Automatic curve following system

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED CURVE-FOLLOWING SYSTEM ADAPTED TO FOLLOW ONE EDGE OF A CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT DEFINING SUCH CURVE, COMPRISING: (A) A DIELECTRIC SUPPORT; (B) A CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT HAVING ONE EDGE FORMED TO DEFINE SAID CURVE, MOUNTED ON SAID DIELECTRIC SUPPORT AND FORMING ONE PLATE OF A CAPACITOR; (C) AN R.F. VOLATAGE SOURCE CONNECTED TO SAID CONDURCTIVE ELEMENT; (D) A CONDUCTIVE PROBE POSITIONED ABOVE SAID EDGE OF SAID CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT AND ELECTROSTATICALLY COUPLED TO SAID CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT TO FORM THE OTHER PLATE OF SAID CAPACITOR; (E) A RECTIFIER MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID PROBE AND ADAPTED TO CONVERT THE R.F. VOLATAGE INDUCED IN SAID PROBE TO A D.C. VOLATAGE;; (F) AN ADJUSTABLE D.C. VOLTAGE SOURCE ADAPTED TO BE ADJUSTED TO AN AMPLITUDE RELATED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID PROBE; (G) A VOLTAGE COMPARATOR CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID D.C. VOLTAGE SOURCE AND TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID RECTIFIER MEANNS AND ADAPTED TO PRODDUCE A DIFFERENTIAL VOLTAGE PROPORTIONAL TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID OUTPUTS OF SAID D.C. VOLTAGE SOURCE AND SAID RECTIFIER MEANS AND HAVING A CHARACTERISTIC INDICATING WHEN SAID DIFFERENTIAL VOLTAGE IS ABOVE AND WHEN SAID DIFFERENTIAL VOLTAGE IS BELOW SAID OUTPUT OF SAID D.C. VOLTAGE SOURCE; AND (H) MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PROBE IN RESPONSE TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID COMPARATOR MEANS TO MOVE SAID PICKUP MEANS A DISTANCE PROPORTIONAL TO THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID DIFFERENTIAL VOLTAGE AND IN A DIRECCTION DICTATED BY THE CHARACTERISTIC OF SAID DIFFERENTIAL VOLTAGE.