Patent GB-933985-A (GB)
Title: Time measurement apparatus
IPC: G04F10/04
Filed: 1961-05-25
Abstract: 933,985. Measuring short time intervals. FURUNO DENKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA. May 25, 1961 [May 25, 1960], No. 19022/61. Class 37. [Also in Group XL (c)] In apparatus for measuring the time between two first pulses which repeat with the same periodicity there is included a source of clock pulses and a counter arranged to indicate the number of clock pulses occurring between the two first pulses or between further pulses having predetermined time relationships with the first pulses. The clock pulses can be adjusted into phase with one of the first pulses and a variable phase adjuster is included to cause variation of the phase of the clock pulses of adjusted phase to produce further clock pulses brought into phase with the other of the first pulses, the variable phase adjuster being adjustable over the range 0-1 period of the clock pulses and being coupled to the counter so as to keep the count correct whenever adjustment is made through 0 to 1 and through 1 to 0 respectively. In a Ioran receiver (Fig. 1), the output from an 80 kc./s. oscillator 12 is passed through a frequency divider chain 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. The setting of the divider 16 controls the frequency of the final output from 17 (Fig. 4(b)) and this frequency is adjusted to be the same as that of the Ioran signals. By means of appropriate gating circuitry at 18, 19 pulses d and f are produced, delayed by 2.5 milliseconds from the rising and falling edges of waveform (b) respectively. By passing pulse f to both circuits 20 and 21, 20 being also under the control of divider 15, a pulse i of exactly 10 millisecs. width and delayed by 2.5 millisecs. from the falling edge of b is obtained from the circuit 21. From the divider 13 a further divider stage 23 produces a series of pulses (j) 100 microseconds wide. By circuitry, not shown, the short square waves k and l are produced by means of the rising and falling edges of square wave i together with pulses j. Using these short square waves, square wave m is obtained, of the same width but delayed by 100 microseconds on square wave i. This wave m is applied to the gate 22 to allow the pulses j to pass to the counter 24 as pulses r. The counter consists of the discharge tubes as shown in Fig. 2, so arranged that every 100 pulses the counter returns to its original setting and delivers one output pulse during this period from electrode 30, which pulse is applied to gate 31, which opens for 100 microseconds to produce waveform (s) and picks out one pulse (t) from the series j. This pulse, together with pulse d, is fed to circuit 33 to produce pedestal waveforms Pa and Pb. These pedestal waveforms, the known signals A and B and waveform b are fed to a superimposing circuit and thence to the vertical plates of the CRT35. A sawtooth waveform controlled either by the signal from the divider 16 or the pedestal waveform generator is applied to the horizontal plates. By operating the synchronizing circuit 39, which applied pulses h to divider 14 so as to shorten the pulses finally emerging from 17, pulse A and the pedestal Pa can be arranged to coincide roughly. Next by means of circuit 40, which is controlled by the difference between signal A and pulse d, the frequency of the oscillator 12 is adjusted so that signal A lines up with pedestal Pa. By operating circuit 41, the pulse d is fed to the counter 24 so as to change the indicated value by 1 for each period and moves the position of the pedestal waveform by 100 microseconds. This is carried on until the pedestal Pb coincides roughly with the signal B. This part of the synchronization is carried out with the signal b controlling the sawtooth generator 37 which controls the time base of the C.R.T. Next circuit 37 is switched to be controlled by the pedestal waveforms so that the two pedestal waveforms alone appear one below the other on the face of the tube. The phase shifter 32 is then adjusted to align B directly below signal A. The time difference between the two signals is then given by the sum of the readings on the counter and on the phase shifter. The phase shifter is made to operate in coordination with a square wave generating circuit 21 so that the number on the counter 31 will be altered if the shift is changed beyond " 0 " or " 100 " by means of the system shown in Fig. 3. A cam projection 50a on the phase shifting mechanism operates one or other of the contacts of a two-way switch 51 so as to set a flip-flop 52 or 53 respectively. Under normal conditions these would have been set by pulses k or l from flip-flop 45 or 46, and the resultant outputs used to provide the pulse m from flipflop 49. If the switch contacts have been actuated, however, either pulse o or q will be obtained, and the number in the counter altered accordingly. The circuitry for this operation is explained in some detail (Fig. 5, not shown), and circuitry is also explained relating to the phase shifter 32 and gate 31 (see Group XL (c)).