Data handling and control circuit for liquid scintillation spectrometers

Claim 1

A DATA HANDLING AND CONTROL CIRCUIT FOR APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY MEASURING THE RADIOACTIVITY OF A SERIES OF SAMPLES INCLUDING A SAMPLE DETECTION CHAMBER WHEREIN RADIOACTIVE SAMPLES ARE SUCCESSIVELY POSITIONED BY SUITABLE SAMPLE HANDLING DEVICES AND WHEREIN DETECTING OPERATIONS ARE EFFECTED BY MEANS FOR DETECTING RADIOACTIVE DECAY EVENTS WHICH TAKE PLACE IN AND CHARACTERIZE THE SAMPLES AND FOR PRODUCING OUTPUT SIGNALS CORRESPONDING TO SAID DECAY EVENTS; WHICH CONTROL CIRCUIT COMPRISES A SYNCHRONIZING CIRCUIT INCLUDING CIRCUIT MEANS CONDITIONED BY EXTERNAL COMMANDS FOR PRODUCING OUTPUT SIGNALS IN A PREESTABLISHED SEQUENCE; A MOTOR CONTROL CIRCUIT CONNECTED ELECTRICALLY TO SAID SYNCHRONIZING CIRCUIT FOR SELECTIVELY AND SEQUENTIALLY ACTUATING THE SAMPLE HANDLING DEVICES IN RESPONSE TO OUTPUT SIGNALS FROM SAID SYNCHRONIZING CIRCUIT SO THAT SAMPLES ARE SUCCESSIVELY INTRODUCED TO THE DETECTION CHAMBER, MAINTAINED THEREIN DURING A DETECTING OPERATION AND REMOVED THEREFROM UPON THE TERMINATION OF A DETECTING OPERATION; SAID SYNCHRONIZING CIRCUIT SUPPLYING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL TO SAID DETECTING MEANS TO INITIATE THE DETECTON OF RADIOACTIVE DECAY EVENTS THEREBY IN RESPONSE TO THE POSITIONING OF A SAMPLE IN THE DETECTION CHAMBER; DATA STORAGE CIRCUITRY ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE OUTPT OF SAID DETECTING MEANS FOR STORING THE OUTPUT SIGNALS PRODUCED THEREBY; FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID DATA STORAGE CIRCUITRY FOR ESTABLISHING A NORMAL DURATION FOR DETECTING OPERATIONS TO BE PERFORMED, SAID FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE TERMINATION OF A COMPLETE DETECTING OPERATION FOR PRODUCING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL CORRESPONDING THERETO,