Automatic testing system and timing device therefor

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC TESTING SYSTEM COMPRISING: STIMULUS GENERATOR MEANS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE APPARATUS BEING TESTED FOR SUPPLYING A PREDETERMINED TEST STIMULUS THERETO RESPONSIVE TO A SYCHRONIZING SIGNAL AND HAVING A SYNCHRONIZING SIGNAL INPUT CIRCUIT; EVALUATOR MEANS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO SAID APPARATUS FOR EVALUATING THE RESPONSE THEROF TO SAID STIMULUS RESPONSIVE TO AN ENABLING SIGNAL AND HAVING AN ENABLING SIGNAL INPUT CIRCUIT; AND A TIMING SYSTEM FOR SUPPLYING SAID SYNCHRONIZING AND ENABLING SIGNALS AND FOR PROVIDING A PREDETERMINED TIME INTERVAL THEREBETWEEN, SAID TIMING SYSTEM COMPRISING A SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL INPUT PULSES HAVING A PREDETERMINED REPETITION FREQUENCY, A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVELY HIGHER ORDER TEN STABLE STATE INSTANTANEOUS RESETTING PULSE COUNTING DEVICES EACH HAVING A PLURALITY OF PULSE-COUNT INDICATING PICK-OFF CIRCUITS, EACH OF SAID PICK-OFF CIRCUITS HAVING MEANS FOR PROVIDING A COUNT INDICATING PULSE, SAID DEVICES BEING COUPLED IN CASCADE TO SAID PULSE SOURCE WHEREBY SAID DEVICES COUNT-DOWN SAID INPUT PULSES, FIRST OUTPUT CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID STIMULUS GENERATOR MEANS SYNCHRONIZING SIGNAL INPUT CIRCUIT FOR SUPPLYING SYNCHRONIZING PULSES THERETO, SAID FIRST OUTPUT CIRCUIT MEANS BEING COUPLED TO SAID PULSE SOURCE WHEREBY SYNCHRONIZING PULSES ARE PROVIDED RESPONSIVE TO SAID INPUT PULSES, SECOND OUTPUT CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID EVALUATOR MEANS ENABLING SIGNAL INPUT CIRCUIT FOR SUPPLYING AN ENABLING PULSE THERETO, MEANS FOR COUPLING SAID SECOND OUTPUT CIRCUIT TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PICK-OFF CIRCUITS WHEREBY AN ENABLING PULSE IS PROVIDED RESPONSIVE TO THE RESPECTIVE COUNT-INDICATING PULSE, AND MEANS COUPLING SAID SECOND OUTPUT CIRCUIT AND ALL OF SAID COUNTING DEVICES FOR TERMINATING THE PULSE COUNTING THEREBY AND FOR RESETTING ALL OF SAID DEVICES TO ZERO RESPONSIVE TO AN ENABLING PULSE.