The design of function generators using short-time memory devices and nonlinear elements

The analog computer field is frequently concerned with the generation of periodic nonsinusoidal functions of time. At present this waveform generation is frequently performed with biased diode networks, curve followers, and synchronous switches. The main purpose of this paper is to give the theoretical design and analysis of nonsinusoidal function generators which utilize delay-type or short-time memory devices and certain nonlinear elements in their structure. The different types of function generators to be discussed have the common property that the output waveform may be controlled easily and may be made to approximate various desired shapes to high degrees of accuracy.