Position-sensitive sensor for detecting individual lightning flashes

摘要

The sensor described has a plurality of adjacent photodetector cells and an analysis circuit, which determines which photodetector cell has received an incident light flash. The sensor in accordance with the invention has the following features:… - the photodetector cells are divided into a number of groups (I, II, III) in such a way that each photodetector cell is bounded only by photodetector cells belonging to other groups,… - a row of light detectors (31 - 34) is assigned to each group of photodetector cells,… - at least one optical connecting element (2) provides an optical connection between each individual photodetector cell and light detectors (31-34) which are selected from the assigned row of light detectors on the basis of a defined code. …??By virtue of these features it is possible to obtain a high space angular resolution with a small number of light detectors. In addition, the order number of the photodetector cell that has registered a light flash is output directly in a digital code. …IMAGE…