Correlation apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF THE TIME POSITION OF A SHIFT REGISTER BINARY CODE SIGNAL OF MAXIMAL LENGTH IN AN INPUT DATA SIGNAL COMPRISING THE SHIFT REGISTER BINARY CODE SIGNAL OF MAXIMAL LENGTH IN AN EXTRANEOUS SIGNAL HAVING A LONGER TIME DURATION THAN SAID SHIFT REGISTER BINARY CODE SIGNAL OF MAXIMAL LENGTH, SAID INPUT DATA SIGNAL BEING OF FINITE TIME DURATION, COMPRISING: CHARGED ELECTRICAL PARTICLE GUN MEANS FOR DIRECTING A BEAM OF CHARGED ELECTRICAL PARTICLES BETWEEN TWO LOCATIONS THEREIN, AND INCLUDING BEAM INTENSITY CONTROL MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE INTENSITY OF THE BEAM IN ACCORDANCE WITH CONTROL ELECTRICAL SIGNALS COUPLED THERETO; A PLURALITY OF ANNULAR CONDUCTIVE RINGS POSITIONED ALONG THE BEAM PATH AND INDIVIDUALLY ENCIRCLING THE BEAM PATH; THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF AN THE SPACINGS BETWEEN SAID CONDUCTIVE RINGS BEING ACCORDING TO A BINARY CODE OF MAXIMAL LENGTH; MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID BEAM INTENSITY CONTROL MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID INPUT DATA SIGNAL AND RECTIFYING AND CONVERTING SAID DATA SIGNAL TO SQUARE WAVEFORM TO CONTROL THE BEAM INTENSITY CONTROL MEANS; AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID RINGS FOR SUMMING ELECTRICAL SIGNALS INDUCED IN SAID RINGS FOR MEASURING ELAPSED TIME FOR THE BEGINNING OF SAID DATA SIGNAL TO MAXIMUM SIGNAL EVENTS IN THE SUMMED SIGNAL.