US 3,993,926 AGranted

Storage tube moving target detector

AssigneeGoodyear Aerospace Corporation

InventorsBernard C. Rauckhorst, Harry O. Pfeiffer

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Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for determining the presence and position of a moving object within a static field. Basically, the invention utilizes a photocathode in combination with a storage mesh whereby a distributive charge may be stored upon the mesh indicative of light levels within the field. Positive and negative write operations are exercised at different points in time and are superimposed upon the storage mesh. The mesh is then read by means of deflection coils in combination with an aperture plate so as to sequentially scan the storage mesh and emit output signals correlated with the charges upon the mesh after positive and negative write cycles have been exercised. The invention incorporates the fundamental structures of an optical image correlator tube and an image dissector tube.

Claims6

Dependent claims

Apparatus for determining the presence and position of a moving object within a field, comprising:

first means for emitting electrons as a function of the amplitude of light from the field incident thereto;
a storage mesh having a dielectric coating for receiving said electrons and storing a distributive charge thereon indicative of time related displacements of moving light levels within the field;
second means connected to said storage mesh for sequentially altering the biasing of said storage mesh between at least two potentials and thus enabling the storage mesh to receive and store a distributive charge thereon at each of said potentials;
third means for controllably scanning said second means and operative to create output signals as a function of the charge distribution on said second means, said third means comprising an aperture plate and deflection coils interposed between said storage mesh and said aperture plate;
and
circuit means connected to the deflection coils for controlling and regulating the path of electrons passing from the storage mesh to the aperture plate and position monitoring means connected to the circuit means for monitoring the position on the storage mesh from which the electrons passing to the aperture plate are being emitted.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.