Circuit generating time-reference pulses on trailing-edge of analoginput employing dual-input paths respectively controlling charging and discharging of capacitor

Claim 1

A CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT FOR PRODUCING A TIME REFEENCE PULSE IN RESPONSE TO AN INPUT PULSE VARYING IN AMPLITUDE AND SHAPE COMPRISING, A CAPACITOR HAVING TWO ELECTRODES, MEANS CONNECTING ONE OF SAID ELECRTODES TO A POINT OF FIXED REFERENCE POTENTIAL, A PAIR OF TRANSISTORS, EACH HAVING EMITTER, BASE AND COLLECTOR ELECTRODES, MEANS CONNECTING THE EMITTER ELECTRODES OF BOTH OF SAID TRANSISTORS TO THE OTHER ELECTRODE OF SAID CAPACITOR, MEANS APPLYING DIRECT ENERGIZING POTENTIAL TO THE COLLECTOR ELECTRODES OF SAID TRANSISTORS, AN ATTENUATOR, HAVING INPUT AND OUTPUT TERMINALS, MEANS FOR APPLYING AN INPUT PULSE SIGNAL TO THE INPUT TERMINAL OF SAID ATTENUATOR FOR DERIVING A PREDETERMINED FRACTION OF SAID INPUT PULSE SIGNAL AT THE OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID ATTENUATOR, MEANS CONNECTING THE OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID ATTENUATOR TO THE BASE ELECTRODE OF ONE OF SAID TRANSISTORS FOR CHARGING SAID CAPACITOR ON THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID INPUT PULSE TO A VALUE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED FRACTION OF THE PEAK VOLTAGE OF SAID INPUT PULSE SIGNAL, AT WHICH VALUE SAID ONE TRANSISTOR CEASES CONDUCTING, AND MEANS APPLYING THE FULL INPUT PULSE SIGNAL TO THE BASE ELECTRODE OF THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF TRANSISTORS AT WHICH SAID OTHER TRANSISTOR BEINGS TO CONDUCTOR AT THE VALUE OF SAID INPUT SIGNAL EQUALING THE CHARGE ON SAID CAPACAITOR, THEREBY PRODUCING A PULSE AT THE COLLECTOR ELECTRODE OF SAID OTHER TRANSISTOR INDICATIVE OF THE TIMING OF SAID INPUT PULSE.