Abstract: A digital controller for synchronous motors prevents excessive heating of squirrel cage windings during motor starting. It reduces motor excitation if the actual accrued excitation time exceeds the maximum allowable excitation time of the controlled motor. It provides for adjustment of allowable time responsive to changes in excitation voltage. The thermal characteristic of the controlled motor is automatically derived from merely a few manually entered set point values.

Abstract: A central base of a gripper is adapted to be attached to a robot wrist flange. Carriage rods and stabilizing bars extend outwardly, on both sides of the central base. Sliding carriages, which move along the carriage rods on linear bearings, each carry two flexible urethane grippers which are capable of expanding and gripping a part from the inside when the flexible grippers are pressurized. Each carriage when slid from a first position to a second position by an air cylinder, causes the second flexible gripper of a carriage to occupy the same position in space that the first flexible gripper of the same carriage, previously occupied.

Abstract: A speed control using decoupled flux and torque commands obtains constant horsepower operation by modifying the slip according to the torque requirements. The slip is modified by a value representative of the torque producing current. Control is kept in the torque command and the slip command with the field producing command free to change according to the motor speed, voltage available and the rotor time constant.

Abstract: An end effector move is executed by transforming the end effector position and orientation into joint coordinates at a large number of points on the end effector trajectory. On-line joint trajectories are determined in real time by looking ahead a few points on the end effector trajectory and generating points along the different joint trajectories. The current point and the look-ahead points are referred to as a block. An initial estimate of the slope at the block end points is made and then improved by overlapping the next block with the current block. The coefficients of the polynomials converting the points in the joint trajectories are interpolated to provide position commands to a servo control associated with the robot joint to control robot joint motion.

Abstract: Motor-load inertia of a drive system is determined from motor friction current and the time required to accelerate and decelerate to a predetermined speed in response to a current command. A desired response time provided by the operator is checked to determine if the response time is achievable with the motor-load inertia previously determined. The maximum achievable response time based on motor-load inertia is determined if the desired response time is not achievable. The speed loop parameters based on the achievable response time and motor-load inertia.

Abstract: A dual axis gripper for use with a robot arm having a rotatable wrist is provided with a first and second gripper. A bracket couples the first gripper to the robot arm in line with an axis about which one form of robot wrist rotation occurs. The bracket also couples a second gripper to the robot arm perpendicular to the first axis of rotation. The wrist rotation also includes rotation about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the first axis of rotation. Both the grippers are provided with a fixed jaw and a linearly actuated movable jaw so that both grippers form compliant type grippers. By rotating the grippers through the first axis of rotation and about the second axis of rotation, the two grippers may interchange positions and are capable of moving parts between any locations within a defined work envelope adjacent the end of the robot arm.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for obtaining a profile read-out of an object in a field of view of a solid-state imager without destruction of the image data at the imager. In an application using a CID imager, X-axis and Y-axis projections of the array are obtained by sensing charge transfer from sequentially addressed columns into all rows simultaneously followed by sensing charge transfer from sequentially addressed rows into all columns simultaneously. Calculation of centroid and area of an image can be obtained without the necessity of reading out each pixel.

Abstract: Low-frequency noise in the video output of a charge-injection-device imager is cancelled by delaying the low-frequency components of video plus noise for one horizontal interval and subtracting therefrom the undelayed noise from corresponding cells of the same row of the imaging matrix. High frequency noise is eliminated in a separate channel by low-level clipping of the high-frequency component of the video signal. The high-frequency video component is delayed for one horizontal interval to align it with the low-frequency video component and the two components are summed to reconstruct the full video signal from which both high-frequency and low frequency noise is absent.

Abstract: A brush wear indicator contact and terminal assembly having a high pressure-per-unit contactor that is formed on a first surface of the plate. A conductor for a brush wear indicator circuit is bonded to the contact plate by a high temperature resistant solder or brazing material and the contact plate is bonded to the surface of the dielectric sheet, which electrically isolates the contact from the spring when the spring is in an extended condition. By the method of the invention, a brush wear indicator contact and terminal assembly is made by adhering a sheet of dielectric material to a brush follower spring with a coating of permanently flexible adhesive, and by bonding a conductor for a brush wear indicator circuit to a contact plate having a contactor ridge on one opposite surface thereof.

Abstract: A brush wear detector comprised of an L-shaped leaf spring having the outer end of its longer leg mounted on a first insulating member in fixed relationship to a spring support for a self-winding, brush-biasing spring. A second dielectric member is secured to the leaf spring between the ends thereof and projects outward from the leaf spring into engagement with an uncoiled section of a brush-biasing spring. The free end of the leaf spring is held away from engagement with the brush-biasing spring support, thereby being electrically isolated from it, when a new brush is mounted in operating position under the brush-biasing spring. When the brush becomes worn a pre-determined amount the brush-biasing spring moves in a direction away from the second dielectric member and so enables the leaf spring to force its free end into electrically conducting engagement with the electrically energized spring support.

Abstract: A band of fabric over the interface between the slot armor and the copper bar of a pole face winding is both resistant to migration of conductive contaminants under the edge of the slot armor and hospitable to the application and retention of an insulating paint layer over such interface. The band of fabric is preferably of woven glass fiber with a tenacious pressure sensitive adhesive on one side and with the other side bare. The adhesive is compatible with the material of the slot armor, sticks readily to the copper bar and to the bare surface of the woven glass fiber fabric band. The bare side of the fabric provides a good mechanical bond to the insulating paint layer and thereby encourages the establishment and retention of an unbroken paint layer over the interface. The combination provides a long electrical leakage current path between the copper bar and the iron of the pole.

Abstract: A dynamoelectric machine commutator structure having a plurality of conductive commutator segments secured in operating position by a commutator banding is characterized by including a flexible, thermally stable dielectric coating material between the outer edges of the commutator banding and the conductor segments in order to effectively seal the junction between those members, thereby preventing the deposit or buildup of electrically conductive contaminants at that junction so that the likelihood of electrically short circuiting the conductive segments of the commutator is effectively eliminated. According to the preferred method of the invention, a banded commutator is formed by applying such a coating to predetermined portions of the banding grooves so that the coating effectively seals the junctions between the banding and the conductive segments of the commutator, thereby preventing the accumulation of conductive contaminants at those junctions.

Abstract: A winding form made of readily removable material for use in positioning electric windings in predetermined spaced relationship on an electrical apparatus. A method for mounting a winding on an electrical apparatus using the winding form of the invention is also disclosed wherein the form is mounted in a preselected position on the apparatus, windings are wound around the form, then the form is removed from between the apparatus and the windings by either dissolving it in a suitable solvent or by melting it effectively to dissolve it.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a relative velocity sighting reference in an airborne gunsight system. A head-up display (HUD) frames the target in the pilot's line of sight and a computer-driven cathode ray tube (CRT) display projects an array of sighting indices or dots on the HUD. The computer receives air data and target tracking inputs and controls the CRT display so that the sighting array automatically overlays and follows the target and so that the indices thereof move in a direction and at a velocity to describe the motion of the line of sight of the target required for the target to intercept a bullet fired from the aircraft gun. The pilot maneuvers the aircraft to null the relative motion between the target and the sighting indices, whereby the gun is in position to fire.

Abstract: A system for aircraft gunnery training and accuracy evaluation wherein a head-up display unit employs a cathode ray tube for projecting simulated bullets on a pilot's sighting panel. The simulated bullets each comprise a pair of bullet trajectory indicia simulating the firing of the guns of the aircraft at an actual target. The indicia in a pair of bullet trajectory indicia are equidistantly spaced from the simulated trajectory path by an amount related to a selected dimension of the target. Each pair of bullet trajectory indicia are initially displayed to reflect the physical conditions of the aircraft at the time of firing, including the rates of aircraft roll, pitch and yaw, the aircraft lift acceleration, true aircraft airspeed, gun angle of attack, and relative air density. As the bullet trajectory indicia traverse the simulated trajectory path, the separation between the indicia comprising a pair of indicia is decreased to simulate increasing distance from the firing aircraft.

Abstract: A frequency control utilizing a reference oscillator and a signal controlled oscillator is disclosed. The frequency control maintains the frequency of an output signal at the same frequency as the reference oscillator if there is no signal present at a frequency control input. A signal at the frequency control input causes the frequency of the output signal to be varied accordingly. The frequency control contains a feedback loop which compares the output of the signal controlled oscillator with the fixed frequency of the output of the reference frequency oscillator. The frequency control of the present invention has particular applicability as a frequency control for parallel-connected AC systems.

Abstract: A phase lock loop commutation position control and method for a drive system for a DC field motor having a rotor and a plurality of stator windings is disclosed. Electric power is supplied to the stator windings in accordance with gating signals. The gating signals are generated in accordance with timing signals, which are provided in response to a clocking signal. A position signal is furnished as a function of the position of the rotor with respect to a preselected stator position. An error signal is generated proportionally to the phase difference between a preselected timing signal and the position signal. The clocking signal is produced as a function of the error signal. The invention also can include a shift signal produced as a function of the rotation of the rotor. The shift signal is added to the error signal effectively to cause the preselected timing signal to be advanced with respect to the position signal.