Photoelectric object tracking system using signal delay and multiplying correlators

Claim 1

IN AN AUTOMATIC GUN POINTING SYSTEM FOR ARMORED VEHICLES: ANGULARLY POSITIONABLE IMAGING MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IMAGE OF A FIELD OF VIEW WHICH INCLUDES A SELECTED TARGET-OBJECT; IMAGE SCANNING MEANS FOR TIME SEQUENTIALLY SCANNING INCREMENTAL PORTIONS OF SAID IMAGE ON A LINE-BY-LINE BASIS TO DEVELOP A VIDEO SIGNAL WHICH INCLUDES DIFFERENT TIME SEQUENTIAL PORTIONS CORESPONDING RESPECTIVELY TO THE RADIATION INTENSITY AT DIFFERENT LONGITUDINALLY SUCCESSIVE INCREMENTS OF EACH SUCCESSIVE LINE; INFORMATION STORAGE MEANS FOR STORING A PORTION OF SAID VIDEO SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF AT LEAST ONE COMPLETE SCANNING OF SAID FIELD OF VIEW; READOUT MEANS FOR REPRODUCING THE STORED VIDEO SIGNAL FROM SAID STORAGE MEANS AFTER A TIME CORRESPONDING TO AT LEAST ONE COMPLETE SCANNING CYCLE; FIRST AND SECOND SIGNAL MULTIPLYING CORRELATORS EACH HAVING FIRST AND SECOND INPUT CIRCUITS AND AN OUTPUT CIRCUIT; FIRST AND SECOND TIME DELAY MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY PROVIDING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL SIGNAL DELAY TIMES CORRESPONDING TO A SMALL FRACTION OF ONE SCANNING CYCLE; MEANS COUPLED TO SAID READOUT MEANS FOR APPLYING THE STORED VIDEO SIGNAL DIRECTLY TO THE FIRST INPUT CIRCUIT OF SAID SECOND CORRELATOR AND BY WAY OF SAID FIRST TIME DELAY MEANS TO THE FIRST INPUT CIRCUIT OF SAID FIRST CORRELATOR;