Pulse-amplitude to pulse-duration converter apparatus

Claim 1

A PULSE-SHAPING APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING AN OUTPUT PULSE WHOSE DURATION IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE AMPLITUDE OF AN APPLIED INPUT PULSE, WHEREIN THE DURATION OF SAID INPUT PULSE IS SMALL RELATIVE TO THAT OF SAID OUTPUT PULSE, SAID PULSE-SHAPING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A CHARGE STORAGE CAPACITOR; (B) MEANS FOR APPLYING SAID INPUT PULSE TO SAID CAPACITOR TO EFFECT CHARGING THEREOF TO A VOLTAGE CORRESPONDING TO THAT OF SAID INPUT PULSE; (C) CAPACITOR DISCHARGE CIRCUIT MEANS EFFECTIVE UPON TERMINATION OF SAID INPUT PULSE TO DISCHARGE SAID CAPACITOR AT A PREDETERMINED AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT RATE; (D) SAID CAPACITOR DISCHARGE CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING A UNITY-GAIN NON-INVERTING AMPLIFIER HAVING A SHUNTING RESISTOR AND AN OUTPUT LOAD RESISTOR ACROSS WHICH IS DEVELOPED AN INTERMEDIATE PULSE CHARACTERIZED BY A SUBSTANTIALLY INSTANTANEOUS INCREASE IN AMPLITUDE FROM A ZERO PULSE-AMPLITUDE AXIS TO A PEAK AMPLITUDE CORRESPONDING TO THAT OF SAID INPUT PULSE AND BY SUBSEQUENT DECAY TO SAID AXIS DURING A TIME INTERVAL PROPORTIONAL TO SAID PEAK AMPLITUDE; AND (E) SQUARING CIRCUIT MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID INTERMEDIATE PULSE TO YIELD AN OUTPUT PULSE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT AMPLITUDE AND OF DURATION SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THAT OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PULSE.