US3715641A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Film support system
Assignee: Cutler Hammer Inc
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Filing: 1970-09-21
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Granted: 1973-02-06
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Expires: 1990-09-21
Abstract
Abstract Film is transferred from one storage reel to another by applying torques to the reels in opposite rotational directions. The ratio of the torques applied to the reels is adjustable such that the sum of the torques remains constant. The excitation windings of the reel driving motors are connected to the outputs of a differential amplifier that maintains the sum of the excitation currents constant. The torques applied to the reels are adjusted by a control signal applied to one input of the differential amplifier so as to maintain approximately constant film transport speed. The control signal is representative of the deviation of the sum of the angular velocities of the reels from an adjustable constant value.
Inventors
- 👤 L Mattes
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 11:14
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02P; H02P5/00; H02P5/68; G; G03; G03B; G03B21/00; G03B21/14; G03B21/32; G03B21/43
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
61 words
A transport system for a length of flexible ribbon comprising: first and second rotatably supported storage reels; means for guiding ribbon between the reels; means for applying torques to the reels in opposite rotational directions to transfer the ribbon from one reel to the other; and means for adjusting the torques applied to the reels such that their sum remains constant.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
61 words
A transport system for a length of flexible ribbon comprising: first and second rotatably supported storage reels; means for guiding ribbon between the reels; means for applying torques to the reels in opposite rotational directions to transfer the ribbon from one reel to the other; and means for adjusting the torques applied to the reels such that their sum remains constant.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
A transport system for a length of flexible ribbon comprising: first and second rotatably supported storage reels; means for guiding ribbon between the reels; means for applying torques to the reels in opposite rotational directions to transfer the ribbon from one reel to the other; and means for adjusting the torques applied to the reels such that their sum remains constant.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
61 words
A transport system for a length of flexible ribbon comprising: first and second rotatably supported storage reels; means for guiding ribbon between the reels; means for applying torques to the reels in opposite rotational directions to transfer the ribbon from one reel to the other; and means for adjusting the torques applied to the reels such that their sum remains constant.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
63 words
The transport system of claim 1, in which the means for adjusting the torques comprises means for generating a control signal representative of the deviation of the actual ribbon transport speed from a selected transport speed, and means responsive to the control signal for adjusting the ratio of the torques applied to the first and second reels so as to reduce the deviation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
76 words
The system of claim 2, in which the guiding means includes a roller across which the ribbon passes in non-slipping contact between reels; and the means for generating a control signal comprises a tachometer coupled to the roller to produce a signal representative of the angular velocity thereof, a source of bias signals representative of a selected transport speed, and means for differentially combining the output of the tachometer and the output of the bias source.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The transport system of claim 3, in which the source of bias signals is adjustable.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
83 words
The transport system of claim 2, in which the means for generating a control signal comprises a first tachometer coupled to the first reel to produce a signal representative of the angular velocity thereof, a second tachometer coupled to the second reel to produce a signal representative of the angular velocity thereof, a source of bias signals representative of a selected transport speed, and means for differentially combining the outputs of the first and second tachometers with the output of the bias source.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The transport system of claim 5, in which the source of bias signals is adjustable.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
70 words
The transport system of claim 1, in which the means for adjusting the torques applied to the reels comprises means for generating a control signal representative of the deviation of the sum of the angular velocities of the reels from a selected value, and means responsive to the control signal for adjusting the ratio of the torques applied to the first and second reels so as to reduce the deviation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
98 words
The transport system of claim 1, in which the means for applying torques to the reels are first and second motors each having an excitation winding, the torque produced by each motor being proportional to the current passing through its excitation winding; and the means for adjusting the torques comprises a source of electrical energy, means for applying excitation current from the source to the windings of the motors such that the sum of the individual excitation currents remains constant, and means for adjusting the ratio of the individual excitation currents applied to the windings of the motors.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
82 words
The transport system of claim 8, in which the current applying means comprises a differential amplifier, circuitry for connecting the source to the differential amplifier as bias therefor, circuitry for connecting the windings of the motors respectively to the outputs of the differential amplifier, and a constant bias source connected to one input of the differential amplifier; and the means for adjusting the ratio of the currents comprises a manually adjustable bias source connected to the other input of the differential amplifier.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
61 words
A transport system for a length of flexible ribbon comprising: first and second rotatably supported storage reels; means for guiding ribbon between the reels; means for driving the first reel to transfer ribbon from the second reel to the first reel; and means for adjusting the reel-driving means such that the sum of the angular velocities of the reels remains constant.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
61 words
A transport system for a length of flexible ribbon comprising: first and second rotatably supported storage reels; means for guiding ribbon between the reels; means for driving the first reel to transfer ribbon from the second reel to the first reel; and means for adjusting the reel-driving means such that the sum of the angular velocities of the reels remains constant.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
91 words
The transport system of claim 10, in which the adjusting means comprises a first tachometer coupled to the first reel to produce a first signal representative of the angular velocity thereof, a second tachometer coupled to the second reel to produce a second signal representative of the angular velocity thereof, means for generating a control signal representative of the deviation of the sum of the first and second signals from a selected constant, and means responsive to the control signal for adjusting the reel-driving means so as to reduce the deviation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
39 words
The transport system of claim 11, in which the control signal generating means comprises a variable source of bias signals and means for differentially combining the first and second signals with the output of the source of bias signals.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
91 words
The transport system of claim 12, in which the reel-driving means comprises first and second motors coupled respectively to the first and second reels, each motor having an excitation winding; means for applying current to each excitation winding such that the sum of the individual currents applied to the excitation windings is constant, and means responsive to the control signal for adjusting the ratio of the individual currents applied to the excitation windings to reduce the deviation between the sum of the angular velocities of the reels and the selected constant.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
159 words
A transport system comprising: a first rotatably supported storage reel having a hub; a second rotatably supported storage reel having a hub; a length of flexible ribbon wound on the hubs of the first and second reels and extending therebetween, the ratio of the maximum radius of the outer layer of the ribbon on each reel to the radius of the hub of such reel being sufficiently small that the sum of the radii of the outer layers of the ribbon on both reels remains substantially constant; means for applying to the first reel a variable driving torque in a direction to unwind the ribbon from the second reel and wind it onto the first reel; and means for applying to the second reel a variable drag that opposes the unwinding of the ribbon from the second reel, the sum of the variable drag on the second reel and the variable driving torque on the first reel being coNstant.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
159 words
A transport system comprising: a first rotatably supported storage reel having a hub; a second rotatably supported storage reel having a hub; a length of flexible ribbon wound on the hubs of the first and second reels and extending therebetween, the ratio of the maximum radius of the outer layer of the ribbon on each reel to the radius of the hub of such reel being sufficiently small that the sum of the radii of the outer layers of the ribbon on both reels remains substantially constant; means for applying to the first reel a variable driving torque in a direction to unwind the ribbon from the second reel and wind it onto the first reel; and means for applying to the second reel a variable drag that opposes the unwinding of the ribbon from the second reel, the sum of the variable drag on the second reel and the variable driving torque on the first reel being coNstant.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The transport system of claim 14, in which the driving torque applied to the first reel is controlled to maintain a constant transport speed.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
The transport system of claim 14, in which the driving torque applied to the first reel is controlled to maintain the sum of the angular velocities of the reels substantially constant.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
107 words
The transport system of claim 14, in which the means for applying a variable driving torque to the first reel comprises a first motor having an excitation winding and means for applying an excitation current to the winding of the first motor; the means for applying a variable drag to the second reel comprises a second motor having an excitation winding and means for applying an excitation current to the winding of the second motor, the sum of the individual excitation currents of the first and second motors being constant; and means for adjusting the ratio of the individual excitation currents of the first and second motors.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
95 words
The transport system of claim 1, in which the first and second storage reels each have a hub, the system additionally comprising an elongated flexible ribbon wound on the hubs of the first and second reels and guided therebetween by the guiding means, the length of the ribbon relative to the radius of the hub of each reel being sufficiently small that the sum of the radii of the outer layers of the ribbon on both reels remains substantially constant during transport of the entire length of the ribbon from one reel to the other.
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) | 1976-02-06 | 1976-08-07 | 1977-02-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-02-06 | 1980-08-07 | 1981-02-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-02-06 | 1984-08-07 | 1985-02-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |