Tape programmer for operating machines of various types, in particular operational machines and test machines

Claim 2

A tape programmer for operating machines of various types, in particular operational machines and test machines, comprising: a reader for sensing and transmitting information contained on the tape, movable members, a plurality of actuators, a like plurality of peripheral units coupled to said movable members and to said actuators for furnishing to said actuators signals for operating the movable members of the machine, first and second manual controls, and central unit means operatively coupled to said first and second manual controls, to said reader and to said peripheral units for receiving, decoding and sending to the peripheral units portions of the information transmitted by the reader, and for controlling the advancement and arrest of the tape as a function of the information transmitted by the reader, information transmitted by the peripheral units relative to the state of the movable members connected to them and information transmitted to said central unit means by said first manual controls and finally authorizing second manual controls following reception of other information transmitted by the reader or some of the information transmitted by said first manual controls.

Claim 3

A programmer as claimed in claim 1, further including reader control means for controlling at a constant rate the advancement and reading of the tape and wherein said central unit comprises decoder means for receiving the information transmitted by the reader, decoding said information and sorting it into a plurality of channels, selected ones of said channels coupled to carry to the peripheral units the information relative to changes of state of the members of the machine and others of said channels coupled to carry information relative to the arrest of said reader control means.

Claim 4

A programmer as claimed in claim 2, in which at least one of said other channels comprises ''''wait executed'''' circuit means operatively coupled for receiving at its inlet the information sent to said last-mentioned other channel by the decoder and the information transmitted by at least some of the peripheral units in order to notify that orders previously imparted to said last-mentioned peripheral units have been carried out, and wherein the signal leaving said ''''wait executed'''' circuit means blocks the reader control means should the presence of call executed information transmitted by the decoder means not be corresponded to by the simultaneous presence of executed information transmitted by the peripheral unit which operates the machine member to which said call executed information refers.

Claim 5

A programmer as claimed in claim 2, in which at least one other of said other channels comprises ''''timed wait'''' circuit means for, on receiving ''''timed wait'''' information sent on said last-mentioned channel by the decoder means, emitting a signal fOr blocking the reader control means, said signal having a duration determined by further information coupled to said ''''timed wait'''' information.

Claim 6

A programmer as claimed in claim 2, in which at least a further one of said other channels is coupled to carry arrest information for the reader control means, of unlimited duration, directly to the reader control means.

Claim 7

A programmer as claimed in claim 5, in which said arrest information, termed ''''stop tape'''', is coupled to cause in addition to the arrest of the reader control means, also the authorization of a part of the second manual controls.

Claim 8

A programmer as claimed in claim 6, in which said second manual controls are operatively coupled to permit the manual control of the movements and variations of physical state of the members of the machine.

Claim 9

A programmer as claimed in claim 5, in which the arrest of the reader control means is caused also by ''''alarm'''' signals emitted by the peripheral units when dangerous conditions arise.

Claim 10

A programmer as claimed in claim 8, further including an alarm circuit coupled for enabling said alarm signals to act on the reader control means.

Claim 11

A programmer as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first and second manual controls are coupled for enabling the arrest of the reader control means by causing the operation of two of the first manual controls, one of them (called ''''arrest tape'''' ) and also by causing the authorization of a part of said second manual controls, the other (called ''''manual'''' ) also causing the authorization of all of said second manual controls.

Claim 12

A programmer as claimed in claim 10, in which said first manual controls also comprise at least one other control means, called ''''preselection'''' means, coupled for causing the unblocking of the reader control means and the advancement of the tape to a new predetermined arrest position, said ''''preselection'''' means also coupled for causing the blocking of the decoder means in such a condition as to block all the information read off the tape with the exception of a predetermined piece of information the reading of which causes the arrest of the reader control means.

Claim 13

A programmer as claimed in claim 10, in which said first manual controls also comprise a further control means, called ''''start working'''' means, in operative relationship for causing the unblocking of the reader control means and the recommencement of advancement and reading of the tape from the point at which the tape had been previously stopped.

Claim 14

A programmer as claimed in claim 12, in which the operation of said ''''start working'''' means is ineffective if it is not preceded by the operation of the ''''preselection'''' means, when the blocking of the reader control means has been caused by operation of the manual controls.

Claim 15

A programmer as claimed in claim 12, in which the operation of said ''''start working'''' means is ineffective if it is not preceded by the operation of the ''''preselection'''' means when the blocking of the reader control means has been caused by an ''''alarm'''' signal.

Claim 16

A programmer as claimed in claim 1, further including limit switches and elements disposed on the machine and wherein each peripheral unit comprises a complex in two stable states, a first stable state corresponding to the deactivation and the second corresponding to the activation of the respective actuator, the switching from the first to the second stable state being caused by information transmitted by the central unit means, or by information transmitted by said second manual controls, the switching from the second to the first stable state being caused by information transmitted by the central unit means, by information transmitted by said second manual controls, by signals coming from said limit switches disposed on the machine for defining the range of variability of the position or physical state of the controlled member or by signals transmitted by other peripheral units or bY said elements disposed on the machine for notifying the presence of interference between the various members of the machine.

Claim 17

A programmer as claimed in claim 15, in which each peripheral unit comprises an inlet part acting as a memory element and an outlet part acting as a power switch.

Claim 18

A programmer as claimed in claim 15, further including forward and backward movement actuators connected to each of said peripheral units and a positioning unit connected to said forward and backward actuators, wherein the peripheral units relative to one member of the machine to be positioned in at least one intermediate position between two extreme positions are connected by their respective forward and backward movement actuators to the outlet of said positioning unit which receives the information transmitted by the central unit means or by said second manual controls and transmits control signals to the one or other of said peripheral units according to whether the movable controlled member is located forward or backward of the controlled position.

Claim 19

A programmer as claimed in claim 17, in which said positioning unit is operatively coupled to assume in succession a plurality of different stable states, each of which corresponds to a position of the controlled movable member between two different intermediate and extreme positions, the switching from one stable state to the other being controlled by said elements, disposed on the machine, which are sensitive to the passage of the controlled member, said positioning unit further having a plurality of inlets for the information transmitted by the central unit means, each of said inlets corresponding to one of the extreme or intermediate controlled positions, said positioning unit further having two outlets, one for the peripheral unit for forward movement and one for the peripheral unit for backward movement, which are activated alternatively following activation of one of said inlets according to whether the activated inlet is one relative to a position situated forward of that corresponding to the stable state in which the machine exists in that moment, or vice versa, the arrival of the controlled movable member in a position corresponding to the sensitive element relative to the controlled position causing the deactivation of the active peripheral unit.

Claim 20

A programmer as claimed in claim 1, comprising a further peripheral unit operatively coupled for receiving and memorizing information of the digital type read off tape, said information referring to positioning levels of a controlled member compared with the instantaneous effective levels of the controlled member such that their different controls said controlled member until it reaches a position corresponding to the annulment of said difference.

Claim 21

A programmer as claimed in claim 11, for use with a punched tape in which the information is gathered in groups each provided with its own address which can be selected by means of operation of said preselection means.

Claim 22

A programmer as claimed in claim 18, in which each piece of said information comprises at least two successive perforations, the result of the reading of the first perforation being memorized at the outlet of the decoder means and at the inlet of the peripheral unit or of the positioning unit concerned, in such a manner that at the arrival of the result of the reading of the second perforation, a pair of signals is formed which represents the information which causes the activation or deactivation of said peripheral unit or said positioning unit.