Limiter circuit

Claim 1

AN AMPLIFIER LIMITER CIRCUIT COMPRISING A TRANSISTOR AMPLIFIER HAVING AN INPUT AND AN OUTPUT ELECTRODE, AND INPUT CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT ELECTRODE, AN OUTPUT CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID OUTPUT ELECTRODE, A VOLTAGE SOURCE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND TERMINALS WITH FIRST SAID SECOND SUBSTANTIALLY-FIXED REFERENCE POTENTIALS THEREON, A BIASING CIRCUIT CONNECTING SAID TRANSISTOR AMPLIFIER TO SAID VOLTAGE SOURCE TO SET THE D.C. OPERATING VOLTAGES ON SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT ELECTRODES, A VOLTAGE DIVIDER HAVING A PLURALITY OF ZENER DIODES SERIALLY CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND TERMINALS, SAID ZENER DIODES BEING BIASED IN THEIR REVERSE BREAKDOWN REGIONS TO PROVIDE THIRD AND FOURTH TERMINALS WITH THIRD AND FOURTH SUBSTANTIALLY-FIXEAD REFERENCE POTENTIALS, THEREON, SAID THIRD AND FOURTH REFERENCE POTENTIALS BEING, RESPECTIVELY, HIGHER AND LOWER THAN SAID D.C. OPERATING VOLTAGE ON SAID OUTPUT ELECTRODE, A FIRST AND A SECOND DIODE EACH HAVING AN ANODE AND A CATHODE, SAID ANODE OF SAID FIRST DIODE AND SAID CATHODE OF SAID SECOND DIODE CONNECTED TO SAID OUTPUT ELECTRODE, SAID CATHODE OF SAID FIRST DIODE CONNECTED TO SAID THIRD TERMINAL, SAID ANODE OF SAID SECOND DIODE CONNECTED TO SAID FOURTH TERMINAL, WHEREBY THE VOLTAGE ON SAID OUTPUT ELECTRODE IS SUBSTANTIALLY LIMITED TO THE RANGE BETWEEN SAID THIRD AND FOURTH REFERENCE POTENTIALS.