Multiple sensor position locating system

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 wherein there is further provided range selector means responsive to said sensor signals corresponding to a first dimension coordinate address of one of said sensors as having associated therewith a highest sensor signal value, said range selector means being further responsive to a second dimension coordinate address.

Claim 4

The system of claim 2 wherein said range selector comprises: a plurality of comparator means, each associated with one of said sensors and producing a respective comparator output signal having first and second states, each of said comparator means being coupled to one another whereby only a one of said comparator means associated with said sensor having said highest sensor signal value produces said comparator output signal in said second state; and memory address control means for recalling at least selected ones of said weighting values from said memory means in response to said one of said comparator means producing said comparator output signal in said second state, said selected ones of said weighting values being within a predetermined range of selectable values, said predetermined range being selected in response to said second dimension coordinate address.

Claim 5

The system of claim 1 wherein there is further provided a plurality of first sample and hold means, each associated with a respective one of said sensors, for producing at an output thereof a signal corresponding to said sensor signal value of said associated one of said sensors.

Claim 6

The system of claim 4 wherein there are further provided: a plurality of second sample and hold means, each associated with a respective one of said sensors, for producing at an output thereof a signal corresponding to said sensor signal value of said associated one of said sensors; and multiplex means for producing at an output thereof a signal corresponding to an output signal selectably of said first and second sample and hold means.

Claim 7

The system of claim 1 wherein said arithmetic combiner means comprises: a plurality of converter means each for receiving at a first input thereof a converter input signal having a magnitude corresponding to a respectively associated one of said sensor signal values, receiving at a second input thereof a respectively associated one of said weighting values, and producing at an output thereof a converter output signal having associated therewith a weighted sensor signal value; and summing means for receiving said weighted sensor signal values and producing at an output thereof said composite weighted signal having said composite weighted signal value.

Claim 8

The system of claim 6 wherein said outputs of said plurality of converter means each comprise complementary outputs corresponding to positive and negative weighted sensor signal values, respectively.

Claim 9

The system of claim 6 wherein there is further provided detector means for producing a detector output signal responsive to a predetermined bias signal value selected in response to at least one of said first dimension and second dimension addresses of at least one of said plurality of sensors which detects the detectable emittance.

Claim 10

An arrangement for locating a position of a scintillation event in a predetermined multi-dimensional region, the arrangement comprising: a plurality of photomultiplier elements (PMEs) arranged in a predetermined two-dimensional array configuration with respect to one another, each for detecting the scintillation event and producing a PME signal having a PME signal value which is related to a distance between said PME and the scintillation event, each of said PMEs having associated therewith first and second address elements corresponding respectively to first and second dimensions of said predetermined two-dimensional array; weighting means for applying a respectively associated plurality of weighting values to at least selected ones of said PME signal values to produce a corresponding plurality of weighted PME signal values, each of said weighting values being predetermined in response to a characteristic of a respectively associated selected one of said PMEs; selector means for receiving an indicator signal responsive to detection of the scintillation event at a detecting one of said PMEs and selecting a plurality of weighting values corresponding to a plurality of said PMEs having a first address element in common with said first address element of said detecting PME, said plurality of weighting values being selected in response to said second address element of said detecting PME; and arithmetic combiner means for combining said PME signal values with said selected plurality of weighting values.

Claim 11

An arrangement for locating a position of a scintillation event in a predetermined multi-dimensional region, the arrangement comprising: a plurality of photomultiplier elements (PMEs) arranged in a predetermined two-dimensional array configuration with respect to one another, each for detecting the scintillation event and producing a PME signal having a PME signal value which is related to a distance between said PME and the scintillation event, each of said PMEs having associated therewith first and second address elements corresponding respectively to first and second dimensions of said predetermined two-dimensional array; weighting means for applying a respectively associated plurality of weighting values to at least selected ones of said PME signal values to produce a corresponding plurality of weighted PME signal values, each of said weighting values being predetermined in response to a characteristic of a respectively associated selected one of said PMEs; selector means for receiving an indicator signal responsive to detection of the scintillation event at a detecting one of said PMEs and selecting a plurality of weighting values corresponding to a plurality of said PMEs having a first address element in common with said first address element of said detecting PME, said plurality of weighting values being selected in response to said second address element of said detecting PME; and arithmetic combiner means for combining said PME signal values with said selected plurality of weighting values.

Claim 12

The arrangement of claim 9 wherein said weighting values are established in accordance with the relationship: ##EQU6## where, M i is a noisy measurement of S i , which is the mean light intensity at the ith PME.

Claim 13

The arrangement of claim 9 wherein said weighting means comprises: weight memory means for storing said plurality of weighting values; and multiplier means for producing said weighted PME signal values in response to said PME signal values and said weighting values.

Claim 14

The arrangement of claim 11 wherein said correlator means comprises a position ROM having an input for receiving address data corresponding to said weighting values in said weight memory and an output for producing a corresponding positional value.

Claim 15

The arrangement of claim 9 further comprising weighting range selector means for identifying an estimated positional range in said first dimension, in which the scintillation event occurred, said positional range in said first dimension being estimated in response to a second address element.

Claim 16

The arrangement of claim 13 wherein said weighting range selector means comprises PME identifier means for identifying a one of said PMEs which has a highest PME signal value associated therewith.

Claim 17

The arrangement of claim 9 wherein there is further provided sample and hold means for holding a PME signal value.

Claim 18

The arrangement of claim 15 wherein there is further provided multiplexer means for selecting between first and second ones of said sample and hold means.

Claim 21

The method of claim 17 wherein there are provided the further steps of: selecting a plurality of weighting values associated with ones of said sensors in said second dimension in response to said estimated position of said scintillation event in said first dimension; predefining a range in said second dimension in which the source of detectable emittance is estimated to be located in response to said estimated position of said scintillation event in said first dimension.

Claim 22

The method of claim 17 wherein there is provided the step of producing said weighting factors in accordance with the relationship: ##EQU7##