US3711717A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical line follower
Assignee: Gerber Systems Corp
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Filing: 1970-09-16
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Granted: 1973-01-16
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Expires: 1990-09-16
Abstract
Abstract In an optical line follower having a circular scan path and encoders for encoding the position of the center of the scan path, a vector signal defining the location, relative to the center of the scan path, of the point at which the scan path crosses the followed line is added to the encoder signal to provide a coordinate data output signal which output signal repetitively taken at spaced points along the line describes the line more accurately than the encoder signal repetitively taken by itself.
Inventors
- 👤 L Rich
- 👤 D Blake
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 18:04
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05B; G05B19/00; G05B19/02; G05B19/42; G05B19/4202; G05B19/4205; G06; G06K; G06K11/00; G06K11/02; G06K11/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
189 words
An optical line follower of the type having a scanning device movable relative to a work surface containing a line to be followed and including means for optically scanning said work surface by determining the condition of said work surface at a sensing point which is repetitively moved across said line in a path spaced from a given center point, means responsive to the output of said scanning device for producing a direction signal related to the direction of the line between said center point and the point at which said path crosses said line to be followed, means responsive to said direction signal for moving said scanning device relative to said work surface to cause said center point to move toward said crossing point, and encoder means connected with said scanning device for producing an encoder signal defining the position of said center point relative to said work surface, wherein the improvement comprises a means for adding to said encoder signal a vector signal directly related to said direction signal to produce an output signal indicative of the position relative to said work surface of said crossing point.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
189 words
An optical line follower of the type having a scanning device movable relative to a work surface containing a line to be followed and including means for optically scanning said work surface by determining the condition of said work surface at a sensing point which is repetitively moved across said line in a path spaced from a given center point, means responsive to the output of said scanning device for producing a direction signal related to the direction of the line between said center point and the point at which said path crosses said line to be followed, means responsive to said direction signal for moving said scanning device relative to said work surface to cause said center point to move toward said crossing point, and encoder means connected with said scanning device for producing an encoder signal defining the position of said center point relative to said work surface, wherein the improvement comprises a means for adding to said encoder signal a vector signal directly related to said direction signal to produce an output signal indicative of the position relative to said work surface of said crossing point.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
An optical line follower as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said means for adding to said encoder signal a signal directly related to said direction signal including a scaling means for multiplying said direction signal by a predetermined factor to produce said vector signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
173 words
An optical line follower of the type having a scanning device movable relative to a work surface containing a line to be followed and including means for optically scanning a circular scan path on said work surface, means responsive to the output of said scanning device for producing a direction signal related to the angular position along said scan path of the point at which such scan path crosses said line to be followed, means responsive to said direction signal for moving said scanning device relative to said work surface to cause the center of said circular scan path to move toward said crossing point, and encoder means connected with said scanning device for producing an encoder signal indicative of the position of the center of said scan path relative to said work surface, wherein the improvement comprises a means for adding to said encoder signal a vector signal directly related to said direction signal to produce an output signal indicative of the position relative to said work surface of said crossing point.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
173 words
An optical line follower of the type having a scanning device movable relative to a work surface containing a line to be followed and including means for optically scanning a circular scan path on said work surface, means responsive to the output of said scanning device for producing a direction signal related to the angular position along said scan path of the point at which such scan path crosses said line to be followed, means responsive to said direction signal for moving said scanning device relative to said work surface to cause the center of said circular scan path to move toward said crossing point, and encoder means connected with said scanning device for producing an encoder signal indicative of the position of the center of said scan path relative to said work surface, wherein the improvement comprises a means for adding to said encoder signal a vector signal directly related to said direction signal to produce an output signal indicative of the position relative to said work surface of said crossing point.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
79 words
An optical line follower as defined in claim 3 further characterized by means for varying the diameter of said circular scan path, and said means for adding to said encoder signal a signal directly related to said direction signal including a scaling means for multiplying said direction signal by a predetermined factor to produce said vector signal, and means connected with said scan path diameter varying means for varying said predetermined factor with variations in said scan path diameter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
175 words
An optical line follower as defined in claim 3 further characterized by said means responsive to the output of said scanning device for producing a direction signal comprising a means for producing a direction signal having X and Y components defining the direction from the center of said scan path of said point at which said scan path crosses said line, said encoder means comprising means for producing a signal having X and Y components defining the position of the center of said circular scan path relative to said work surface, said means for adding to said encoder signal a vector signal directly related to said direction signal including means for multiplying each of said X and Y components of said direction signal by a common predetermined factor to produce X and Y components of said vector signal, means for adding said X component of said vector signal to said X component of said encoder signal, and means for adding said Y component of said vector signal to said Y component of said encoder signal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
147 words
An optical line follower as defined in claim 5 further characterized by said encoder means being adapted to provide said X and Y components of said encoder signal in digital form, said means for producing a direction signal being adapted to provide said X and Y components of said direction signal in analog form, said means for multiplying each of said X and Y components of said direction signal by a common predetermined factor being adapted to produce said X and Y components of said vector signal in analog form, an analog to digital converter for converting said X component of said vector signal to digital form prior to addition to said X component of said encoder signal, and an analog to digital converter for converting said Y component of said vector signal to digital form prior to addition to said Y component of said encoder signal.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-01-16 | 1976-07-17 | 1977-01-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-01-16 | 1980-07-17 | 1981-01-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-01-16 | 1984-07-17 | 1985-01-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |