US3783189A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Television system for precisely measuring distances
Assignee: United States Atomic Energy Commission
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Filing: 1972-06-01
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Granted: 1974-01-01
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Expires: 1992-06-01
Abstract
Abstract An alignment detection system for the long pipe, including a television camera mounted at one end of the pipe for viewing preindexed light sources mounted inside and along the length of the pipe, a television display for viewing images of the light sources, a line generator for developing a plurality of x-y traces on the television display, each x and y trace being movable to pass through a light-source image and thereby locate the image with respect to a reference point to indicate the amount of lateral pipe misalignment. Microscopic lengths may also be measured with the system by magnifying the image of the length before viewing with the television camera and using only y traces derived from a horizontal drive signal.
Inventors
- 👤 C Nelson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 23:02
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01B; G01B11/00; G01B11/02; G01B11/022; G01B11/26; G01B11/27; G01B11/272
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
349 words
A television system for precisely measuring lateral distances with respect to a reference point, including: an object having a point to be measured with respect to said reference point; a television camera for viewing said object; a television display showing said reference point and coupled to said camera for displaying an image of said object point with respect to said reference point; and means for generating a line on said television display including adjustable means for moving said line on said display to pass through said object point, said generating means further including means for indicating the distance of said line from said reference point to thereby indicate the lateral distance of said object point from said reference point, said generating means further including a source of vertical drive pulses for controlling the vertical deflection of an electron beam across the face of said television display; a voltage comparator; a ramp generator responsive to each of said vertical drive pulses for generating a linear ramp signal having the same pulse repetition rate as said vertical drive pulses for application to said voltage comparator; a source of DC bias voltage applied to said comparator, said comparator generating an output pulse upon said ramp signal rising to the level of said DC bias voltage; a source of horizontal drive pulses for controlling the horizontal deflection of an electron beam across the face of said television display; a J-K flip-flop responsive to each of said comparator output signals to enable the flip-flop for a cycle of operation; means for applying said horizontal drive pulses to said flipflop to trigger said flip-flop to go through a cycle of operation and produce an output pulse upon the occurrence of the next horizontal drive pulse after said flip-flop is enabled by said comparator signal; and a one-shot multivibrator responsive to each of said flip-flop output pulses to produce an output pulse having a period equal to the pulse repetition rate of said horizontal drive pulses, said multivibrator output pulse being applied to said television display for generating a horizontal line for exhibition on said display.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
349 words
A television system for precisely measuring lateral distances with respect to a reference point, including: an object having a point to be measured with respect to said reference point; a television camera for viewing said object; a television display showing said reference point and coupled to said camera for displaying an image of said object point with respect to said reference point; and means for generating a line on said television display including adjustable means for moving said line on said display to pass through said object point, said generating means further including means for indicating the distance of said line from said reference point to thereby indicate the lateral distance of said object point from said reference point, said generating means further including a source of vertical drive pulses for controlling the vertical deflection of an electron beam across the face of said television display; a voltage comparator; a ramp generator responsive to each of said vertical drive pulses for generating a linear ramp signal having the same pulse repetition rate as said vertical drive pulses for application to said voltage comparator; a source of DC bias voltage applied to said comparator, said comparator generating an output pulse upon said ramp signal rising to the level of said DC bias voltage; a source of horizontal drive pulses for controlling the horizontal deflection of an electron beam across the face of said television display; a J-K flip-flop responsive to each of said comparator output signals to enable the flip-flop for a cycle of operation; means for applying said horizontal drive pulses to said flipflop to trigger said flip-flop to go through a cycle of operation and produce an output pulse upon the occurrence of the next horizontal drive pulse after said flip-flop is enabled by said comparator signal; and a one-shot multivibrator responsive to each of said flip-flop output pulses to produce an output pulse having a period equal to the pulse repetition rate of said horizontal drive pulses, said multivibrator output pulse being applied to said television display for generating a horizontal line for exhibition on said display.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
147 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said object is an enlongated structure and said television camera is located at one end of said structure, further including: a plurality of light sources attached to said structure for movement therewith, said sources being located along the length of said structure in pre-indexed positions, images of said sources being viewable on said display, and wherein said generating means further includes means for generating a plurality of lines viewable on said display, including a first line parallel to an x-axis reference and a second line parallel to a y-axis reference, said adjustable means being operable to move said first and second lines across said display to a position in which the lines pass through a light-source image to indicate the distance of said lines from the x-axis and y-axis references, respectively, thereby indicating the amount of lateral misalignment of said structure.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 2, wherein said elongated structure is a pipe and said light sources are mounted on the internal wall of the pipe, along the length of the pipe.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
80 words
The system of claim 3, wherein said plurality of light sources are arranged in a plurality of groups, each group being comprised of four light sources spaced apart 90* around the axis of the pipe, the light sources of each group lying in a plane transverse to the axis of the pipe, the groups of light sources being indexed for alignment with one another so that overlying aligned sources lie in straight lines that are parallel To the pipe axis.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of claim 2, further including: a nuclear device for emplacement in a borehole; radiation detection means; and wherein said elongated structure is a spacing cannister for spacing said radiation detection means from said nuclear device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said line generating means includes means for generating a line for display in a direction that is perpendicular to said horizontal deflection of said electron beam.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said object is microscopic, and further including magnifying means for transmitting an image of said object to said television camera.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
122 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said line generating means includes: a second voltage comparator; a second ramp generator responsive to each of said horizontal drive pulses for generating a linear ramp signal having the same pulse repetition rate as said horizontal drive pulses for application to said second voltage comparator; and a second source of DC bias voltage applied to said second comparator, said second comparator generating an output pulse upon said ramp signal from said second generator rising to the level of second DC bias voltage, each of said second comparator output pulses being applied to said television display for generating a vertical line for exhibition in a direction that is perpendicular to the horizontal deflection of the electron beam.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said line generating means includes means for delaying the occurrence of said line with respect to a reference point to enable said adjustable means to be set to an index point prior to movement of said line to pass through said object point.
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) | 1976-12-31 | 1977-07-02 | 1978-01-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-12-31 | 1981-07-02 | 1982-01-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-12-31 | 1985-07-02 | 1986-01-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |