Analog beam forming apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR FORMING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ANALOG BEAMS FROM SIGNALS RECEIVED FROM A PLURALITY OF TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS DISPOSED IN A LINEAR ARRAY, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS COUPLED TO EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS FOR CONVERTING SAID SIGNALS THEREFROM INTO A SERIES OF PULSE TRAINS OF BINARY 1''S AND 0''S AS DETERMINED BY WHETHER THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID SIGNALS IS INCREASING OR DECREASING, THE CLOCK RATE THEREOF BEING SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN THE HIGHEST FREQUENCY OF SAID SIGNALS FROM SAID TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS; A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF DELAY-LINE TIME-COMPRESSORS OF PROGRESSIVELY CHANGING LENGTH DIFFERING BY ONE BASIC DELAY UNIT, AND DELEY-LINE TIME-COMPRESSORS CORRESPONDING TO SUCCESSIVE TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS OF SAID LINEAR ARRAY AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID PULSE TRAINS OF BINARY 1''S AND 0''S THEREFROM AND SAID BASIC DELAY UNIT BEING DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE SPACING OF SAID TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS AND INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ANALOG BEAMS; MEANS FOR SUCCUSSIVELY SUMMING THE OUTPUT FROM SAID DELAY-LINE TIME-COMPRESSORS AT A RATE EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED NUMBERED OF ANALOG BEAMS PER EACH BASIC DELAY UNIT THEREBY TO PROVIDE A RESULTANT PULSE TRAIN; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID RESULTANT PULSE TRAIN FOR CYCLICALLY ISOLATING RESULTANT PULSES THEREFROM CORRESPONDING TO INDIVIDUAL ANALOG BEAMS; AND MEANS FOR DEMODULATING SAID ISOLATED RESULTANT PULSES THEREBY TO PRODUCE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL FOR EACH OF SAID PREDETERMINDE NUMBER OF ANALOG BEAMS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR FORMING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ANALOG BEAMS FROM SIGNALS RECEIVED FROM A PLURALITY OF TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS DISPOSED IN A LINEAR ARRAY, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS COUPLED TO EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS FOR CONVERTING SAID SIGNALS THEREFROM INTO A SERIES OF PULSE TRAINS OF BINARY 1''S AND 0''S AS DETERMINED BY WHETHER THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID SIGNALS IS INCREASING OR DECREASING, THE CLOCK RATE THEREOF BEING SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN THE HIGHEST FREQUENCY OF SAID SIGNALS FROM SAID TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS; A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF DELAY-LINE TIME-COMPRESSORS OF PROGRESSIVELY CHANGING LENGTH DIFFERING BY ONE BASIC DELAY UNIT, AND DELEY-LINE TIME-COMPRESSORS CORRESPONDING TO SUCCESSIVE TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS OF SAID LINEAR ARRAY AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID PULSE TRAINS OF BINARY 1''S AND 0''S THEREFROM AND SAID BASIC DELAY UNIT BEING DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE SPACING OF SAID TRANSDUCER ELEMENTS AND INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ANALOG BEAMS; MEANS FOR SUCCUSSIVELY SUMMING THE OUTPUT FROM SAID DELAY-LINE TIME-COMPRESSORS AT A RATE EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED NUMBERED OF ANALOG BEAMS PER EACH BASIC DELAY UNIT THEREBY TO PROVIDE A RESULTANT PULSE TRAIN; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID RESULTANT PULSE TRAIN FOR CYCLICALLY ISOLATING RESULTANT PULSES THEREFROM CORRESPONDING TO INDIVIDUAL ANALOG BEAMS; AND MEANS FOR DEMODULATING SAID ISOLATED RESULTANT PULSES THEREBY TO PRODUCE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL FOR EACH OF SAID PREDETERMINDE NUMBER OF ANALOG BEAMS.