Abstract: A digital motor control is described which is programmable and has dual digital phase with sliding proportionality such that the motor control adaptively alters a speed of a motor by both changing sign and altering motor speed proportionally to an amount of motor speed error.

Abstract: A nut assembly intended for use with a lead screw in precision movement devices for compensating for harmonic error from the lead screw by utilizing one or more partial nuts which are opposed along an axis of the lead screw such that the partial nuts ride the lead screw independently. An averaging apparatus is used to hold the partial nuts such that as the partial nuts follow the harmonic error, the error is averaged through the averaging apparatus to compensate for the harmonic error allowing the resulting motion of the nuts to be substantially linear.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a zoom system within a printer is disclosed where the zoom system is adapted to selectively enlarge or reduce an original image such that the enlarged or reduced image can be printed onto a recording medium. Further, the zoom system is adapted to selectively adjust an aspect ratio of the original image. The zoom system utilizes a phase lock loop to produce a pixel clock in a fast scan direction and a governing motor control to alter incremental movement of the recording medium in the slow scan direction, thus, individual pixel size can be manipulated by varying a frequency of the pixel clock to alter a width of the pixel projected onto the recording medium and by governing overlap of successive print lines, and repeating print lines if necessary, to alter a length of the pixel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a controlled output clock signal which is frequency and phase referenced to an input signal is disclosed. The compensation is programmable to allow an external source, such as a processor, to download a compensation factor to create a variable frequency phase locked loop. A separate programmable divider is downloaded with a complimentary value to adjust the varied frequency signal to the frequency of the input signal.

Abstract: A system for continuously linearly interpolating intermediary binary numbers operates to coordinate the transfer of binary numbers to a binary averager so as to provide output binary numbers equal to the average value of the input binary numbers during first and second time intervals wherein the average values provided during the second time intervals correspond to interpolated intermediary binary numbers.

Abstract: A contrast control circuit for use in an electronic image printing system for adjusting the contrast of an analog electronic image information signal without changing the maximum and minimum brightness levels thereof in order to maintain the exposure of a photosensitive material such as photographic film within its determined range of sensitivity.

Abstract: An autofocusing motion picture camera having an adjustable focus zoom lens and having means for periodically determining the distance to subjects within the focusing range of said lens is provided with an object presence sensing transducer having an acceptance angle that encompasses the optical field of view angle of said lens whenever the telephoto lens position is selected.

Abstract: A photographic camera having a plurality of interchangeable, adjustable focus lenses and having a focus control system capable of focusing each such lens over a range of subject distances in response to a rangefinder derived signal is provided with a sonic ranging system that includes an ultrasonic, capacitance-type transducer having a multiple segment backplate whose sonic beam angle is automatically correlated to the field-of-view angle of the image forming lens by selecting a particular combination of backplate segments when or as a particular interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body.

Abstract: A photographic camera having a plurality of interchangeable, adjustable focus lenses and having a focus control system capable of focusing each such lens over a range of subject distances in response to a rangefinder derived signal is provided with a sonic ranging system that includes an ultrasonic, capacitance-type transducer having a multiple segment backplate whose sonic beam angle is automatically correlated to the field-of-view angle of the image forming lens by selecting a particular combination of backplate segments when or as a particular interchangeable lens is attached to the camera body.

Abstract: A sonic ranging system providing at least two bursts of sonic energy of unequal duration directed toward a subject with the time interval between the bursts being no less than the round-trip time for the maximum range at which a subject is to be detected by the preceeding burst includes a receiver which is blanked for a time related to the duration of each burst such that the shorter burst is used to detect very close subject distances and the longer burst employed for further distances. Preferably, the range detected by only one of the bursts is automatically utilized, depending upon whether the subject range is greater or less than a given distance.

Abstract: A unidirectional focus control system for a variable focus lens moves said lens outside of its normal focusing range in order to establish a reliable reference point to which or from which said lens is moved for variable focus lens focusing. In addition, lens movement outside of its normal focusing range provides the means for actuating switch means whose actuation initiates or inhibits the initiation of an event or a series of events.

Abstract: A camera having a displaceable lens includes a lens position sensor and a converter for converting the sensor output into a representation of the in-focus distance associated with that lens position. The in-focus distance of the lens is then compared to the distance of the subject as determined by a rangefinder (e.g., an ultrasonic rangefinder). A visual indication is provided in the viewfinder prompting the user to manually change the position of the lens in a direction that improves the focus or, alternately, the relationship is used for controlling a motor to move the lens to a position at which the subject is in focus.

Abstract: A flash camera having a range finder, a blade position sensor for producing an output representative of the position of the displaceable blades of a scanning shutter, a flash firing apparatus that includes a position/distance converter responsive to the output of the range finder for producing a representation of the desired flash-fire position of the blades, and a coincidence detector responsive to the output of the blade position sensor for firing the flash unit when the blades reach the position at which the exposure aperture established by the blades will effect proper flash exposure of the subject. In one embodiment of the invention, the converter is in the form of a digital memory whose addresses represent subject distances and whose contents at a given address represents the fire-flash position for the distance specified by the given address. In a second embodiment of the invention, the fire-flash position is generated from a scaled clock.

Abstract: A photographic camera having an adjustable focus lens is provided with an automatic focus control system to focus said lens at one focusing rate if the lens focusing movement necessary to focus said lens to the proper subject-in-focus position is greater than a predetermined magnitude, and at another focusing rate if said necessary lens focusing movement is equal to or less than said predetermined magnitude.

Abstract: The lens mount of a movie camera is automatically positioned to maintain an image of a subject in focus on a focal plane of a recording station by generating periodic range pulses having a characteristic directly related to subject range, and converting each pulse to a number which represents the focus position of the lens mount. Such number is stored in a first register whose contents vary in response to changes in subject distance at a rate dependent on the pulse repetition rate of the range pulses. The actual position of the lens mount is determined in the form of a second number which is stored in a second register whose contents vary in response to changes in the position of the lens mount at a rate determined by the rate of change of position. Rotation of a reversible motor is initiated when the contents of the registers are unequal, rotation being terminated when the contents are equal. The direction of rotation is in accordance with which of the two registers has the larger contents.

Abstract: The operational range of an adjustable focus lens is subdivided into a plurality of focus zones, of finite size, by a lens control system that produces a plurality of discrete signals representative of said focus zones, said control system utilizing bidirectional drive means to position the movable element of said lens to one of said focus zones from any position within said operational range in order to focus an image of a remote object at an image plane. The present invention optimally increases the focusing of said control system while equalizing and minimizing the focusing error introduced into said control system resulting from the use of such focus zones with bidirectional drive means, by anticipating the arrival of said movable lens element at the desired focus zone and then interrupting the driving force provided by said drive means for a limited period of time prior to the time that said lens element arrives at said desired focus zone.

Abstract: The operational range of an adjustable focus lens is subdivided into a plurality of focus zones, of finite size, by a lens control system that produces a plurality of discrete signals representative of said focus zones, said control system utilizing bidirectional drive means to position the movable element of said lens to one of said focus zones from any position within said operational range in order to focus an image of a remote object at an image plane.

Abstract: An automatic focusing camera having an indicator for producing an indication when the subject being photographed is too near the camera to be brought into focus. It also provides an inhibit signal if this situation exists thereby precluding operation of an exposure cycle. When the camera is operated in its flash mode, an indicator produces its indication if the subject is outside a predetermined range within which the shutter mechanism is capable of producing a properly exposed photograph under flash illumination and an inhibit signal is also provided in this situation to thereby preclude operation of an exposure cycle.

Abstract: A focusing mechanism for a camera includes a drive arrangement for displacing the camera lens in accordance with the contents of a counter into which the output of a pulse generator is gated during a range pulse whose duration is directly related to the distance of a subject from the camera. The pulse generator is programmed so that its pulse repetition rate matches the time-derivative of the function relating the subject distance to the lens position at which a subject is in focus. Integration of the generator output is carried out by gating the generator pulses into a counter during the range pulse such that at the trailing edge of the range pulse, the contents of the counter will be the integral of the time-derivative evaluated between the limits of the range pulse, i.e., a definite integral representative of the lens position at which a subject will be in focus when located at a distance defined by the duration of the range pulse.

Abstract: The operational range of an adjustable focus lens is subdivided into a plurality of focus zones, of finite size, by a lens control system that produces a plurality of discrete signals representative of said focus zones, said control system utilizing bidirectional drive means to position the movable element of said lens to one of said focus zones from any position within said operational range in order to focus an image of a remote object at an image plane.