Photo-electrically directed self-propelled wheel-supported device

Claim 1

A SELF-PROPELLED WHEEL-SUPPORTED TARGET-CARRYING DEVICE RESPONSIVE TO PHOTO-ELECTRICALLY INDUCED SIGNALS AND TO SEQUENTIAL AND PREDETERMINED AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED SWITCH ACTION TO TRAVERSE A PREDETERMINED PATH BETWEEN A FIRING STATION AND A TARGET STATION TO CONVEY A TARGET BETWEEN SAID STATIONS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: A TARGET CARRIER MOVABLE BETWEEN SAID STATIONS IN RESPONSE TO ELECTRICALLY REGULATED TRAVEL CONTROL MEANS; ELECTRIC DRIVE MOTOR MEANS RESPONSIVE TO CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS FOR PROPELLING SAID CARRIER BETWEEN SAID STATIONS; A SOURCE OF ELECTRIC ENERGY SUPPLYING CURRENT TO SAID DRIVE MOTOR MEANS OF SAID CARRIER AND TO ELECTRICAL CONTROLS THEREFOR; TARGET HOLDING MEANS SUPPORTED ON SAID TARGET CARRIER; A STEERING UNIT ON SAID CARRIER FOR DIRECTING THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAID CARRIER; PHOTO-ELECTRICALLY TRIPPED SIGNAL CIRCUITRY ADAPTED TO BE ENERGIZED IN RESPONSE TO A LIGHT VARIATION SIGNAL AND THEREBY TO EMIT A CIRCUIT SIGNAL AND COMPRISING: PHOTOSENSITIVE BRIDGE MEANS; FIRST TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS SENSITIVE TO THE OUTPUT POTENTIAL OF THE PHOTOSENSITIVE BRIDGE MEANS, WHEREBY VARIATIONS IN THE LIGHT INCIDENCE UPON THE PHOTOSENSITIVE BRIDGE MEANS INDUCES CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE SAID FIRST TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS; SECOND TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS SENSITIVE TO CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE SAID FIRST TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS; AND THIRD TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS SENSITIVE TO CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE SAID SECOND TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS, THE SAID SECOND TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS BEING SELF-LOCKINGLY ENERGIZED BY CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE SAID THIRD TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS, WHEREBY STEADY STATE OUTPUT CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE SAID THIRD TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS EFFECTS THE DESIRED CIRCUIT SIGNAL; PHOTO-ELECTRIC CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID STEERING UNIT OF SAID TARGET CARRIER AND FOR CONTROLLING SAID DRIVE MOTOR MEANS; BRAKE MEANS FOR BRAKING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID TARGET CARRIER AT SELECTABLE POSITIONS ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED PATH; AND PHOTOELECTRIC MEANS FOR SENSING DEVIATION OF SAID TARGET CARRYING DEVICE FROM SAID PREDETERMINED PATH AND EFFECTIVE TO CORRECT SAID DEVIATION TO REDIRECT SAID DEVICE ONTO SAID PATH AUTOMATICALLY UPON DEVIATION OF SAID DEVICE FROM SAID PREDETERMINED PATH.