Phase-controlled synchronous demodulator

Claim 1

A SYNCHRONOUS DEMODULATOR FOR DETECTING A SUPPRESSED-CARRIER AMPLITUDE-MODULATED CARRIER WAVE ACCOMPANIED BY A PILOT SIGNAL OF FIXED PHASE BUT 1/N TIMES THE FREQUENCY OF THE FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT OF SAID CARRIER WAVE, WHERE N IS AN INTEGER LESS THAN THREE, SAID DEMODULATOR COMPRISING: MEANS, INCLUDING A PAIR OF DETECTORS HAVING INDIVIDUAL LOAD NETWORKS, FOR DEMODULATING SAID CARRIER WAVE; MEANS FOR DEVELOPING AND APPLYING TO SAID DEMODULATING MEANS A DEMODULATION SIGNAL CORRESPONDING IN FREQUENCY TO THE FREQUENCY OF SAID CARRIER WAVE; MEANS FOR CONCLURRENTLY APPLYING SAID CARRIER WAVE AND SAID PILOT SIGNAL TO SAID DEMODUALTING MEANS TO DEVELOP THEREIN A SIGNAL COMPONENT HAVING AMPLITUDE VARIATIONS REPRESENTING THE RELATIVE PHASE OF SAID PILOT AND SAID DEMODULATION SIGNALS; A PHASE DETECTOR FOR DERIVING FROM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID LOAD NETWORKS AND FOR RECTIFYING SAID SIGNAL COMPONENT TO DEVELOP A CONTROL POTENTIAL REPRESENTING THE SENSE AND EXTENT OF DEVIATION OF THE PHASE RELATION OF SAID DEMODULATION AND SAID PILOT SIGNALS FROM A REFERENCE PHASE CONDITION; AND MEANS FOR UTILIZING SAID CONTROL POTENTIAL TO EFFECT PHASE CHANGES OF SAID DEMODULATION SIGNAL TO MAINTAIN SAID REFERENCE PHASE CONDITION.