OF SAID SECOND DELAY LINE AND BEING SPACED TO PROVIDE INTERVALS THEREBETWEEN THAT ARE PROPORTIONAL TO THE ELECTRICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN CORRESPONDING POINTS OF SAID FIRST DELAY LINE THEREBY TO PROVIDE M PAIRS OF POINTS ALONG SAID FIRST AND SECOND DELAY LINES; AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE MICROWAVE ENERGY APPEARING AT EACH PAIR OF THE M PAIRS OF POINTS ALONG SAID FIRST AND SECOND DELAY LINES FOR PRODUCING M OUTPUT SIGNALS EACH OF A FREQUENCY EQUAL TO SAID FIXED NUMBER OF CYCLES PER SECOND AND HAVING A DETERMINABLE PHASE DIFFERENCE FROM THE REMAINING OUTPUT SIGNALS.