Selective data sampling system

Claim 1

IN A DATA-SAMPLING SYSTEM, (A) A TIMING MEANS, (B) A FIRST SOURCE OF DIGITAL DATA SIGNALS, (C) A SECOND SOURCE OF DIGITAL DATA SIGNALS, (D) EACH OF SAID SOURCES COMPRISING, (1) A PLURALITY OF TRANSDUCERS, (2) AN ANALOG TO DIGITAL CONVERTER, AND (3) A MULTIPLEXER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TIMING MEANS AND TO SAID TRANSDUCERS AND SAID CONVERTER AND CONTROLLED BY SAID TIMING MEANS TO PERIODICALLY AND SEQUENTIALLY APPLY THE OUTPUT SIGNALS OF SAID TRANSDUCERS TO SAID CONVERTER, (E) A DATA SIGNAL UTILIZING MEANS, (F) A SELECTIVE GATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SOURCES AND OPERATIVE TO NORMALLY CONNECT SAID SECOND SOURCE TO SAID UTILIZING MEANS, (G) COMPARATOR AND STORAGE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST SOURCE AND TO SAID GATING MEANS TO DETECT A CHANGE IN THE DATA SIGNAL OUTPUT OF SAID FIRST SOURCE FROM THE VALUE THEREOF LAST TRANSMITTED TO SAID UTILIZING MEANS BY SAID SELECTIVE GATING MEANS AND TO CONTROL SAID GATING MEANS SO AS TO DISCONNECT SAID SECOND SOURCE FROM SAID UTILIZING MEANS AND CONNECT SAID FIRST SOURCE TO SAID UTILIZING MEANS WHEN A DETECTED SAID CHANGE IN THE DATA SIGNAL OUTPUT OF SAID FIRST SOURCE EXCEEDS A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT, AND (H) CONTROL SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TIMING MEANS AND TO SAID COMPARATOR MEANS AND ADAPTED TO CAUSE THE COMPARATOR MEANS TO CONTROL SAID GATING MEANS TO PERIODICALLY DISCONNECT SAID SECOND SOURCE AND CONNECT SAID FIRST SOURCE TO SAID UTILIZING MEANS.