Automatic taped program control apparatus for a machine tool

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE MOVEMENT OF A MOVABLE ELEMENT OF A MACHINE TOOL, RELATIVE TO A STATIONARY ELEMENT AND HAVING A DRIVE SHAFT, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A DRIVEN SHAFT FOR SAID MOVABLE ELEMENT, (B) MEANS OPERABLE BY SIGNALS FOR TRANSMITTING DRIVE FROM SAID DRIVE SHAFT TO SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, (C) PROGRAM MEANS FOR SUPPLYING A REFERENCE BASIS FOR THE CONTROLLED MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE ELEMENT. AND PROGRAM MEANS INCLUDING A SERIES OF READABLE SIGNALS, (D) MEANS FOR PICKING UP AND TRANSMITTING SAID SIGNALS, (E) CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID SIGNALS AND TRANSFORMING THEM INTO OPERATING SIGNALS FOR SAID TRANSMITTING MEANS AND INTO REFERENCE PULSES OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER, (F) MEANS FOR SUPPLYING A REFERENCE BASIS FOR THE MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE ELEMENT, SAID MEANS INCLUDING READABLE INFORMATION HAVING A KNOWN RELATIONSHIP TO SAID REFERENCE PULSES, (G) A FIRST DETECTOR MOUNTED ON SAID MOVABLE ELEMENT FOR COACTION WITH SAID INFORMATION MEANS AND ADAPTED TO PRODUCE A PLURALITY OF PULSES IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE ELEMENT; A SECOND DETECTOR MOUNTED ON SAID STATIONARY ELEMENT ELEMENT FOR COACTION WITH SAID INFORMATION MEANS AND ADAPTED TO PRODUCE A PLURALITY OF PULSES IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID INFORMATION MEANS, (H) MEANS FOR TOTALIZING SAID MOVEMENT PULSES, (I) MEANS FOR COMPARING THE NUMBER OF SAID MOVEMENT PULSES TO THE NUMBER OF REFERENCE PULSES FOR PRODUCING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL WHEN SAID NUMBERS ARE IN COINCIDENCE, AND (J) MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT SIGNAL FOR MODIFYING SAID OPERATING SIGNALS.