Driver

Claim 1

A COMBINATIONAL INPUT SWITCHING CIRCUIT COMPRISING: (A) A BISTABLE MAGNETIC CORE HAVING TWO LIMITING REMANENCE STATES AND A PLURALITY OF INTERMEDIATE REMANENCE STATES AND HAVING A STATIC SWITCHING THRESHOLD ASSOCIATED WITH EACH SAID REMANENCE STATE WHICH MUST BE EXCEEDED BY A MAGNETIZING FIELD BEFORE THE CORE CAN BE SWITCHED FROM THE SAID STATE, SAID CORE HAVING THE CHARACTERISTIC THAT A SENSITIZING MAGNETIZING FIELD SUFFICIENT IN MAGNITUDE TO DRIVE THE CORE FROM AN OCCUPIED REMANENCE STATE PRODUCES A TRANSITORY SENSITIZED CONDITION WHICH EXISTS FOR A FINITE TIME AFTER TERMINATION OF THE SENSITIZING FIELD AND DURING WHICH THE SWITCHING THRESHOLD IS REDUCED TO A MINOR FRACTION OF THE STATIC VALUE TO WHICH IT RETURNS UPON TERMINATION OF THE SENSITIZED CONDITION; (B) SENSITIZING MEANS FOR APPLYING A SENSITIZING FIELD OF ONE POLARITY TO SAID CORE SUFFICIENT TO DRIVE IT IN ONE DIRECTION FROM A FIRST REMANENCE STATE TO A DIFFERENT REMANENCE STATE AND TO PRODUCE THE TRANSITORY SENSITIZED CONDITION; AND (C) MEANS EFFECTIVE DURING EXISTENCE OF SAID SENSITIZED CONDITION FOR APPLYING A MAGNETIZING FIELD OF OPPOSITE POLARITY TO THE CORE OF MAGNITUDE LESS THAN THE STATIC SWITCHING THRESHOLD VALUE TO WHICH THE CORE WOULD RETURN UPON TERMINATION OF THE SENSITIZING FIELD BUT GREATER THAN THE REDUCED THRESHOLD, TO DRIVE THE CORE BACK TOWARD THE FIRST REMANENCE STATE.