Single channel programmed tape motor control for machine tools

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE POSITION OF A MOVABLE MEMBER COMPRISING EXTERNAL MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID MOVABLE MEMBER THROUGH AN ARBITRARY PROGRAM OF OPERATION, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID MOVABLE MEMBER FOR GENERATING A REPETITIVE PULSE SIGNAL HAVING TWO DISCRETE PORTIONS FORMING AN INSTRUCTION SIGNAL WHEN SAID MOVABLE MEMBER IS BEING DRIVEN BY SAID EXTERNAL MEANS, THE RATIO OF THE TIME DURATION OF SAID PORTIONS VARYING BETWEEN PREDETERMINED LIMITS IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN THE INSTANTANEOUS RELATIVE POSITION OF SAID MOVABLE MEMBER, RECORDING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID INSTRUCTION SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS FOR CHRONOLOGICALLY RECORDING SAID INSTRUCTION SIGNAL TO FORM AN INSTRUCTION PROGRAM FOR SAID MOVABLE MEMBER, MOTIVE MEANS COUPLED TO SAID RECORDING MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID MEMBER IN RESPONSE TO SAID RECORDED INSTRUCTION PROGRAM, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID MOVABLE MEMBER FOR GENERATING A CYCLICALLY REPETITIVE INFORMATION SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE INSTANTANEOUS POSITION OF SAID MOVABLE MEMBER DURING PLAYBACK OF SAID RECORDED INSTRUCTION PROGRAM, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID RECORDING MEANS FOR DERIVING A CYCLICALLY REPETITIVE REFERENCE SIGNAL FROM SAID INSTRUCTION SIGNAL DURING PLAYBACK, THE RATIO OF THE TIME SPACING OF SAID INFORMATION AND REFERENCE SIGNALS VARYING BETWEEN PREDETERMINED LIMITS IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES INSTANTANEOUS RELATIVE POSITION OF SAID MOVABLE MEMBER DURING PLAYBACK, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID RECORDING MEANS AND SAID REFERENCE SIGNAL DERIVING MEANS AND OPERATIVE DURING PLAYBACK FOR DERIVING A FIRST COMPARISON SIGNAL FROM SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID RECORDED INSTRUCTION SIGNAL AND SAID REFERENCE SIGNAL, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID RECORDING MEANS AND SAID INFORMATION GENERATING MEANS AND OPERATIVE DURING PLAYBACK FOR DERIVING A SECOND COMPARISON SIGNAL FROM SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID INSTRUCTION SIGNAL AND SAID INFORMATION SIGNAL, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND COMPARISON SIGNAL DERIVING MEANS FOR ALGEBRAICALLY ADDING SAID FIRST AND SECOND COMPARISON SIGNALS AND GENERATING AN ERROR SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RESULTS OF SAID ALGEBRAIC ADDITION, AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ERROR SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS AND SAID MOTIVE MEANS AND OPERATIVE TO EFFECTTIVELY DRIVE SAID MOTIVE MEANS UNTIL SAID ERROR SIGNAL IS NULLIFIED.