Patent ID: 6326624
Filing Date: 2001-12-04
Classification: G01T,H04N

Abstract:
A device for processing signals from an assembly of N photodetectors having:a) means, associated with each photodetector, for producing a signal representing the value of one of a group consisting of the maximum, or the energy, of a pulse delivered by the photodetector and digitized;b) means for producing a signal of exceeding of a threshold for each photodetector when the amplitude of the signal representing the value of one of the group consisting of the maximum, or the energy, of the pulse is greater than the said threshold; andc) means, common to the photodetectors, for delivering a signal representing a position of an event as a function of the threshold-exceeded signals, these means constituting means for delivering:1) a first signal, representing a first position, if a single threshold-exceeded signal is delivered, coming from any first photodetector among the N photodetectors;2) a second signal, representing a second position, if a single threshold-exceeded signal is delivered, coming from a second photodetector, a neighbor of the photodetector; and3) a third signal, representing a third position, different from the first and second positions, if two threshold-exceeded signals corresponding to the first and second neighboring photodetectors are issued.