Electrical signalling systems

Claim 1

PULSE GENERATING APPARATUS FOR A MULTI-CHANNEL CONTROL SYSTEM, COMPRISING A RESPECTIVE PULSE GENERATOR FOR EACH CHANNEL AND A SYNCHRONIZING ARRANGEMENT FOR CAUSING PULSES PRODUCED BY THE DIFFERENT GENERATORS TO APPEAR SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE DIFFERENT CHANNELS, EACH PULSE GENERATOR HAVING AN INPUT CIRCUIT INCLUDING CAPACITOR CHARGING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A VOLTAGE SOURCE, A CAPACITOR CONNECTED TO BE CHARGED BY SAID CHARGING MEANS, MEANS INCLUDING LOAD MEANS FOR DISCHARGING SAID CAPACITOR AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE TIME CONSTANT THEREFOR, AND A SEMI-CONDUCTING SWITCHING DEVICE, SAID DEVICE AND DISCHARGING MEANS BEING SERIALLY COUPLED TOGETHER AND ACROSS SAID CAPACITOR WITH SAID DEVICE BEING SO CONNECTED AS TO BE NON-CONDUCTING EXCEPT DURING SUCCESSIVE SPACED TIME PERIODS EACH OF WHICH FOLLOWS THE CHARGING OF SAID CAPACITOR TO A PREDETERMINED STATE OF CHARGE WHICH CAUSES SAID DEVICE TO CONDUCT AND EFFECT DISCHARGE OF SAID CAPACITOR THROUGH SAID DISCHARGING MEANS ONCE DURING EACH OF SAID TIME PERIODS EACH OF WHICH HAS A DURATION DETERMINED BY SAID DISCHARGE TIME CONSTANT TO PRODUCE A SUCCESSION OF PULSES IN SAID LOAD MEANS AT REGULAR INTERVALS AS LONG AS THE INPUT CIRCUIT IS CONNECTED TO SAID VOLTAGE SOURCE, SAID SYNCHRONIZING ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING A PRIMARY WINDING CONNECTED IN SERIES IN THE DISCHARGE CIRCUIT OF EACH GENERATOR AND A PLURALITY OF SECONDARY WINDINGS WHICH ARE COUPLED TO EACH PRIMARY WINDING AND WHICH ARE EQUAL IN NUMBER TO THE NUMBER OF CHANNELS LESS ONE, THE SECONDARY WINDINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRIMARY WINDING OF EACH GENERATOR BEING RESPECTIVELY COUPLED TO OR CONNECTED IN THE DISCHARGE CIRCUITS OF THE GENERATORS FOR THE OTHER CHANNELS, THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE WINDINGS BEING SUCH THAT THE CURRENT FLOWING IN AND THE DISCHARGE CIRCUIT OF ANY ONE OF THE GENERATORS INDUCES IN EACH OF THE OTHER DISCHARGE CIRCUITS A VOLTAGE WHICH ASSISTS THAT DEVELOPED BY THE CAPACITOR AND TENDING TO PRODUCE CONDUCTION IN THAT OTHER CIRCUIT.