Verbal read-out depth sounding system

A system for measuring distance to an object comprising means both for transmitting a high frequency sound impulse and for receiving a high frequency echo sound impulse reflected from the object, a depth clock, a multidigit counter connected to receive an output from said depth clock, means to initiate the depth clock at a first time corresponding to the time of transmission of the high frequency sound impulse, means for stopping the depth clock at a second time corresponding to the time of receipt of the echo sound impulse, whereby the content of said multidigit counter is proportional to the distance to the object, time delay means coupled to prevent said means for stopping the depth clock from actuation until expiration of a predetermined delay after said first time, speech synthesizer means having a gating input and a data input, selector means coupled to said multidigit counter and to said data input of said speech synthesizer for selectively supplying data corresponding to a single one of said digits at a time in said multidigit counter, and sequence clock means operable when the depth clock is stopped to drive a sequence generator which provides sequential pulses to different outputs, and includes a plurality of outputs coupled to said gating input of said synthesizer, and an output therebetween coupled to said selector means for sequentially stepping said selector means to couple a different digit in said multidigit counter to said data input of said synthesizer.