Abstract: A step motor driving circuit having A-phase and B-phase exciting windings which are independently supplied with exciting current in a sequence of four states per step of the step motor. The driving circuit is capable of applying a large or a small current to each phase winding and the currents are applied in a sequence to result in a trapezoidal shaped exciting current. During a first state only one phase is excited and it is excited with the large current. During the second state the one phase is excited with the large current and the other phase with the small current. During the third state both phases are excited with large currents. During the fourth state the one phase is excited with the small current and the other phase with the large current.

Abstract: A driving circuit for use in controlling a motor for controlling an air mixing door, an inner and surrounding air change-over door and a mode setting door and the like used in a vehicle air conditioning device, or a motor used in opening or closing of window panes of a vehicle or in opening or closing the door which includes a control transistor for use in controlling a transistor circuit having a transistor to cause both normal and reverse directed currents to flow in a vehicle motor, the control transistor being operated until a specified period of time has elapsed after the power supply switch is turned on, the motor input being shut off by the control transistor so as to prevent erroneous operation of the motor just after the power supply switch is turned on or to prevent the production of a chattering sound caused by the operation of gear trains with the motor.

Abstract: An instrument for maintaining a constant distance between a tool, such as a cutting torch, and a workpiece includes a sensing electrode connected to two different phase control system-building blocks one of which functions as an oscillator having its output connected to the input of the other phase control system-building block.

Abstract: An induction type positioning system which accurately stops a movable part without a contact and holds it in the stopped position without depending on the friction force of mechanical contact is disclosed. A primary core consisting of a main pole, an auxiliary pole, and a single phase AC magnetic field generation coil, and a conductive plate which moves relative to this primary core, generate a holding force for suppressing the relative movement between the primary core and the conductive plate by use of the eddy current which is induced on the conductive plate by the field generated by the main pole at the position where the conductive plate is placed on the auxiliary pole and simultaneously the edge of the conductive plate is placed on the main pole, and by use of the eddy current which is induced on the conductive plate by the field generated from the auxiliary pole.

Abstract: A control circuit for a windshield wiper motor which utilizes a plurality of infrared emitters that emit a chain of infrared pulses towards a plurality of infrared sensors. When rain passes between the infrared emitters and the infrared sensors, it will interrupt the flow of pulses therebetween. A control circuit senses the missed pulses and selectively energizes a low-speed, mid-speed and high-speed winding associated with the wiper motor for varying the speed of the windshield wipers. The device automatically controls the operation of the windshield wipers of a vehicle.

Abstract: A servo motor system including a position sensor located within the motor air gap to virtually eliminate mechanical compliance in the servo loop. The transducer is of a capacitive type including interleaved capacitive plates and is designed to be substantially insensitive to the magnetic field of the motor.

Abstract: A controller is described for limiting the rate and acceleration of a device positioned by at least one actuator which responds to a sequence of position commands separated by time intervals incorporating a subtractor for taking the difference of two consecutive position commands to provide a difference signal in vector form, means for determining the magnitude of the difference signal, a comparator for comparing the magnitude of the difference signal with a predetermined value, a switch for coupling the desired position command to the actuator at times the magnitude of the difference signal is less than or equal to the predetermined value, two dividers, two multipliers, an adder and normalizer for providing a new position command between the past command and the desired position command at times the magnitude of the difference signal exceeds the predetermined value.

Abstract: A linear motor which mounts and drives a hammer bank shuttle assembly in reciprocating fashion within a dot matrix line printer is controlled by a digital servo. The digital servo includes an encoder for generating a pulse each time the shuttle assembly passes one of a succession of different positions along a linear path of movement therefor together with apparatus for measuring the time intervals between successive pulses, comparing the time intervals with a reference value, generating error signals in accordance with the difference and applying the error signals to vary the durations of driving pulses applied to the linear motor.

Abstract: A linear motor shuttling system for shuttling the print head (11) of a dot matrix line printer is disclosed. The print head (11) is supported by a pair of flexures (13, 15) such that the head is free to move back and forth along a print line. One end of the flexure supported print head is attached to the coil (31) of a voice coil linear motor (23). The linear motor (23) is also flexure (27, 29) supported. The linear motor (23) is positioned such that the axis of coil movement is co-axial with the axis of movement of the print head (11). Further, the resonant vibration frequency of the combination of the linear motor and the linear motor flexure support is tuned to the resonant vibration frequency of the combination of the print head and the print head flexure support.

Abstract: A vibrating armature motor, which includes a voltage source, an armature, an electromagnet having at least one exciter coil disposed adjacent the armature, a spring for rotationally biasing the armature, a sensor element for sensing the rotational velocity of the armature and for generating a signal proportional to the sensed velocity, a variable duty cycle pulse generator for generating a stream of triggering pulses, the duty cycle of the triggering pulses being dependent upon the sensor signal, and an electronic switch for controlling the current flow from the voltage source through the exciter coil in response to the triggering pulses.

Abstract: A rapidly-spinning motor-driven disc is quickly brought to a halt by utilizing the motor in a controlled current dynamic feedback mode. An electrical signal is provided to cut off the motor braking current when the rotating motor shaft reaches substantially zero velocity, thereby avoiding any residual rotation of the disc. As the disc slows at a constant deceleration rate, the apparatus measures the relative time durations of two consecutive pulses which represent equal displacement arcs on the disc. From these data the time at which zero velocity will be achieved is computed, and the motor current cutoff signal is generated at the proper instant.

Abstract: An inertial measuring unit gyroscope wheel dynamic braking and sequence inhibiting circuit is disclosed. The circuit comprises a first counter for counting a specified time interval and digital logic circuitry for applying an in-phase signal to the phases of a multiphase electric induction motor driving a gyroscope wheel during the time interval, for example, a vertical gyroscope motor wheel. By placing in-phase signals on the inputs of a multiphase electric induction motor, the motor is brought completely to rest in a short time by dynamic braking. In a preferred embodiment, a second counter counts a second specified time interval after the first time interval has terminated, during which second time interval a second electric induction motor is dynamically braked, for example, an azimuth gyroscope wheel motor. During the time period when the motors are braking, a signal is fed back to an automatic sequencing circuit to inhibit further sequencing of the inertial measuring unit.

Abstract: An autopilot control system includes roll rate synchronization circuitry for precisely responding to control wheel roll commands without overshoots. Unique fade-in/fade out circuitry prevents transient signal "bumps" upon mode switching of the system.

Abstract: A linear motor comprises an armature and a stator each adapted to provide a sequence of North and South poles along the length of the motor. The pole pitch of the stator magnets is different from that of the armature coils such that with appropriate energization of the coils this difference in pole pitch and stator can result in a net thrust of the armature relative to the stator in a desired direction at any location within a range of relative longitudinal positions of the armature and stator. The motor may be subject to closed loop velocity--and/or positional control and means are disclosed to achieve this. Several variations in pole configurations and means of controlling the coil energization are disclosed.

Abstract: A driving circuit for a D.C. commutatorless motor comprises a rotor having a permanent magnet, a pair of Hall elements stator coils positive and negative power sources, power switching elements, where each of the stator coils has one terminal thereof grounded and the other terminal thereof coupled to the positive power source through one of the power switching elements and to the negative power source through another power switching element, a differential switching circuit for switching each of output terminals of the Hall elements with a difference of approximately .pi./2 radians in phase by an output signal thereof, and a difference signal producing circuit coupled between the power switching elements and the differential switching circuit, for producing a signal in accordance with a difference between two output signals having a difference of approximately .pi. radians in phase obtained from the differential switching circuit.

Abstract: A food processor is comprised of a food processing cutter which is driven by a motor connected to an AC power source, a switch for controlling on and off of the motor, a pulse generator for forming count pulses having a given period from the AC power source, a set switch, a start switch, and a timer which operates the start switch at a time point set therein to start the rotation of the motor. Further, the food processor includes an up-counter for counting the count pulses while the set switch is operated to store a driving time period data of the motor, and a down-counter to which the stored data of the up-counter is transferred when the start switch is operated by the timer. The down-counter counts down the data every time it receives the count pulse and produces a drive stop signal for the motor when its contents become "0".

Abstract: A speed control system for a selection servomotor of an impact printer or the like employs a speed table which represents a series of speed data which are respectively matched with various differences between real and mark positions of a motor shaft. The speed table is stored to be selectively read out when addressed. A difference between real and mark positions of the motor shaft is added to a head address of the speed table, and the sum is used as an initial address for reading data out of the speed table. Thereafter, the speed data are sequentially read out up to the head address in accordance with the rotation of the motor shaft, so that the motor is driven in response to such various data. A plurality of such speed tables are prepared to vary the speed profile in matching relation with a specific initial value of the difference between the real and mark positions of the motor shaft.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system for guiding, positioning, and measuring through robot control, a tool and a work zone relative to each other, by a noncontacting probe of at least one transceiver for generating shock waves, and for sensing their reflections, with one or more multiple apertured lenses for focusing and concentrating such shock waves and their reflections.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine for driving a generator has a governor for maintaining the speed of the engine at a predetermined operating speed. An idle control circuit is provided for overriding the governor during no load conditions. This is accomplished by an electromagnetic coil controlled by a high sensitivity electronic switching element.

Abstract: A cam controller for determining the operation of an electric motor is coupled with a stepping motor to provide predetermined positional movements of the cam controller in response to a desired electric motor operation control signal and in accordance with a programmed microprocessor determined comparison of the actual electric motor current with a requested current related to the desired operation control signal.