Abstract: Hall call apparatus for a low-cost, low rise simplex elevator, all disposed on the hoistway doors, include a slider 25 which is released by depression of a hall call button 21 so that it is pulled upwardly by a spring 49 until it engages a stop 50. A clapper 33 overtravels when the slider stops and contacts a bell 34 to provide an audible indication that a call is registered. Holes 23, 24 in the hoistway doors form a chevron-like pattern through which colored chevron-like stripes 28 on the slider will show, to provide a visual, directional indication of the registration of the call. A passive transmitter disposed on the slider passes through flux of a permanent magnet 30 to cause a unique RF signal transmission from an antenna 31 that is picked up by an antenna 71 on the elevator car to indicate the floor and direction of the requested hall call, which may simply be applied to the car operating panel to force a car call in order to answer the request for service at a given floor.

Abstract: An ultrasonic wave is propagated through a brake pad to determine various brake conditions including brake pad wear, brake status (engaged/disengaged), a wet brake failure or a brake drag failure. The propagation and reflection time of an echo signal generated at a far boundary of the pad is indicative of brake wear. Brake drum or disc speed is determined by using radial indicia on the periphery of the drum or disc to modulate an ultrasonic wave reflected from or transmitted through the drum or disc and demodulating the sensed modulated signal as a speed indication. The various other conditions are determined by means of filters, comparators and logic.

Abstract: The invention prioritizes elevator service by an electronic lock and key circuit which uses a pre-existing capacitive touch button, an electronic key for receiving a 10 KHz first button pulse train from the face of the capacitive touch button and modulating said capacitive touch button pulse train with a signal of a preset frequency. A modulated first pulse train is provided back to the capacitive touch button face and an electronic lock for modulating a demodulated first pulse train received at the capacitive touch button face so as to provide a high priority hall call or a car call.

Abstract: An electronic control or touch button, with no moving button parts and operated by sound absorption, including in a first embodiment (FIG. 1) a cylindrical, metal, outer casing (1) of comparable diameter to standard buttons. The casing holds a glass, ball-shaped button (2) serving as a sound transmitting medium, the exposed side of which serves as the button touch surface (3). Behind the ball-shaped button is a printed circuit board (4), carrying on it an integrated circuit (IC; 5), an ultrasound transducer (6), and a series of light emitting diodes (LED; 7). In operation the transducer routinely sends sound (or ultrasound) waves into the glass ball and then receives back the echoes of its transmission--in sonar fashion. If skin or other material comes into contact with the touch surface, some of the sound will be absorbed by the material, and the reduced echoes detected by the IC, which is analyzing the echoes. When the echoes are so reduced (compare upper and lower wave form traces in FIG.

Abstract: The partitioning of circuitry and software on electronic boards in a robot control is arranged to enable respective controls for varied types of robots to be readily assembled and packaged with use of a few standard boards.The basic control system is formed from an arm interface (AIF) board and a torque processor (TP) board and a servo control (SCM) board. The AIF board has a VME bus terminated in multiple pin connectors for interconnection with the TP and SCM boards and any other boards or additional units to be included in a particular robot control. An AIF connector is also provided for TP board connection on a VMX bus.Robot controls with extended control performance are packaged by including additional boards. For example, the system control board includes a VME bus connector for connection to the AIF board to provide a robot control with higher control capacity.

Abstract: Encoding apparatus for a business machine includes a resilient striker for inducing diverging sound waves within a rod by impact with it at a given location. Transducers positioned along the rod on each side of the striker and at unequal distances from it, convert the sound wave fronts into a first and a second output signal having a predetermined time interval between them which is dependent upon the location of impact with the rod. The transducers are connected to a logic unit which includes an oscillator-driven binary counter. The first output signal starts the counter and subsequent arrival of the second output signal determines the elapsed time, the counter output at that instant being a binary code value usable for any desired purpose: control, display, etc.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus in which strikers actuated by the keys of a keyboard, for example, impact selected ones of a group of parallel bars (equivalent to sonic delay lines) at points substantially equally distant from single transducers located on each bar. A timer controls transfer of data signals--the transducer output of the bars--to a display, a printer, etc. The transfer includes storage in a multibit electronic latch.