Wide range signal generator

Claim 1

A SIGNAL GENERATOR INCLUDING: SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS INCLUDING A REFERENCE SIGNAL OSCILLATOR FOR PRODUCING A REFERENCE PULSE SIGNAL HAVING A PREDETERMINED REPETITION FREQUENCY; A VOLTAGE CONTROLLED PULSE GENERATING OSCILLATOR RESPONSIVE TO AN APPLIED DIRECT CURRENT CONTROL SIGNAL FOR PRODUCING AN OUTPUT PULSE SIGNAL HAVING A REPETITION FREQUENCY DETERMINED BY THE AMPLITUDE OF THE APPLIED DIRECT CURRENT CONTROL SIGNAL; A PHASE-DETECTOR CIRCUIT COUPLED TO SAID SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS; MEANS COUPLING SAID VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR TO SAID PHASEDETECTOR CIRCUIT FOR INTRODUCING A FEED-BACK PULSE SIGNAL THERETO, SAID PHASE-DETECTOR CIRCUIT RESPONDING TO SAID REFERENCE SIGNAL AND TO SAID FEEDBACK SIGNAL FOR PRODUCING A CONTROL SIGNAL HAVING AN AVERAGE AMPLITUDE DETERMINED BY THE RELATIVE PHASE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID REFERENCE SIGNAL AND SAID FEEDBACK SIGNAL; ACTIVE LOW PASS, LOW PHASE SHIFT AND LOW DIRECT CURRENT AMPLIFICATION FILTER MEANS COUPLED TO SAID PHASE-DETECTOR CIRCUIT FOR REMOVING THE HIGH FREQUENCY COMPONENTS OF THE OUTPUT SIGNAL PRODUCED BY SAID PHASE DETECTOR SO AS TO PRODUCE A DIRECT CURRENT CONTROL SIGNAL HAVING AN AMPLITUDE CORRESPONDING TO THE RELATIVE PHASE OF SAID REFERENCE PULSE SIGNAL AND SAID FEEDBACK PULSE SIGNAL; NETWORK MEANS COUPLED TO SAID FILTER MEANS AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID FILTER MEANS AND SAID VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR FOR INTRODUCING SAID DIRECT CURRENT CONTROL SIGNAL TO SAID VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR, SAID NETWORK MEANS INCLUDING A PROPORTIONAL-PLUS-INTEGRAL LAG COMPENSATOR NETWORK FOR PROVIDING SECOND ORDER CHARACTERISTICS TO THE SYSTEM; FREQUENCY DIVIDER MEANS INCLUDED IN SAID COUPLING MEANS FOR CAUSING THE FREQUENCY OF SAID FEEDBACK SIGNAL TO BE A PREDETERMINED SUB-MULTIPLE OF THE FREQUENCY OF SAID OUTPUT SIGNAL OF SAID VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR, SAID FREQUENCY DIVIDER MEANS INCLUDING PULSE COUNTER MEANS AND MANUALLY OPERABLE SWITCHING MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID FREQUENCY DIVIDER MEANS TO PRODUCE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL AFTER A PREDETERMINED COUNT BY SAID PULSE COUNTER MEANS AS ESTABLISHED BY THE SETTING OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS SO AS TO CONTROL THE FREQUENCY DIVISION RATIO OF SAID FREQUENCY DIVIDER MEANS AND THEREBY ADJUST THE FREQUENCY OF SAID VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR THROUGHOUT AN ESTABLISHED FREQUENCY RANGE.