Time to voltage converter for pulseecho ultrasonic system

Claim 1

IN AN ULTRASONIC SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL EXPLORATION OF A BODY HAVING MOVING COMPONENTS THEREIN, APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING THE TIME POSITION OF A SELECTED ECHO PULSE INTO A VOLTAGE WHOSE AMPLITUDE IS A FUNCTION THEREOF TO RECORD THE MOVEMENT OF SAID COMPONENTS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING TRANSDUCER MEANS TO TRANSMIT A BEAM OF PERIODIC UTRASONIC PULSE THROUGH SAID BODY IN A DIRECTION TO BE EXPLORED, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID TRANSDUCER MEANS FOR DETECTING ECHO PULSES RETURNED FROM COMPONENTS IN SAID BODY WHICH INTERCEPT SAID BEAM, MEANS TO GENERATE IN RESPONSE TO EACH TRANSMITTED PULSE A RECTANGULAR GATING WAVE WHOSE TIME POSITION IS SO DISPLACED FROM THAT OF THE ULTRANSONIC PULSE THAT A SELECTED ECHO PULSE APPEARS WITHIN THE GATING INTERVAL, MEANS INCLUDING A COINCIDENCE CIRCUIT REPONSIVE TO SAID GATING WAVE AND SAID SELECTED ECHO PULSE TO PRODUCE A TRIGGER VOLTAGE AT THE INSTANT SAID ECHO PULSE APPEARS MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID TRIGGER VOLTAGE TO PRODUCE A RAMP VOLTAGE WHOSE GENERATION IS INITIATED AT THE INSTANT THE SELECTED ECHO PULSE ARRIVES, THE RAMP VOLTAGE RISING PROGRESSIVELY IN AMPLITUDE, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID GATING WAVE MEANS TERMINATE THE RISING RAMP VOLTAGE WHEN A POINT IS REACHED COINCIDENT WITH THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE GATING WAVE, AND MEANS TO RECORD THE PERIODICALLY PRODUCED RAMP VOLTAGES TO DEFINE THE WAVEFORM OF COMPONENT MOVEMENT.