Abstract: The invention concerns a method for controlling a bidirectional stepping motor having two windings and three pole faces.The invention comprises applying current pulses alternately to only one of the motor windings to cause it to rotate in one direction and to only the other of the motor windings to cause it to rotate in the other direction.The invention is used for controlling bidirectional motors which are employed in particular in timepieces.

Abstract: An improved microprocessor controlled scanning drum servo adapted for use in a recording and reproducing apparatus is disclosed. The scanner servo includes a velocity loop as well as a position loop, and by virtue of the fact that it is controlled by a microprocessor in a unique way, has extraordinary accuracy because the resolving power of the servo is essentially that of the microprocessor itself. The interrupts to the microprocessor occur in sequence with a first interrupt causing the microprocessor to cease current activity, store all required information in a stack register and thereafter wait until a subsequent interrupt occurs which enables it to immediately act to perform control operations with respect to the scanner servo. This enables the velocity loop to perform the vast majority of the work required by the servo and as a result of this, the phase closed servo loop operates as a positioning loop in the true sense.

Abstract: An improved VLSI device package and an improved method for contacting VLSI devices, in which the occurrences of wire bond shorts and lead voltage drops are substantially reduced, are obtained by providing multiple lead levels in the package, with the N.sub.2 leads on the upper lead level grouped into N.sub.3 bunches separated by N.sub.4 spaces, where each of the N.sub.4 spaces aligns with a bonding target on a corresponding one of the N.sub.1 leads on the lower level leads of the package, and where N.sub.1 <N.sub.2, preferably N.sub.1 .ltoreq.20 to 30% of N.sub.1 +N.sub.2. Wire bonds from the device to the N.sub.1 lower level leads align with the bonding targets, so that wire bonds from the device to the N.sub.2 upper level leads lie in clear corridors between the bonds to the N.sub.1 lower level leads. In this way wire bond crossovers and shorts are avoided. The N.sub.1 lower level leads can be made wide and short and are used for the high current connections.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the return of a movable element of a machine tool to a predetermined grid point by controlling a movable element drive device in accordance with feedback pulses generated while the drive device is being driven to transport the movable element between grid points. The method includes the steps of specifying a position remote from the predetermined grid point by a distance which is less than the spacing between grid points, computing the deviation between the specified position and the current position of the movable element, positioning the movable element at the specified position by driving the drive device on the basis of the computed deviation and the feedback pulses, and driving the drive device at reduced speed to stop the movable element at the first grid point encountered following the initiation of reduced-speed drive.

Abstract: The electric wheelchair includes a battery pack (A), a right drive motor (B), a left drive motor (C), and a control circuit for controlling the amount of power supplied from the battery to the left and right control motors. A speed potentiometer (24) and a direction potentiometer (26) are connected with a joystick (22) for producing a selected vehicle speed signal and a selected vehicle direction signal, respectively. A right speed control circuit (E) and a left speed control circuit (F) receive the selected vehicle speed and direction signals and control the right and left motors in accordance with them. Each speed control circuit includes a reference signal circuit (90) which receives the selected vehicle speed and direction signals and produces a reference signal whose magnitude varies with the speed selected for its motor. The voltage and current across the armature of the motor are detected as measures of the motors actual speed.

Abstract: A frequency-voltage converting system has a first sampler for sampling the input signal at a predetermined time interval, a second sampler for sampling the input signal after elapse of a predetermined time period from said predetermined sampling time, and comparator for comparing the sampled values obtained respectively from said first and second samplers and providing the difference of said sampled values as a value proportional to the frequency of said input signal.

Abstract: What is proposed is an electrical energy generator that uses air pressure from a pressurized source for breathing purposes in an underwater or smoke environment wherein a conduit passes the air pressure to a turbine generator that operates at high speed in response to the flow rate of the pressure drop therethrough for generating an electrical output while the user of the device breathes through a mouthpiece connected via conduit to the generator.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the feed speed of a machine in a numerical control system having a manual pulse generator for generating pulses in response to a manual operation. The numerical control system numerically controls the machine by supplying the machine with the generated pulses as feed pulses in a manual feed mode and with feed pulses corresponding to a commanded feed speed in modes other than the manual feed mode. The commanded feed speed is modified in accordance with an override quantity stored in a register. The method includes selectively designating the modes other than the manual feed mode, changing the override quantity, which is stored in the register, based on the pulses generated by the manual pulse generator and in accordance with the designated mode, and modifying the commanded feed speed in accordance with the override quantity stored in the register.

Abstract: A control system is provided for servo controlled apparatus such as a programmable manipulator having a manipulator arm movable in a plurality of axes. The control system provides improved dynamic performance and control of the manipulator arm over a wide range of arm loads, dynamic operating parameters of the arm and over the full range of operating positions. The control system for one or more of the controlled axes includes servo control loops utilizing various feedback signals. In one arrangement, an inertia correlated signal provided as a pressure signal from a hydraulic actuator of an appropriate axis is utilized in combination with a function generator circuit to provide variable inertial scaling of selected loop command signals. The axis utilized for the pressure signal is determined by the mounting of the manipulator apparatus so as to provide a signal correlated to the inertial mass system of the manipulator arm.

Abstract: A nut runner control circuit which permits tightening of a screw in the plastic region with a normal torque without necessity of detecting the critical point from the elastic region to the plastic region. The ratio T.sub.0 /.theta..sub.2 of an increase T.sub.0 of torque from a value T.sub.1 to a value T.sub.2 during tightening to a corresponding rotational angle .theta..sub.2 (the rate of increase in the torque) and the torque T.sub.2 are stored in a peak memory circuit. After rotation of an angle .theta..sub.1 from the end point P.sub.0 of the rotational angle .theta..sub.2 the above-mentioned stored values are read out. The stored torque T.sub.2 is increased at the stored rate T.sub.0 /.theta..sub.2, so that at the intersection of the increased torque value to the actual tightening torque, the driving of the screw tightening tool is stopped.

Abstract: An electromechanical assembly is comprised of: a printed circuit board, a backplane, first and second passages that extend completely through the backplane, ground and power conductors on the backplane that respectively border the passages, ground and power pins on the board that extend in a cantilevered fashion past the board by relatively long and relatively short distances for sliding through the passages in a sequential fashion while engaging the bordering ground and power conductors.

Abstract: A brushless linear servomotor utilizes a first member provided with magnetic teeth having a large number of teeth-salients and slots arranged lengthwise of the first member at regular pitches and a second member which is moveable along the first member and has at least one magnetic core with magnetic teeth groups engraved thereon at surfaces opposite to the first member, and having a coil wound around each of the magnetic cores and further having a guide arranged to keep a constant gap between the first and second members. A number of non-contact detectors are connected to the second member so as to detect the salients and slots of the magnetic teeth of the first member. An electronic commutator and an electronic scale circuit are both connected to the non-contact detectors.

Abstract: Apparatus, for use in a servo-control system and which provides a smooth "bumpless" transition while switching from one transducer feedback signal to another, is described. Specifically, with this apparatus, a plurality of tracking signals are first produced in which each signal has a value which, in response to the value of a corresponding select signal, either tracks the feedback signal produced by a corresponding one of a plurality of transducers or remains constant. Each of these tracking signals is then subtractively summed with the feedback signal produced by the corresponding transducer in order to produce an output signal. Each of the output signals is then fed-back and subtractively summed with a command signal and the resulting difference, in turn, is applied as an error signal to a servo-amplifier. The values of all the select signals are set, by illustratively a process computer, in accordance with the particular transducers being switched.

Abstract: Suspending an armature on a parallelopiped basket of flexure springs, with a lateral effect cell position sensor and an X-Y source of motive power, provides a precision X-Y positioner with minimum static friction and with feedback of actual position for closed loop servo operation under computer control. The armature is arranged for X-Y motion within its own plane, and is arranged to carry a gripper, cutting tool, or other end effector. The parallelopiped basket includes a stator, a first set of flexure springs, a flexure spring carrier mounted on the first set of flexure springs, a second set of flexure springs mounted on the flexure spring carrier, and the armature mounted on the second set of flexure springs in turn mounted on the carrier. The basket suspends the armature with freedom of motion in the X and Y dimensions without static friction associated with sliding or rolling motions.

Abstract: A wind-operated electric generator system of simple design incuding a stationary circular arrangement of segmental wind inlet passages extending around a vertical axis and having vertical inlet openings at the outer ends, the inlet openings having inwardly and upwardly curving walls extending from the inlet openings toward the central axis, the lower walls sloping upwardly an appreciably greater extent than the upper walls to form an inwardly and upwardly extending convergence with the inner portions of the upper walls to form constricted upwardly directed exit passages that merge into a Venturi throat in which a bladed impeller is mounted upon a vertical shaft which is connected to an electric generator, and the sides of the segmental inlet passages also converging toward the central axis and cooperating with the converging upper and lower walls to form an efficient Venturi effect to increase the speed of air currents directed to the impeller.

Abstract: A drive mechanism comprising a power driven screw (16) and a nut means (17) co-operating with the screw includes a device for the correction of backlash prevailing between the screw and the nut means. The correction takes place electronically by modification of two pulse trains (A, B) which are generated by a pulse generator (19) which is synchronized with the movement of the screw. From the two pulse trains information as to position and direction of movement is derived for a movable unit (11), which is connected to the nut means and which, for instance, can be a printing unit in a printer or a typewriter. A measured or estimated value of the backlash is digitally stored with a resolution of one quarter of the period of the pulse trains. This resolution is four times the smallest distance through which the movable unit can be moved.

Abstract: A two-axis positioning system comprising three linear motors, two of which are spaced at a predetermined interval and disposed movably in the direction of a first axis and another one of which is supported by two motors and made movable in the direction of a second axis, the three motors having position control loops independent of or related with each other corresponding to input movement command signals in the directions of the first and second axes.

Abstract: The position adjusting drive unit for a sewing machine having its work shaft driven by an electromotor with an adjustable rotary speed, includes a supporting box connected to the electromotor and including a power supply transformer and an activation mechanism for a signal generator for desired and actual values of the rotary speed of the motor and of the angular position of the working shaft; an exchangeable printed circuit board supports all electrical and mechanical component parts of the speed regulating and angular position adjusting circuits including the signal generators and the coupling rod between the activation mechanism in the supporting box and the part of the activation mechanism on the circuit board is guided into the proper coupling position when the circuit board is electrically connected to the power supply transformer.

Abstract: A digital servo circuit which comprises a first N-bit counter for counting clock pulses at a recurrence frequency corresponding to error data and a second N-bit counter for counting divided recurrence frequency clock pulses at 1/M times the aforementioned recurrence frequency. The digital servo circuit controls the pull-in operation of a servo system with the count output of the second N-bit counter as control data, while it controls the operation of the servo system in the normal phase-locked state thereof with the count outputs of the first and second N-bit counters as control data with the count output of the second N-bit counter changed according to the amount of external disturbance caused to the servo system.

Abstract: The disclosed AC elevator control system comprises a converter for converting a three-phase AC power applied to it through an electromagnetic switch closed for the start of an associated elevator car, to a direct current, and an inverter for inverting the direct current smoothed by a smoothing capacitor to a three-phase AC power with a variable voltage at a variable frequency which is supplied to a three-phase induction motor for controllably traveling the elevator car. A rectifier is connected across the smoothing capacitor through an impedance element to continuously apply a rectified voltage from the firstmentioned AC power to the capacitor and a voltage sensor relay connected across the capacitor senses the voltage on the latter and prevents the electromagnetic switch from being closed when the sensed voltage is low.