Automatic contour display

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR TRANSLATING A CYCLICAL STEP FUNCTION WAVEFORM TO AN ESSENTIALLY ANALOG FUNCTION CORRESPONDING TO SAID STEP FUNCTION WHEREIN THE ANALOG FUNCTION CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF A PLURALITY OF STRAIGHT LINE SEGMENTS REPRESENTING THE OVERALL PROFILE OF SAID STEP FUNCTION, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING: A DIFFERENCE GENERATING CIRCUIT HAVING FIRST AND SECOND PARALLEL INPUT PATHS FOR RECEIVING THE STEP FUNCTION WAVEFORM; A STORAGE DEVICE LOCATED IN EACH OF SAID PARALLEL INPUT PATHS; A SOURCE OF PULSES HAVING A REPETITION RATE AT LEAST APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE RECURRENCE RATE OF THE STEPS IN THE STEP FUCNTION WAVEFORM; A GROUND TERMINAL; SWITCH MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID GROUND TERMINAL AND TO SAID SOURCE OF PULSES AND TO EACH OF SAID INPUT PATHS FOR ALTERNATELY CONNECTING SAID STORAGE DEVICES TO SAID GROUND TERINAL AT THE RATE OF SAID PULSES, WHEREBY THE VOLTAGE OUTPUT OF THE DIFFERENTAIL GENERATOR IS COMPOSED OF A SUCCESSION OF DIFFERENCES IN SUCCESSIVE VOLTAGES STORED IN SAID STORAGE DEVICES; AND INTEGRATOR MEANS CONNECTED TO RECEIVE THE OUTPUT OF EACH INPUT PATH OF THE DIFFERENTIAL GENERATOR, FOR PRODUCING A VOLTAGE OUTPUT IN THE FORM OF A STRAIGHT LINE SEGMENT CONNECTING LIKE PARTS ON SUCCESSIVE LEVELS OF THE STEP FUNCTION.