System for effectively enlarging a detector window

Claim 2

A combination of apparatus utilizing only a single detector for a property of physical matter, said property varying as a function of time and displacement, said detector and matter being moved relative to each other as a function of time, said detector being responsive simultaneously to said property in different portions of said matter which are spaced from each other over a continuum having a limited displacement spread for deriving a signal indicative, at any time, of the value of the property over said limited displacement spread, and means for converting said signal to an output signal which is responsive simultaneously to variations in said property occurring in different portions of said matter which are spaced from each other over a continuum having a displacement spread larger than said limited displacement spread.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 further including means for maintaining the larger displacement spread constant despite variations in the relative velocity of said detector and matter.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 wherein said maintaining means includes means responsive to the relative velocity of said detector and matter.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 1 further including means for simultaneously indicating said detector-derived signal and said output signal indicative of the property over a larger displacement spread.

Claim 6

In combination, a detector for a property of physical matter, said property varying as a function of time and displacement, said deTector and matter being moved relative to each other as a function of time, a window for said detector enabling said detector to be responsive at any time to only a portion of the matter, said window having an aperture, and means responsive to said detector for effectively but not actually enlarging the window aperture to provide an indication of the average value of the property over a larger portion of the matter than the portion covered by the window, said enlarging means having a transfer function in accordance with: 1/s (1 - e sT), where: s the LaPlace operator, e the base of natural logarithms, T the time duration said matter is effectively within the enlarged window, D/v, D the length of the enlarged window, and v the relative velocity of the detector and matter.

Claim 7

In combination, a detector for a property of physical matter, said property varying as a function of time and displacement, said deTector and matter being moved relative to each other as a function of time, a window for said detector enabling said detector to be responsive at any time to only a portion of the matter, said window having an aperture, and means responsive to said detector for effectively but not actually enlarging the window aperture to provide an indication of the average value of the property over a larger portion of the matter than the portion covered by the window, said enlarging means having a transfer function in accordance with: 1/s (1 - e sT), where: s the LaPlace operator, e the base of natural logarithms, T the time duration said matter is effectively within the enlarged window, D/v, D the length of the enlarged window, and v the relative velocity of the detector and matter.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 5 further including means for adjusting the value of T in response to the value of v.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 5 wherein said enlarging means includes an integrator for synthesizing 1/s and a delay means for synthesizing e sT.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 7 further including means for deriving a signal indicative of the value of v, and means for adjusting the delay period of the delay means in response to the signal indicative of v so that T remains substantially constant.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 8 wherein said means for deriving a signal indicative of the value of v includes means responsive to the relative velocity of said detector and matter.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 10 further including means for adjusting the value of T in response to the value of v.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 10 wherein said circuit means includes an integrator for synthesizing 1/s and a delay means for synthesizing e sT.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 12 further including means for deriving a signal indicative of the value of v, and means for adjusting the delay period of the delay means in response to the signal indicative of v so that T remains substantially constant.

Claim 17

The combination of claim 13 wherein said means for deriving a signal indicative of the value of v includes means responsive to the relative velocity of said detector and material.

Claim 18

The combination of claim 1 including first indicator means responsive to said detector-derived signal for indicating the value of the property over said limited displacement spread, and second indicator means responsive to said output signal derived by said converting means for indicating the value of the property over said larger displacement spread.

Claim 21

The method of claim 16 further including the step of controlling the amount of the delay in response to the relative rate of displacement between the detector and property.

Claim 22

The combination of claim 1 wherein said means for deriving a signal indicative of the property over a larger displacement spread includes means responsive to the detector-derived signal for deriving an indication of the integral of the detector-derived signal, means for delaying the integral indication, and means for linearly combining the integral indication with an undelayed indication of the integral of the detector-derived signal.

Claim 23

The combination of claim 18 further including means for maintaining the larger displacement spread constant despite variations in the relative velocity of said detector and matter.

Claim 24

The combination of claim 19 wherein said maintaining means includes means responsive to the relative velocity of said detector and matter.

Claim 25

In combination, a detector for a property of physical matter, said property varying as a function of time and displacement, said detector and matter being moved relative to each other as a function of time, a window for said detector enabling said detector to be responsive at any time to only a portion of the matter, said window having an aperture, and means responsive to said detector for effectively but not actually enlarging the window aperture to provide an indication of the average value of the property over a larger portion of the matter than the portion covered by the window, said means for deriving a signal indicative of the property over a larger portion of the matter including means responsive to a response of the detector for driving an indication of the integral of the detector output signal, means for delaying the integral indication, and means for linearly combining the integral indication with an undelayed indication of the integral of the detector response.

Claim 26

In combination, a detector for a property of physical matter, said property varying as a function of time and displacement, said detector and matter being moved relative to each other as a function of time, a window for said detector enabling said detector to be responsive at any time to only a portion of the matter, said window having an aperture, and means responsive to said detector for effectively but not actually enlarging the window aperture to provide an indication of the average value of the property over a larger portion of the matter than the portion covered by the window, said means for deriving a signal indicative of the property over a larger portion of the matter including means responsive to a response of the detector for driving an indication of the integral of the detector output signal, means for delaying the integral indication, and means for linearly combining the integral indication with an undelayed indication of the integral of the detector response.

Claim 27

The combination of claim 21 including means for maintaining the window portion spread constant despite variations in the relative velocity of said detector and matter.

Claim 28

The combination of claim 22 wherein said maintaining means includes means responsive to the relative velocity of said detector and matter.

Claim 31

The combination of claim 24 further including means for controlling the period of the delaying means in response to the relative velocity of the detector and material.