Automatic threshold amplifier employing variable impedance means

Claim 1

MEANS FOR AMPLIFYING SIGNALS WITHIN PREDETERMINED LIMITS COMPRISING VARIABLE GAIN AMPLIFYING MEANS FOR RECEIVING AND AMPLIFYING SAID SIGNALS; CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID VARIABLE GAIN AMPLIFYING MEANS ENERGIZABLE BY ONLY A PORTION OF THE OUTPUT SIGNAL OF SAID VARIABLE GAIN AMPLIFYING MEANS; SAID VARIABLE GAIN AMPLIFYING MEANS COMPRISING GAIN CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING THE GAIN OF SAID VARIABLE GAIN AMPLIFYING MEANS, SAID CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING PLURAL EMITTER FOLLOWER MEANS CONNECTED IN CASCADE FASHION, EACH OF SAID EMITTER FOLLOWER MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING FILTER MEANS COUPLED TO THE EMITTER OF THEIR ASSOCIATED EMITTER FOLLOWER MEANS FOR SMOOTHING THE OUTPUT OF SAID CONTROL MEANS; SAID FIRST AND SECOND FILTER MEANS BEING EMPLOYED TO MINIMIZE BOTH THE RESPONSE TIME OF SAID AMPLIFYING MEANS AND THE AMOUNT OF RIPPLE PRESENT IN THE OUTPOST SIGNAL OF SAID CONTROL MEANS; SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT AMPLIFYING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID VARIABLE GAIN AMPLIFYING MEANS FOR INCREASING THE OVERALL GAIN OF SAID AMPLIFYING MEANS; SAID VARIABLE GAIN AMPLIFYING MEANS COMPRISING THIRD AND FOURTH TRANSISTOR MEANS HAVING BASE, EMITTER AND COLLECTOR ELECTRODES AND BEING CONNECTED IN SERIES FASHION; SAID THIRD TRANSISTOR MEANS HAVING ELECTRODE MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID SIGNALS TO BE AMPLIFIED, SAID FOURTH TRANSISTOR MEANS HAVING ELECTRODE MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID CONTROL MEANS; THE OPERATING RANGE OF SAID FOURTH TRANSISTOR MEANS ALWAYS BEING IN SATURATION; A BYPASS CAPACITOR BEING CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH A RESISTOR; THE PARALLEL CONNECTED RESISTOR AND BYPASS CAPACITOR BEING CONNECTED BETWEEN THE EMITTER OF SAID THIRD TRANSISTOR AND THE COLLECTOR OF THE FOURTH TRANSISTOR.