Positioning device provided with a follow-up operating mechanism

Claim 2

A positioning device for setting an article in a predetermined position comprising: means for supporting said article; driving means associated with said support means for moving said support means in a suitable direction for placing said article in the predetermined position; means for manual operation located away from said supporting means and associated with said driving means only by electric circuits, said manual operation means being linearly and rotationally displaceable from a reference position; means for restoring said manual operation means to said reference position when unoperated manually; means for detecting the displacement of said manual operation means from the reference position, and for resolving the detected displacement into at least two directional components and producing control signals representing the magnitude of said components and the direction from the reference position; control means connected with said driving means for supplying said control signals to said driving means in accordance with the kind of the control signals so as to move said supporting means carrying the article at a speed that varies in the same sense as the magnitude of said components in the directions designated by said control signals.

Claim 3

A device according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means includes means adapted to detect the displacement of said manual operating means as strain and to produce an electric signal corresponding to said strain.

Claim 4

A device according to claim 2, wherein said detecting means further includes strain gauges.

Claim 5

A device according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means includes means adapted to detect the displacement of said manual operating means and to produce an electromotive force corresponding to the amount of displacement.

Claim 6

A device according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes bridge circuits to which said control signals representing component magnitude are applied in directional pairs.

Claim 7

A device according to claim 1, wherein said driving means includes at least two servo-motors operatively connected with said article support means and arranged to move said support means respectively in two directions mutually at right angles.

Claim 8

A positioning device according to claim 1 in which said detecting means is constituted for resolving the detected displacement into two linear directional components and one rotational directional component.

Claim 9

A positioning device according to claim 1 in which said manually operable means includes a base member, a manually movable body movable relative to said base member in translation and rotation and means for restoring said manually movable body to a reference position relative to said base member when no force is manually applied to said body, and in which said detection means includes a plurality of deflectable members arranged to deflect in response to a component of the displacement of said manually movable body relative to said base member and also means for converting the deflection of said deflectable members respectively into electric signals and in which, further, said control means includes a plurality of bridge circuits to which signals produced by said converting means are connected pairwise to produce signals corresponding to direction and magnitude of the respective components of said displacement for supply to said driving means.

Claim 10

A positioning device for aligning an optically projected mask pattern with marks on an article, comprising: optical means for observing error in said alignment; support means for said article; means for moving said support means in a predetermined plane along first and second mutually transverse axes of translation and in rotation about an axis perpendicular to said plane, said support moving means including electric motor drive means for each translational axis and for said rotational axis; manual operating means including a base and a control body at least part of which is displaceable relative to said base in translation in any direction in a second predetermined plane and in rotation about an axis perpendicular to said second predetermined plane; restoring means for bringing said control body to a reference position relative to said base when no force is manually applied thereto, said reference position corresponding to a reference position of said support means in which the centers of said support means and of the projected mask pattern are substantially congruent and the orientations of said support means and said mask pattern are substantially in a predetermined relation; means for detecting displacement of said control body from the reference position thereof as resolved into components with reference to a first and a second of two mutually transverse axes of translation and an axis of rotation and converting the magnitude of detected resolved displacement into electric control signals; and electric circuit means for deriving, from said electric control signals, drive power for said respective electric motor drive means in such a way that displacement of said control body with reference to its first or second translational axis of displacement or its axis of rotation, as the case may be, produces a corresponding magnitude and direction of motion of said article support means along its first or second axis of translation or about its axis of rotation respectively, whereby said support means is automatically placed in its reference position prior to the manual application of force to said control body to initiate and perform an alignment operation, thereby to minimize movement of the support means in a series of alignment operations.

Claim 11

A positioning device for aligning an optically projected mask pattern with marks on an article, comprising: optical means for observing error in said alignment; support means for said article; means for moving said support means in a predetermined plane along first and second mutually transverse axes of translation and in rotation about an axis perpendicular to said plane, said support moving means including electric motor drive means for each translational axis and for said rotational axis; manual operating means including a base and a control body at least part of which is displaceable relative to said base in translation in any direction in a second predetermined plane and in rotation about an axis perpendicular to said second predetermined plane; restoring means for bringing said control body to a reference position relative to said base when no force is manually applied thereto, said reference position corresponding to a reference position of said support means in which the centers of said support means and of the projected mask pattern are substantially congruent and the orientations of said support means and said mask pattern are substantially in a predetermined relation; means for detecting displacement of said control body from the reference position thereof as resolved into components with reference to a first and a second of two mutually transverse axes of translation and an axis of rotation and converting the magnitude of detected resolved displacement into electric control signals; and electric circuit means for deriving, from said electric control signals, drive power for said respective electric motor drive means in such a way that displacement of said control body with reference to its first or second translational axis of displacement or its axis of rotation, as the case may be, produces a corresponding magnitude and direction of motion of said article support means along its first or second axis of translation or about its axis of rotation respectively, whereby said support means is automatically placed in its reference position prior to the manual application of force to said control body to initiate and perform an alignment operation, thereby to minimize movement of the support means in a series of alignment operations.

Claim 12

A positioning device for aligning an optically projected mask pattern with marks on an article, comprising: optical means for observing error in said alignment; support means for said article; means for moving said support means in a predetermined plane along first and second mutually perpendicular axes of translation and in rotation about an axis perpendicular to said plane, said support moving means including individual electric motor drive means for each translational axis and for said rotational axis; manual operating means including a base and a control body displaceable relative to said base in a plane defined by the construction of said manual operating means, being displaceable both in translation in any direction and in rotation; a plurality of deflectable members arranged and disposed to be deflected by components of displacement of said control body relative to said base of said manual operating means, being arranged in pairs for response respectively to components of said displacement with reference to a first and second mutually perpendicular axes of translation of an axis of rotation, said deflectable members being disposed in a circle spaced substantially 90.degree. apart and arranged to deflect by movement imparted in a direction tangential to such circle at the location of the particular deflectable member; converting means associated with said deflectable members for producing electrical signals of a magnitude at least approximately in proportion to the deflection of said deflectable members; and electric circuit means including three bridge circuits to which the signals of said converting means are connected pairwise to produce control signals derived from components of displacement of said control body with reference to its first and second translational axes and its axis of rotation respectively and for supplying said electric control signals to the respective electric motor drive means of said support moving means relating to the respective translational axes and rotational axis thereof, said bridge circuits being so constituted that deflections in the same direction of a diametral pair of deflectable members are detected to produce a translational displacement signal and deflections in opposite directions of a diametral pair are additively detected to produce a rotational displacement signal.

Claim 13

A positioning device for aligning an optically projected mask pattern with marks on an article, comprising: optical means for observing error in said alignment; support means for said article; means for moving said support means in a predetermined plane along first and second mutually perpendicular axes of translation and in rotation about an axis perpendicular to said plane, said support moving means including individual electric motor drive means for each translational axis and for said rotational axis; manual operating means including a base and a control body displaceable relative to said base in a plane defined by the construction of said manual operating means, being displaceable both in translation in any direction and in rotation; a plurality of deflectable members arranged and disposed to be deflected by components of displacement of said control body relative to said base of said manual operating means, being arranged in pairs for response respectively to components of said displacement with reference to a first and second mutually perpendicular axes of translation of an axis of rotation, said deflectable members being disposed in a circle spaced substantially 90.degree. apart and arranged to deflect by movement imparted in a direction tangential to such circle at the location of the particular deflectable member; converting means associated with said deflectable members for producing electrical signals of a magnitude at least approximately in proportion to the deflection of said deflectable members; and electric circuit means including three bridge circuits to which the signals of said converting means are connected pairwise to produce control signals derived from components of displacement of said control body with reference to its first and second translational axes and its axis of rotation respectively and for supplying said electric control signals to the respective electric motor drive means of said support moving means relating to the respective translational axes and rotational axis thereof, said bridge circuits being so constituted that deflections in the same direction of a diametral pair of deflectable members are detected to produce a translational displacement signal and deflections in opposite directions of a diametral pair are additively detected to produce a rotational displacement signal.

Claim 14

A positioning device as defined in claim 10, in which said converting means are semiconductor strain gauges.

Claim 15

A positioning device as defined in claim 10, in which said device also comprises a light source and means for projecting an illuminated mask pattern on said article.