Patent · US Expired

Method of and system for metering a periodically varying voltage

US4075558A · kind A · utility

7Cited by
1References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 7, 1976
Grant dateFeb 21, 1978
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 7, 1996

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R19/22
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The average amplitude of an incoming signal voltage of variable frequency is measured by half-wave rectification of that signal voltage to produce a pulsating current which is subtracted from a continuous current in the input of an integrating amplifier. The fluctuating output voltage of this amplifier is periodically sampled, once per cycle of the signal voltage, to provide a train of corrective pulses. These pulses are accumulated to provide a reference voltage fed to a differential amplifier which controls the continuous current in response to differences between this reference voltage and a feedback voltage proportional to that current to compensate for changes in average signal amplitude. The magnitude of the continuous current, read by a meter, is therefore a measure of the desired amplitude. The voltage samples may be weighted, in proportion to signal frequency, by a variable-gain amplifier or a sampling switch closed for different periods in the output of the integrating amplifier referred to. A second integrating amplifier, in cascade with the first one, may receive the voltage samples and store them on one of two series-connected condensers in its feedback circuit, the ot…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.