Abstract: A video data acquisition system has a video camera for taking pictures of articles and from the picture image digitizes and selects signals within a predetermined amplitude range as representations of pixels of the picture image. A combination of horizontal, vertical and diagonal pixel collection circuitry acquires, in real time, the pixel counts necessary to establish the identity and orientation of the article represented by the image.

Abstract: An integrated circuit FSK transmitter and receiver combination form a modem for receiving and transmitting FSK signals. The FSK transmitter has a square wave generator for providing a clock output at a "mark" frequency or at a "space" frequency within a first frequency band. This clock output is shaped through a band pass filter, shared with the FSK receiver, to provide an FSK output signal which is output through a low pass filter. The input FSK signal is received through a low pass filter and then filtered through the band pass filter. One section of the band pass filter accommodates the clock output while another section accommodates the FSK input. The band pass filter is connected to a demodulating means to provide a filtered sine wave thereto at either a mark or a space frequency within a second frequency band. The demodulating means determines whether the sine wave is at a mark or a space frequency.

Abstract: A calibration system for a programmable manipulator having a base and a plurality of segments movable with respect to each other includes a fixture for attachment to the base of the manipulator and a hand-held application module for directing the operation of the programmable manipulator, including a calibration mode operation for initiating calibration of the programmable manipulator. The fixture has an end point to which the end effector of the programmable manipulator attaches. The end point is exactly positioned and oriented with respect to the base thereby establishing a known position and orientation of the end effector. The link lengths (distances between centers of rotation) of the programmable manipulator segments are entered and a computation is made of the displacement between each pair of the plurality of segments and compared with a measured displacement. The difference is an offset which is stored for future correction.

Abstract: A manipulator having at least two segments, rotatable with respect to each other, measures the angle formed therebetween and is self calibrating to insure the accuracy of the measurement. An electrical resolver is employed, with its rotor attached to one of the segments and stator attached to the other, with the rotor and stator slotted, in registration, at a relative position indicating electrical zero. Each segment has a pin formed on it positioned to engage the slots in the rotor and stator at a mechanical zero degrees output, insuring a zero degrees mechanical output for zero volts electrical output.

Abstract: An integrated circuit demodulator receives an alternating signal at a first frequency and an alternating signal at a second frequency and provides a binary output corresponding to the first and second frequencies. An input signal is received by a first and a second frequency filter. If the input signal is the first frequency, then it is attenuated in the second frequency filter and vice versa. A positive full wave rectifier receives the first frequency signal and provides a positive full wave rectification thereof. A negative full wave rectifier receives the second frequency signal and provides a negative full wave rectification thereof. The rectifications are summed in an operational amplifier, thereby providing a difference so that the positive rectification is reduced by the attenuated negative rectification and the negative rectification is reduced by the attenuated positive rectification. A binary output is thereby provided.

Abstract: A magnetic bubble memory system controller is provided to interface a user system and a magnetic domain chip. The controller will functionally accept commands from a user system and deliver those same commands to the appropriate devices associated with the magnetic bubble memory. A further function of the controller device will be to enable multipage read and write functions within the major loop of a magnetic bubble memory chip organization.

Abstract: A vibratory seismic energy source capable of generating significant energy over a broad frequency band. The vibrating baseplate and associated structure are designed to have minimum weight while still retaining sufficient structural integrity to permit the use of high actuator forces. This, coupled with a large reaction mass results in the generation of significant energy levels in the earth at high frequencies.

Abstract: A microcomputer system has a microprocessor whose functions are implemented by instructions and data from a directly connected random access memory (RAM). The capacity of the RAM is less than the typical total instruction list for the microprocessor. A read-only mass memory is connected to the RAM and has permanently stored instructions set therein for the microprocessor. A controller controls the flow of instructions from the mass memory to the RAM as required and also controls the flow of instructions and data between the RAM and microprocessor. The instructions from the mass memory are overlayed in the RAM in areas no longer required for instruction execution.

Abstract: A method of seismic prospecting is disclosed in which the seismic source is excited in such a manner as to maximize the use of the energy generated by the seismic source. In certain cases it may be desirable to convert the received seismic signals to their frequency domain counterparts before performing subsequent processing. Such conversion may be performed using the discrete Fourier transform with the result that transformed values are obtained only at certain discrete frequencies. It may further be desirable that processing be performed only at subsets of the total set of discrete frequencies with the values at the remaining frequencies being discarded. In the practice of the present invention, source energy is generated only at those discrete frequencies at which subsequent processing is to be performed. As a result there is substantially no source energy in the transform values at the frequencies which are discarded.

Abstract: A coordinate system transformation control system for a programmable manipulator having a base referenced by a three dimensional cartesian coordinate system (base frame) includes a hand-held application module for directing the operation of the programmable manipulator. The end effector of the manipulator may be moved to locate a point of origin, a point in the x axis and a point in the x-y plane of another three dimensional cartesian coordinate system (user frame). Other user frames may be selected in the same manner and one user frame may be referenced to another user frame through a mathematical operation. These are known as stacked user frames, all such frames being ultimately referred back to the base frame for operation of the programmable manipulator.

Abstract: An integrated circuit automatic gain control circuit maintains an alternating input signal at a predetermined amplitude. A ladder network of capacitors and accompanying FET switches provides for varying the gain of an integrated switched capacitor filter. The output signal from the filter is compared in a comparison circuit, the comparison circuit providing an UP signal if the output signal is too small or a DOWN signal if the output signal is too large. The UP and DOWN signal is applied to a ROM which causes a counter to count up or down in response to the UP or DOWN input signal, the counter inputting the ROM to provide control signals from the ROM for controlling the switches of the capacitor ladder network.

Abstract: A dual mode vibrator (DMV), in its hydraulic cylinder, automatically provides a shorter stroke for higher frequencies and a longer stroke for lower frequencies. The cylinder contains a pair of sleeves, each sleeve having one diameter portion sufficient to slideably engage the piston and having a smaller diameter portion to slideably engage the piston rod. The sleeves themselves are moveable within the cylinder, such movement being effected by the application of high pressure on one end or the other. When the sleeves are moved together, the stroke is effectively shortened. When the sleeves are moved apart, the stroke is effectively lengthened.

Abstract: A printhead configured to thermally print on thermally sensitive paper when traveling in either a forward or reverse direction across the paper. The substrate on which the thermal printhead is supported is especially configured to minimize drag between the printhead structure and the paper while traveling in either direction. As a result the travel dynamics of the printhead and the voltages required to insure uniform printing by the printhead are substantially independent of whether the printhead is traveling in a forward or reverse direction relative to the paper. The printhead may be mounted directly on a metallic substrate to increase heat dissipation and permit high speed printing.

Abstract: A method of allocating memory space on a cyclic memory system is described. The memory system is partitioned into a plurality of memory regions with each of the regions containing contiguous memory elements. Each of the memory regions is then partitioned into a plurality of memory subregions wherein all subregions within a region are of equal memory capacity but where subregions of different regions have different memory capacities. A file of data is then assigned to occupy one available subregion of the memory which is the smallest available subregion which has sufficient memory capacity to contain the file of data.

Abstract: A motion translator is used in an impact printer of the type having a printhead and platen that move relative to each other, for driving the print ribbon in a single, fixed direction. A drive cable has each end connected to opposite sides of the frame of the printer and is wrapped 360.degree. around a flange of the outer housing of the translator. The translator is rotatably mounted on the printhead carriage so that as the carriage moves relative to the platen, the housing is rotated by the drive cable. An upper clutch engages a driven, output shaft when the housing is rotated in one direction and does not engage the shaft when the housing is rotated in the opposite direction. A hubbed drive gear is positioned to rotate opposite the rotation of the housing. A lower clutch turns the driven, output shaft in the fixed direction when the housing rotates in the opposite direction by engaging the hub of the drive gear. When the housing is rotated in the one direction, the lower clutch does not engage.

Abstract: A stepper motor for use in peripheral devices such as electronic printing terminals has its coils selected for activation by selection circuitry, with its power provided by a switch mode current regulator. The switch mode regulator utilizes the selected motor winding as the storage element of the regulator and the voltage ramp derived from the current flow through the motor coil itself for comparison with a reference voltage. The output of the comparator circuit controls the state of a latch which has a fixed frequency clock input. The frequency of the latch output is fixed, but the on time and off time of the latch varies in accordance with the output of the comparator. A comparator and latch circuit therefore form a pulse width modulator which then regulates the on and off time of the switching regulator power transistor.

Abstract: A character recognition circuit is provided with the image of unknown characters, in an accessible memory. A microprocessor directs a microcontroller to access the memory and to perform pixel counting, transition recognition and pattern finding. The microprocessor directs such operations and effectively locates lines of unknown characters, deskews those lines if necessary, roughly identifies each unknown character by forming a window around the character and counting pixels inwardly from the top and bottom and from each side until a transition is reached from white (0) to black (1), and from that information as weighted and combined, categorizing the unknown character to be of a particular set of known characters. By comparing the unknown character with the possible known characters, the unknown character is positively identified and stored in a random access memory until the entire message is assembled. Then the message is sent to a buffer unit for ultimate transmission.

Abstract: An optical fiber cable is used as the transmission medium for data and status signals from remote digital acquisition units to a master station of a distributed digital field system. Each digital acquisition unit has associated with it one or more sensors for sensing motion in an elastic body. The master station of the system also uses an optical fiber cable as the transmission medium for transmitting command signals to the digital acquisition units. The digital acquisition units, when first connected into the system, sense the master station signal and determine which direction to transmit. In normal operation, one digital acquisition unit receives the master station command and repeats the command to the next digital acquisition unit and so on.

Abstract: An optical slip ring provides optical communication between a pair of members free to rotate with respect to each other. These members may be a pair of optical fibers, an electrical conductor and an optical fiber or a pair of electrical conductors. One member is attached to a first mounting device and the other member is attached to a second mounting device. One optical receiver is positioned in the center of the first mounting device on a common axis of rotation with respect to the second mounting device. The other optical receiver is mounted on the second mounting device, positioned on the common axis of rotation. One optical emitter is mounted off center on the first mounting device and the other optical emitter is mounted off center on the second mounting device.

Abstract: A digital computer system having a plurality of working registers in at least one workspace in its main memory and having a workspace pointer register for indicating the location of the workspace also has a workspace cache memory made up of registers corresponding to the working registers in the workspace of the main memory. Computer operations are implemented using the contents of the workspace cache registers whose contents are transmitted to the corresponding working registers in the workspace of the main memory in the event of a context switch. Advantageously, the architecture of this workspace system achieves high speed register-to-register operations and high speed context switching.