Phase angle difference measuring circuit employing tunnel diode signal crossover detecting circuits

Claim 1

A CIRCUIT FOR MEASURING PHASE ANGLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWO ALTERNATING CUURRENT SIGNALS, COMPRISING A FIRST SIGNAL LEVEL MARKING CIRCUIT RECEIVING ONE OF THE SIGNALS AND INCLUDING DETECTING MEANS HAVING A TUNNEL DIODE HAVING A VOLT AMPERE CHARACTERISTIC CURVE WITH FIRST AND SECOND POSITIVE RESISTANCE REGIONA SEPARATED BY A NEGATIVE RESISTANCE REGION WITH A CROSSOVER POINT BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF REGIONS, MEANS FOR BIASING THE TUNNEL DIODE IN THE FIRST POSITIVE RESISTANCE REGION AT AN OPERATING POINT CORRESPONDING TO A PREDETERMINED SIGNAL LEVEL, MEANS FOR APPLYING THE SIGNAL TO THE FUNNEL DIODE TO SHIFT THE OPERATING POINT FROM THE FIRST POSITIVE RESISTANCE REGION TO THE SECOND POSITIVE RESISTANCE REGION TO PRODUCE A SHARP CHANGE IN VOLTAGE WHEN THE SIGNAL PASSES THROGH THE PREDETERMINED LEVEL IN A GIVEN DIRECTION, AND DIFFERENTIATING MEANS TO CONVERT THE SHARP VOLTAGE CHANGE INTO A PULSE COINCIDENT WITH THE SIGNAL PASSING THROUGH THE PREDETERMINED LEVEL, AND A SECOND SIGNAL LEVEL MARKING CIRCUIT RECEIVING THE OTHER SIGNAL AND INCLUDING DETECTING MEANS HAVING A TUNNEL DIODE HAVING A DETECTING MEANS HAVING A TUNNEL DIODE HAVING A VOLT AMPERE CHARACTERISTIC CURVE WITH FIRST AND SECOND POSITIVE RESISTANCE REGIONS WITH A CROSSOVER POINT BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF REGIONS, MEANS FOR BIASING THE TUNNEL DIODE IN THE OPPOSITE DILEVEL MARKING CIRCUIT AND IN THE SECOND POSITIVE RESISTANCE REGION AT AN OPERATING POINT CORRESPONDING TO A PREDETERMINED SIGNAL LEVEL, MEANS FOR APPLYNG THE SIGNAL TO THE TUNNEL DIODE TO SHIFT THE OPERATING POINT FROM THE FIRST POSITIVE RESISTANCE REGION TO THE SECOND POSITIVE RESISTANCE REGION TO PRODUCE A SHARP VOLTAGE CHANGE WHEN THE SIGNAL PASSES THROUGH THE PREDETERMINED SIGNAL LEVEL IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE GIVEN DIRECTION OF THE SIGNAL APPLIED TO THE FIRST SIGNAL LEVEL MARKING CIRCUIT, AND DIFFERENTIATING MEANS TO CONVERT THE SHARP VOLTAGE CHANGE INTO A PULSE COINCIDENT WITH THE SIGNAL PASSING THROGH THE PREDETERMINED LEVEL, AND CLOCK MECHANISM CONNECTED TO THE MARKING CIRCUITS, FOR CONTING THE TIME BETWEEN TWO SCCESSIVE PULSES.