Digital governor

Claim 2

In an electronic governor for controlling the speed of a prime mover by controlling the flow of energy thereto, the combination comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced by a period ts which varies in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator for producing a second train of pulses having a period tr corresponding to a desired speed set point, signal comparison means coupled to said transducer and said reference signal generator for producing a servo control signal Z digitally representing the numerical value of the time integral of the difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains such that Z integral C(ts-tr)dt, means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to restore equality between the periods of said speed and reference pulses.

Claim 3

An electronic governor for conTrolling the speed of a prime mover by controlling the flow of energy thereto, comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced by a period ts which varies in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator for producing a second train of pulses having a period tr corresponding to a desired speed set point, signal comparison means coupled to said transducer and said reference signal generator for producing a servo control signal Z having a magnitude which varies in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains such that Z Integral C(ts-tr)dt, means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce the time difference between the respective periods of said pulse trains to zero, and stabilizing means operatively associated with said reference signal generator and responsive to said servo control signal for varying the period of said reference pulses in accordance with variations in said servo control signal.

Claim 4

An electronic governor for conTrolling the speed of a prime mover by controlling the flow of energy thereto, comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced by a period ts which varies in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator for producing a second train of pulses having a period tr corresponding to a desired speed set point, signal comparison means coupled to said transducer and said reference signal generator for producing a servo control signal Z having a magnitude which varies in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains such that Z Integral C(ts-tr)dt, means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce the time difference between the respective periods of said pulse trains to zero, and stabilizing means operatively associated with said reference signal generator and responsive to said servo control signal for varying the period of said reference pulses in accordance with variations in said servo control signal.

Claim 5

An electronic governor according to claim 2 in which said servo control signal is in binary coded form and digitally represents the numerical value of the time integral of said period difference and wherein said means for adjusting the rate of said energy flow includes a digital-to-analog converter connected for receiving said servo correction signal and for producing a dc. electrical signal of a magnitude proportional to the binary magnitude of said servo control signal, said d.c. signal being coupled to said actuator for effecting adjustment of the energy flow.

Claim 6

An electronic governor for controlling the energy flow to a prime mover to stabilize the speed thereof at a desired set point, comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator for producing a second train of pulses having a reference pulse frequency and period; signal comparison means coupled to said transducer and said reference signal generator for producing a servo control signal having a magnitude which varies in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains, stabilizing means operatively associated with said reference signal generator and responsive to said servo control signal for varying the period of said reference pulses in accordance with variations in said servo control signal, means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow, whereby the actual value of said speed tends to be maintained at a speed corresponding to the period of said reference pulses, means including an auxiliary signal generator settable to produce a third train of pulses at a frequency equal to the frequency of said first and second pulse trains when said speed is stabilized at a desired set point value, and means connected to receive said second and third pulse trains for producing a reference control signal varying in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the periods of said second and third pulse trains, said reference control signal being connected to said reference signal generator in opposition to said servo control signal for gradually eliminating the effect of said servo control signal on the period of said reference pulses.

Claim 7

An electronic governor for controlling the energy flow to a prime mover to stabilize the speed thereof at a desired set point, comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator for producing a second train of pulses having a reference pulse frequency and period; signal comparison means coupled to said transducer and said reference signal generator for producing a servo control signal having a magnitude which varies in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains, stabilizing means operatively associated with said reference signal generator and responsive to said servo control signal for varying the period of said reference pulses in accordance with variations in said servo control signal, means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow, whereby the actual value of said speed tends to be maintained at a speed corresponding to the period of said reference pulses, means including an auxiliary signal generator settable to produce a third train of pulses at a frequency equal to the frequency of said first and second pulse trains when said speed is stabilized at a desired set point value, and means connected to receive said second and third pulse trains for producing a reference control signal varying in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the periods of said second and third pulse trains, said reference control signal being connected to said reference signal generator in opposition to said servo control signal for gradually eliminating the effect of said servo control signal on the period of said reference pulses.

Claim 8

An electronic governor according to claim 4 wherein said servo control and reference control signals are produced in binary coded form and have binary magnitudes digitally representing the numerical values of said integrals of the respective period differences and wherein said reference signal generator and said means for controlling the energy flow are adapted for response to Said binary coded signals.

Claim 9

An electronic governor for controlling the energy flow to a prime mover to stabilize the speed thereof at a desired set point, comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator for producing a second train of pulses having a reference frequency and period, signal comparison means coupled to said transducer and said reference signal generator for producing a servo control signal having a magnitude which varies in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains, stabilizing means operatively associated with said reference signal generator and responsive to said servo control signal for varying the period of said reference pulses in accordance with variations in said servo control signal, means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow so that the difference between the periods of said first and second pulse trains is reduced to zero, means including an auxiliary signal generator settable to produce a third train of pulses at a frequency equal to the frequency of said first and second pulse trains when the said speed is stabilized at the desired set point, and means connected to receive said first and third pulse trains for producing a reference control signal varying in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the periods of said first and third pulse trains, said reference control signal being connected to said reference signal generator in opposition to said servo control signal for gradually eliminating the effect of said servo control signal in varying the period of said second pulse train.

Claim 10

An electronic governor for controlling the energy flow to a prime mover to stabilize the speed thereof at a desired set point, comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator for producing a second train of pulses having a reference frequency and period, signal comparison means coupled to said transducer and said reference signal generator for producing a servo control signal having a magnitude which varies in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains, stabilizing means operatively associated with said reference signal generator and responsive to said servo control signal for varying the period of said reference pulses in accordance with variations in said servo control signal, means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow so that the difference between the periods of said first and second pulse trains is reduced to zero, means including an auxiliary signal generator settable to produce a third train of pulses at a frequency equal to the frequency of said first and second pulse trains when the said speed is stabilized at the desired set point, and means connected to receive said first and third pulse trains for producing a reference control signal varying in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the periods of said first and third pulse trains, said reference control signal being connected to said reference signal generator in opposition to said servo control signal for gradually eliminating the effect of said servo control signal in varying the period of said second pulse train.

Claim 11

An electronic governor according to claim 6 wherein said servo control and reference control signals are produced in binary coded form to digitally represent the numerical value of said respective measured time integrals and wherein said reference signal generator and said means for controlling the energy flow are adapted for response to binary coded signals.

Claim 12

In an electronic governor for controlling the flow of energy to a prime mover to stabilize the speed thereof at a desired set point, the combination comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having an input circuit for simultaneously receiving a plurality of number-representing, multi-bit binary coded signals, an output terminal and means responsive to said binary coded signals for producing at said output terminal a second train of pulses spaced in accordance with the algebraic sum of the numbers represented by said binary coded input signals, manually settable means for producing a first one of said binary coded input signals with a numerical value corresponding to the desired set point speed, signal comparison means coupled to receive said first and second pulse trains for producing a binary coded servo control signal digitally representing the numerical value of the time integral of the difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains, and means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce said difference between said respective periods to zero, said servo control signal additionally being coupled to said generator input circuit to provide a second binary coded input signal whose numerical value is algebraically summed with that of said manually settable binary signal to effect stabilization in the response of the governor to variations in said speed.

Claim 13

In an electronic governor for controlling the flow of energy to a prime mover to stabilize the speed thereof at a desired set point, the combination comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having an input circuit for simultaneously receiving a plurality of number-representing, multi-bit binary coded signals, an output terminal and means responsive to said binary coded signals for producing at said output terminal a second train of pulses spaced in accordance with the algebraic sum of the numbers represented by said binary coded input signals, manually settable means for producing a first one of said binary coded input signals with a numerical value corresponding to the desired set point speed, signal comparison means coupled to receive said first and second pulse trains for producing a binary coded servo control signal digitally representing the numerical value of the time integral of the difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains, and means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce said difference between said respective periods to zero, said servo control signal additionally being coupled to said generator input circuit to provide a second binary coded input signal whose numerical value is algebraically summed with that of said manually settable binary signal to effect stabilization in the response of the governor to variations in said speed.

Claim 14

In an electronic governor, the combination according to claim 8, further comprising an auxiliary signal generator settable to produce a third train of pulses at a frequency equal to the frequency of said first and second pulse trains when the actual value of said speed is stabilized at the desired set point speed; and means connected to receive said second and third pulse trains for producing a reference control signal digitally representing the numerical value of the time integral of the difference between the periods of said second and third pulse trains, said reference control signal being connected as a third binary coded input signal to said generator input circuit in opposition to said servo control signal for gradually eliminating the effect of said servo control signal on the period of said second train of pulses.

Claim 15

In an electronic governor, the combination according to claim 8, further comprising an auxiliary signal generator settable to produce a third train of pulses at a frequency equal to the frequency of said first and second pulse trains when the actual value of said speed is stabilized at the desired set point speed; and means connected to receive said first and third pulse trains for producing a reference control signal digitally representing the numerical value of the time integral of the difference between the periods of said first and third pulse trains; said reference control signal being in binary form and connected to said generator input circuit in opposition to said servo control signal for gradually eliminating the effect of said servo control signal on the period of said second train of pulses.

Claim 16

In an electronic governor for maintaining the speed of prime mover by controlling the flow of energy thereto, the combination comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced by periods ts which vary inversely in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator for producing a second train of pulses having a reference period tr, signal comparison means including a. a source of clock pulses at a high frequency, b. a multi-stage binary counter having first and second clock input terminals for selectively controlling the direction of counting in an up-count and down-count direction respectively, c. a logic circuit coupled to receive said first and second pulse trains and adapted to control the coupling of said clock pulse source to said first and second clock input terminals respectively for intervals corresponding to the respective periods ts and tr of said speed and reference pulse trains, d. a holding register controlled by said logic circuit for samplng the contents of said counter at predetermined intervals to produce a binary coded control signal having a numerical magnitude which varies in accordance with the average value of the count in said counter, and means including an actuator responsive to said binary control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce the time difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains to zero.

Claim 17

In an electronic governor for maintaining the speed of prime mover by controlling the flow of energy thereto, the combination comprising means including a transducer for producing a first train of pulses spaced by periods ts which vary inversely in accordance with the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator for producing a second train of pulses having a reference period tr, signal comparison means including a. a source of clock pulses at a high frequency, b. a multi-stage binary counter having first and second clock input terminals for selectively controlling the direction of counting in an up-count and down-count direction respectively, c. a logic circuit coupled to receive said first and second pulse trains and adapted to control the coupling of said clock pulse source to said first and second clock input terminals respectively for intervals corresponding to the respective periods ts and tr of said speed and reference pulse trains, d. a holding register controlled by said logic circuit for samplng the contents of said counter at predetermined intervals to produce a binary coded control signal having a numerical magnitude which varies in accordance with the average value of the count in said counter, and means including an actuator responsive to said binary control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce the time difference between the respective periods of said first and second pulse trains to zero.

Claim 18

In an electronic governor for maintaining the speed of a prime mover by controlling the flow of energy thereto, the combination comprising means including transducer for producing a first recurring signal having a period ts which varies inversely according to changes in the actual value of said speed; a reference signal generator for producing a second recurring signal having a reference period tr; period difference integrating means including an up-down binary counter and a counter logic circuit selectively controlling the direction of counting, said logic circuit being responsive to said first and second signals and causing said counter to count up and down respectively for intervals correspondng to the non-overlapping portions of partially overlapping respective periods ts and tr; a digital register means for sampling and holding the counter contents at the end of each up-and-down operatiOn of said control logic circuit, said register having output means for producing a servo control signal digitally representing the numerical value of the time integral of the difference between said periods; and means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce the time difference between respective periods of said pulse trains to zero.

Claim 19

In an electronic governor for maintaining the speed of a prime mover by controlling the flow of energy thereto, the combination comprising means including transducer for producing a first recurring signal having a period ts which varies inversely according to changes in the actual value of said speed; a reference signal generator for producing a second recurring signal having a reference period tr; period difference integrating means including an up-down binary counter and a counter logic circuit selectively controlling the direction of counting, said logic circuit being responsive to said first and second signals and causing said counter to count up and down respectively for intervals correspondng to the non-overlapping portions of partially overlapping respective periods ts and tr; a digital register means for sampling and holding the counter contents at the end of each up-and-down operatiOn of said control logic circuit, said register having output means for producing a servo control signal digitally representing the numerical value of the time integral of the difference between said periods; and means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce the time difference between respective periods of said pulse trains to zero.

Claim 20

The combination defined in claim 12 wherein said counter logic circuit is operative during each up-and-down operation to inhibit counting in either direction during the interval of timing overlap of the respective periods ts and tr so that unnecessarily large excursions by the counter are prevented.

Claim 21

The combination defined in claim 12 further including a source of clock pulses for driving said counter in an up-count or down-count directon under the control of said counter logic circuit and wherein the rate at which said servo control signal changes in response to a given difference between the respective periods ts and tr is dependent only upon the frequency of said clock pulses.

Claim 22

The combination defined in claim 11 wherein the frequency of said clock pulses is several orders of magnitude higher than the frequencies of the said first and second signals, and wherein said summing means operates at a gain factor C dependent only upon said clock pulse frequency, the servo control signal having an average value of Sigma C(ts-tr) where C (ts-tr) is the net change in the counter number resulting from each up-and-down operation.

Claim 23

An electronic governor for maintaining the speed of a prime mover by controlling the flow of energy thereto, comprising means including a transducer for producing first recurring signal having a period ts which varies inversely according to the actual value of said speed, means including a reference signal generator for producing a second recurring signal having a reference period tr, signal comparison means coupled to said transducer and said reference signal generator for producing a servo control signal having a magnitude which varies in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the respective periods ts and tr of said first and second signals, said comparison means including a. an up-down counter, b. a source of clock pulses of a given frequency, c. means for causing said counter in effect to count the clock pulses up during successive ones of said periods ts and down during successive ones of said periods tr, and d. means for periodically reading out the contents of said counter at the end of up-down cycles to thereby produce a servo control signal numerically representing said time integral, and means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce the time difference between the respective periods of said pulse trains to zero, whereby the servo control signal varies with an average value equal to Integral C (ts-tr) and the gain factor C is entirely independent of the frequencies and periods of the first and second signals.

Claim 24

An electronic governor for maintaining the speed of a prime mover by controlling the flow of energy thereto, comprising means including a transducer for producing first recurring signal having a period ts which varies inversely according to the actual value of said speed, means including a reference signal generator for producing a second recurring signal having a reference period tr, signal comparison means coupled to said transducer and said reference signal generator for producing a servo control signal having a magnitude which varies in accordance with the time integral of the difference between the respective periods ts and tr of said first and second signals, said comparison means including a. an up-down counter, b. a source of clock pulses of a given frequency, c. means for causing said counter in effect to count the clock pulses up during successive ones of said periods ts and down during successive ones of said periods tr, and d. means for periodically reading out the contents of said counter at the end of up-down cycles to thereby produce a servo control signal numerically representing said time integral, and means including an actuator responsive to said servo control signal for correctively adjusting the rate of said energy flow to reduce the time difference between the respective periods of said pulse trains to zero, whereby the servo control signal varies with an average value equal to Integral C (ts-tr) and the gain factor C is entirely independent of the frequencies and periods of the first and second signals.

Claim 25

The combination set forth in claim 5 further characterized in that said signal comparison means includes a. an up-down counter b. a source of clock pulses c. means for causing said counter in effect to count the clock pulses upwardly and downwardly respectively during the periods of said first and second trains of pulses so that the net change in the counter contents is equal to the difference in the respective periods multiplied by a factor C proportional to the clock pulse frequency, and d. means for reading out the contents of said counter after each up-down count cycle to form said servo control signal which thereby is affEcted in gain only by the clock pulse frequency and not by the frequencies or periods of said first and second trains.

Claim 26

In a governor for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to control its speed, the combination comprising means for producing a signal having a parameter varying in accordance with the actual value of said speed, means for producing a second signal having a reference parameter adjustable or variable in accordance with the desired speed set point, means responsive to said first and second signals for producing a servo control signal digitally representing a changeable number and for updating said number during successive iteration periods by an amount which is the product of a gain factor and the difference between the parameters of said first and second signals, and means for varying said rate of energy input according to the average value of the number represented by said servo control signal.

Claim 27

In a governor for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to control its speed, the combination comprising means for producing a signal having a parameter varying in accordance with the actual value of said speed, means for producing a second signal having a reference parameter adjustable or variable in accordance with the desired speed set point, means responsive to said first and second signals for producing a servo control signal digitally representing a changeable number and for updating said number during successive iteration periods by an amount which is the product of a gain factor and the difference between the parameters of said first and second signals, and means for varying said rate of energy input according to the average value of the number represented by said servo control signal.

Claim 28

In a governor for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to control its speed, the combination comprising means for producing a first signal having a first parameter varying in accordance with the actual value of said speed, means for producing a second signal having a reference parameter adjustable or variable in accordance with the desired value of speed, a source of clock pulses having a clock frequency, a reversible counter, means responsive to said first and second signals for causing said counter to count said clock pulses upwardly and downwardly during different time portions of repeating count operation cycles, the up portion of each counting cycle being proportional to said first parameter and the down portion being proportional to said reference parameter, means for periodically reading out the number contents of said counter to signal a periodically updated servo control number which in average value varies as the time integral of the product of a gain constant C times the difference between said first and reference parameters, and means for making said rate of energy input proportional to said signaled servo control number, whereby the gain constant C is determined by and is proportional to the clock pulse frequency and is independent of the values of the first and reference parameters.

Claim 29

In a governor for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to control its speed, the combination comprising means for producing a first signal having a first parameter varying in accordance with the actual value of said speed, means for producing a second signal having a reference parameter adjustable or variable in accordance with the desired value of speed, a source of clock pulses having a clock frequency, a reversible counter, means responsive to said first and second signals for causing said counter to count said clock pulses upwardly and downwardly during different time portions of repeating count operation cycles, the up portion of each counting cycle being proportional to said first parameter and the down portion being proportional to said reference parameter, means for periodically reading out the number contents of said counter to signal a periodically updated servo control number which in average value varies as the time integral of the product of a gain constant C times the difference between said first and reference parameters, and means for making said rate of energy input proportional to said signaled servo control number, whereby the gain constant C is determined by and is proportional to the clock pulse frequency and is independent of the values of the first and reference parameters.

Claim 30

A speed governor for controlling the rate of energy flow to a prime mover to maintain the speed thereof at a desired set point, comprising in combination manually settable means for producing a first signal having a parameter corresponding to a desired set point speed, means associated with said prime mover for producing a second signal havng a parameter varying with the actual value of said speed, servo control means connected to receive said first and second signals including a digital signal comparator and amplification device for producing a control signal having a magnitude proportional to the departure of said second signal from said first signal, servo means including an actuator coupled to said servo control means for correctively adjusting and maintaining said flow of energy at a rate proportional to the magnitude of said control signal, and trim means connected to receive said first and second signals for generating a third signal having a parameter which varies in accordance with the time integral of speed departures from the desired set point, said third signal being connected to said servo control means to effect a gradual adjustment of said servo control signal and thereby to restore the actual value of said speed to the desired set point, said servo control means being operative to produce said control signal with a high degree of amplification which is independent of the set point or actual speed.

Claim 31

A speed governor for controlling the rate of energy flow to a prime mover to maintain the speed thereof at a desired set point, comprising in combination manually settable means for producing a first signal having a parameter corresponding to a desired set point speed, means associated with said prime mover for producing a second signal havng a parameter varying with the actual value of said speed, servo control means connected to receive said first and second signals including a digital signal comparator and amplification device for producing a control signal having a magnitude proportional to the departure of said second signal from said first signal, servo means including an actuator coupled to said servo control means for correctively adjusting and maintaining said flow of energy at a rate proportional to the magnitude of said control signal, and trim means connected to receive said first and second signals for generating a third signal having a parameter which varies in accordance with the time integral of speed departures from the desired set point, said third signal being connected to said servo control means to effect a gradual adjustment of said servo control signal and thereby to restore the actual value of said speed to the desired set point, said servo control means being operative to produce said control signal with a high degree of amplification which is independent of the set point or actual speed.

Claim 32

An electronic governor for controlling the flow of energy to a prime mover to stabilize the speed thereof comprising manually settable means for generating a first binary coded signal correspOnding in numerical value to a desired set point speed, means including a transducer for producing a train of speed pulses having a frequency varying with the actual value of said speed, reference generating means for producing a train of reference pulses, comparison means adapted to receive said actual value and reference pulses for producing a second binary coded signal corresponding to deviations in the actual value of said speed from the desired set point, means including an actuator responsive to said second binary coded signal for adjusting the rate of said energy flow to correct for said speed deviation, said reference generating means including a variable frequency oscillator responsive to said first and second binary coded signals and operative to produce said reference pulses at a frequency which varies in accordance with the algebraic sum of said binary coded signals.

Claim 33

An electronic governor for controlling the flow of energy to a prime mover to stabilize the speed thereof comprising manually settable means for generating a first binary coded signal correspOnding in numerical value to a desired set point speed, means including a transducer for producing a train of speed pulses having a frequency varying with the actual value of said speed, reference generating means for producing a train of reference pulses, comparison means adapted to receive said actual value and reference pulses for producing a second binary coded signal corresponding to deviations in the actual value of said speed from the desired set point, means including an actuator responsive to said second binary coded signal for adjusting the rate of said energy flow to correct for said speed deviation, said reference generating means including a variable frequency oscillator responsive to said first and second binary coded signals and operative to produce said reference pulses at a frequency which varies in accordance with the algebraic sum of said binary coded signals.

Claim 34

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing a first signal having a parameter which varies according to the actual value of said speed, means for producing a reference signal having a variable parameter indicative of the instantaneously desired speed, means responsive to said signals for iteratively signaling in numerical form the error e constituted by the difference between the parameter values of the first and second signals, means coupled to said signaling means for signaling plural bits which in binary or coded binary notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Zn Zn 1+ C e where C is a gain factor and n designates the successive iteration periods, and means responsive to said signaled bits for making said rate of energy input proportional to the number Z.

Claim 35

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing a first signal having a parameter which varies according to the actual value of said speed, means for producing a reference signal having a variable parameter indicative of the instantaneously desired speed, means responsive to said signals for iteratively signaling in numerical form the error e constituted by the difference between the parameter values of the first and second signals, means coupled to said signaling means for signaling plural bits which in binary or coded binary notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Zn Zn 1+ C e where C is a gain factor and n designates the successive iteration periods, and means responsive to said signaled bits for making said rate of energy input proportional to the number Z.

Claim 36

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing first recurring signals having a period ts inversely related to the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having means to produce second recurring signals having a reference period tr, means responsive to said first and reference signals for signaling plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Zn Zn 1+ C (ts - tr)n where C is a gain constant and n designates the successive iteration periods, and means responsive to said plural bit signals for varying said rate of energy input in accordance with variations of the represented number Z.

Claim 37

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing first recurring signals having a period ts inversely related to the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having means to produce second recurring signals having a reference period tr, means responsive to said first and reference signals for signaling plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Zn Zn 1+ C (ts - tr)n where C is a gain constant and n designates the successive iteration periods, and means responsive to said plural bit signals for varying said rate of energy input in accordance with variations of the represented number Z.

Claim 38

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing first recurring signals having a period ts inversely related to the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having means to produce second recurring signals having a reference period tr, means responsive to said first and second signals for signaling a first set of plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Zn Zn 1 + C (ts - tr)n where C is a gain factor and n designates the successive iteration periods, means responsive to said plural bit signals for varying the said rate of energy input in accordance with variations of the represented number Z, and means coupled to receive said plural bit signals and responsive thereto for causing the reference period tr of said second signals from said generator to vary in accordance with variations of the represented number Z.

Claim 39

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing first recurring signals having a period ts inversely related to the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having means to produce second recurring signals having a reference period tr, means responsive to said first and second signals for signaling a first set of plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Zn Zn 1 + C (ts - tr)n where C is a gain factor and n designates the successive iteration periods, means responsive to said plural bit signals for varying the said rate of energy input in accordance with variations of the represented number Z, and means coupled to receive said plural bit signals and responsive thereto for causing the reference period tr of said second signals from said generator to vary in accordance with variations of the represented number Z.

Claim 40

The combination set forth in claim 24 further characterized in that said last-named means comprises means for causing said generator to vary the period tr according to the relation: tr A + Z/ fc where A is the composite sum of other numbers which may be constants or variables and fc is a fixed or variable proportionality factor.

Claim 41

The combination set forth in claim 25 further characterized in that A is equal to R, and R is a number representing set point speed in a relationship wherein increases in R correspond to decreases in set point.

Claim 42

The combination set forth in claim 25 further characterized in that A is equal to R - Z'', where R is a number representing desired set point speed in a relationship wherein increases in R correspond to decreases in set point, and Z'' is a number which varies as the time integral of the difference (tr-ta), the period ta being directly variable according to changes in R.

Claim 43

The combination set forth in claim 27 further characterized in that the period ta is directly variable according to changes in the sum R + Z.

Claim 44

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing first recurring signals having a period ts inversely related to the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having means for producing second recurring signals having a reference period tr, means responsive to said first and second signals for signaling plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Zn Zn 1 + C1 (ts - tr)n where C1 is a gain constant and n designates the successive iteration periods, means responsive to said plural bit signals for varying said rate of energy input in accordance with variations of the represented number Z, means for producing auxiliary recurring signals having a period ta, means responsive to said second and auxiliary signals for signaling a second set of plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent a second iteratively updated number Z'' which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Z''n Z''n 1 + C2(tr - ta)n where C2 is a gain factor and n designates the successive iteration periods, and means responsive to said first and second sets of plural bit signals for controlling said reference signal generator to vary said reference period tr according to changes in the sum (Z - Z'').

Claim 45

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing first recurring signals having a period ts inversely related to the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having means for producing second recurring signals having a reference period tr, means responsive to said first and second signals for signaling plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Zn Zn 1 + C1 (ts - tr)n where C1 is a gain constant and n designates the successive iteration periods, means responsive to said plural bit signals for varying said rate of energy input in accordance with variations of the represented number Z, means for producing auxiliary recurring signals having a period ta, means responsive to said second and auxiliary signals for signaling a second set of plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent a second iteratively updated number Z'' which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Z''n Z''n 1 + C2(tr - ta)n where C2 is a gain factor and n designates the successive iteration periods, and means responsive to said first and second sets of plural bit signals for controlling said reference signal generator to vary said reference period tr according to changes in the sum (Z - Z'').

Claim 46

The combination set forth in claim 29 further including means for producing a third set of plural bit signals representing an adjustable set point number R, means associated with said auxiliary signal producing means and responsive to said third set of bit signals for causing the period ta to vary directly according to the value of the number R, and said means for controlling said reference signal generator including means responsive to said first, second and third sets of bit signals for varying said reference period tr according to changes in the sum R + Z - Z''.

Claim 47

The combination set forth in claim 30 further characterized in that said means associated with said auxiliary signal producing means includes means responsive to said first and third sets of bit signals for causing the period ta to vary directly according to the value of the sum R + Z.

Claim 48

The combination set forth in claim 29 wherein the factor C1 is greater than the factor C2.

Claim 49

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing first recurring signals having a period ts inversely related to the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having means to produce second recurring signals having a reference period tr, means responsive to said first and second reference signals for signalling a first set of plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation: Zn Zn 1 + C1 (ts -tr)n where C1 is a gain constant and n designates successive iteration periods, means responsive to said first set of plural bit signals for varying said rate of energy input in accordance with variations in the represented number Z, means for producing auxiliary recurring signals having a perDwd ta, means responsive to said first and auxiliary signals for signaling a second set of plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z'''' which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Z''''n Z''''n 1 + C2(ts -ta)n where C2 is a gain factor and n designates the successive iteration periods, and means responsive to said first and second sets of bit signals for controlling said reference signal generator to vary said reference period tr according to changes in the algebraic sum (Z - Z'''').

Claim 50

In a system for controlling the rate of energy input to a prime mover to govern the speed of the latter, the combination comprising means for producing first recurring signals having a period ts inversely related to the actual value of said speed, a reference signal generator having means to produce second recurring signals having a reference period tr, means responsive to said first and second reference signals for signalling a first set of plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z which changes during successive iterations according to the relation: Zn Zn 1 + C1 (ts -tr)n where C1 is a gain constant and n designates successive iteration periods, means responsive to said first set of plural bit signals for varying said rate of energy input in accordance with variations in the represented number Z, means for producing auxiliary recurring signals having a perDwd ta, means responsive to said first and auxiliary signals for signaling a second set of plural bits which in binary or binary coded notation represent an iteratively updated number Z'''' which changes during successive iterations according to the relation Z''''n Z''''n 1 + C2(ts -ta)n where C2 is a gain factor and n designates the successive iteration periods, and means responsive to said first and second sets of bit signals for controlling said reference signal generator to vary said reference period tr according to changes in the algebraic sum (Z - Z'''').

Claim 51

The combination set forth in claim 33 further including means to vary the auxiliary reference period ta in accordance with a signaled set point number R, and said means for controlling said reference signal generator includes means responsive to said first and second sets of bit signals and the signaled number R for varying the reference period tr in accordance with changes in the sum R + Z - Z'').