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Publication numberUS3056921 A
Publication typeGrant
Publication dateOct 2, 1962
Filing dateFeb 17, 1959
Priority dateFeb 17, 1959
Publication numberUS 3056921 A, US 3056921A, US-A-3056921, US3056921 A, US3056921A
InventorsFlarity Warren H
Original AssigneeRyan Aeronautical Co
Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
Variable frequency passive phase shifter
US 3056921 A
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Description  (OCR text may contain errors)

Oct. 2, 1962 I w. H. FLARITY 3,056,921



VARIABLE FREQUENCY PASSIVE PHASE SHIFTER Filed Feb. 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 202 I08 g OSCILLOSCOPE 58 inc susnm. 20 so OUTPUT A.C. SIGNAL INPUT 50 Fig. 4


WARREN H. FLARITY Unite The present invention relates generally to phase shifting circuits and more particularly to a variable frequency passive phase shifter.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a phase shifter which is operable with considerable accuracy over a range of frequencies, the specific frequencies being dependent on the choice of components in the circuit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a phase shifter which is of passive type and requires no power supply or other current for its operation, all power being provided by an input signal at known frequency.

Another object of this invention is to provide a phase shifter which utilizes the signal input to drive the equipment being tested for phase shift, and also has an output for comparison of phases.

Another object of this invention is to provide a phase shifter which is insensitive to non-linearities and noise inherent in the equipment being tested.

A further object of this invention is to provide a phase shifter in which the phase shifting circuit has a minimum of voltage variation over the full 360 degrees of rotation and through the full range of the instrument.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a phase shifter having means for equalizing voltages at all points for maximum accuracy.

Finally, it is an object to provide a phase shifter which is simple and convenient to operate and which will give generally eflicient and reliable results with many types of equipment.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawings which form a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a simplified wiring diagram showing the basic arrangement of the phase shifter;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic wiring diagram of the specific phase shifting network used;

FIGURE 3 is a block diagram of the instrument connected for testing a piece of equipment; and

FIGURE 4 is a schematic wiring diagram showing a complete circuit for the phase shifter.


The accurate performance of the instrument over a wide frequency range is made possible by the simple phase shift circuit illustrated in FIGURE 2. In this circuit, a resistor 10, one winding 12 of an inductance 14, and a capacitor 16 are connected in series in that order across an A.C. input 18, to form a series resonance circuit. When A.C. voltage is applied across a reactance, the resultant current is considered as 90 degrees out of phase, the current lagging across an inductance and leading across a capacitor. Since the resonant frequency in the circuit is the frequency at which time inductive reactance is equal to the capacitive reactance, the values of the inductance 14 and capacitor 16 are selected so that their reactances are equal at a predetermined frequency at the center of the range for which the instrument is designed. The value of resistor It] is chosen so that the current through the reactances is substantially constant over the 3,056,921 Patented Oct. 2, 1962 selected bandwidth. With this arrangement, the current will lead at frequencies below resonance and lag at frequencies above resonance. The inductance 14 has a second winding 20 which transforms the phase voltage in winding 12 by 180 degrees. One end of winding 20 is connected to the junction of winding 12 and capacitor 16 so that the inductance developed voltage in the coil 20 is in phase with the voltage across the capacitor but degrees out of phase with the voltage at the input 18. The output 22 is connected across the winding 20 and capacitor 16 and the resultant output voltage holds a constant 90 degree phase shift over a considerable frequency range with a minimum amplitude variation.

The circuit in FIGURE 1 illustrates how the phase shift circuit may be incorporated into a functional instrument. Two phase shift networks 24 and 26 are used, each incorporating the circuit shown in FIGURE 2, and are arranged so that one produces a plus 90 degree phase shift and the other a minus 90 degree phase shift, as will now be explained. The input terminals 28 are each connected to one of the networks 24 and 26, said networks also being coupled to a common ground. The input terminals 23 are further connected to ground through balancing resistors 36 to establish a common or ground point across the input. The circuit includes a 360 degree rotatable potentiometer 32 having four equally spaced taps at 0, 90, and 270 degrees, the taps being numbered 34, 36, 38 and 4%, respectively. The output of network 24 is connected to the 90 degree tap 36, while the output of network 26' is connected to the 270 degree tap 40. The taps 34 and 38 are connected to the input terminals 28 through variable equalizing resistors 42, which are necessary to equalize the voltage at all four taps on the potentiometer, since the output voltage of the phase shift networks varies slightly with changes in frequency. The potentiometer 32 has a wiper 44 which can be set at any position on or between the taps, said wiper being connected across the output terminals 46 to ground.

The input signal is thus broken up into four equal parts, each 90 degrees apart in phase relation, the voltages being equalized at the potentiometer 32. By rotating the wiper 44 any particular phase shift may be obtained at the output, the voltages at the various taps adding vectorially to provide a virtually constant voltage output.

While it should be understood that the circuit may be arranged in many different ways with various combinations of components, one particular tested circuit is illustrated schematically in FIGURE 4. An A.C. signal of desired frequency is applied to the input terminals 50 and 250 which are connected through balancing resistors 52 and 252 to a common ground. The resistors 52 and 252 are variable and ganged together for proportional operation, their sliders 54 and 254 being connected through isolating resistors 56 and 256 to signal output terminals 58 and 258, the common ground connection providing a center output terminal 6%. The input terminal 56 is further connected to a series resonance circuit including a resistor 62 and an inductance 64 having an input winding 66 and an output winding 68. One end of the input winding 66 has several taps, four being shown as an example, and these are connected to a multiple contact range switch 70, the movable arm 72 of which is connected to the resistor 62. The output winding 63 is similarly tapped at one end by a range switch 7-4 having a movable arm 76. The other ends of the windings 66 and 68 are coupled together and are connected to the arm 78 of a further range switch 80 which selects from a bank of four different capacitors $2, 84, 86 and 88, all of which are connected to a common ground. With the range switches positioned as in FIG- URE 4, the series resonance circuit comparable to that shown in FIGURE 2 starts at the input terminal 50, continues through resistor 62, inductance input winding 66 and capacitor 82 and so to ground. by adjusting the range switches various inductance and capacitor values can be selected according to the required frequency range.

The circuit includes a 360 degree rotatable potentiometer 90 having four taps 92, 94, 9d and 98 spaced at 0, 190, l80 and 270 degrees respectively. The input terminal 54 is further connected to the tap 92 through a variable equalizing resistor 102, and suitable voltage divider resistors 104 may be included to adjust the voltage to the required value. Other than the equalizing resistor 1tl2, the arrangement of resistors may vary consider-ably.

The input terminal 250 is further connected to a series resonance circuit identical to that described above, the components being numbered to correspond with those described but having the prefix 2 for identification purposes. The input terminal 250 is also connected to the 180 degree tap 96 through an equalizer resistor 292 and suitable voltage divider resistors 204, the equalizer resistors 1192 and 202 being ganged for simultaneous adjustment to equalize voltages at the potentiometer taps.

The arm 76 of range switch 74 is connected directly to the 90 degree tap 94 and the arm 2'76 of range switch 274 is similarly connected to the 270 degree tap 98. The taps 92 and 96 thus receive two voltages 180 degrees out of phase with each other directly from the A.C. input, while the taps 94 and 9@ receive two voltages, also 180 degrees out of phase with each other, from the phase shifting network, the latter voltages being 90 degrees out of phase with those from the A.C. input. For convenience, all the range switches 73*, 74-, 80, 270, 274 and 286 may be ganged together to a single control, since the component Values must be matched at all times to maintain tuning of the resonance circuits in each range of frequencies.

The potentiometer 90 has a rotatable wiper 166 which is connected to one oscilloscope output terminal 168, the other oscilloscope output terminal 110 being grounded. Between the wiper 106 and terminal 108 is a microswitch 112 having two poles 11 4 and 116. The microswitch 112 is normally closed to the pole 114, connecting the wiper 106 directly to the terminal 188, but can be moved to the other pole 116 which is connected to the 270 degree tap 93. Thus the oscilloscope terminals, while normally fed by the phase shifted voltage from the wiper 1116, can be selectively coupled to a 90 degree out-of-phase voltage. The microswitch 112 is preferably incorporated in the control for the wiper 106 to actuate at a predetermined position of the wiper, preferably at the 355 degree position. By turning the wiper control to this position, the output to the oscilloscope can be changed from an in phase voltage to a voltage 90 degrees out of phase, the display being used to equalize voltages at the four potentiometer taps. In this particular circuit, the capacitors 86, 88, 286 and 288 are of polarized type and are biased by suitable batteries 118 and 218. These batteries are included merely as an example and do not provide power for the phase shifter which is passive in operation. For other frequency ranges and different capacitors, batteries may not be necessary.

The phase shifter may be used as illustrated in FIGURE 3, in which a variable frequency oscillator 120 is connected to the input terminals 50 and 256] to provide an A.C. signal of the desired frequency, the terminals 108 and 110 being connected to the X axis inputs of an oscilloscope 122. The output terminals 58, 6t and 258 are connected to the equipment under test, indicated at 124, the output of the equipment being fed to the Y axis input of oscilloscope 122. On the phase shifter, indicated at 126, the phase shift control 128, graduated in degrees, is coupled directly to the potentiometer wiper 106, the knob 130 actuates the variable resistors 52 and 252, while the range knob 132 operates the ganged range switches as previously described. The equipment 124 may be a servo motor or the like, the phase shifter being ideally suited It will be evident that for testing servo motors, since the circuit is unaffected by back-lash, non-linearities and noise usually associated with such devices.

The testing procedure is started by adjusting the oscillator 1121) to the desired frequency and setting the range knob 132 to the proper frequency range to include that frequency. The phase shift control 128 is turned to the 355 degree position, which operates the microswitch 112 and supplies a degree out-of-phase voltage to the oscilloscope X axis, the display being adjusted to any convenient amplitude. The phase shift control 128 is then turned to zero which supplies an in phase voltage to the oscilloscope X axis, the amplitude being adjusted by means of the variable equalizer resistors 102 and 202 to match the amplitude of the out-of-phase voltage, so that all the potentiometer quadrant voltages are equal. The resistors 1'32 and 2122 may be operated by a convenient knob 134. The Y axis voltage from the equipment 124 may be of any convenient amplitude without affecting the adjustment of the X axis presentation. Thus the oscilloscope display includes direct representation of the equipment output voltage and a variable phase voltage, the amplitudes being independent.

The phase control 128 is now turned until the oscilloscope display becomes a straight line, the phase shift of the equipment 124 being indicated directly in degrees.

The elimination of a power supply greatly simplifies the phase shifter, the passive circuit being especially efficient when used as described above. The oscilloscope 122 normally has ample gain to utilize the signal from the oscillator 12% and the oscilloscope display can be read and controlled accurately even at low amplitudes. Various circuits may be constructed around the basic phase shift circuit shown in FIGURE 2, the arrangement being dependent on the particular use and frequency range required of the instrument.



I claim:

1. In a passive phase shifter: a variable frequency A.C. input; a pair of balancing resistors connected across said A.C. input; the junction of said resistors being connected to a common ground; a pair of independent phase shift networks each coupled to one side of said A.C. input and each comprising an inductance having an input winding and an output winding; a resistor connected between said A.C. input and one end of said input windings; a capacitor connected between the other end of said input windings and said common ground; said resistor, said input winding and said capacitor constituting a series resonance circuit; a first A.C. output connected to one end of said output windings; the other end of said output windings being connected to the junction of said capacitor with said input winding; whereby the voltage at said A.C. output is 90 degrees out of phase with the voltage at said A.C. input; one of said networks being arranged to provide a plus 90 degree phase shift, and the other network being arranged to provide a minus 90 degree phase shift; a continuous potentiometer having four equally spaced taps corresponding to 0, 90, and 270 degrees of phase rotation; said A.C. input being connected to said 0 and 180 degree taps, and said A.C. output being connected to said 90 and 270 degree taps; a variable equalizing resistor means connected between each of said 0 and 180 degree taps and said A.C. input for controlling the amplitude variations that occur when the frequency of said A.C. input is changed; said potentiometer having a rotatable Wiper, whereby a phase shifted A.C. output is available at said wiper.

2. A phase shifter according to claim 1 and wherein said capacitors and said inductances are variable; and control means coupled to said capacitors and inductances collectively, whereby the reactances thereof may be varied proportionally.

3. The combination of claim 1 including: an oscilloscope; a connection between the x deflection system of said oscilloscope and said wiper of said potentiometer, whereby an A.C. output of continuously adjustable phase may be applied to the x deflection system; a second, balanced, three-wire A.C. output from said phase shifter, said output comprising a connection to said common ground and connections to said A.C. input; equipment to be tested, said equipment requiring a balanced, threewire input; means for connecting the wires from said second A.C. output to said equipment to be tested; a connection between the output of said equipment to be tested and the y deflection system of said oscilloscope; and means, comprising said rotatable wiper of said phase shifter, for varying the phase of the signal applied to the x deflection system of said oscilloscope until the phase of said first A.C. output coacts with the phase of said output from the equipment under test to produce a straight-line display on said oscilloscope.

Patent Citations
Cited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitle
US2229450 *Jun 15, 1940Jan 21, 1941Gen ElectricPhase shifting circuit
US2483403 *Apr 24, 1943Oct 4, 1949Standard Telephones Cables LtdPhase shifter
US2668238 *Aug 20, 1946Feb 2, 1954Frink Frederick WWide-band phase shifting means
US2986696 *Nov 23, 1954May 30, 1961Reeves Instr CorpMethod and apparatus for analyzing phase shifting networks
GB451786A * Title not available
Referenced by
Citing PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitle
US3206673 *Jun 19, 1961Sep 14, 1965Ling Temco Vought IncControl system testing apparatus having a function generator supplying square, triangular and sine signals
US3215915 *Jun 4, 1962Nov 2, 1965Giddings & LewisPhase-sensitive servo control system
US3255407 *Oct 30, 1961Jun 7, 1966Straszewicz Witold StefanHarmonic distortion meter and indicator having circular crt trace
US3299352 *Aug 12, 1963Jan 17, 1967Carroll Paul EMethod and apparatus for measuring an unknown impedance by comparison with a standard impedance
US3725772 *Jul 13, 1971Apr 3, 1973Bruker Physik AgCircuit arrangement for generating a phase-shiftable voltage
US4737703 *May 27, 1987Apr 12, 1988Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd.Variable phase shifting circuit
US4792744 *Jul 22, 1987Dec 20, 1988Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbhArrangement for shifting the phase of a signal passed through two parallel branches with one branch having a phase shifting network
U.S. Classification324/622, 323/213
International ClassificationH03H7/20, H03H7/00
Cooperative ClassificationH03H7/20
European ClassificationH03H7/20