System for driving a stepping motor at varying speeds

Claim 1

IN A VARIABLE-DISTANCE DRIVE SYSTEM; A STEPPING MOTOR HAVING A STATOR ENERGIZABLE BY PULSES IN A PLURALITY OF MODES AND A ROTOR DIFFERENTLY RESPONSIVE TO EACH DIFFERENT MODE OF ENERGIZATION TO MOVE INTO A DIFFERENT POSITION SUCH THAT SUCCESSIVE PULSES IN A PREDETERMINED ORDER OF MODES ROTATE SAID ROTOR INCREMENTALLY IN A DIRECTION A DISTANCE PROPORTIONAL TO THE NUMBER OF PULSES, SAID MOTOR HAVING A SEPARATE ENERGIZING CIRCUIT FOR EACH MODE OF OPERATION; AN ENERGIZING SOURCE; SWITCHING MEANS OPERABLE IN A DIRECTION FOR SEQUENTIALLY APPLYING PULSES FROM SAID SOURCE TO SAID SEPARATE ENERGIZING CIRCUITS IN SUCH ORDER AS TO ROTATE SAID ROTOR INCREMENTALLY IN SAID DIRECTION A FIXED DISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO APPLICATION THERETO OF A FIXED NUMBER OF PULSES, AND COMPRISING RELATIVELY ROTATABLE BRUSH AND TRACK STRUCTURES, THE TRACK STRUCTURE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF GROUPS OF SEGMENTS SUCCESSIVELY TRAVERSED BY SAID BRUSH STRUCURE, EACH GROUP OF SEGMENTS COMPRISING A MASTER SEGMENT AND A PLURALITY OF PULSE SEGMENTS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID MOTOR ENERGIZING CIRCUITS, SAID BRUSH STRUCTURE DURING ITS TRANSVERSE OF EACH SECTION SUCCESSIVELY CONNECTING THE MASTER SEGMENT TO THE PULSE SEGMENTS OF THAT GROUP; SAID SWITCHING MEANS ALSO INCLUDING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING SAID SOURCE EITHER TO ALL OF SAID MASTER SEGMENTS OR TO A SYMMETRICALLY SPACED LESSER NUMBER OF SAID MASTER SEGMENTS, WHEREBY SAID STEPPING MOTOR IS DRIVEN AT A SPEED RELATED TO BUT LESS THAN THE SPEED OF SAID BRUSH STRUCTURE RELATIVE TO SAID TRACK STRUCTURE.