Patents by Inventor Theodore N. Thompson

Theodore N. Thompson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 3988686
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a digitally controlled phase shift network for an analog flux-sensing ferrite phase shifter driver, as would be applied in controlling the phase of individual antenna elements in phased array radar systems. The phase shift network described utilizes analog phase shifters while accepting a digital control input, and provides phase control without need for digital-to-analog converters between the analog phase shifters and their digital inputs. This is accomplished by integrating the volt-time product on the phase shifter secondary windings until the integral reaches a value corresponding to a phase shift increment of predetermined magnitude, dumping the integrator voltage between integrations, counting the number of integrate-and-dump operations to thus yield a digital measure of the phase shift achieved, and comparing such digital count against the digital control input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1975
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1976
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Donald L. Beall, Lee A. Talbot, Theodore N. Thompson