Patent ID: 8188734

Claim:
A 555 timer-based phase-to-voltage converter, comprising: a 555 timer integrated circuit; an RC charging circuit for configuring the 555 timer integrated circuit in monostable multivibrator mode, the RC charging circuit having a resistor and a capacitor connected in series; a first wave-shaping circuit for generating a trigger signal applied to the 555 timer integrated circuit, the trigger signal corresponding to a voltage transition in a first waveform input signal, the trigger signal switching output voltage of the 555 timer circuit high; and a second wave-shaping circuit for generating a reset signal applied to the 555 timer integrated circuit, the reset signal corresponding to a corresponding voltage transition in a second waveform input signal defining a phase angle between the first and second waveform input signals, the reset signal switching the output voltage of the 555 timer circuit low before the capacitor in the RC charging circuit charges to a threshold voltage of the 555 timer integrated circuit, the output voltage of the 555 timer integrated circuit defining an output pulse; whereby the output pulse of the 555 timer integrated circuit has a period proportional to the phase angle between the first and second waveform input signals.