Abstract: A contact sensitive probe, especially for coordinate measuring apparatus, comprising a housing having seatings defining a stable rest position for a stylus member projecting from the housing to terminate at a sensing tip, together with a spring for urging the stylus member toward the stable rest position to effect relocation thereof after displacement due to contact of the tip with the test surface, wherein displacement of the stylus member is detected by a capacitative transducer having one plate carried by the housing and one plate carried by the stylus member, said transducer being connected to a circuit means adapted to produce an output signal indicative of a change in capacitance.

Abstract: A stage lighting control system having a main processor unit and a portable desk controller, wherein a local microprocessor is provided in the portable desk controller to scan the dimmer control contacts in the desk and to transmit changed state control data to the main processor as an asynchronous serially coded signal on a low capacity link which enables the controller to be conveniently located remote from the main processor. Changed display data is developed by a visual display unit (V.D.U.) interface in the main processor for transmission on the low capacity link as standard composite video to a V.D.U. at the desk. Output to the dimmers circuitry is through an expansible plurality of output channel processors controlling groups of dimmers for efficient data formatting. Lighting level information is recorded in accordance with a channel code, patching means being provided to enable differing arrangements of dimmers circuitry to be controlled in accordance with the recorded lighting level information.

Abstract: A method of determining the coordinates of the center of curvature of the curved surface of a workpiece with respect to a predetermined frame of reference the origin of which coincides with the center of relative rotation between the workpiece and a sensor of a surface measurement instrument. The method requires sensor signals to be derived at only three points along the traverse of the sensor and there are no constraints on the position or symmetry of the three points thereby allowing the method to be used on workpieces having only a partial arc. Two output signals representing the x and y coordinates of the center are produced from signals representing the angular position of the three points and from the sensor signals at the said three points.

Abstract: A method of deriving the value of any one of the commonly used parameters for characterizing surfaces in surface measurement technology includes the steps of computing the autocorrelation function of a signal representing the surface, and selectively utilizing values of this autocorrelation function together with the value of the sampling interval used in generating the autocorrelation function, to derive the desired parameter values. This method considerably simplifies the information on a surface which is required, and enables micro-processor techniques to be used in the computation of the parameters.

Abstract: An optical scanning device is provided of the kind having optical elements which are rotated and/or oscillated to scan incident light across a detector array. By arranging for successive scans of a plurality of rows of detector elements to overlap, each line of picture information of a scene under surveillance is scanned at least twice during a complete monitoring of the scene, the corresponding detector array output signals being summed to assemble a plurality of summed signals in which there is coherent addition of picture information and incoherent addition of noise. The summed signals are processed into television format for display.

Abstract: Apparatus for use in film splicing comprising a carriage (11) supporting a first film strip (16A) and a first film scraper (18), means (13) whereby the carriage is laterally movable transverse to the length of the first film strip, a laterally fixed second film scraper (19) and a laterally fixed support (12) for a second film strip (16B). When the carriage is laterally moved back and forth, the first and second scrapers respectively prepare the ends of the second and first film strips simultaneously.

Abstract: This invention concerns a continuous motion flying spot telecine apparatus of the kind comprising a cathode ray tube for effecting flying spot line-by-line scanning of each frame of a film during its motion through a scanning station, opto-electronic converter means for producing from the scanning of each film frame an analogue signal comprising a plurality of lines of which at least a part of each (the active part) contains picture information, an analogue-to-digital converter for sampling the analogue signal at a predetermined clock frequency, a filter for limiting the bandwidth of the analogue signal prior to sampling to avoid interference between the clock frequency and high frequencies in the analogue signal, a store for storing digital signals produced by the sampling, and means for reading out the stored digital signals in a predetermined sequence and at a predetermined rate.In order to permit scanning of different format films or only part of the film frame height without burning the c.r.t.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of deriving a television signal representing picture information on a cinema film, and a telecine apparatus according to such method. A disadvantage of continuous motion telecine equipment of the kind using a single linear array of photo-sensitive devices is that in order to derive the standard number of active (i.e. picture information containing) lines from each film frame the line frequency of scanning the array has to be changed in accordance with the particular film format being handled and the film frame rate. The apparatus of the present specification avoids this by using a rectangular matrix of photo-sensitive devices whose interrogation is controlled by a control unit in such manner that each film frame image focussed on the matrix is scanned along a plurality of rows of the matrix with the interrogation being stepped from one row to the next during the scanning.

Abstract: An electrostatic matrix printer has a movable print head (1) in which a row of selectively energizable needles (2) is fixed for printing dots on a surface to be printed by selective energization of the needles in response to binary coded electrical signals having a number of bits, equal or less than the number of needles in the row. The binary signals, as well as determining the state of a group of consecutive needles in the row, to print different character columns, also include at least one further bit which determines the position of the said selected group of needles in the row, enabling characters of different height and vertical position to be printed.

Abstract: Apparatus for generating color television signals from photographic film by means of a flying spot scanner incorporating a cathode ray tube is provided with a circuit for compensating for differential variations across the color spectrum introduced by variations in the intensity of the scanning beam due to variations in the phosphor, solarization and burning effects on the tube screen, this circuit comprising a photodetector sensitive to the varying intensity scanning beam and feeding a circuit for generating an overall signal representing the variations, selected proportions of this overall compensation signal being used to control respective color channels so that each channel receives a different amount of compensation to compensate for differences in the effects causing such variation across the spectrum of light in the scanning light beam.

Abstract: A portable electro-mechanical printer has a platen (1) over which electro-sensitive paper is advanced, relative to a print head (6) having a few row of selectively energizable needles (8) which is movable by an electric motor transmission (18,19,21,24) parallel to the platen in a scanning direction transverse the row of needles. A timing disc (25) is driven by the drive transmission, the disc being subdivided into sectors and cooperating with two relatively displaced photocells (26,27) which produce two periodic signals upon rotation of the disc, these signals being utilized to provide clock pulses controlling successive energizations of the print head needles as the latter is scanned across the paper.

Abstract: An optical sensing instrument for detecting specular and/or non-specular reflections of light from a surface under test has a sensor head with a plane face having a semi-circular recess in which are housed a plurality of light sources and a plurality of photodetectors each having an associated lens, the optical axis of which passes through the center of curvature of the semi-circular recess. The photodetectors and the light sources are positioned such that respective source/detector pairs are located on optical axes which form mirror angles with respect to the axis of symmetry of the sensing head. Means are provided for simultaneously energizing one or more selected light sources and one or more of the photodetectors.

Abstract: Apparatus for separating a stream of flowing liquid in a conduit into segments separated by gas bubbles of a known or at least controllable size includes a chamber communicating with the interior of the conduit and a duct of smaller cross section than the chamber, which projects into the chamber and is connectable to a source of gas under pressure: the size of the gas chamber, can be adjusted to change the rate at which the gas bubbles are injected and thus vary the length of the liquid segments.

Abstract: Apparatus for producing television picture signals from motion picture film by scanning the film horizontally at a scanning station while transporting the film continuously past the scanning station is provided with means for accommodating different film sizes, transport speeds and film format by changing the frequency of the horizontal scan while performing a predetermined number of horizontal line scans in respect of each frame of the film; the line scan signals are stored in a memory, and the memory read to produce a plurality of television picture fields at a different frequency from that at which scanning takes place. The frequency at which the television picture fields are generated is higher than that at which the line scan is effected so that the two are made temporally compatible by repeating certain television fields in order to "fill-in" for spare time.

Abstract: In optical scanning systems loss in spatial resolution can result in coupling systems incorporating off axis concave mirrors by virtue of image rotation. In such systems compensation can be introduced for this image rotation by inclining the axis of oscillation of the scanning mirror at a small angle to the plane of that mirror.

Abstract: In order to avoid the registration problems involved in multiple scanning of each film frame in a continuous motion flying spot telecine, the video information derived from one field scan only of each frame is used to build up the complete television signal by storage and delay of the video information to fill in the missing fields.The loss of vertical resolution thus produced can be compensated if desired by the use of a known vertical aperture corrector. Preferably, however, a high frequency spot wobble is added to the scanning raster and consecutive television fields are derived alternately from the positive and negative half cycles of the spot wobble.

Abstract: The invention concerns a flying spot telecine apparatus wherein the film is driven at constant speed with a film frame rate which is not exactly half the television field frequency, for example at 24 frames per second where the field frequency is 60 fields per second. To avoid registration problems only one scan of each film frame is made, preferably a sequential scan, and the video processing circuits comprise a storage arrangement into and from which picture information derived from the said one scan is stored and extracted in a desired sequence for producing the necessary number of fields for a complete television signal.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and apparatus for improving the reproduction of a television picture derived from a cinema film by a telecine apparatus during a period of panning and/or tilting in the scene recorded on the cinema film. The improvement is achieved by shifting the scanning raster of the telecine apparatus in respect of at least selected television fields during the panning or tilting period in such manner that during a series of consecutive television fields an image of an object moving across the television picture is reproduced in the television picture in a greater number of positions along its direction of movement than the number of film frames from which the series of consecutive television fields is derived.

Abstract: In a flying spot telecine apparatus, the horizontal scanning frequency is increased above the standard frequency to permit sequential scanning. The resultant signal is then processed electronically to provide signals suitable for a normal interlaced picture display.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprising a plurality of liquid crystal elements each having a respective pair of electrodes which are connected in matrix formation for control purposes. Electrodes on one side of the elements are connected in "rows" and electrodes on the other side of the elements are connected in "columns" so that intersections define an element uniquely while reducing the number of control terminals. The "rows" may be formed as a sinuous array crossing and recrossing an elongate array formed by the "columns" so that the display provides a linear progressive illuminable display area. Control signals may be variable in phase, and/or frequency and/or amplitude to effect appropriate selective activation of the elements.