Amplifier system

Abstract

Abstract A WIDE DYNAMIC RANGE AUTOMATIC HIGH SPEED DIGITAL GAIN RANGING AMPLIFIER SYSTEM HAVING A PLURALITY OF AMPLIFIER STAGES COUPLED IN CASCADE CIRCUIT RELATIONSHIP, WHEREIN IMPROVED BANDWIDTH IS PROVIDED BY D.C. COUPLING BETWEEN THE SUCCESSIVE CASCADED STAGES TOGETHER WITH A FILTER IN A FEEDBACK PATH FROM THE OUTPUT OF THE LAST CASCADED STAGE TO THE INPUT OF THE FIRST CASCADED STAGE. THE RESPECTIVE OUTPUTS OF THE AMPLIFIER STAGES ARE COUPLED THROUGH A COMMON OUTPUT CIRCUIT TO A COMPARATOR CIRCUIT FOR COMPARISON WITH A PREDETERMINED REFERENCE SIGNAL. SEQUENCING MEANS ARE PROVIDED FOR MOMENTARILY CLOSING SWITCH MEANS IN TIMED SEQUENCE FOR SEQUENTIALLY COUPLING THE RESPECTIVE OUTPUTS OF THE SUCCESSIVE AMPLIFIER STAGES TO THE COMPARATOR CIRCUIT DURING SUCCESSIVE, RELATIVELY BRIEF SAMPLING TIME INTERVALS. MEANS ARE PROVIDED FOR SELECTIVELY MAINTAINING ONE OF THE SWITCH MEANS IN ITS CLOSED POSITION FOR A HOLDING TIME INTERVAL OF LONGER DURATION THAN THE SAMPLING TIME INTERVAL WHEN AN OUTPUT SIGNAL COUPLED THROUGH SAID SWITCH MEANS TO THE COMMON OUTPUT CIRCUIT DURING ONE OF THE SAMPLING INTERVALS BEARS A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP TO THE REFERENCE SIGNAL. IN A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE AMPLIFER SYSTEM, THE COMMON OUTPUT CIRCUIT IS COUPLED TO AN ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTER AND THENCE TO DIGITAL RECORDING MEANS FOR RECORDING SIGNALS CORRESPONDING TO BOTH THE INSTANTANEOUS DIGITAL VALUE OF THE SIGNAL AT THE COMMON OUTPUT CIRCUIT AND THE GAIN LEVEL TO WHICH THE SIGNAL IS AMPLIFIED, AS DETERMINED BY THE ONE OF SAID SWITCH MEANS SELECTIVELY MAINTAINED CLOSED TO PASS THE SIGNAL TO THE ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTER.

Inventors

• 👤 Donald L Howlett

Bibliographic Details