Method of and apparatus for automatic measurement of impedance or other parameters with microprocessor calculation techniques
First Claim
1. A method of automatic instrument measurement of impedance, that comprises, measuring voltages across an unknown impedance element and a standard element connected to receive the same a.c. current to produce voltage signals the values of which are meaningless of themselves in terms of impedance values but that have theoretical ratio formulae relationship to the impedance values;
- converting the voltage signal values into corresponding digital quantities;
employing a microprocessor to automatically electronically calculate the ratio of said quantities in accordance with said formulae; and
indicating the calculated ratios to provide impedance measurement of said unknown element.
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Abstract
This disclosure is concerned with a new technique for automatically measuring impedance (though the process is also applicable to other parameters and characteristics as well) wherein a series of voltages are sequentially presented to a common detector and analog-to-digital converter, the numerical values of which voltages are of themselves meaningless, but from which, with the aid of microprocessor calculating equipment, ratios may be calculated that indicate impedance (or other parameters).
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method of automatic instrument measurement of impedance, that comprises, measuring voltages across an unknown impedance element and a standard element connected to receive the same a.c. current to produce voltage signals the values of which are meaningless of themselves in terms of impedance values but that have theoretical ratio formulae relationship to the impedance values;
- converting the voltage signal values into corresponding digital quantities;
employing a microprocessor to automatically electronically calculate the ratio of said quantities in accordance with said formulae; and
indicating the calculated ratios to provide impedance measurement of said unknown element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- converting the voltage signal values into corresponding digital quantities;
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8. A method of automatic instrument measurement of impedance values, that comprises, generating an electric current in an instrument, producing, in response to that current, and measuring a plurality of voltages the voltage values of which of themselves do not measure desired impedance values, but that are theoretically related by formulae to such impedance values;
- converting the voltages into corresponding digital signals;
employing a microprocessor to automatically electronically calculate said impedance values from said digital signals in accordance with said formulae; and
indicating the calculated impedance values. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
- converting the voltages into corresponding digital signals;
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11. A method of automatic instrument measurement of parameters, that comprises, measuring a plurality of voltages in a circuit the voltage values of which of themselves do not measure desired, meaningful quantities, but that are theoretically related by formulae to such quantities;
- converting the voltages into corresponding digital signals;
employing a microprocessor to automatically electronically calculate said quantities from said digital signals in accordance with said formulae; and
indicating the calculated quantities to provide measures of the desired parameters, said measuring comprising measuring 90 degrees phase-displaced components of voltages developed across an unknown impedance element and a standard element; and
said calculating comprising obtaining ratios of digital signals corresponding to the measured voltages that determine the impedance components of said unknown element. - View Dependent Claims (12)
- converting the voltages into corresponding digital signals;
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13. A method of automatic instrument measurement of impedance values, that comprises, measuring a plurality of voltages in a circuit the voltage values of which of themselves do not measure desired impedance values, but that are theoretically related by formulae to such impedance values;
- converting the voltages into corresponding digital signals;
employing a microprocessor to automatically electronically calculate said impedance values from said digital signals in accordance with said formulae; and
indicating the calculated impedance values;
said converting step comprising phase-detecting of the measured voltages and analog-to-digital converting of the phase-detected voltages.
- converting the voltages into corresponding digital signals;
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14. A method of automatic instrument measurement of impedance values, that comprises, measuring a plurality of voltages in a circuit the voltage values of which of themselves do not measure desired impedance values, but that are theoretically related by formulae to such impedance values;
- converting the voltages into corresponding digital signals;
employing a microprocessor to automatically electronically calculate said impedance values from said digital signals in accordance with said formulae; and
indicating the calculated impedance values;
said measuring step comprising effecting successive measurements and storing initial measured voltages to await successive measured voltages prior to said calculating step;
said converting step comprising phase-detecting the successive measured voltages in a single circuit followed by analog-to-digital converting of the phase-detected voltages.
- converting the voltages into corresponding digital signals;
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15. A method of measuring impedance and other electrical parameters without employing multiple-arm ratio bridge circuits requiring balancing variable impedance elements contained therein and null detection, which method comprises employing only a single arm containing an unknown impedance element and a standard element;
- applying reference sinewave signals 90 degrees phase-displaced across said elements;
measuring the 90 degree phase-displaced voltages appearing across said elements, which voltages are meaningless in and of themselves but are related by theoretical ratio formulae to impedance;
phase-detecting said voltages and converting the phase-detected voltages to digital signals;
processing said digital signals in a microprocessor in accordance with said formulae and thereby electronically calculating ratios corresponding to impedance, in contradistinction to the technique of obtaining said ratios by the multiple bridge-arm variable impedance null-balancing detection. - View Dependent Claims (16)
- applying reference sinewave signals 90 degrees phase-displaced across said elements;
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17. A method of automatic instrument measurement of desired impedance values without requiring analog instrument measuring circuits wherein impedance values are measured and indicated by analog steps, which method comprises, providing an analog instrument measuring circuit with an input circuit restricted to those elements that are necessary to develop voltages at predetermined points thereof that, while meaningless in and of themselves, are related by theoretical formulae to impedance values that it is desired to measure;
- generating an electric current in the input circuit;
producing said voltages in response to such current;
converting the voltages to digital signals; and
processing said digital signals in a microprocessor in accordance with said formulae and thereby electronically calculating the desired impedance values without the need of further analog circuits.
- generating an electric current in the input circuit;
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18. Apparatus for automatic instrument measurement of impedance having, in combination, an analog input circuit comprising an a.c. generator connected to a network containing an unknown impedance element and a standard element, and means for measuring the voltages produced across said elements by said generator, with the values of such voltages meaningless of themselves except as theoretically related by ratio formulae to impedance;
- means responsive to said voltages for converting the same into digital signals;
microprocessor means provided with control logic and connected to said converting means for automatically electronically calculating impedance value ratios from said digital signals in accordance with said formulae; and
means connected to said microprocessor means for indicating the calculated impedance value ratios to provide a measure of the impedance of said unknown element. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
- means responsive to said voltages for converting the same into digital signals;
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31. Apparatus for automatic instrument measurement of impedance values having, in combination, input circuit means limited to those analog-operated circuit components necessary to develop voltages at predetermined points thereof that, while meaningless in and of themselves, are related by theoretical formulae to impedance values it is desired to measure;
- means for generating an electric current in the input circuit means;
means for producing said voltages in response to that current;
means for converting the voltages to digital signals; and
microprocessing means connected to the converting means for processing said digital signals in accordance with said formulae and thereby electronically calculating the desired impedance values without the need of further analog circuits. - View Dependent Claims (32)
- means for generating an electric current in the input circuit means;
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33. Apparatus for automatic instrument measurement of parameters having, in combination, input circuit means limited to those analog-operated circuit components necessary to develop voltages at predetermined points thereof that, while meaningless in and of themselves, are related by theoretical formulae to parameters it is desired to measure;
- means for converting the voltages to digital signals; and
microprocessing means connected to the converting means for processing said digital signals in accordance with said formulae and thereby electronically calculating the desired parameters without the need of further analog circuits;
said apparatus further having means for producing zeroing measurement values of fixed and offset voltages and currents, including those associated with said converting means;
means for digitizing said zeroing measurement values; and
means for subtracting the digitized zeroing measurement values from each of the digital signals corresponding to each of the said first-named voltages.
- means for converting the voltages to digital signals; and
Specification