Fractal-type periodic temporal signal generator

Claim 1

A periodic temporal signal generator for generating a periodic binary signal representing a binary sequence, said binary sequence having a periodic configuration pattern a n which comprises an arrangement of seed patterns and which is one of m pattern components of a term U n of a sequence of terms U 0 U 1 , . . U n , where m and n are integers and m is greater than 1, and where U 0 comprises an initial term of said sequence of terms and is formed by one of each of said seed patterns, said pattern components of said term U n being defined by application of m pattern composition laws to the pattern components of the preceding term U n-1 of said sequence of terms, said generator comprising working memory means (13) for storing a definitive patterns file which contains a final arrangement of the seed patterns constituting said periodic configuration pattern a n , and output means (14) coupled to said working memory means for supplying said periodic binary signal in accordance with the content of said definitive patterns file, said signal generator further comprising: an old patterns file (13b) in said working memory means for storing breakdowns into said seed patterns of old pattern components resulting from at least one application to said seed patterns of said pattern composition laws; a previous patterns file (13c) in said working memory means for storing breakdowns into said seed patterns of previous pattern components obtained during an iteration step immediately preceding the current iteration step, each of said previous pattern components corresponding to a respective one of said seed patterns in said old pattern components; reading means coupled to said working memory means for reading said old pattern components from said old patterns file and said previous pattern components form said previous patterns file; replacing means coupled to said reading means for replacing the seed patterns of said old pattern components with the seed pattern breakdown stored in said previous patterns file for the corresponding previous pattern component to thereby obtain seed pattern breakdowns of current pattern components and a current patterns file (13d) in said working memory coupled to said replacing means for storing said seed pattern breakdowns of said current components; and repeating means for repeatedly actuating both said reading means and said replacing means a given number of times until said definitive patterns are obtained.