Abstract: A speed detecting device for an electric motor in which the angular stopping position of a rotary shaft is controlled with a high precision. A magnet is mounted on a rotary shaft of the motor, and a position detector detects the position of the magnet as rotated by the motor, thereby producing an output signal having a linear region. A speed calculator samples this signal in the liner region at predetermined time intervals and performs a division operation whereby a difference between a present sampled value and a preceding sampled value of the output signal is divided by the time interval, thereby to produce a speed signal which is applied to the motor as a control signal.

Abstract: A position control system for positioning a D.C. motor at a desired position operates in a speed detection mode in which the D.C. motor is driven to rotate at a predetermined high speed, and in a position detection mode wherein the position of the D.C. motor is precisely controlled. In the speed detection mode, the control circuit forms a phase-locked-loop (PLL) control circuit which compares the phases of the speed instructing pulse signal and the rectangular signal derived from the actual rotation of the D.C. motor. The motor speed is controlled in accordance with the phase difference between the speed instructing pulse signal and the rectangular signal derived from the actual rotation of the D.C. motor.

Abstract: An electronic control system for a multiple speed fluid pump and motor. A parameter of the motor, the pump, or the fluid which is expelled from the pump is measured by a sensor. When a predetermined value of the parameter is reached, the sensor provides a trip signal to a timer circuit. The timer circuit provides a drive signal to a switch while the trip signal is present and for a specified period of time after the trip signal is removed. The switch, while it is receiving the drive signal, connects the motor driving the pump into a high speed configuration. After the specified period of time, the switch will cause the motor to change to low speed operation.

Abstract: A fine positioning device is constructed of a parallel flexible-beam displacement mechanism and/or a radial flexible-beam displacement mechanism. The former displacement mechanism comprises a first rigid portion rigid against forces, a second rigid portion rigid against forces, plural parallel flexible beams connecting the first and second rigid portions together, and a first actuator adapted to have the plural flexible beams undergo bending deformation. The latter displacement mechanism comprises a third rigid portion rigid against torques, a fourth rigid portion rigid against torques, plural radial flexible beams connecting the third and fourth rigid portions together, and a second actuator adapted to have the plural flexible beams undergo bending deformation. The fine positioning device can obtain fine linear displacements and/or fine angular displacement with good accuracy. This invention also facilitates the construction of multi-axis positioning devices.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the motion of machine tool components about or along respective axes comprises a plurality of structurally identical processors each capable of controlling one complex motion or a plurality of simple motions. Each processor receives desired position values from a numerical control unit and has access to a first memory storing actual position values and a second memory storing desired rates of motion generated by the processors.

Abstract: An authority limiter includes an input shaft clutched to an output shaft. The output shaft is geared to a motor. Opto-sensors provide control signals to a current source supplying power to the motor. Different amounts of opposing torque are applied by the motor dependent upon the positioning of a disc, mechanically attached to the output shaft, effecting the optical path in the opto-sensors. In another embodiment, the opto-sensor control is replaced by an electro-mechanical mechanism which senses various thresholds corresponding to angular positions of the coupled input and output shafts.

Abstract: A radiation path directing system, such as sighting means 10, (FIG. 1) has an imaging detector (not shown) below the apparatus has a field of view centered on a sightline deflected from the vertical axis 22 by mirror 12 rotatable in elevation about axis 13 in yoke 14 and directed in azimuth by rotation of the yoke about orthogonal azimuth axis 22. To enable rapid changes in sightline azimuth and/or if the yoke assembly has a limited extend of rotation the mirror 12 can be flipped about axis 13 to divert the sightline azimuth by 180.degree. insteads of moving the complete (and possibly heavy) yoke assembly. In one simple construction a yoke rotation of .+-.90.degree. and mirror flipping enables a 360.degree. sightline to be described. Preferably conditions are defined relating current yoke position and demanded sightline azimuth (FIG. 5) to determine whether the sightline is achieved by yoke rotation with or without mirror flipping.

Abstract: A stabilization aid for a vehicle- or vessel-borne search unit comprises two servomechanisms for stabilizing the observation part (3) of the search unit about two mutually perpendicular axes (S.sub.1 and S.sub.2) mounted on the part of the search unit which rotates about the search axis (1). The stabilization aid comprises a computer (7) for determining, from the instantaneous angle of inclination (.alpha.) of the platform (2) supporting the search unit with respect to an earth-fixed reference axis and the instantaneous angular position (B) of the search unit about the search axis (1), measured in the plane of the platform (2), input signals for the servomechanisms. A portion of these input signals are compensating signals for the control errors in the servomechanisms.

Abstract: A method for controlling an articulated robot manipulator with an offset wrist made with only rotary joints. The method relates to transforming a given position and orientation of the robot tool or end effector in Cartesian space to the equivalent joint angles of the robot. Commands generated from the joint angles are sent to actuators connected to the rotary joints, where the desired motion of the robot tool is generated. This method of transforming a point in Cartesian space to joint angles is accomplished by providing a cross-product and dot-product recursive methods that employ the robot geometry to determine the location of the the end effector, such that the computational complexity of the techniques allows real-time computations for current state of the art microprocessors.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the speed of a combustion blower motor includes first means for generating an output signal representative of a differential pressure. A second means provides a second signal representative of a desired airflow output of the blower and a summation circuit receives the first signal and the second signal and generates a command signal in response thereto. A power output circuit receives the command signal and responsively provides a regulated level of power to the motor for controlling the speed thereof. The first means may be embodied as a diaphragm-type differential pressure transmitter while the second means may be embodied as an adjustable voltage source or as a source which provides an output signal representative of a temperature.

Abstract: An electronic levelling apparatus using an inclinometer mounted to a platform for sensing deviations from the horizontal and generating an output signal representative thereof, filtering the inclinometer output signal to remove electromagnetic and radio frequency interference, level-shifting the filtered inclinometer output signal to establish both positive and negative threshold voltages, determining positive and negative voltage level shifts to generate a level control signal therefrom and transmitting the level control signal to an actuating mechanism for maintaining the platform level.

Abstract: A mobile robot calling system has a mobile robot normally waiting at a home position and connected to an AC power supply such that its battery is charged by the AC power supply in the wait status, and a calling oscillator for generating a calling signal to the mobile robot. The calling signal is supplied from the calling oscillator to the mobile robot through indoor AC power supply wiring. Relay transmitters are respectively arranged for a plurality of AC receptacles to relay the calling signal. A controller is arranged to control a plurality of calling devices and robot waiting stations. The controller cyclically checks the robot calling states of the calling devices and robot wait status in the waiting stations. The controller generates a robot calling command to the waiting stations in accordance with the robot wait status in the waiting stations when the robot calling signals are generated from the calling devices.

Abstract: A digital servo apparatus according to the present invention latches a count output of a counter (11) for counting reference clock signals in response to output of a speed detecting pulse from a speed detecting pulse generator (10a) in a latch circuit (141), thereby to latch the count output latched in the latch circuit (141) in another latch circuit (142) upon output of a subsequent speed detecting pulse. The digital servo apparatus further latches the count output of the counter (11) in a latch circuit (16) in response to output of a phase detecting pulse from a phase detecting pulse generator (10b). A comparator (15) compares difference between the count outputs latched in the latch circuits (141) and (142), so that the compared output difference and the count output latched in the latch circuit (16) are converted into analog signals to be sampled and held respectively thereby to produce a speed error signal and a phase error signal, which are added up to be supplied to a driving circuit (22).

Abstract: The apparatus positively induces synchronism in at least two lifting jacks. It has an upwardly and downwardly movable carriage on the lifting jack, a column, a lifting device extending along the column, a first control device to control the lifting device in the "lift" direction, a second control device to control the lifting device in the "lower" direction, a "lift" switch on the main lifting jack, a "lower" switch on the main lifting jack. For each lifting jack, a motor device acts on the lifting device. Along each column there is an equally spaced marking unit, the spacing corresponding to the maximum admissible lift difference between the lifting jacks. Each marking unit has an `ON` zone and an `OFF` zone. Rigidly fixed to each carriage is a tracer for scanning the marker units. Each tracer, is in an electrical switching device, and inhibits the motor device when the tracer is in the `OFF` zone, until such time as the tracer of the carriage which is lagging most behind is also in the `OFF` zone.

Abstract: A tracing system which ensures clamping only a downward feed of a tracer head (TR), thereby preventing a cutter (CT) from being broken.Clamping of the feed of the tracer head (TR) in the direction of cutting is ensured, by the provision of machine position sensing circuitry (PCZ, CNTZ) for sensing the machine position in a vertical axis (the Z-axis), and initializing circuit (CPU) for setting a predetermined value .alpha. in a vertical displacement storage devict (REG) at the start of tracing. An adding circuit (CPU) reads out the results of sensing by the machine position sensing circuitry for each predetermined period and adds the difference between the current and the preceding results of sensing to the vertical displacement storage device (REG). An update circuit (CPU) sets the predetermined value .alpha. in the storage device (REG) when its contents reach a predetermined value .beta.

Abstract: The present invention consists of comparing a feature pattern extracted from an actual observed image and the prediction pattern of an environmental object predicted in relation to the positional information of a mobile object and finding the difference between both the patterns and then guiding and controlling a mobile object so as to reduce the difference, in that a selection sequence rule of the environmental objects serving as guidance targets is selected and applied by an operator and that the prediction patterns for the guidance targets are created in accordance with the selection sequence rule of the objects.Thus, the comparisons between the prediction patterns of the objects according to the selection sequence rule selected and applied beforehand and the feature pattern from the observed image can be made quickly and accurately, so that the autonomous guidance of the mobile object can have the reliability enhanced more.

Abstract: A numerical controller of the type in which acceleration or deceleration processing is performed by an acceleration/deceleration circuit (7) prior to an interpolation by an automatic mode distributor (1); a smooth acceleration or deceleration is carried out when a distribution pulse from a manual mode distributor (2) is superimposed by an adder 3 on a distribution pulse from the automatic mode distributor (1). To achieve this, the command pulse to be superimposed is also subjected to independent acceleration or deceleration processing by an acceleration/deceleration circuit (10).

Abstract: A drivetrain (48) for an electric passenger vehicle (10) includes a battery (40) for energizing a single-phase A.C. traction motor (18) which drives a ground engaging wheel (12) through a multi-speed transaxle (20). The motor is characterized by an external ferrite permanent magnet rotor (26) drivingly engaging an input shaft (32) of the transaxle. The motor is controlled by an inverter circuit (44) and a control circuit (46) which generates switch command signals to reciprocally actuate power transistors (56 and 62) within the inverter circuit as a function of operator demand, rotor position and rotor speed. The control circuit includes a motor positioning circuit (442) which toggles the motor current when the rotor speed falls below a predetermined level to dither the rotor about a park position for a predetermined period. A pre-start rotor positioner (224) is provided to mechanically lock the rotor in its park position to ensure the availability of a high electrical starting torque.

Abstract: A robotic sensor incorporates an array of closely spaced force sensors which are carried on a mounting plate. The front surface of this mounting plate is brought into contact with the object under inspection. A plurality of optical fibers are attached to the rear one end; the opposite ends of the fibers are connected to optical detectors. Actuation of any of the force end of the force sensor to impinge on and reduce the light flow through a corresponding optical fiber. Analysis of the data indicating which of the optical fibers and their light output reduced will result in an analysis of the dimensions and orientation of the object.

Abstract: A motor controller with means responsive to a motor condition for preventing termination of power to the motor in response to fault conditions when these fault conditions occur during start-up of the motor.