Position and direction detecting system using patterns

Claim 2

A position-detecting system comprising means for scanning an image of a fine object having a position pattern formed thereon at a predetermined portion to generate an image signal having a pattern signal component consisting of pulses of a predetermined width, interval and number, means for shaping said pattern signal component into a detection signal having pulses of a predetermined width, interval and number to represent said position pattern, and means for calculating the position of said position pattern relative to a predetermined fixed point on the basis of the detection signal by counting a combination of the number or time of scanning line required from the start of scanning to the detection of pattern signal and the time required from the start of scanning line to the detection of pattern signal so as to detect the position of said fine object.

Claim 3

In a position-detecting system comprising means for scanning an image of a fine object having a position pattern formed thereon at a predetermined portion to generate an image signal having a pattern signal component consisting of pulses of a predetermined width, interval and number, means for shaping said pattern signal component into a detection signal having pulses of a predetermined width, interval and number to represent said position pattern, and means for calculating the position of said position pattern relative to a predetermined fixed point on the basis of the detection signal so as to detect the position of said fine object the improvement therein wherein said scanning means is a television camera, said shaping means comprises a wave-shaping circuit including a first differentiating circuit for differentiating said pattern signal, said system further including a Schmitt circuit for forming a rising component of an output of said first differentiating circuit into pulses, an inverter for inverting an output from said Schmitt circuit, a second differentiating circuit for differentiating an output from said inverter to generate a negative output pulse, and a monostable multivibrator to generate a basic train of pulses triggered and shaped by said negative output pulse, and said calculating means comprises delay circuits whose number is less than, by one, that of pulses obtained from said position-detecting pattern and which delay for respectively predetermined periods of time pulse trains obtained by shunting said basic pulse train so that each one of pulses of said trains may be generated concurrently with a pulse of said basic train, an AND circuit operative only when an output pulse from each of said delay circuits is derived simultaneously with a pulse of the basic pulse train, means for fixing the value of establishment of a coordinate axis, a Y-coordinate detecting means including a counter for counting the number of scanning lines in the direction of a Y-axis during the period of start of scanning and detection of the pattern and which is connected to the television camera and the AND circuit, and a first subtracting counter for calculating the difference between an output from said means for fixing the value of establishment of a coordinate axis and an output from said counteR for counting the number of scanning lines in the direction of a Y-axis, and an X-coordinate detecting means comprising an hour meter connected to the television camera and said AND circuit and adapted to calculate a period between start of scanning and detection of the pattern in the direction of an X-axis and a second subtracting counter for calculating the difference between an output from said means for fixing the value of establishment of a coordinate axis and an output from said X-axis hour meter.

Claim 4

In a position-detecting system comprising means for scanning an image of a fine object having a position pattern formed thereon at a predetermined portion to generate an image signal having a pattern signal component consisting of pulses of a predetermined width, interval and number, means for shaping said pattern signal component into a detection signal having pulses of a predetermined width, interval and number to represent said position pattern, and means for calculating the position of said position pattern relative to a predetermined fixed point on the basis of the detection signal so as to detect the position of said fine object the improvement therein wherein said scanning means is a television camera, said shaping means comprises a wave-shaping circuit including a first differentiating circuit for differentiating said pattern signal, said system further including a Schmitt circuit for forming a rising component of an output of said first differentiating circuit into pulses, an inverter for inverting an output from said Schmitt circuit, a second differentiating circuit for differentiating an output from said inverter to generate a negative output pulse, and a monostable multivibrator to generate a basic train of pulses triggered and shaped by said negative output pulse, and said calculating means comprises delay circuits whose number is less than, by one, that of pulses obtained from said position-detecting pattern and which delay for respectively predetermined periods of time pulse trains obtained by shunting said basic pulse train so that each one of pulses of said trains may be generated concurrently with a pulse of said basic train, an AND circuit operative only when an output pulse from each of said delay circuits is derived simultaneously with a pulse of the basic pulse train, means for fixing the value of establishment of a coordinate axis, a Y-coordinate detecting means including a counter for counting the number of scanning lines in the direction of a Y-axis during the period of start of scanning and detection of the pattern and which is connected to the television camera and the AND circuit, and a first subtracting counter for calculating the difference between an output from said means for fixing the value of establishment of a coordinate axis and an output from said counteR for counting the number of scanning lines in the direction of a Y-axis, and an X-coordinate detecting means comprising an hour meter connected to the television camera and said AND circuit and adapted to calculate a period between start of scanning and detection of the pattern in the direction of an X-axis and a second subtracting counter for calculating the difference between an output from said means for fixing the value of establishment of a coordinate axis and an output from said X-axis hour meter.

Claim 5

A position and direction detecting system comprising means for obtaining an image signal by scanning a fine object having a first pattern and a second pattern thereon at predetermined portions thereof, said first pattern having such a shape that an image signal obtained by scanning said first pattern has pulses of a predetermined width, interval and number, said second pattern having a shape differring from that of the first pattern, means for obtaining from said image signal obtained by said means a first detecting signal and a second detecting signal both wave shaped to have pulses corresponding in pulse width, interval and in number to said first pattern and said second pattern respectively, means for calculating the position of said first pattern relative to a predetermined fixed point on the basis of said first detecting signal and for detecting the position of said fine object by detecting the coordinate of said first pattern, and means for calculating the position of said second pattern relative to a predetermined fixed point on the basis of said second detecting signal and for detecting the direction of said fine object on the basis of the difference between the coordinate value of said first pattern and the coordinate value of said second pattern.

Claim 6

A position and direction detecting system comprising means for obtaining an image signal by scanning a fine object having a first pattern and a second pattern thereon at predetermined portions thereof, said first pattern having such a shape that an image signal obtained by scanning said first pattern has pulses of a predetermined width, interval and number, said second pattern having a shape differring from that of the first pattern, means for obtaining from said image signal obtained by said means a first detecting signal and a second detecting signal both wave shaped to have pulses corresponding in pulse width, interval and in number to said first pattern and said second pattern respectively, means for calculating the position of said first pattern relative to a predetermined fixed point on the basis of said first detecting signal and for detecting the position of said fine object by detecting the coordinate of said first pattern, and means for calculating the position of said second pattern relative to a predetermined fixed point on the basis of said second detecting signal and for detecting the direction of said fine object on the basis of the difference between the coordinate value of said first pattern and the coordinate value of said second pattern.

Claim 7

The system according to claim 3 wherein said means for obtaining the image signal is a television camera, said means for obtaining the detecting signals comprises a first differentiating circuit for differentiating said image signal, a Schmitt circuit for forming a rising component of an output from said first differentiating circuit into pulses, an inverter for inverting an output from said Schmitt circuit, a second differentiating circuit for differentiating an output from said inverter, and a monostable multivibrator to generate a basic train of pulses triggered by a negative output pulse from said second differentiating circuit, said means for calculating the position of the object comprises a first group of delay circuits whose number is less than, by one, that of pulses obtained from said first pattern and which cause pulse trains obtained by shunting said basic pulse train to be delayed for respectively predetermined periods of time so that each one of pulses of said trains may be generated concurrently with a pulse of said basic train, a first AND circuit operative only when an output pulse from each of said first group of delay circuits is derived concurrently with a pulse of said basic pulse train, a fixed value producer for a coordinate axis, a Y-coordinate detecting means for the first pattern comprising a first counter connected to the television camera and the first AND circuit and which counts the number of Y-axis scanning lines during the period of start of scanning and detection of the first pattern, and a first subtracting counter for calculating the difference between an output from said fixed value producer and an output from said first counter, and said means for detecting the direction of the fine object comprises a second group of delay circuits whose number is less than, by one, that of pulses obtained from said second pattern and which cause pulse trains obtained by shunting said basic pulse train to be delayed for respectively predetermined periods of time so that each one of pulses of said trains may be generated concurrently with a pulse of said basic train, a second AND circuit operative only when an output pulse from each of said second group of delay circuiTs is derived concurrently with a pulse of said basic pulse train means for calculating the difference between the Y-coordinate values of said first pattern and said second pattern comprising a second counter connected to the television camera and said second AND circuit and which counts the number of Y-axis scanning lines during the period of start of scanning and detection of the second pattern thereby to calculate a Y-coordinate value of the second pattern, and a third subtracting counter for calculating the difference between an output from said first counter and an output from said second counter, means for calculating the difference between the X-coordinate values of said first pattern and said second pattern comprising a second hour meter counter connected to the television camera and the second AND circuit and which calculates the X-axis scanning period between start of scanning and detection of the second pattern, thereby to detecting the X-coordinate value of the second pattern, a fourth subtracting counter for calculating the difference between an output from said first hour meter counter and said second hour meter counter, and means for calculating the inclination within a coordinate plane of a line interconnecting the first pattern and the second pattern on the basis of signals representing respectively the difference between the Y-coordinate values of the first and second patterns and the difference between the X-coordinate values of the first and second patterns.