Voltage-to-frequency conversion circuit

Claim 1

A VOLTAGE-TO-FREQUENCY CONVERTER CIRCUIT INCLUDING: INPUT MEANS FOR RECEIVING AN INPUT VOLTAGE, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE POLARITY AND AMPLITUDE OF SAID INPUT VOLTAGE FOR GENERATING A VARYING SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE POLARITY OF SAID INPUT VOLTAGE AND VARYING AT A RATE PROPORTIONAL TO THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID INPUT VOLTAGE, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID VARYING SIGNAL FOR GENERATING FIRST AND SECOND LOGIC SIGNALS HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POLARITY OF SAID INPUT VOLTAGE, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID VARYING SIGNAL FOR GENERATING A SWEEP VOLTAGE IN WHICH THE RATE OF SWEEP OF SAID SWEEP VOLTAGE CORRESPONDS TO THE RATE AT WHICH SAID VARYING SIGNAL VARIES, MEANS FOR GENERATING A TIMED PULSE IN RESPONSE TO SAID SWEEP VOLTAGE PASSING THROUGH A PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE VALUE BETWEEN THE EXTREMES OF SAID SWEEP, GATE MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID TIMED PULSE FOR PROVIDING A FIRST PULSED OUTPUT WHEN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOGIC SIGNALS INDICATE SAID INPUT VOLTAGE IS OF ONE POLARITY AND FOR PROVIDING A SECOND PULSED OUTPUT WHEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOGIC SIGNALS INDICATE SAID INPUT VOLTAGE IS OF ANOTHER POLARITY, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOGIC SIGNAL AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND PULSED OUTPUTS FOR GENERATING A VOLTAGE SIGNAL HAVING A FIRST PREDETERMINED VALUE DURING THE INTERPULSE PERIOD WHEN SAID LOGIC SIGNALS INDICATE SAID INPUT VOLTAGE IS OF ONE POLARITY AND FOR VARYING SAID VOLTAGE SIGNAL TO A SECOND PREDETERMINED VALUE DURING THE TIMED PULSE PERIOD AND FOR GENERATING ANOTHER VOLTAGE HAVING SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED VALUE DURING SAID INTERPULSE PERIOD WHEN SAID LOGIC SIGNALS INDICATE SAID INPUT VOLTAGE IS OF ANOTHER POLARITY AND FOR VARYING SAID ANOTHER VOLTAGE TO SAID FIRST PREDETERMINED VALUE DURING THE TIMED PULSE PERIOD, A RESET CAPACITOR COUPLED FOR RECEIVING THE VOLTAGE SIGNALS OF THE LAST MENTIONED MEANS, SWITCH MEANS OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO SAID TIMED PULSE AND COUPLED TO SAID CAPACITOR FOR COUPLING SAID CAPACITOR TO A REFERENCE DURING SAID INTERPULSE PERIOD FOR CHARGING SAID CAPACITOR TO THE VALUE OF VOLTAGE SIGNAL OUTPUT OF SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS AND FOR COUPLING SAID CAPACITOR SO CHARGED TO SAID INPUT MEANS DURING THE TIMED PULSE PERIOD FOR REDUCING THE VOLTAGE LEVEL AT SAID INPUT TO SUBSTANTIALLY REFERENCE VALUE DURING SAID TIMED PULSE PERIOD.