Measuring system

Claim 2

Measuring apparatus comprising a closed circuit television for viewing an object with a television camera and producing its image on a television screen, gage means for producing at least one adjustable position reference line on the screen, said gage means comprising: counte means for counting a number of pulses, encoder means for selectively entering and storing a reference number, means connecting said encoder means to said counter means, pulse stream generating means, synchronizer means coupling the output to said generating means to said counter means at at least on predetermined time during each television screen frame, modulator means to produce a first reference mark on the television screen at said predetermined time, and a second reference mark each time the number of pulses from said generating means fed to said counter means compares with the number selected with the encoder means, whereby the distance on said screen between said first and second reference marks is a direct function of the number selected with the encoder means.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1, said gage means producing first and second parallel vertical reference lines and first and second parallel horizontal reference lines, said counter means including two pairs of counters, one paair for the horizontal reference lines and one pair for the vertical reference lines, each pair including a zero point counter and a movable point counter, said connector means including horizontal-vertical switch means for selectively connecting said encoder means to one or other of said pairs of counters and move-set switch means for each of said pairs for selectively connecting one of said counters of said one pair to said encoder means, each of said pairs of counters including storage means for holding a number received by the zero point counter from said encoder means even after said move-set switch means disconnects said encoder therefrom, said connecting means including storage means between said horizontal-vertical switch mEans and said move-set switch means in each path between said encoder means and the respective pairs of counter means for holding a number received from the encoder means by each of said pairs of counters even after said horizontal-vertical switch means disconnects said encoder therefrom.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said synchronizer means couples the output of the pulse stream generator to the counter means at the beginning of each field of the television raster and the pulse stream generator produces a plural number of pulses during each field.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said television employs a standard 2:1 interlace and the output of the pulse stream generating means is fed to said counter means at the line frequency rate and said counter means includes an odd trace counter and an even trace counter each counting by twos and means to combine the output thereof for comparison with the output of said encoder means, said synchronization generator including means to couple said odd trace counter to said pulse stream generator at the beginning of the first trace and means to couple said even line counter to said pulse stream at the beginning of the second trace.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said synchronizer means couples the output of the pulse stream generator means to the counter mens at the beginning of each trace of the television raster and the pulse stream generator produces a plural number of pulses during the active time of each trace.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said number of pulses equals the number of active traces in the television raster.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the pulse stream generator is synchronized with the television horizontal sync pulses.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 1 said counter means counting from zero during each counting period, said modulator means acting when the count in said counter means equals that of said encoder means.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 8, said gage means producing two parallel reference lines, said encoder including move-set switch means and zero point storage means and shaft encoder means, said storage means lying between said shaft encoder means and counter means in the move position of said switch means to continue to supply an initial output of the shaft encoder to said counter means even after said move-set switch has been moved to the set position disconnecting said encoder from said counter means, said modulator means comparing the count of said counter means with both said register and said shaft encoder when said switch is in the set position to produce said two reference lines.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 1, said gage means producing first and second reference lines, said encoder means including move-set switch means and storage means and shaft encoder means, said storage means lying between said shaft encoder means and counter means in the move position of said switch means to continue to supply an initial output of the shaft encoder means to said counter means even after said move-set switch has been moved to the set position and said shaft encoder means is connected to said counter means to feed another number thereto.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 10, including display means to indicate the distance between said first and second reference lines.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 1, said gage means producing first and second reference lines, said counter means including first and second counter means, said connection means selectively connecting said encoder means to one of said first and second counter means, at least one of said first and second counter means including storage means connected to its input for holding a number received from said encoder means even after said encoder means is disconnected from said one counter means.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein one of said reference lines is horizOntal and one is vertical.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein both of said counter means include such a storage means.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said reference lines are parallel and said counter means includes display counter means and control means to start said display counter means when one of said counter means has received a number of pulses equal to that in said storage register and to discontinue the count of said display counter means when the other of said counter means has received a number of pulses equal to the number from said encoder means, the number in said display counter being a measure of the distance between said two reference lines.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said reference lines are parallel and said counter means also includes a pair of display counter means and control means to start display counter means when said first and second counter means start counting, and to terminate counting by one and the other of said display counter means when one and the other respectively of said first and second counter means have received a number of pulses indicative of said desired reference line position and means to determine the difference in the counts of said display counters, the difference being a measure of the distance between said two reference lines.

Claim 18

Apparatus according to claim 12, said storage means and encoder means setting said first and second counter means to count from the numbers in said storage means and from said encoder means respectively.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said reference lines are parallel.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said reference lines are vertical.

Claim 21

Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said reference lines are horizontal.

Claim 22

Apparatus according to claim 1, said gage means producing first and second reference lines, said apparatus including display means indicating a measure of the distance between said reference lines.

Claim 23

Apparatus according to claim 21 said display means including multiplying means to scale the display means output.

Claim 24

Apparatus according to claim 22 said apparatus including lens means to magnify the scene viewed by the television camera, said multiplying means enabling compensation for deviation of said lens means from particular degrees of magnification to produce display means readings in standard units.

Claim 25

In measuring apparatus having a closed circuit television for viewing an object with a television camera and producing its image on a television screen, gage means for producing at least one adjustable position reference line on the screen, said gage means having: encoder means, counter means, means for selectively entering a number indicative of a desired reference line position into said encoder means, means connecting said encoder means to said counter means, in such manner as to provide a count in the counter means which is indicative of said desired reference line position, pulse stream generating means, synchronizer means coupling the output of the pulse stream generator to the counter means at the beginning of each field of the television raster and the pulse stream generator a plural number of pulses during each field, modulator means operable to produce a reference mark on the television screen in response to comparison of the counted generator means pulses with the count in the counter means indicative of said desired reference line position; the improvement wherein: the output of said pulse generating means is fed to said counter means at twice the line frequency rate and said synchronization means includes means responsive to the least significant bit supplied by said encoder means to start the counter means counting at the beginning of the first or second field of the television raster according to whether said bit is odd or even.

Claim 26

In measuring apparatus having a closed circuit television for viewing an object with a television camera and producing its image on a television screen, gage means for producing at least one adjustable position reference line on the screen, said gage means having: encoder means, counter means, means for selectively entering a number indicative of a desired reference line position into said encoder means, means connecting said encoder means to said counter means, in such manner as to provide a count in the counter means which is indicative of said desired reference line position, pulse stream generating means, synchronizer means coupling the output of the pulse stream generator to the counter means at the beginning of each field of the television raster and the pulse stream generator a plural number of pulses during each field, modulator means operable to produce a reference mark on the television screen in response to comparison of the counted generator means pulses with the count in the counter means indicative of said desired reference line position; the improvement wherein: the output of said pulse generating means is fed to said counter means at twice the line frequency rate and said synchronization means includes means responsive to the least significant bit supplied by said encoder means to start the counter means counting at the beginning of the first or second field of the television raster according to whether said bit is odd or even.

Claim 27

In measuring appAratus having a closed circuit television for viewing an object with a television camera and producing its image on a television screen, gage means for producing at least one adjustable position reference line on the screen, said gage means having, counter means, encoder means, means for selectively entering a number indicative of a desired reference line position into said encoder means, means connecting said encoder means to said counter means, in such manner as to provide a count in the counter means which is indicative of said desired reference line position, pulse stream generating means synchronized with the television horizontal sync pulses, synchronizer means for coupling the output of said pulse stream generator means to the counter means at the beginning of each trace of the television raster and the pulse stream generator produces a plural number of pulses during the active time of each trace, modulator means operable to produce a reference mark on the television screen in response to comparison of the counted generator means pulses with the count in the counter means indicative of said desired reference line position; the improvement wherein: the television camera has a series of uniformly spaced scale markings across its face along the path of the first trace, and said encoder means includes shaft encoder means and register means, said apparatus further comprising: first line counter means to count pulses produced by the camera tube''s beam sweeping said markings, and means to compare the number in the first line counter means with the number entered into the encoder means register and, when a match is achieved, to store a count equal to the count then existing in the first said counter means.

Claim 28

In measuring appAratus having a closed circuit television for viewing an object with a television camera and producing its image on a television screen, gage means for producing at least one adjustable position reference line on the screen, said gage means having, counter means, encoder means, means for selectively entering a number indicative of a desired reference line position into said encoder means, means connecting said encoder means to said counter means, in such manner as to provide a count in the counter means which is indicative of said desired reference line position, pulse stream generating means synchronized with the television horizontal sync pulses, synchronizer means for coupling the output of said pulse stream generator means to the counter means at the beginning of each trace of the television raster and the pulse stream generator produces a plural number of pulses during the active time of each trace, modulator means operable to produce a reference mark on the television screen in response to comparison of the counted generator means pulses with the count in the counter means indicative of said desired reference line position; the improvement wherein: the television camera has a series of uniformly spaced scale markings across its face along the path of the first trace, and said encoder means includes shaft encoder means and register means, said apparatus further comprising: first line counter means to count pulses produced by the camera tube''s beam sweeping said markings, and means to compare the number in the first line counter means with the number entered into the encoder means register and, when a match is achieved, to store a count equal to the count then existing in the first said counter means.

Claim 29

Measuring apparatus comprising a closed circuit television for viewing an object with a television camera and producing its image on a television screen, gage means for producing first and second reference lines on said screen, said gage means comprising: first and second counter means, encoder means including means to supply a number signal to said second counter means, means for selectively entering a number indicative of a desired reference line position into said encoder means, means connecting said encoder means to said counter means, in such manner as to provide a count in the counter means which is indicative of said desired reference line position, first pulse stream generating means for producing a pulse stream having a pulse repetition rate equal to the line frequency rate multiplied by the interlace number, second pulse stream generating means for producing a pulse stream having a pulse repetition rate that is greater than the line frequency, synchronizer means coupling output of said first and said generating means to said first and second counter means respectively at at least one predetermined time during each television screen frame, and modulator means operable to produce a reference mark on the television screen in response to comparison of the counted generator means pulses with the count in its associated counter means indicative of said desired reference line position.

Claim 30

Measuring apparatus comprising a closed circuit television for viewing an object with a television camera and producing its image on a television screen, gage means for producing first and second reference lines on said screen, said gage means comprising: first and second counter means, encoder means including means to supply a number signal to said second counter means, means for selectively entering a number indicative of a desired reference line position into said encoder means, means connecting said encoder means to said counter means, in such manner as to provide a count in the counter means which is indicative of said desired reference line position, first pulse stream generating means for producing a pulse stream having a pulse repetition rate equal to the line frequency rate multiplied by the interlace number, second pulse stream generating means for producing a pulse stream having a pulse repetition rate that is greater than the line frequency, synchronizer means coupling output of said first and said generating means to said first and second counter means respectively at at least one predetermined time during each television screen frame, and modulator means operable to produce a reference mark on the television screen in response to comparison of the counted generator means pulses with the count in its associated counter means indicative of said desired reference line position.

Claim 31

Means for correcting for time non-linearity in the horizontal sweep of a camera tube raster comprising a series of uniformly spaced markings across the face of the tube along the path of the first trace, clock means for producing a stream of pulses uniformly spaced in time, a main counter means to count pulses from said clock, first line counter means to count pulses produced by the camera tube beam sweeping said markings, and means including a register to compare the number in said first line counter means with a preselected number and when a match is obtained to store in the register the count then existing in said main counter means to be used in place of said preselected number for determining action dependent upon the occurrence of a desired distance of travel oF said horizontal sweep as measured by counting said clock pulses.

Claim 32

Means for correcting for time non-linearity in the horizontal sweep of a camera tube raster comprising a series of uniformly spaced markings across the face of the tube along the path of the first trace, clock means for producing a stream of pulses uniformly spaced in time, a main counter means to count pulses from said clock, first line counter means to count pulses produced by the camera tube beam sweeping said markings, and means including a register to compare the number in said first line counter means with a preselected number and when a match is obtained to store in the register the count then existing in said main counter means to be used in place of said preselected number for determining action dependent upon the occurrence of a desired distance of travel oF said horizontal sweep as measured by counting said clock pulses.