Abstract: Disclosed is a real-time pulse sorting apparatus of a preprocessor in a pulsed radiation detection system. The apparatus, responsive to digital signals generated by a system receiver, uses the instantaneous frequency as the address input to store discrete data groups in main memory. Each data group, comprising the digital data corresponding to a single analog-to-digital converter sample point, includes the RF signal amplitude, inter-channel phase difference, instantaneous frequency as well as a unique pulse number generated by the pulse sorting apparatus. The present invention further includes a TOA memory for storing the time-of-arrival of each pulse at an address given by the pulse number. The main memory, organized in the form of a frequency-based histogram, together with the TOA memory, linked to the main memory by means of the pulse number pointer, sorts and records RF signal data with minimal processor control and intervention.

Abstract: A digital signal gating method and apparatus of a preprocessor in a detection system wherein the detection system includes a central processing unit, a main memory and a receiver, whereby the apparatus and method bifurcate received digital signals, delays them along a first path while subjecting the digital signals along a second path to detection, delay, and thresholding and thereby generates a gating signal from the second path so that digital signals of the first path, including pre-threshold amplitudes, may be recorded.