Circuit arrangement for producing a pulse train in which the edges of the pulses have an exactly defined time position

Claim 1

A CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT FOR PRODUCING A TRAIN OF PULSE-SHAPED SIGNALS IN WHICH EACH PULSE HAS A LEADING EDGE WITH AN EXACTLY DEFINED TIME POSITION AND A TRAILING EDGE WITH AN EXACTLY DEFINED TIME POSITION, SAID CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING: A TRIGGER CIRCUIT HAVING AN INPUT AND TWO OUTPUTS ACTIVATED ALTERNATIVELY IN DEPENDENCE ON THE POLARITY OF A SIGNAL SUPPLIED TO SAID INPUT; AN OSCILLATOR MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AN ALTERNATING POTENTIAL TO SAID INPUT SO AS TO ACTIVATE SAID TWO OUTPUTS ALTERNATINGLY TO PRODUCE AT EACH OUTPUT OPPOSITELY PHASED PULSES HAVING THE FREQUENCY OF SAID ALTERNATING POTENTIAL; A BINARY COUNTING CHAIN COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SERIALLY CONNECTED BISTABLE STAGES, EACH OF SAID STAGES HAVING A FIRST OUTPUT ACTIVATED IN ONE OF TWO POSSIBLE STATES, A SECOND OUTPUT ACTIVATED IN THE OTHER OF THE TWO STATES AND AN INPUT WHICH WHEN RECEIVING A SIGNAL SWITCHES THE STAGE FROM ONE BISTABLE CONDITION TO ANOTHER; MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE INPUT OF THE FIRST BISTABLE STAGE TO ONE OF THE OUTPUTS OF SAID TRIGGER CIRCUIT AND FOR CONNECTING THE INPUT OF THE OTHER STAGES TO ONE OF THE OUTPUTS OF THE PRECEDING STAGE; A PULSE-GENERATING CIRCUIT INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND INPUTS FOR STARTING A PULSE-SHAPED SIGNAL WHEN RECEIVING THE LEADING EDGE OF A PULSE AT SAID FIRST INPUT AND TERMINATING THE PULSE-SHAPED SIGNAL WHEN RECEIVING THE LEADING EDGE OF ANOTHER PULSE AT SAID SECOND INPUT; A FIRST AND-CIRCUIT HAVING AN OUTPUT CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST INPUT AND A SECOND AND-CIRCUIT HAVING AN OUTPUT CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND INPUT OF SAID PULSE-GENERATING CIRCUIT, SAID FIRST AND-CIRCUIT HAVING AN INPUT CONNECTED TO AN OUTPUT OF SAID TRIGGER CIRCUIT IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A PULSE FOR STARTING SAID PULSE-SHAPED SIGNAL AND SAID SECOND AND-CIRCUIT HAVING AN INPUT CONNECTED TO THE SAME OUTPUT OF SAID TRIGGER CIRCUIT FOR OBTAINING A PULSE FOR TERMINATING SAID PULSE-SHAPED SIGNAL, SAID FIRST ANDCIRCUIT HAVING FURTHER INPUTS CONNECTED TO OUTPUTS OF THE BISTABLE STAGES IN SAID BINARY COUNTING CHAIN SELECTED SO AS TO GATE BY THEIR SIMULTANEOUS ACTIVATION A PULSE FROM THE OUTPUT OF SAID TRIGGER CIRCUIT FOR STARTING SAID PULSESHAPED SIGNAL AND SAID SECOND AND-CIRCUIT HAVING FURTHER INPUTS CONNECTED TO OUTPUTS OF THE BISTABLE STAGES IN SAID BINARY COUNTING CHAIN SO AS TO GATE BY THEIR SIMULTANEOUS ACTIVATION A PULSE FROM SAID OUTPUT OF SAID TRIGGER CIRCUIT FOR TERMINATING SAID PULSE-SHAPED SIGNAL, SAID OUTPUT ON THE TRIGGER CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID INPUTS OF SAID ANDCIRCUITS BEING DIFFERENT FROM THE OUTPUT CONNECT TO THE INPUT OF THE FIRST BISTABLE STAGE OF SAID BINARY COUNTING CHAIN.