Improved sweep integrator system

Claim 1

A SWEEP INTEGRATOR SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING SIGNALS HAVING PERIODIC COMPONENTS, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING A RECIRCULATING SIGNAL LOOP, SAID LOOP INCLUDING A DELAY MEANS FOR CAUSING SIGNALS CIRCULATING IN SAID LOOP TO HAVE A PREDETERMINED TRANSIT TIME AROUND SAID LOOP, SAID TRANSIT TIME BEING EQUAL TO THE PERIOD OF SAID PERIODIC COMPONENTS OF SAID SIGNAL TO BE PROCESSED, SAID LOOP INCLUDING MEANS FOR CAUSING A SIGNAL AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT FREQUENCY TO BE CIRCULATED IN SAID LOOP, MEANS FOR CAUSING A SHIFT IN THE FREQUENCY OF SAID CIRCULATING SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE INSTANTANEOUS AMPLITUDE OF AN APPLIED SIGNAL, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID LOOP FOR GENERATING A SIGNAL HAVING AN INSTANTANEOUS AMPLITUDE PROPORTIONAL TO THE INSTANTANEOUS FREQUENCY OF SAID RECIRCULATING SIGNAL AT THE POINT OF COUPLING, MEANS FOR RECEIVING SIGNALS TO BE PROCESSED BY SAID SYSTEM, SIGNAL COMBINING MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND INPUTS AND AN OUTPUT, SAID SECOND INPUT BEING COUPLED TO SAID SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS AND SAID FIRST INPUT BEING COUPLED TO SAID SIGNAL RECEIVING MEANS, SAID SIGNAL COMBINING MEANS PROVIDING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL OF ONE POLARITY IF THE AMPLITUDE OF THE SIGNAL AT THE FIRST INPUT THEREOF EXCEEDS A FIRST VALUE WHICH IS DEPENDENT UPON THE AMPLITUDE OF THE SIGNAL PROVIDED BY SAID SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS AND HAS AN OPPOSITE POLARITY IF THE AMPLITUDE OF THE SIGNAL AT SAID FIRST INPUT THEREOF DOES NOT EXCEED SAID FIRST VALUE, SIGNAL TRANSFER MEANS COUPLING SAID OUTPUT OF SAID SIGNAL COMBINING MEANS TO SAID FREQUENCY SHIFTING MEANS TO CONTROL THE OPERATION THEREOF, SAID SIGNAL TRANSFER MEANS HAVING A HIGHER GAIN FOR SIGNALS OF ONE POLARITY THAN FOR SIGNALS OF THE OPPOSITE POLARITY.