Phase shifting circuits

• US 5,157,288 A
• Filed: 03/15/1991
• Issued: 10/20/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GEC Alsthom Limited
• Original Assignee: GEC Alsthom Limited
• Inventors: Hill, Stephen R.
• Primary Examiner(s): LaRoche, Eugene R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shingleton, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US07/670,070
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 307/511, 307/262, 307/264, 307/350, 323/212, 323/217, 328/155, 330/107
• US Class Current: 327/231
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/003 Measuring reactive component
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/18 Two-port phase shifters providing a predetermined phase shift, e.g. "all-pass" filters

Abstract

A phase shifting circuit includes: a pair of input terminals; a pair of output terminals; a variable gain amplifier and an active alternating current integrator, connected in series between the input terminals and the output terminals; and a control circuit for controlling the gain of the amplifier in dependence on the voltage between the input terminals and the voltage between the output terminals so as to maintain the amplitude of the voltage between the output terminals substantially equal to the amplitude of the voltage between the input terminals. The phase shifting circuit exhibits low variation of phase shift with input signal frequency.

Claims

1. In an electrical power measuring system, a phase shifting circuit comprising:

a pair of input terminals to which is conducted an input signal having an amplitude and a frequency in a range of power supply frequencies;

a pair of output terminals from which is conducted an output signal having an amplitude;

a variable gain amplifying means and an active alternating current integrator connected in series between said input terminals and output terminals, said integrator exhibiting a substantially constant phase shift and a variable gain over said range; and

control means for controlling the gain of said amplifying means in dependence on the voltage between said input terminals and the voltage between said output terminals so as to maintain the amplitude of the voltage between said output terminals substantially equal to the amplitude of the voltage between said input terminals.

2. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein said integrator is connected between said input terminals and said amplifying means.

3. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein said control means comprises:

first and second circuit means for respectively producing first and second direct current (DC) voltages respectively representative of the amplitudes of the voltages between said input terminals and between said output terminals; and

third circuit means for producing a DC control signal representative of the difference of said first and second DC voltages.

4. A circuit according to claim 3 wherein said first and second circuit means each comprise half wave rectifying means and a low pass filter circuit.

5. A circuit according to claim 3 wherein said third circuit means comprises an operational amplifier integrator circuit.

6. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein said variable gain amplifying means comprises a resistive variable attenuating network feeding an amplifier circuit.

7. A circuit according to claim 1 including a phase setting circuit between said input terminals and said variable gain amplifying means.

8. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein said active alternating current integrator comprises an operational amplifier with a feedback path comprising parallel resistive and capacitive path.