Vector synthesizer for continuously obtaining the magnitude and direction of a vector from the orthogonal components of the vector

Claim 1

A vector synthesizer for obtaining the magnitude and direction of a vector from an X-component and a Y-component of the vector, comprising, a first modulation means for amplitude-modulating a first carrier wave with a signal corresponding to an Y-component to produce a first modulated wave, a second modulation means for amplitude-modulating a second carrier wave with a signal corresponding to an X-component to produce a second modulated wave the second carrier of which has the same frequency as the first carrier of the first modulated wave and a phase position advanced, by 90*, from the phase position of the first carrier of the first modulated wave, a summing amplifier for superposing the first modulated wave and the second modulated wave so as to produce a sum signal, an envelope detector for detecting the envelope of the sum signal to produce a first output signal representative of the magnitude of the vector, difference detection means for detecting a phase difference between zero-crossing instants of the sum signal and of the carrier wave of the first modulated wave so as produce a second output signal representative of the direction of the vector, the difference detection means comprising a zero-crossing detector for detecting the zero-crossing instants from a first polarity to a second polarity of the sum signal so as to produce a first pulse train, a differentiator for producing pulses having time slots synchronized with the transition instants from the first polarity to tHe second polarity of the first carrier wave of the first modulated wave so as to produce a second pulse train, a bistable circuit set by each pulse of the first pulse train and reset by each pulse of the second pulse train, and a low-pass filter connected to the output of the bistable circuit to produce the second output signal.