Patent US3671937A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3671937A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Automatic pattern tracing systems
Assignee: Iwatsu Electric Co Ltd
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Filing: 1970-05-28
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Granted: 1972-06-20
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Expires: 1990-05-28
Abstract
Abstract An automatic system for tracing a pattern depicted on a sheet of drawing comprises a detector operative to determine the presence or absence of the pattern to convert it into an electric signal, tracing direction detecting means responsive to the electric signal to judge whether the pattern is to be traced or not so as to provide a signal for moving the detector in the tracing direction, a driving mechanism responsive to the signal from the tracing direction detecting means to relatively move the detector in a predetermined direction by a predetermined distance and means to generate a digital signal corresponding to the tracing direction or a tracing spot, said detector detecting the information regarding the presence or absence of the pattern in an area close to the pattern to be traced thus continuously tracing the same.
Inventors
- 👤 Tadashi Takahashi
- 👤 Masatoshi Miyazaki
- 👤 Yasuhiko Ogawa
- 👤 Tadashi Sato
- 👤 Kazuhiko Kakuta
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 19:32
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K11/00; G06K11/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 3
Claim 1
Independent Claim
293 words
The method of automatically tracing a pattern on a surface by alternately performing a round scan of the periphery of an elemental area and moving the center of said round scan an incremental distance comprising the steps of: performing a round scanning operation along the periphery of an elemental area on said surface, each scan including sensing a regular line of spots on said periphery for detecting the presence or absence of said pattern, from spot to spot; storing for each said scan digital code information in response to detected changes in said presence or absence of pattern, said code identifying the location on said line of spots of each branch of said pattern traversed by said scan; comparing a stored previous value tracing direction code with said digital code information and storing a tracing direction compared value; comparing a stored previous value tracing forbidden direction code with said digital code information and storing a tracing forbidden direction compared value; detecting the minimum values of respective stored tracing direction and tracing forbidden direction compared values; storing from said digital code information for said branches those codes corresponding to said minimum values as a tracing direction code and tracing forbidden direction code, respectively; moving the center of said round scanning operation over the surface containing said pattern by said incremental distance corresponding to an adjacent position for said elemental area and in one of a set of predetermined directions, the selected direction corresponding to said stored tracing direction code; transferring said tracing direction code and said tracing forbidden direction code to up-date the respective said stored previous value codes at each said scan; and repeating alternately said performing said round scanning operation and said moving said center said incremental distance to trace said pattern.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
293 words
The method of automatically tracing a pattern on a surface by alternately performing a round scan of the periphery of an elemental area and moving the center of said round scan an incremental distance comprising the steps of: performing a round scanning operation along the periphery of an elemental area on said surface, each scan including sensing a regular line of spots on said periphery for detecting the presence or absence of said pattern, from spot to spot; storing for each said scan digital code information in response to detected changes in said presence or absence of pattern, said code identifying the location on said line of spots of each branch of said pattern traversed by said scan; comparing a stored previous value tracing direction code with said digital code information and storing a tracing direction compared value; comparing a stored previous value tracing forbidden direction code with said digital code information and storing a tracing forbidden direction compared value; detecting the minimum values of respective stored tracing direction and tracing forbidden direction compared values; storing from said digital code information for said branches those codes corresponding to said minimum values as a tracing direction code and tracing forbidden direction code, respectively; moving the center of said round scanning operation over the surface containing said pattern by said incremental distance corresponding to an adjacent position for said elemental area and in one of a set of predetermined directions, the selected direction corresponding to said stored tracing direction code; transferring said tracing direction code and said tracing forbidden direction code to up-date the respective said stored previous value codes at each said scan; and repeating alternately said performing said round scanning operation and said moving said center said incremental distance to trace said pattern.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
74 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of storing said digital code information in response to detected changes in said presence or absence of pattern includes: detecting the adjacent digital values of the spots in one of said scans where said pattern is detected to change from white to black and from black to white and supplying the mean value of said adjacent digital values as said digital code information to be stored.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-20 | 1975-12-20 | 1976-06-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-20 | 1979-12-20 | 1980-06-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-20 | 1983-12-20 | 1984-06-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |