Appeal 2006-2232
Application 10/242,188
drives the up/down counter 510 up and down depending on whether the
intensity of the return pulse is higher or lower respectively than some
predetermined value (Specification 11).
A constant false alarm rate (“CFAR”) computation at 530 is included.
The CFAR imposes an upper limit on the content of the up/down counter
510 and thus the gain of detector 310 upon detection of a noise event
(Specification 11).
Rushing discloses a densitometer, depicted in Figure 3, which
includes an automatic gain control 86. The returned pulse is received by
optical detector 82 and sent to automatic gain control 86 through analog to
digital converter 90. The pulse signal emerges from analog to digital
converter 90 as an 8 bit signal. This 8 bit signal is sent to gain select logic
94 and then to binary up/down counter 96 and emerges as a 3 bit signal
(Rushing, col. 5, ll. 1-8). The counter 96 is driven up according to a table
depicted in Figure 4. This table indicates that it is desired that the 3 bit
signal be 100, 101, or 110. If the signal is 111, and the gain is greater than
the minimum gain, the counter counts down. If the signal is 111, and the
gain is equal to the minimum gain, the counter remains the same. If on the
other hand the signal is 000 and the present gain is less than the maximum
gain, the counter counts up and if the present gain is equal to the maximum
gain, the counter is unchanged.
According to Webster’s online dictionary, a target is a desired goal.
Therefore, the goal of having a signal that is 100, 101 and 110 is a target.
Specifically, it is the goal or target of the Rushing device to have a signal
that is 100, 101, or 110. If this goal is not achieved, and the signal is 000
and the present gain is set to minimum gain, the gain is changed to the
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Last modified: September 9, 2013