Scanning head arrangement having servo motor armature secured to shaft on which photocell is carried

Claim 2

A scanning head having a photocell for sensing the presence of a pattern and a bulb for illuminating said pattern with said photocell providing a signal indicative of the direction of movement of said head relative said pattern, the improvement comprising one shaft, means for rotatably supporting said shaft in said head, means carrying said photocell on said one shaft at any one of a plurality of positions lying on a line transverse to the axis of said shaft, and a servo motor having an armature secured to said shaft for rotating said one shaft for maintaining said photocell oriented at a predetermined angle relative said pattern in response to a signal from said photocell.

Claim 3

A scanning head having a photocell for sensing the presence of a pattern and a bulb for illuminating said pattern with said photocell providing a signal indicative of the direction of movement of said head relative said pattern, the improvement comprising a photocell shaft, means for rotatably supporting said photocell shaft in said head, a second shaft, means for rotatably supporting said second shaft coaxially in said photocell shaft, means for carrying said photocell on said photocell shaft for movement transverse to the axis of said shafts, means for moving said photocell transverse to said axis in response to the rotation of said second shaft relative said photocell shaft, a lens carried by said photocell carrying means at a position spaced from said photocell, and a servo motor having an armature secured to said photocell shaft for rotating said photocell shaft for maintaining sAid photocell oriented at a predetermined angle relative said pattern in response to a signal from said photocell.

Claim 4

A scanning head having a photocell for sensing the presence of a pattern and a bulb for illuminating said pattern with said photocell providing a signal indicative of the direction of movement of said head relative said pattern, the improvement comprising a photocell shaft, means for rotatably supporting said photocell shaft in said head, a second shaft, means for rotatably supporting said second shaft coaxially in said photocell shaft, means for carrying said photocell on said photocell shaft for movement transverse to the axis of said shafts, means for moving said photocell transverse to said axis in response to the rotation of said second shaft relative said photocell shaft, a lens carried by said photocell carrying means at a position spaced from said photocell, and a servo motor having an armature secured to said photocell shaft for rotating said photocell shaft for maintaining sAid photocell oriented at a predetermined angle relative said pattern in response to a signal from said photocell.

Claim 5

In the scanning head claimed in claim 2 a metal ring for carrying said bulb with said bulb being a split ring neon bulb encircling said photocell and spaced between said line and photocell with said metal ring having a radial metal portion between said bulb and photocell.

Claim 6

In the scanning head claimed in claim 2 a preamplifier carried by said photocell shaft for amplifying a signal from said photocell.

Claim 7

In the scanning head claimed in claim 4, a plurality of axially extending slots in said photocell shaft for receiving leads extending to said preamplifier.

Claim 8

The scanning head claimed in claim 2 in which said means for moving said photocell comprises a rack movably carried by said photocell shaft, and a pinion engaged with said rack and rotatable with said second shaft for moving said rack.

Claim 9

The scanning head claimed in claim 6 in which said means carrying said photocell comprises a plate having a pair of radially extending longitudinally aligned slots, means for biasing said plate axially in one direction of said shaft, and means passing through a respective slot and secured to said photocell shaft for holding a respective biasing means against said plate.

Claim 10

In the scanning head claimed in claim 7, a pair of lamps carried by said plate on opposite sides of said second shaft axis and along a radial line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said slots, with said lamps having a respective filament for indicating the direction of travel of said head.

Claim 11

In the scanning head claimed in claim 2 a knob at one end of said photocell shaft having a pointer and an opening circumferentially aligned with said pointer, a knob on one end of said second shaft seated in said photocell shaft knob and having indicia visible on one radial surface of said second shaft knob and through said opening for circumferentially adjusting the position of said second shaft relative said pointer.

Claim 12

A scanning head having a photocell for sensing the presence of a pattern and a bulb for illuminating said pattern with said photocell providing a signal indicative of the direction of movement of said head relative said pattern to control a servo motor for rotating said head in correspondence with a curve in said pattern, the improvement comprising a pair of coaxial shafts, means for rotatably supporting one of said shafts in said head and for rotatably supporting the other shaft in said one shaft, means for carrying said photocell on said one shaft for movement transverse to the axis of said shafts, a preamplifier carried by said one shaft for amplifying signals derived from said photocell, a rack carried by said photocell carrying means, a gear carried by said other shaft and engaged with said rack for moving said photocell carrying means and photocell transverse to said axis, a lens carried by said photocell carrying means at a position spaced from said photocell, said one shaft having a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots through which connections are extended to said preamplifier, means at one end of each of said shafts having indicia for indicating the transverse position of said photocell relative the axis of said one shaft, and an armature for said servo motor secured coaxially to said one shaft for rotating said one shaft for enabling said photocell to follow a curved pattern in response to a signal from said photocell.

Claim 13

A scanning head having a photocell for sensing the presence of a pattern and a bulb for illuminating said pattern with said photocell providing a signal indicative of the direction of movement of said head relative said pattern to control a servo motor for rotating said head in correspondence with a curve in said pattern, the improvement comprising a pair of coaxial shafts, means for rotatably supporting one of said shafts in said head and for rotatably supporting the other shaft in said one shaft, means for carrying said photocell on said one shaft for movement transverse to the axis of said shafts, a preamplifier carried by said one shaft for amplifying signals derived from said photocell, a rack carried by said photocell carrying means, a gear carried by said other shaft and engaged with said rack for moving said photocell carrying means and photocell transverse to said axis, a lens carried by said photocell carrying means at a position spaced from said photocell, said one shaft having a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots through which connections are extended to said preamplifier, means at one end of each of said shafts having indicia for indicating the transverse position of said photocell relative the axis of said one shaft, and an armature for said servo motor secured coaxially to said one shaft for rotating said one shaft for enabling said photocell to follow a curved pattern in response to a signal from said photocell.

Claim 14

In the scanning head claimed in claim 10, a pair of spaced bulbs carried by said photocell carrying means for providing indicia adjacent said pattern corresponding to the direction of travel of said scanning head, and a transparent annular shield carried by said head for encircling said lens to protect said lens while enabling said indicia and pattern to be viewed.

Claim 15

A scanning head having a photocell for sensing the presence of a pattern and a neon bulb for illuminating the pattern with said photocell providing a Signal indication of the direction of movement of said head to control a pair of drive motors having coordinate drives for moving the head in the direction of said pattern, the improvement comprising a pair of coaxial shafts, means for rotatably supporting one of said shafts in said head and for rotatably supporting the other shaft in said one shaft, means for carrying said photocell adjacent one end of said shaft for movement transverse to the axis of said shafts, a preamplifier carried by said one shaft adjacent said one end of said shaft, a rack carried by said photocell carrying means, a gear carried by said other shaft and engaged with said rack for moving said photocell transverse to said axis, a lens carried by said photocell carrying means at a position spaced from said photocell, a pair of lamps spaced on opposite sides of said photocell and carried by said photocell carrying means, metal means for carrying said neon bulb at a position spaced axially between said photocell and lens and encircling said shafts with said metal means shielding said photocell, said one shaft having a plurality of milled slots through which connections are extended to said preamplifier and lamps, a respective knob at the opposite end of each of said shafts for indicating the relative positions of said shafts and the transverse position of said photocell relative said one shaft axis, and a servo motor having an armature secured to said one shaft for rotating said one shaft to follow a curved pattern in response to a signal from said photocell.

Claim 16

A scanning head having a photocell for sensing the presence of a pattern and a neon bulb for illuminating the pattern with said photocell providing a Signal indication of the direction of movement of said head to control a pair of drive motors having coordinate drives for moving the head in the direction of said pattern, the improvement comprising a pair of coaxial shafts, means for rotatably supporting one of said shafts in said head and for rotatably supporting the other shaft in said one shaft, means for carrying said photocell adjacent one end of said shaft for movement transverse to the axis of said shafts, a preamplifier carried by said one shaft adjacent said one end of said shaft, a rack carried by said photocell carrying means, a gear carried by said other shaft and engaged with said rack for moving said photocell transverse to said axis, a lens carried by said photocell carrying means at a position spaced from said photocell, a pair of lamps spaced on opposite sides of said photocell and carried by said photocell carrying means, metal means for carrying said neon bulb at a position spaced axially between said photocell and lens and encircling said shafts with said metal means shielding said photocell, said one shaft having a plurality of milled slots through which connections are extended to said preamplifier and lamps, a respective knob at the opposite end of each of said shafts for indicating the relative positions of said shafts and the transverse position of said photocell relative said one shaft axis, and a servo motor having an armature secured to said one shaft for rotating said one shaft to follow a curved pattern in response to a signal from said photocell.

Claim 17

In the head claimed in claim 12, a synchro, a resolver, and means gearing said one shaft to both said synchro and resolver adjusting the position of both said synchro and resolver in accordance with the rotational position of said one shaft.