Patent GB-1304533-A (GB)
IPC: H04N9/71
Filed: 1970-06-25
Abstract: 1304533 Colour television; automatic gain control ZENITH RADIO CORP 25 June 1970 [27 June 1969] 30985/70 Headings H3T and H4F  A chroma amplifier and colour killer system that may be produced in microcircuit form comprises a first chroma and ACC amplifier 17, Fig. 1, connected in cascade to a second chroma amplifier 18, the output of which is supplied to a chroma demodulator 20, and a colour killer 19 triggered by the ACC section of amplifier 17. Whereas a gain control signal from reference oscillator and AGC source 22 in differential form is applied to amplifier 17 to effect ACC, the gain of amplifier 18 is controlled by a colour saturation control or potentiometer schematically shown at 18a, which control may be ganged to the contrast control 14a of luminance amplifier 14, this being possible because amplifier 18 exhibits an essentially linear gain versus control potential characteristic. First chroma amplifier 17 comprises a first cluster of three transistors 31, 32, 33 arranged in a Y-type configuration, Fig. 2, to define a cascode-type amplifier, transistor 33 being connected in cascode with transistor 32. The circuit configuration also defines an ACC differential amplifier in which transistor 33 is included in the signal paths of both transistors 31 and 32. Diode 40 prevents the potential at the collector of transistor 31 from dropping to a point that would result in saturation. Transistor 33 may be considered a constant current source, its current being shared by transistors 31 and 32 with one of them receiving more or less current depending upon the differential gain as established by the ACC gain control potential applied to their bases via emitter followers 42 and 43. Second chroma amplifier 18 which is coupled in cascade with the cascode amplifier 33, 32, has a similar cluster of three devices 50, 51, 52 in a Y-type configuration defining both a second cascode amplifier and a second differential amplifier the only difference being that one of the devices is a diode. The colour saturation control 58 is connected as shown. Cascode amplifiers 33, 32 and 52, 51 are A.C. coupled to isolate amplifier 52, 51 from variations in D.C. levels of amplifier 17 resulting from the application of ACC gain potential to that amplifier. The chroma signal input to the sub-carrier regenerator of stage 22 is taken as shown from amplifier 17. The necessary linear gain characteristic for unicontrol of colour saturation and contrast control is effected by the presence of diode 50 in the differential amplifier 18. Instead of using diode 50 a third transistor 50<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 3, may be employed with a feedback connection provided by resistor 71 between its collector and base. The colour killer circuit comprises Schmitt trigger 80, 81, the base of transistor 80 being connected to the colour killer adjustment 37. In operation if transistor 81 is driven to cut-off, transistor 87 becomes conductive increasing conduction in diode 50 to the extent that all the current supplied by transistor 52 is taken by diode 50, and transistor 51 of the cascode circuit is rendered non-conductive interrupting translation of the chroma signal through the amplifier.