Transistorized analog-to-digital converter

Claim 1

AN ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, MEANS FOR RECEIVING AND AMPLIFYING INPUT PULSES, SEMI-CONDUCTOR MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE AMPLIFIED PULSES AND ESTABLISHING VOLTAGE AND CURRENT LEVELS CORRESPONDING TO THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID PULSES, CAPACITIVE STORAGE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SEMI-CONDUCTOR MEANS EXPOSED TO SAID CURRENT AND BEING CHARGED THEREBY TO A VOLTAGE LEVEL SUBSTANTIALLY PROPORTIONAL TO SAID AMPLITUDES, FIRST CLAMPING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID AMPLIFYING MEANS FOR HOLDING THE LATTER IN A STATE UNRESPONSIVE TO SAID INPUT PULSES, SECOND CLAMPING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SEMI-CONDUCTOR MEANS FOR HOLDING THE LATTER IN A QUIESCENT STATE AND SAID STORAGE MEANS IN SUBSTANTIALLY AN UNCHARGED STATE, MEANS FOR APPLYING SIMULTANEOUS UNCLAMPING PULSES TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND CLAMPING MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID AMPLIFYING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO INPUT PULSES AND SAID SEMI-CONDUCTOR MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID AMPLIFYING MEANS TO CHARGE SAID STORAGE MEANS AS AFORESAID, FEED BACK MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE CHARGING OF SAID STORAGE MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID SECOND CLAMPING MEANS INACTIVE AFTER TERMINATION OF ITS UNCLAMPING PULSE, THE LATTER SAID FEEDBACK MEANS ALSO SUPPLYING A SIGNAL IN RESPONSE TO THE CHARGING OF SAID STORAGE MEANS TO SAID AMPLIFYING MEANS TO CLAMP THE LATTER IN AT THE PEAK VOLTAGE LEVEL REACHED BY A PARTICULAR INPUT PULSE SAID FEED BACK MEANS BECOMING INEFFECTIVE AFTER SAID STORAGE MEANS BECOMES FULLY DISCHARGED, SAID SEMI-CONDUCTOR MEANS BEING RENDERED NON-CONDUCTIVE DURING SAID STORAGE MEANS RUNDOWN DUE TO BACK-BIASING ARISING OUT OF THE AFORESAID CLAMPING OF SAID AMPLIFYING MEANS, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE TERMINATION OF CONDUCTION IN SAID SEMI-CONDUCTOR MEANS FOR DISCHARGING SAID STORAGE MEANS AT A CONTROLLED RATE AND MEANS FOR DELIVERING A SERIES OF EQUALLY-SPACED IDENTICAL PULSES DURING THE NON-CONDUCTIVE PERIOD OF SAID SEMI-CONDUCTOR MEANS, THE NUMBER OF SAID SPACED PULSES THEREBY BEING A LINEAR FUNCTION OF THE MAXIMUM AMPLITUDE OF SAID PARTICULAR INPUT PULSE.