Electrical measuring and sorting apparatus

Claim 1

ELECTRICAL MEASURING APPARATUS FOR CALIPERING AND SORTING WORK PIECES ACCORDING TO SIZE, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, MEASURING FRAME MEANS INCLUDING A MEASURING TABLE; MEASURING HEAD MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME MEANS OPPOSITE SAID MEASURING TABLE AND COMPRISING SENSING PIN MEANS SLIDABLE LONGITUDINALLY ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH IN SAID HEAD MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY RELTIVE TO SAID MEASURING TABLE AND INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PORTION CONSTITUTING A MAGNETIC CORE, AT LEAST ONE FIRST PAIR OF INDUCTION COILS ALIGNED WITH EACH OTHER IN SAID HEAD MEANS AND SURROUNDING SAID PATH OF SAID MAGNETIC CORE PORTION, AT LEAST ONE SECOND PAIR OF INDUCTION COILS SEPARATE FROM SAID FIRST PAIR OF COILS AND CONNECTED THEREWITH TO CONSTITUTE A COMPENSATION BRIDGE CIRCUIT, AND AN ALTERNATING VOLTAGE GENERATOR MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID BRIDGE CIRCUIT AND FOR PRODUCING AT THE TERMINALS THEREOF AN OUTPUT VOLTAGE WHEN SAID BRIDGE CIRCUIT IS IN UNBALANCED CONDITION DUE TO A MOVEMENT OF SAID SENSING PIN MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST PAIR OF COILS, SAID OUTPUT VOLTAGE BEING AN ANALOG VALUE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF SUCH MOVEMENT OUT OF A CHOSEN REFERENCE POSITION IN WHICH SAID BRIDGE CIRCUIT IS BALANCED; ELECTRIC CIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TERMINALS AND COMPRISING FIRST CAPACITOR MEANS FOR STORING A FIRST ANALOG VALUE OF SAID OUTPUT VOLTAGE CORRESPONDING TO A CHOSEN STARTING POSITION OF SAID SENSING PIN MEANS AND TO A CORRESPONDING UNBALANCE OF SAID BRIDGE CIRCUIT, SECOND CAPACITOR MEANS FOR STORING A SECOND ANALOG VALUE OF SAID OUTPUT VOLTAGE CORRESPONDING TO A DISPLACED POSITION OF SENSING PIN MEANS CAUSED BY PLACING A WORK PIECE BETWEEN SAID MEASURING TABLE AND SAID SENSING PIN MEANS, THIRD CAPACITOR MEANS FOR STORING A THIRD FIXED ANALOG VALUE OF SAID OUTPUT VOLTAGE CORRESPONDING TO A CHOSEN REFERENCE POSITION OF SAID SENSING PIN MEANS AND CORRESPONDING TO A LOWER TOLERANCE LIMIT DIMENSION OF SAID WORK PIECE, FIRST SWITCH MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID FIRST CAPACITOR MEANS WITH SAID COMPENSATION BRIDGE TERMINALS WHEN SAID SENSING PIN MEANS IS IN SID STARTING POSITION, SECOND SWITCH MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID SECOND CAPACITOR MEANS WITH SAID COMPENSATION BRIDGE TERMINALS WHEN A WORK PIECE IS IN MEASURING POSITION BETWEEN SAID MEASURING TABLE AND SAID SENSING PIN MEANS, AND THIRD SWITCH MEANS MOVABLE BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH IT CONNECTS SAID THIRD CAPACITOR MEANS WITH AN ELECTRIC VOLTAVE SOURCE, CONTROL MEANS BEING PROVIDED FOR ADJUSTING THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF SAID SOURCE SO AS TO CORRESPOND AS AN ANALOG VALUE TO A POSITION OF SAID SENSING PIN MEANS CORRESPONDING TO A CHOSEN LOWER TOLERANCE LIMIT DIMENSION OF THE WORK PIECES TO BE MEASURED, AND A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH SAID THIRD SWITCH MEANS CONNECTS SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD CAPACITOR MEANS AS A SERIES-COMBINATION WITH EACH OTHER SO AS TO ENABLE SAID SERIES-COMBINATION TO DISCHARGE A FINAL OUTPUT VOLTAGE WHICH IS THE ALGEBRAIC SUM OF THE INDIVIDUAL VOLTAGES STORED IN SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD CAPACITOR MEANS AND CORRESPONDS TO THE MEASURED SIZE OF THE PARTICULAR WORK PIECE; AND SORTING MEANS FOR SORTING A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVELY MEASURED WORK PIECES ACCORDING TO SIZE AND COMPRISING DISCRIMINATOR CIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRIC CIRCUIT MEANS FOR BEING SUPPLIED WITH SAID FINAL OUTPUT VOLTAGE, SORTING CHANNELS EMANATING FROM SAID MEASURING TABLE AND RESPECTIVELY ASSIGNED TO PIECE SIZES WITHIN, ABOVE AND BELOW A CHOSEN TOLERANCE RANGE AND ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLABLE GATE MEANS ARRANGED ACROSS SAID CHANNELS AND CONTROLLED BY SAID DISCRIMINATOR CIRCUIT MEANS IN SUCH A MANNER THAT AFTER EACH MEASURING OPERATION RESULTING IN AN ENERGIZATION OF SAID DISCRIMINATOR CIRCUIT MEANS BY A FINAL OUTPUT VOLTAGE CORRESPONDING TO A MEASURED SIZE OF A PARTICULAR WORK PIECE SAID GATE MEANS AS SO ACTUATED THAT SAID PARTICULAR MEASURED WORKPIECE IS PERMITTED TO ENTER ONLY THAT ONE SORTING CHANNEL WHICH IS ASSIGNED TO RECEIVING WORK PIECES WITH A SIZE CORRESPONDING TO THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID FINAL OUTPUT VOLTAGE WHICH ACTUATES THE RESPECTIVE GATE MEANS.