Digitrac censor data processor

The digital data processor Censor (CENtral procesSOR) is a parallel purely binary machine with a random-access magnetic core memory as an internal store. It can be characterized as a multipurpose computer primarily intended for real-time data processing in control systems. Thus the machine has features that make it very fast in such applications. These features include data bus lines, a semipermanent instruction memory with micro-programing facilities, and extensive list of microinstructions, and priority handling of input/output equipment with both programme selection and direct access to the memory. The video correlator performs several tasks in a modern radar surveillance system. It acts as a noise, interference, and jamming suppressor for both operator evaluation and automatic data processing. Jamming can be suppressed by random radar triggering. Furthermore, the correlator is an accurate measuring device for digital target plotting which is essential to automatic tracking. The digital output of the correlator makes possible virtually any type of data processing that may be required. A very important processing example not mentioned before is digital narrow-band transmission of radar information. The correlator performs the necessary data reduction and analogue-to-digital conversion of radar information to make such transmission possible. Our Natrap system can be used for radar data transmission via telephone lines without loss of information accuracy. In summary the correlator is an important instrument for converting radar information to a form suitable for large-scale data processing, which in turn is necessary to control our increasingly complex air traffic.