Patent GB-1313707-A (GB)
Title: Osciloscope signal sampling method and system
IPC: G01R13/34
Filed: 1970-05-13
Abstract: 1313707 Cathode-ray tube oscilloscopes TEKTRONIX Inc 13 May 1970 [26 May 1969] 23131/70 Heading H4T In a sampling cathode-ray tube oscilloscope in which a sampling pulse samples successive repetitions of an input waveform to be displayed at successively later instants relative to a trigger signal derived from a selected part of the input waveform and employs the samples to effect vertical deflection of the tube beam, means are provided to measure the interval between the occurrences of the trigger signal and the sampling pulse and a quantity proportional to such measurement is employed to deflect the beam in the horizontal direction. As shown in Fig. 1, a trigger signal generator 14 derives a trigger signal from a selected part of the input waveform from source 10 and (with switch 29 open) triggers a fast ramp generator 24, opens (i.e. renders non-conducting) gates 20 and 22 and sets a delay hold-off multivibrator 16. Positive current from source 46 passes through closed (i.e. conducting) gate 48 to an integrator 38 producing a negatively going linear ramp 50 which continues until gate 48 is opened on the occurrence of a sampling pulse (strobe) from comparator 28. The sampling pulse which is produced when the level of the ramp 26 from generator 24 becomes equal to the first step of a staircase waveform 30 produced in generator 32, sets a blanking generator to blank the beam of tube 36, sets the staircase generator to its next (lower) level, closes a gate 66 and produces a sample of the input waveform via sampler 12 which sample is then held in a vertical memory circuit 34 connected to the vertical deflection plates of tubes 36. Multivibrator 16 now supplies an output which closes gate 76 and the level reached by ramp 50 is fed to and held in a horizontal memory circuit 58 connected to the horizontal deflection plates. However, before multivibrator supplies its output, ramp 26 runs down to a pre-set value, generator 24 and comparator 24 reset and the reset output from 24 resets blanking generator 33 to unblank the beam so that when multivibrator 16 operates, the beam is deflected to a position determined by the vertical and horizontal memories 34 and 58 respectively and gates 20, 22 and 48 are closed (i.e. rendered conducting) in anticipation of the next sampling operation. This cycle of an operation termed " sequential ", is then repeated until the whole of the input waveform is displayed as shown by waveform 84. In a second mode of operation, turned " random ", which results when switch 29 is closed, a pre-trigger generator 18 comprising a ratemeter which produces output pulses at the rate of trigger signals from 14 but at times before the occurrence of each trigger signal triggers ramp generator 24 and opens gate 20 so that as the ramp 26 is being generated positive current from source 46 and equal negative current from source 44 flow to integrator 38 so that capacitor 42 is not charged. If, now, trigger recognizer 14 produces a trigger signal before a sampling (strobe) pulse is produced, gate 22 is opened and the positive current from source 46 causes integrator 38 to produce a negatively going ramp which terminates when gate 48 is opened on to occurrence of a sampling pulse. The voltage at the output of integrator 38 is then a measure of the time difference between the occurrence of the trigger signal and the occurrence of the sampling pulse and the circuit then operates as described above. If the sampling pulse occurs before the trigger signal gate 48 is rendered non-conducting and negative current from source 44 via closed gate 22 causes integrator 38 to produce a positively going ramp which is terminated by the opening of gate 22 on the occurrence of the trigger signal so that the voltage at the output of integrator is again a measure of the time between a trigger signal and a sampling pulse. If the trigger signal and the sampling pulse occur at the same time integrator 38 produces zero output so that no horizontal deflection occurs. Fig. 2, shows a second embodiment in which a Miller integrator 80 (similar to integrator 38 of Fig. 1) is started by a trigger signal from trigger recognizer 14 or by a signal from pre-trigger generator 18 and stopped by a trigger signal from 14. Additionally, integrator 80 produces a ramp 50 having a slop equal to that of ramp 26 but of opposite sign and the occurrence of a sampling signal stops ramp generator 24. Thus, in the " sequential " mode of operation (output of integrator 80 being zero because of simultaneous application of start and stop input) ramp 26 which starts on the occurrence of a trigger signal and stops on the occurrence of a sampling signal itself provides a measure of the required time interval and this is supplied to horizontal memory 58 vai amplifier 27 and operational amplifier 52 when multivibrator 16 subsequently operates gate 76. When switch 29 is closed and the system operates in the " random " mode ramp generator 24 and integrator 80 are started by either a pre-trigger signal from 18 or by the normal trigger signal from 14 integrator 80 being stopped by a trigger signal from 14 and ramp generator 24 by the sampling signal so that the net quantity supplied to horizontal memory 58 is equal to the difference between the ramps 26 and 50 and has a sign (= direction of X deflection) equal to that of the larger of the two ramps.