Readout device for altitude reporting encoder

Abstract

Abstract A READOUT DEVICE FOR VISUALLY DISPLAYING IN DECIMAL FORM THE OUPT OF AN ALTITUDE REPORTING ENCODE WHOSE ELEVEN PARALLEL DIGITAL OUTPUT SIGNALS ARE CODED IN THE MOA-GILHAM CODE AND ARE INDICATIVE OF A PARTICULAR ALTITUDE INCREMENT WITHIN A RANGE EXTENDING TO LEVELS ABOVE AND BELOW SEA LEVE. THE READOUT DEVICE INCLUDES SPECIAL LOGIC CIRCUITRY, HVING AN ESSENTIALLY ASYNCHRONOUS MODE OF OPERATION, FOR DECODING THE THREE LEAST SIGNIFICANT OUTPUT SIGNALS OF THE ENCODER INTO A SIGNAL FOR ACTIVATING THE VISUAL DISPLAY OF A HUNDREDS DIGIT FOR THE PARTICULAR ALTITUDE INCREMENT BEING REPORTED. THE DEVICE ALSO INCLUDES A GRAY TO BINARY CONVERTER, HAVING AN ESSENTIALLY ASYNCHRONOUS MODE OF OPERATION, FOR CONVERTING THE EIGHT MOST SIGNIFICANT OUTPUT SIGNALS OF THE ENCODER INTO A BINARY SIGNAL. CIRCUITRY, WHICH OPERATES BASICALLY IN A SYNCHRONOUS MODE, IS PROVIDED FOR DECODING A MORE SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE BINARY SIGNAL OF THE CONVERTER AND PROVIDING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL FOR THE ACTIVATION OF A VISUAL DISPLAY OF A THOUSANDS DIGIT AND A TEN THOUSANDS DIIT FOR THE ALTITUDE INCREMENT BEING REPORTED BY THE ENCODER. SPECIAL SUBTRACTION CONTROL CIRCUITRY AND LOGIC CIRCUITRY ARE INCLUDED IN THE CONVERTER DECODING CIECUITRY TO INSURE THAT THE PROPER THOUSANDS DIGIT WILL BE DISPLAYED. OTHER CIRCUITS ARE PROVIDED FOR UPDATING THE VISUAL DISPLAY AT A FLICKERLESS RAE, FOR TESTING THE ENCODER TO SEE THAT IT IS OPERATING AND FOR SELECTIVELY HOLDING A GIVEN VISUAL DISPLAY WHEN THE ENCODER REPORTED ALTITUDE IS CHANGING RAPIDLY.

Inventors

• 👤 John M K Bergey

Bibliographic Details