Impedance meter having signal leveling apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE IMPEDANCE OF A LOAD, THE CIRCUIT COMPRISING: A PROBE INCLUDING A PAIR OF TEST TERMINALS FOR RECEIVING THEREACROSS A LOAD TO BE MEASURED; A SEPARATE SOURCE OF ALTERNATING SIGNAL HAVING A SELECTED FREQUENCY WHICH IS INDEPENDENT OF LOAD CONNECTED THERETO; SIGNAL CONDUCTING MEANS SERIALLY CONNECTING SAID SOURCE AND THE TEST TERMINALS OF SAID PROBE FOR APPLYING THE ALTERNATING SIGANL FROM SAID SOURCE TO THE LOAD TO BE MEASURED CONNECTED TO SAID TEST TERMINAL; MEANS WITHIN SAID PROBE COUPLED TO ONE OF SAID TEST TERMINALS FOR PRODUCING A FIRST OUTPUT IN RESPONE ONLY TO THE CURRENT FLOWING THROUGH A LOAD TO BE MEASURED CONNECTED TO THE TEST TERMINALS; MEANS WITHIN SAID PROBE COUPLED TO SAID TEST TERMINALS FOR PRODUCING A SECOND OUTPUT IN RESPONSE TO THE VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID TEST TERMINALS; CIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SOURCE AND RESPONSIVE TO ONE OF THE FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUTS FOR ALTERING THE AMPLITUDE OF THE ALTERNATING SIGNAL TO MAINTAIN SAID ONE OF THE FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUTS CONSTANT; AND INDICATING MEANS CONNECTED TO RECEIVE THE OTHER OF THE FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUTS FOR PRODUCING AN INDICATION OF THE MAGNITUDE THEREOF.