Sensitive sense amplifier circuits capable of discriminating marginal-level info-signals from noise yet unaffected by parameter and temperature variations

Claim 1

A SENSE AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT COMPRISING: A BALANCED DIFFERENCE AMPLIFIER HAVING FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE BIPOLAR SIGNALS, AND FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUT TERMINALS; A DISCRIMINATION STAGE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS AND FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUT TERMINALS; MEANS CONNECTING THE FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUT TERMINALS OF SAID BALANCED DIFFERENCE AMPLIFIER TO THE FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS, RESPECTIVELY, OF SAID DISCRIMIINATION STAGE; A GATING AMPLIFIER HAVING FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS AND AN OUTPUT TERMINAL; MEANS CONNECTING THE FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUT TERMINALS OF SAID DISCRIMINATION STAGE DIRECTLY TO THE FIRST INPUT TERMINAL OF SAID GATING AMPLIFIER; FIRST AND SECOND RESISTORS RESPECTIVELY CONNECTED BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS OF SAID DISCRIMINATION STAGE AND THE SECOND INPUT TERMINAL OF SAID GATING AMPLIFIER; AND A THIRD RESISTOR CONNECTED BETWEEN THE SECOND INPUT TERMINAL OF SAID GATING AMPLIFIER AND A POINT OF REFERENCE POTENTIAL, SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD RESISTORS BEING OPERATIVE TO ESTABLISH THE DISCRIMINATION LEVEL OF SAID SENSE AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT, SAID DISCRIMINATION LEVEL BEING PROPORTIONAL TO THE RATIO OF THE RESISTANCE VALUES OF SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD RESISTORS AND INDEPENDENT OF THE ABSOLUTE VALUES OF SAID RESISTORS.