High-speed time division multiplex transmission system

Claim 1

IN A TIME DIVISION MULTIPLEX TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING INFORMATION DURING REPETITIVE TRANSMISSION FRAMES, EACH TRANSMISSION FRAME INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SUBFRAMES, N SOURCES OF ANALOG SIGNALS TO BE QUANTIZED, A FIRST RECIRCULATION LOOP FOR STORING N SIGNALS PRODUCED BY SAID SOURCES AND FOR ALTERING THE AMPLITUDES OF SAID SIGNALS A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT FOR EACH RECIRCULATION, A FIRST DISTRIBUTOR FOR SUCCESSIVELY TRANSMITTING SAID SIGNALS FROM SAID SOURCES INTO SAID FIRST RECIRCULATION LOOP DURING A PARTICULAR SUBRAME WITHIN EACH TRANSMISSION FRAME, MEANS FOR COMPARING THE AMPLITUDE OF EACH SIGNAL CIRCULATING IN SAID FIRST RECIRCULATION LOOP WITH THE AMPLITUDE OF A REFERENCE SIGNAL AND FOR PRODUCING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL FOR EACH RECIRCULATION OF EACH SIGNAL IN SAID LOOP AS LONG AS EACH SIGNAL DIFFERS FROM SAID REFERENCE SIGNAL IN A FIRST SENSE BUT NOT IN A SECOND SENSE, A FIRST DELAY LINE COUNTER HAVING AN INPUT CIRCUIT COUPLED TO THE OUTPUT CIRCUIT OF SAID MEANS FOR COMPARING FOR REGISTERING A COUNT EACH TIME SAID MEANS FOR COMPARING PRODUCES AN OUTPUT SIGNAL, A TRANSMISSION LINK, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE LACK OF AN OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM SAID MEANS FOR COMPARING FOR READING OUT THE COUNT REGISTERED IN SAID FIRST COUNTER INTO ONE END OF SAID TRANSMISSION LINK, A SECOND DELAY LINE COUNTER FOR PRODUCING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL WHEN A PREDETERMINED COUNT