Apparatus for scanning signals

Claim 2

In an apparatus for scanning signals along at least one signal track, the apparatus including signal pickup means not guided on the track which may be subjected to transverse displacements relative to the pickup means, the improvement wherein said pickup means comprises a plurality of signal sensors arranged in a row transverse to the track for scanning the track to detect information signals from the track, the number of said sensors being such that at least one of said plurality of sensors detects the information signals from the track during all expected transverse displacements and at least one other sensor of said plurality of sensors is in a zone immediately adjacent the track, which zone furnishes no information signals during scanning; and further comprising a disjunctive circuit, and selector circuit means responsive to signals from said plurality of sensors for passing information signals from said sensors to said diSjunctive circuit, said selector circuit means including: a separate sensor signal recognition circuit means, having an enabling input means, operatively associated with each respective signal sensor for developing a respective recognition signal in response to information signals detected by the respective signal sensor and effecting the passing of the information signals from its associated signal sensor to said disjunctive circuit, each of said separate sensor signal recognition means having means for coupling the respective recognition signal produced by each of said separate signal recognition circuit means to said enabling input means thereof; and means for coupling the respective recognition signal produced by each of said separate sensor signal recognition circuit means to the enabling input means of the separate sensor signal recognition circuit means associated with the adjacent signal sensors of said plurality of signal sensors.

Claim 3

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising means for supplying an initial enabling signal to said enabling input means of at least one of said sensor signal recognition circuit means.

Claim 4

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising at least one additional disjunctive circuit and at least one additional of said selector circuit means, said additional selector circuit means being responsive to information signals from said plurality of signal sensors for passing information signals to said at least one additional disjunctive circuit, whereby a plurality of tracks may be simultaneously scanned with the same plurality of signal sensors.

Claim 5

An arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said plurality of sensors are operatively arranged so that at least more than one sensor of said plurality of sensors scans a single track.

Claim 6

In an apparatus for scanning signals along at least one signal track, the apparatus including signal pickup means not guided on the track which may be subjected to transverse displacements relative to the pickup means, the improvement wherein said pickup means comprises a plurality of signal sensors arranged in a row transverse to the track for scanning the track to detect information signals from the track, the number of said sensors being such that at least one of said plurality of sensors detects the information signals from the track during all exected transverse displacements and at least one other sensor of said plurality of sensors is in a zone immediately adjacent the track, which zone furnishes no information signals during scanning; and further comprising: a disjunctive circuit; selector circuit means responsive to signals from said plurality of sensors for passing information signals from said sensors to said disjunctive circuit, said selector circuit means including a separate sensor signal recognition circuit means, having an enabling input means, operatively associated with each respective signal sensor for developing a respective recognition signal in response to information signals detected by the respective signal sensor and effecting the passing of the information signals from its associated signal sensor to said disjunctive circuit, and means for coupling the respective recognition signal produced by each of said separate sensor signal recognition circuit means to the enabling input means of the separate sensor signal recognition circuit means associated with the adjacent signal sensors of said plurality of signal sensors; and means for supplying an initial enabling signal to said enabling input means of at least one of said sensor signal recognition circuit means.

Claim 7

In an apparatus for scanning signals along at least one signal track, the apparatus including signal pickup means not guided on the track which may be subjected to transverse displacements relative to the pickup means, the improvement wherein said pickup means comprises a plurality of signal sensors arranged in a row transverse to the track for scanning the track to detect information signals from the track, the number of said sensors being such that at least one of said plurality of sensors detects the information signals from the track during all exected transverse displacements and at least one other sensor of said plurality of sensors is in a zone immediately adjacent the track, which zone furnishes no information signals during scanning; and further comprising: a disjunctive circuit; selector circuit means responsive to signals from said plurality of sensors for passing information signals from said sensors to said disjunctive circuit, said selector circuit means including a separate sensor signal recognition circuit means, having an enabling input means, operatively associated with each respective signal sensor for developing a respective recognition signal in response to information signals detected by the respective signal sensor and effecting the passing of the information signals from its associated signal sensor to said disjunctive circuit, and means for coupling the respective recognition signal produced by each of said separate sensor signal recognition circuit means to the enabling input means of the separate sensor signal recognition circuit means associated with the adjacent signal sensors of said plurality of signal sensors; and means for supplying an initial enabling signal to said enabling input means of at least one of said sensor signal recognition circuit means.

Claim 8

An arrangement as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for supplying an initial enabling signal to said enabling input means of at least one of said sensor signal recognition circuit means comprises a plurality of code detectors coupled to outputs from respective signal sensors of said plurality of signal sensors and responsive to track identifying signals sensed by said respective signal senSors for developing respective initial enabling signals and supplying them to respective said enabling input means of said separate sensor signal recognition circuit means.

Claim 9

In an apparatus for scanning signals along at least one signal track, the apparatus including signal pickup means not guided on the track which may be subjected to transverse displacements relative to the pickup means, the improvement wherein said pickup means comprises a plurality of signal sensors arranged in a row transverse to the track for scanning the track to detect information signals from the track, the number of said sensors being such that at least one of said plurality of sensors detects the information signals from the track during all expected transverse displacements and at least one other sensor of said plurality of sensors is in a zone immediately adjacent to the track, which zone furnishes no information signals during scanning; and further comprising: a disjunctive circuit; selector circuit means responsive to signals from said plurality of sensors for passing information signals from said sensors to said disjunctive circuit, said selector circuit means including a separate sensor signal recognition circuit means, having an enabling input means, operatively associated with each respective signal sensor for developing a respective recognition signal in response to information signals detected by the respective signal sensor and effecting the passing of the information signals from its associated signal sensor to said disjunctive circuit, and means for coupling the respective recognition signal produced by each of said separate sensor signal recognition circuit means to the enabling input means of the separate sensor signal recognition circuit means associated with the adjacent signal sensors of said plurality of signal sensors; and at least one additional disjunctive circuit and at least one additional of said selector circuit means, said additional selector circuit means being responsive to information signals from said plurality of signal sensors for passing information signals to said at least one additional disjunctive circuit, whereby a plurality of tracks may be simultaneously scanned with the same plurality of signal sensors.

Claim 10

In an apparatus for scanning signals along at least one signal track, the apparatus including signal pickup means not guided on the track which may be subjected to transverse displacements relative to the pickup means, the improvement wherein said pickup means comprises a plurality of signal sensors arranged in a row transverse to the track for scanning the track to detect information signals from the track, the number of said sensors being such that at least one of said plurality of sensors detects the information signals from the track during all expected transverse displacements and at least one other sensor of said plurality of sensors is in a zone immediately adjacent to the track, which zone furnishes no information signals during scanning; and further comprising: a disjunctive circuit; selector circuit means responsive to signals from said plurality of sensors for passing information signals from said sensors to said disjunctive circuit, said selector circuit means including a separate sensor signal recognition circuit means, having an enabling input means, operatively associated with each respective signal sensor for developing a respective recognition signal in response to information signals detected by the respective signal sensor and effecting the passing of the information signals from its associated signal sensor to said disjunctive circuit, and means for coupling the respective recognition signal produced by each of said separate sensor signal recognition circuit means to the enabling input means of the separate sensor signal recognition circuit means associated with the adjacent signal sensors of said plurality of signal sensors; and at least one additional disjunctive circuit and at least one additional of said selector circuit means, said additional selector circuit means being responsive to information signals from said plurality of signal sensors for passing information signals to said at least one additional disjunctive circuit, whereby a plurality of tracks may be simultaneously scanned with the same plurality of signal sensors.

Claim 11

In an apparatus for scanning signals along at least one signal track, the apparatus including signal pickup means not guided on the track which may be subjected to transverse displacements relative to the pickup means, the improvement wherein said pickup means comprises a plurality of signal sensors arranged in a row transverse to the track for scanning the track to detect information signals from the track, the number of said sensors being such that at least one of said plurality of sensors detects the information signals from the track during all expected transverse displacements and at least one other sensor of said plurality of sensors is in a zone immediately adjacent the track which zone furnishes no information signals during scanning, said plurality of sensors being operatively arranged so that more than one sensor of said plurality of sensors scans a single track and further comprising a disjunctive circuit; and selector circuit means responsive to signals from said plurality of sensors for passing information signals from said sensors to said disjunctive circuit, said selector circuit means including a separate sensor signal recognition circuit means, having an enabling input means, operatively associated with each respective signal sensor for developing a respective recognition signal in response to information signals detected by the respective signal sensor and effecting the passing of the information signals from its associated signal sensor to said disjunctive circuit, and means for coupling the respective recognition signal produced by each of said separate sensor signal recognition circuit means to the enabling input means of the separate sensor signal recognition circuit means associated with the adjacent signal sensors of said plurality of signal sensors.

Claim 12

In an apparatus for scanning signals along at least one signal track, the apparatus including signal pickup means not guided on the track which may be subjected to transverse displacements relative to the pickup means, the improvement wherein said pickup means comprises a plurality of signal sensors arranged in a row transverse to the track for scanning the track to detect information signals from the track, the number of said sensors being such that at least one of said plurality of sensors detects the information signals from the track during all expected transverse displacements and at least one other sensor of said plurality of sensors is in a zone immediately adjacent the track which zone furnishes no information signals during scanning, said plurality of sensors being operatively arranged so that more than one sensor of said plurality of sensors scans a single track and further comprising a disjunctive circuit; and selector circuit means responsive to signals from said plurality of sensors for passing information signals from said sensors to said disjunctive circuit, said selector circuit means including a separate sensor signal recognition circuit means, having an enabling input means, operatively associated with each respective signal sensor for developing a respective recognition signal in response to information signals detected by the respective signal sensor and effecting the passing of the information signals from its associated signal sensor to said disjunctive circuit, and means for coupling the respective recognition signal produced by each of said separate sensor signal recognition circuit means to the enabling input means of the separate sensor signal recognition circuit means associated with the adjacent signal sensors of said plurality of signal sensors.

Claim 13

In an apparatus for scanning signals along at least one signal track, the apparatus including signal pickup means not guided on the track which may be subjected to transverse displacements relative to the pickup means, the improvement wherein said pickup means comprises a plurality of signal sensors arranged in a row transverse to the track for scanning the track to detect information signals from the track, the number of said sensors being such that at least one of said plurality of sensors detects the information signals from the track during all expected transverse displacements and at least one other sensor of said plurality of sensors is in a zone immediately adjacent the track, which zone furnishes no information signals during scanning; and further comprising a disjunctive circuit and selector circuit means responsive to signals from said plurality of sensors for passing information signals from said sensors to said disjunctive circuit, said selector circuit means comprising: a plurality of first AND gates each having a first input connected to an output from a respective signal sensor of said plurality of signal sensors; a plurality of second AND gates each having a first input connected to an output from a respective signal sensor of said plurality of signal sensors, each of said plurality of second AND gates having its output connected to an input of said disjunctive circuit; a plurality of monostable multivibrators, each having its flip input connected to the output of a respective one of the AND gates of said plurality of first AND gates; a plurality of OR gates, each of said OR gates having a first input connected to the output of a respective one of said monostable multivibrators and at least one further input connected to the output of said plurality of multivibrators associated with signal sensors adjacent to the signal sensor associated with the multivibrator supplying the signal to the first input of the respective OR gate and the output from each of said plurality of OR gates being coupled to a second input of a respective one of the AND gates of said plurality of first AND gates and to a second input of a respective one of the AND gates of said plurality of second AND gates.

Claim 14

In an apparatus for scanning signals along at least one signal track, the apparatus including signal pickup means not guided on the track which may be subjected to transverse displacements relative to the pickup means, the improvement wherein said pickup means comprises a plurality of signal sensors arranged in a row transverse to the track for scanning the track to detect information signals from the track, the number of said sensors being such that at least one of said plurality of sensors detects the information signals from the track during all expected transverse displacements and at least one other sensor of said plurality of sensors is in a zone immediately adjacent the track, which zone furnishes no information signals during scanning; and further comprising a disjunctive circuit and selector circuit means responsive to signals from said plurality of sensors for passing information signals from said sensors to said disjunctive circuit, said selector circuit means comprising: a plurality of first AND gates each having a first input connected to an output from a respective signal sensor of said plurality of signal sensors; a plurality of second AND gates each having a first input connected to an output from a respective signal sensor of said plurality of signal sensors, each of said plurality of second AND gates having its output connected to an input of said disjunctive circuit; a plurality of monostable multivibrators, each having its flip input connected to the output of a respective one of the AND gates of said plurality of first AND gates; a plurality of OR gates, each of said OR gates having a first input connected to the output of a respective one of said monostable multivibrators and at least one further input connected to the output of said plurality of multivibrators associated with signal sensors adjacent to the signal sensor associated with the multivibrator supplying the signal to the first input of the respective OR gate and the output from each of said plurality of OR gates being coupled to a second input of a respective one of the AND gates of said plurality of first AND gates and to a second input of a respective one of the AND gates of said plurality of second AND gates.

Claim 15

An arrangement as defined in claim 9 further comprising signal generating means connected to at least one of said second inputs of the AND gates of said plurality of first AND gates for supplying an initial enabling signal thereto.