Gating system and method for discriminating between valid and invalid analog signal information in acoustic well logging

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR ACCEPTING A VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE WITHIN A PREDETERMINED AMPLITUDE RANGE COMPRISING: (A) FIRST STORAGE MEANS HAVING AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMINAL AND FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUT TERMINALS, WHEREBY A VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE CAN BE RECEIVED FROM SAID AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMINAL AND STORED IN SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS; (B) SUMMING AMPLIFIER MEANS HAVING INPUT MEANS AND AN OUTPUT, SAID INPUT MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS; (C) DIFFERENTIAL AMPLIFIER MEANS HAVING INPUT MEANS AND AN OUTPUT, SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID SUMMING AMAMPLIFIER BEING CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS; (D) A VOLTAGE SOURCE HAVING A PREDETERMINED AMPLITUDE CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID SUMMING AMPLIFIER MEANS AND TO SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID DIFFERENTIAL AMPLIFIER MEANS, WHEREBY THE VOLTAGE AT SAID OUTPUT FROM SAID SUMMING MEANS COMPRISES A VOLTAGE INDICATIVE OF THE AMPLITUDE SUM OF SAID VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE AND SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE, AND THE VOLTAGE AT SAID OUTPUT FROM SAID DIFFERENTIAL MEANS COMPRISES A VOLTAGE INDICATIVE OF THE AMPLITUDE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE AND SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE; (E) FIRST COMPARATOR MEANS HAVING INPUT MEANS AND AN OUTPUT, SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID FIRST COMPARATOR MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID SUMMING MEANS; (F) SECOND COMPARATOR MEANS HAVING INPUT MEANS AND AN OUTPUT, SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID SECOND COMPARATOR MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID DIFFERENTIAL MEANS; (G) SECOND STORAGE MEANS HAVING AN OUTPUT TERMINAL AND AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMIAL, WHEREBY AN UNKNOWN SIGNAL VOLTAGE CAN BE RECEIVED AT SAID AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMINAL OF SAID SECOND STORAGE MEANS AND STORED IN SAID SECOND STORAGE MEANS, SAID OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID SECOND STORAGE MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO THE INPUT MEANS OF SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND COMPARATOR MEANS AND ALSO BEING CONNECTED TO SAID AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMINAL OF SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS, WHEREBY AN UNKNOWN SIGNAL VOLTAGE FROM SAID SECOND STORAGE MEANS CAN BE COMPARED WITH THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE FROM SAID SUMMING MEANS AND CAN BE COMPARED WITH THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE FROM SAID DIFFERENTIAL MEANS; AND

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR ACCEPTING A VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE WITHIN A PREDETERMINED AMPLITUDE RANGE COMPRISING: (A) FIRST STORAGE MEANS HAVING AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMINAL AND FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUT TERMINALS, WHEREBY A VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE CAN BE RECEIVED FROM SAID AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMINAL AND STORED IN SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS; (B) SUMMING AMPLIFIER MEANS HAVING INPUT MEANS AND AN OUTPUT, SAID INPUT MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS; (C) DIFFERENTIAL AMPLIFIER MEANS HAVING INPUT MEANS AND AN OUTPUT, SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID SUMMING AMAMPLIFIER BEING CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS; (D) A VOLTAGE SOURCE HAVING A PREDETERMINED AMPLITUDE CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID SUMMING AMPLIFIER MEANS AND TO SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID DIFFERENTIAL AMPLIFIER MEANS, WHEREBY THE VOLTAGE AT SAID OUTPUT FROM SAID SUMMING MEANS COMPRISES A VOLTAGE INDICATIVE OF THE AMPLITUDE SUM OF SAID VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE AND SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE, AND THE VOLTAGE AT SAID OUTPUT FROM SAID DIFFERENTIAL MEANS COMPRISES A VOLTAGE INDICATIVE OF THE AMPLITUDE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE AND SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE; (E) FIRST COMPARATOR MEANS HAVING INPUT MEANS AND AN OUTPUT, SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID FIRST COMPARATOR MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID SUMMING MEANS; (F) SECOND COMPARATOR MEANS HAVING INPUT MEANS AND AN OUTPUT, SAID INPUT MEANS OF SAID SECOND COMPARATOR MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID DIFFERENTIAL MEANS; (G) SECOND STORAGE MEANS HAVING AN OUTPUT TERMINAL AND AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMIAL, WHEREBY AN UNKNOWN SIGNAL VOLTAGE CAN BE RECEIVED AT SAID AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMINAL OF SAID SECOND STORAGE MEANS AND STORED IN SAID SECOND STORAGE MEANS, SAID OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID SECOND STORAGE MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO THE INPUT MEANS OF SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND COMPARATOR MEANS AND ALSO BEING CONNECTED TO SAID AT LEAST ONE INPUT TERMINAL OF SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS, WHEREBY AN UNKNOWN SIGNAL VOLTAGE FROM SAID SECOND STORAGE MEANS CAN BE COMPARED WITH THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE FROM SAID SUMMING MEANS AND CAN BE COMPARED WITH THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE FROM SAID DIFFERENTIAL MEANS; AND

Claim 3

A METHOD FOR ACCEPTING ONLY VALID SIGNAL INFORMATION COMPRISING: (A) ADDING A PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE TO A KNOWN VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE; (B) SUBTRACTING SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE FROM SAID KNOWN VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE; (C) COMPARING A SIGNAL VOLTAGE OF UNKNOWN VALIDITY WITH THE SUM OF SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE AND SAID KNOWN VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE; (D) COMPARING SAID SIGNAL VOLTAGE OF UNKNOWN VALIDITY WITH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE AND SAID KNOWN VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE; (E) COUPLING THE RESULTS OF BOTH OF SAID COMPARISONS TO A GATE, WHEREBY SAID GATE PROVIDES AN INDICATION OF ACCEPTANCE FOR VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGES AND AN INDICATION OF REFECTION FOR INVALID SIGNAL VOLTAGES.

Claim 4

A METHOD FOR ACCEPTING ONLY VALID SIGNAL INFORMATION COMPRISING: (A) ADDING A PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE TO A KNOWN VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE; (B) SUBTRACTING SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE FROM SAID KNOWN VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE; (C) COMPARING A SIGNAL VOLTAGE OF UNKNOWN VALIDITY WITH THE SUM OF SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE AND SAID KNOWN VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE; (D) COMPARING SAID SIGNAL VOLTAGE OF UNKNOWN VALIDITY WITH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE AND SAID KNOWN VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGE; (E) COUPLING THE RESULTS OF BOTH OF SAID COMPARISONS TO A GATE, WHEREBY SAID GATE PROVIDES AN INDICATION OF ACCEPTANCE FOR VALID SIGNAL VOLTAGES AND AN INDICATION OF REFECTION FOR INVALID SIGNAL VOLTAGES.