Adaptive diagnostic aid console for system maintenance

Claim 1

An adaptive diagnostic aid console for system maintenance including: an image strip having a plurality of visual information frames arranged in adjacent relationship upon said strip, said frames containing maintenance test instructions and an instruction requiring a decision by a maintenance operator between predetermined alternatives; said image strip further having a plurality of information encoded bands adjacent each said frame and containing indicia representing the address of the adjacent frame on said strip in a sequence of numerically labeled addresses along said strip and the addresses of further frames, one associated with each alternative for the operator decision required by said adjacent frame; said encoded bands further having indicia indicating the position of each of said frames; an image strip path having a projection station and being operative to detachably receive said image strip; means for conveying said image strip along said path; means for displaying the image in the frame on said image strip at said projection station; means for sensing the indicia in said plurality of bands; a reversible counter; means for changing the count in said reversible counter in correspondence with the sensed passage of indicia in said plurality of bands indicating the position of each said frame during conveyance of said image strip by said conveying means, the change in said counter being in a direction determined by the direction of conveyance of said image strip; means for storing the sensed addresses associated with each displayed frame; means for accepting and storing one or more additional frame addresses selected by said operator; means for enabling said operator to select one of said stored addresses; means for comparing the addresses represented by the numerical count of said reversible counter with the selected stored address and operative to provide a comparison signal representative thereof; means for causing said conveying means to convey said image strip in response to said comparison signal to reduce the difference in addresses compared; position verifying and correction means including: means for loading said reversible counter with the storeD address of the displayed frame in response to said comparison signal indicating the address identity; means for again operating said comparing means for comparing the displayed frame address loaded in said reversible counter with the selected stored address; means for causing said conveying means to convey said image strip if the address loaded in said reversible counter is different from the address it replaces; means for stopping the conveyance of said image strip in response to the comparison signal indicating a condition of identity between the stored address of the displayed frame and the selected stored address.