Abstract: A method for examining an interface to a plurality of peripheral units of a numeric control system includes, firstly, an initialization step in which an unequivocal identification character is written into an identification character register of each peripheral unit, the register functioning in response to an address bus. The identification character register is read out in an examination step and is compared with an expected value. If an identification character does not tally with the corresponding expected value, an error message is produced, and if all of the identification characters tally with the corresponding expected values, the addressing of all of the peripheral units by the address bus is deemed successful.

Abstract: A position transducer is connected to merely one input circuit. The outputs of the input circuit are connected, transmitted or routed, in part, to a first and to a second counter circuit. For the counting process, the first counter circuit uses the digital signals of the input circuit, while the second counter circuit generates digital signals from the analog signals and uses them for the counting process. It is, thus, possible, in spite of a not fully two-channel processing of the signals of a position transducer, to set up a reliable position monitoring using only one position transducer.

Abstract: A method for examining an interface to a plurality of peripheral units of a numeric control system includes, firstly, an initialization step in which an unequivocal identification character is written into an identification character register of each peripheral unit, the register functioning in response to an address bus. The identification character register is read out in an examination step and is -compared with an expected value. If an identification character does not tally with the corresponding expected value, an error message is produced, and if all of the identification characters tally with the corresponding expected values, the addressing of all of the peripheral units by the address bus is deemed successful.

Abstract: A position transducer is connected to merely one input circuit. The outputs of the input circuit are connected, transmitted or routed, in part, to a first and to a second counter circuit. For the counting process, the first counter circuit uses the digital signals of the input circuit, while the second counter circuit generates digital signals from the analog signals and uses them for the counting process. It is, thus, possible, in spite of a not fully two-channel processing of the signals of a position transducer, to set up a reliable position monitoring using only one position transducer.

Abstract: A method for the dependable operation of a spatially separated input device of a numerical control that includes inputting at an input device so as to generate output signals, supplying the output signals to at least two processors and checking the output signals or signals based on the output signals for conformity in a comparator device. The method further includes transmitting a first shut-off signal to a control unit if there is no conformity.

Abstract: An electronic up-down counter system including a directional discriminator for accepting input pulses and for generating sequences of pulses which represent up-count and down-count signals. The count signals are applied to a reversible up-down counter having separate inputs for up-count pulses and down-count pulses. The directional discriminator is embodied in a read-only memory (ROM), which accepts the source input pulses to be counted and several inputs having predetermined phase relationships with the source pulse train. The ROM determines from the phase relation whether the count is up or down and generates the appropriate output pulse sequence for application to the reversible up-down counter. The ROM may be logically adapted to be sensitive to a change in sign when the up-down counter passes through a "zero" count.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for processing the output of an incremental measuring device of the type which provides a periodic analog output signal. The analog output signal is applied to a trigger circuit to produce a square wave signal which is applied as an input to an updown counter. This counter operates to count the number of complete cycles of the analog signal associated with the measurement. The analog signal is also applied to a circuit which acts to generate a coded intermediate value in response to the sign and amplitude of the analog signal. The counter value and the coded intermediate value are both applied as inputs to a computer which combines these two values to produce a composite reading in which the coded intermediate value supplies the high precision component of the reading and the counter value supplies the low precision component. In this way increased precision readings can be attained without increasing the maximum counting rate of the counter.

Abstract: An improved counter for use with an incremental measuring device is disclosed which includes an up-down counter, a plurality of memory units, a computer, and means for designating any of the memory units. The computer is coupled to the counter and the memory units and is programmed to algebraically combine the value stored in the counter with the value stored in the designated memory unit to generate an output value for display. In the preferred embodiment, circuits are provided for setting the individual memory units to preselected values. The counter of this invention can be used to selectively display the measured position in any one of several measurement modes by designation of the appropriate memory unit.

Abstract: An electronic counter is provided for evaluating the impulses generated by digital electronic measuring system. This counter includes a register which counts the impulses generated by the digital electronic measuring system and generates a position reading, a memory unit, a comparator, and a control circuit. The control circuit is responsive to the output of the comparator and is adapted to store the position reading generated by the register in the memory unit if that reading is a more extreme value than the reading previously stored in the memory unit. In this manner, the extreme reading measured by the digital electronic measuring system during the measuring cycle is determined and stored in the memory unit.

Abstract: An error preventing incremental measuring system utilizes a plurality of scanning elements associated to a relatively movable divided scale. But, instead of merely comparing the results of a plurality of independent channels originating at the scanning elements and terminating at separate counters, the system according to the invention combines the signals from the scanning elements by way of a logical network into a further signal similar resp. dissimilar to one or more of the scanning signals, thus avoiding the necessity of fault tolerances.