Three detector cycle counting means

Claim 1

IN A CYCLE COUNTING MEANS COMPRISING, MEANS TO PROVIDE A PHASE REFERENCE SIGNAL, MEANS TO MEASURE PHASE SHIFT TO SAID ADJUSTABLE PHASE SIGNAL WITH RESPECT TO SAID REFERENCE SIGNAL BY COUNTING FRACTIONAL WAVELENGTHS COMPRISING, MEANS CONNECTED TO RECEIVE SAID ADJUSTABLE PHASE SIGNAL AND TO PRODUCE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD SIGNALS FROM SAID ADJUSTABLE PHASE SIGNLA, SAID FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD SIGNALS BEING 120* APART IN PHASE, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LAST MEANS TO COMBINE SAID FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD SIGNALS WITH SAID PHASE REFERENCE SIGNAL TO PROVIDE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD COMBINED SIGNALS, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LAST MEANS TO DETECT SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD COMBINED SIGNALS AND PROVIDE DETECTED SIGNALS, FIRST SUMMATION NETWORK MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LAST MEANS TO COMBINE SAID DETECTED SIGNALS TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF SINE WAVE SIGNALS SEPARATED BY 90* IN PHASE, EACH OF SAID PAIR OF SIGNALS BEING SEPARATED BY 120*, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LAST MEANS TO MAKE SQUARE WAVES OF SAID PAIRS OF SIGNALS, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LAST MEANS TO PROVIDE PULSES FROM SAID PAIRS OF SIGNALS, SECOND SUMMATION NETWORK MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SQUARE WAVE AND PULSE MEANS TO COMBINE SAID SQUARE WAVE SIGNALS AND SAID PULSES TO PROVIDE PLUS SIGNALS WHEN SAID ADJUSTABLE PHASE SIGNAL MOVES IN ONE DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID PHASE REFERENCE SIGNAL AND TO PROVIDE MINUS SIGNALS WHEN SAID ADJUSTABLE PHASE SIGNAL MOVES IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, AND PLUS-MINUS COUNTER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LAST MEANS TO COUNT SAID PULSE SIGNALS THEREBY COUNTING FRACTIONAL CYCLES OF PHASE SHIFT.