Synchronous detection with sampling

Claim 1

Synchronous detection apparatus for a doublesideband amplitude-modulated wave, modulated by a bandlimited modulating function, which comprises: sampling means which samples the modulated wave for short periods substantially centered in time on at least some of the instants of peak amplitude of the carrier of said modulated wave, at regularly-occurring intervals, with a frequency which is greater than the minimum sampling or Nyquist frequency of said modulating function, and which is equal to the frequency of said carrier divided by an integer, and reconstruction filter means which receives the output of said sampling means and has a pass-band extending downwards substantially from the highest to at least the lowest frequency of said modulating function and which delivers the output of said filter means to an external circuit, and carrier deriving means which derives an integral multiple of said carrier frequency from said modulated wave, and frequency dividing means which receives the output of said carrier deriving means and which divides the frequency of said output of said carrier deriving means by an integer, and pulse generating means which receives the output of said frequency dividing means and produces a sequence of pulses with short periods at regularlyoccurring intervals, with a repetition frequency greater than the minimum sampling or Nyquist frequency of said modulating function, and equal to said carrier frequency divided by an integer, and which delivers said sequence of short pulses to the gating lead of said sampling means, and delay means which delays each of said pulses which is delivered to said gating lead so as to be substantially centered in time on an instant of a peak amplitude of said carrier.