Signal stabilized radiation measuring and discriminating apparatus using a scintillation detector

Claim 1

SIGNAL-STABILIZED RADIATION MEASURING AND DISCRIMINATING APPARATUS, WHICH COMPRISES: A SCINTILLATION DETECTOR SYSTEM SENSITIVE TO AN INTERMITTENTLY VARYING RADIATION FLUX AND OPERABLE TO PRODUCE COMBINED ELECTRICAL SIGNALS CONSISTING OF A REFERENCE SIGNAL CORRESPONDING TO A NORMAL LEVEL OF FLUX INTENSITY AND AN INTELLIGENCE SIGNAL CORRESPONDING TO THE CHANGE IN FLUX INTENSITY FOR EACH INTERMITTENT VARIATION WITH RESPECT TO THE NORMAL LEVEL; A DIFFERENTIAL AMPLIFIER RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT SIGNALS OF SAID DETECTOR SYSTEM AND TO A FIXED SIGNAL FOR PRODUCING COMPLEMENTARY SIGNALS, AND OPERATIVE NORMALLY IN A BALANCED CONDITION BETWEEN VARIATIONS IN FLUX INTENSITY WHEN THE REFERENCE SIGNAL REMAINS AT A SELECTED VALUE, THE FIXED INPUT SIGNAL BEING MAINTAINED AT SUCH SELECTED VALUE TO CONTROL ONE OF THE COMPLEMENTARY SIGNALS, SAID AMPLIFIER ALSO AMPLIFYING THE INTELLIGENCE SIGNAL TO PROVIDE A CORRESPONDING AMPLIFIED OUTPUT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE CHANGE IN FLUX INTENSITY WITH RESPECT TO THE NORMAL LEVEL; A DISCRIMINATOR CIRCUIT RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID AMPLIFIER TO PROVIDE AN OUTPUT PULSE IN RESPONSE TO SUCH SIGNAL ATTAINING A SELECTED ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE AND RETURNING A SELECTED VALUE OF REFERENCE SIGNAL; AND CONTROL MEANS SENSITIVE TO AN UNBALANCED CONDITION IN SAID AMPLIFIER AND OPERABLE TO CONTROL SAID DETECTOR SYSTEM, SAID CONTROL MEANS BEING ENERGIZABLE TO BALANCE SAID AMPLIFIER BY CONTROLLING THE REFERENCE SIGNAL OF SAID DETECTOR SYSTEM; MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ENERGIZING SAID CONTROL MEANS BETWEEN INTERMITTENT VARIATIONS IN FLUX INTENSITY WHEN THE DETECTOR OUTPUT CONSISTS OF THE REFERENCE SIGNAL ALONE, SO THAT SAID CONTROL MEANS MAY ADJUST THE REFERENCE SIGNAL OF SAID DETECTOR SYSTEM TO THE SELECTED VALUE TO BALANCE SAID AMPLIFIER; WHEREBY SAID CONTROL MEANS MAY STABILIZE THE REFERENCE SIGNAL AND CONTROL DRIFT IN THE OUTPUT SIGNALS OF SAID DETECTOR SYSTEM BETWEEN VARIATIONS IN THE FLUX INTENSITY, AND SAID DISCRIMINATOR CIRCUIT MAY EFFECT CONTINUOUS BILEVEL DISCRIMINATION AND COMPENSATE FOR DRIFT IN THE DETECTOR OUTPUT SIGNALS DURING VARIATIONS IN FLUX INTENSITY.