Split signal tracking circuit

• US 3,078,456 A
• Filed: 06/12/1951
• Issued: 02/19/1963
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1951
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frederick C. Alpers
• Original Assignee: Frederick C. Alpers
• Inventors: Alpers, Frederick C.
• Application Number:
  US03/231,242
• Time in Patent Office: 4,270 Days
• US Class Current: 342/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/70 for range tracking only

Claims

1. A SPLIT SIGNAL OBJECT RANGE TRACKING SYSTEM FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH ECHO PULSE RANGE FINDERS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A RECEIVED SIGNAL PULSE SHAPING UNIT, A RECEIVED SIGNAL PULSE SPLITTING UNIT, A TIME PHASE COINCIDENCE MEASURING UNIT, AND A TIME PHASABLE RANGE INDICATING PULSE GENERATOR;

SAID SHAPING UNIT COMPRISING A PEAKING CIRCUIT FOR STEEPENING THE EDGES OF A RECEIVED SIGNAL PULSE, AND A SIGNAL PULSE AMPLITUDE LIMITER CIRCUIT FOR CLIPPING THE STEEPENED EDGE SIGNAL IN AMPLITUDE AND PROVIDING A SQUARE WAVE SIGNAL PULSE, CONNECTION MEANS TO CONNECT THE SQUARE WAVE SIGNAL PULSE OUTPUT OF THE PULSE SHAPING UNIT TO THE INPUT OF THE PULSE SPLITTING UNIT;

SAID PULSE SPLITTING UNIT COMPRISING TWO PARALLEL CHANNELS, ONE INCLUDING A CATHODE FOLLOWER HAVING ITS INPUT CONNECTED TO SAID CONNECTION MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING THE ENTIRE SQUARE WAVE PULSE, AND THE OTHER INCLUDING A DIFFERENTIATOR, A PEAKER, AND AN AMPLIFIER FOR TRANSMITTING A DETERMINED LEADING PORTION OF THE SQUARE WAVE PULSE, SAID DIFFERENTIATOR AND SAID PEAKER BEING CONNECTED IN SERIES AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID CONNECTION MEANS AND THE INPUT TO SAID AMPLIFIER, THE CATHODE OF SAID AMPLIFIER BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OUTPUT CONNECTION TO SAID MEASURING UNIT, COUPLING MEANS PROVIDING FROM SAID AMPLIFIER ANODE A SECOND OUTPUT CONNECTION TO SAID MEASURING UNIT AND BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID CATHODE FOLLOWER CATHODE AND AMPLIFIER ANODE, ADDITION OF VOLTAGES THEREBY CANCELLING THE LEADING PORTION OF THE CATHODE FOLLOWER OUTPUT CORRESPONDING IN TIME TO THE AMPLIFIER OUTPUT, THEREBY SPLITTING THE SQUARED SIGNAL PULSE INTO EARLY AND LATE COMPONENTS FROM SAID OUTPUT CONNECTIONS RESPECTIVELY;

SAID MEASURING UNIT COMPRISING TWO COINCIDENCE MEASURING AMPLIFIERS, MEANS TO APPLY ONE PULSE COMPONENT TO A GRID OF ONE MEASURING AMPLIFIER AND THE OTHER COMPONENT TO A GRID OF THE OTHER MEASURING AMPLIFIER, MEANS TO APPLY THE OUTPUT OF SAID TIME PHASABLE RANGE INDICATING PULSE GENERATOR TO GRIDS OF BOTH OF SAID COINCIDENCE MEASURING AMPLIFIERS SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR TIME PHASE COMPARISON THEREOF WITH THE TWO PULSE COMPONENTS, THE OUTPUTS OF SAID MEASURING AMPLIFIERS BEING FED BACK TO SAID GENERATOR FOR TYING THE TIME PHASE OF THE INDICATING PULSE OUTPUT THEREOF EQUAL TO COINCIDENCE WITH SAID SIGNAL PULSE COMPONENTS.