Television measuring system and method

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 further comprising display means electrically connected to the output generating means and responsive to the analog output voltage to produce a visual readout representing the dimensional measurement of an article.

Claim 4

The system of claim 1 further comprising amplifying means electrically connected to said televising means for receiving the horizontal sweep voltage from a horizontal sweep voltage generator within said televising means and for supplying said amplifier horizontal sweep voltage to said detecting and storing means.

Claim 5

The system of claim 3 wherein the detecting and storing means comprises a first and second one-shot multi-vibrator which are responsive to each first control signal and each second control signal during each horizontal line scan; and a first and second sample and hold circuit electrically connected to said first and second one-shot multi-vibrator for storing as said first signal and as said second signal the average voltage level of the horizontal sweep voltage at each increment of the predetermined number horizontal line scans in response to said first control signals and said second control signals.

Claim 6

Apparatus for dimensional measurement of the length of an object comprising means for televising said object to produce a composite video signal thereof having horizontal synchronizing signals and video information signals, said televising means including means for generating a horizontal sweep voltage during each horizontal line scan between successive horizontal synchronizing signals; amplifying means responsive to the horizontal sweep voltage generating means for generating a linear saw tooth reference voltage therefrom; amplifying means electrically connected to the televising means and responsive to said composite video signal for producing an amplified composite video signal; gating means responsive to said amplified composite video signal and to a selected number of gating pulses for enabling transmission of a plurality of increments of horizontal line scan video information signals; boundary determination means responsive to the horizontal sweep voltage and having a horizontal position set means for establishing the horizontal component of the field of view of an object to be measured and a vertical position set means for establishing the vertical component field of view of the object to be measured, said horizontal and vertical components of fields of view being slightly larger than the horizontal and vertical components of the dimensional measurement of the object to be measured; horizontal line scan gating means responsive to said horizontal sweep voltage, said horizontal position set means and said vertical position set means for generating said selected number of gating pulses each having a duration equal to that increment of a horizontal line scan defined by the horizontal component of the field of view and the selected number of gating pulses being determined by vertical component of the vield of view; means responsive to the video information signals generated during a horizontal line scan for generating a first control signal when the video information signal is at a first preselected level and a second control signal when the video information signal is at a second preselected level; means electrically connected to said generating means and said amplifying means for sampling and holding the voltage level of said saw tooth reference voltage at each increment during the horizontal line scan when each of said first control signal and said second control signal is generated; means electrically connected to said sample and holding means and responsive as the voltage levels stored therein for generating an output voltage derived from the difference between the stored voltage levels of said saw tooth reference voltage; and display means electrically connected to said output voltage generating means for producing a graphic indicia representative of the length of the dimensional measurement of the object.

Claim 7

Apparatus for dimensional measurement of the length of an object comprising means for televising said object to produce a composite video signal thereof having horizontal synchronizing signals and video information signals, said televising means including means for generating a horizontal sweep voltage during each horizontal line scan between successive horizontal synchronizing signals; amplifying means responsive to the horizontal sweep voltage generating means for generating a linear saw tooth reference voltage therefrom; amplifying means electrically connected to the televising means and responsive to said composite video signal for producing an amplified composite video signal; gating means responsive to said amplified composite video signal and to a selected number of gating pulses for enabling transmission of a plurality of increments of horizontal line scan video information signals; boundary determination means responsive to the horizontal sweep voltage and having a horizontal position set means for establishing the horizontal component of the field of view of an object to be measured and a vertical position set means for establishing the vertical component field of view of the object to be measured, said horizontal and vertical components of fields of view being slightly larger than the horizontal and vertical components of the dimensional measurement of the object to be measured; horizontal line scan gating means responsive to said horizontal sweep voltage, said horizontal position set means and said vertical position set means for generating said selected number of gating pulses each having a duration equal to that increment of a horizontal line scan defined by the horizontal component of the field of view and the selected number of gating pulses being determined by vertical component of the vield of view; means responsive to the video information signals generated during a horizontal line scan for generating a first control signal when the video information signal is at a first preselected level and a second control signal when the video information signal is at a second preselected level; means electrically connected to said generating means and said amplifying means for sampling and holding the voltage level of said saw tooth reference voltage at each increment during the horizontal line scan when each of said first control signal and said second control signal is generated; means electrically connected to said sample and holding means and responsive as the voltage levels stored therein for generating an output voltage derived from the difference between the stored voltage levels of said saw tooth reference voltage; and display means electrically connected to said output voltage generating means for producing a graphic indicia representative of the length of the dimensional measurement of the object.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said display means comprises a digital volt meter.

Claim 9

Apparatus for automatically measuring the length of an object and displaying the length measurement as a visual readout comprising a video camera positioned to have an object to be measured in the field of view of the video camera, said video camera generating composite video signals including horizontal synchronizing signals and video information signals and having means in generating a horizontal sweep voltage integral with generation of the composite video signal; an amplifier electrically connected to the video camera for receiving said composite video signals and producing in response thereto amplified composite video signals; amplifying means electrically connected to the televising means and responsive to said composite video signal for producing an amplified composite video signal; gating means responsive to said amplified composite video signal and to a selected number of gating pulses for enabling transmission of a plurality of increments of horizontal line scan video information signals; boundary determination means responsive to the horizontal sweep voltage and having a horizontal position set means for establishing the horizontal component of the field of view of an object to be measured and a vertical position set means for establishing the vertical component field of view of the object to be measured, said horizontal and vertical components of fields of view being slightly larger than the horizontal and vertical components of the dimensional measurement of the object to be measured; horizontal line scan gating means responsive to said horizontal sweep voltage, said horizontal position set means and said vertical position set means for generating said selected number of gating pulses each having a duration equal to that increment of a horizontal line scan defined by the horizontal component of the field of view and the selected number of gating pulses being determined by vertical component of the field of view; a comparator having a first input, a second input and a first output and a second output, said comparator having one of said first and second inputs electrically connected to a reference voltage and the other of said first and second inputs electrically connected to said gating means to receive said gated increments of each horizontal line scan video information signal, said comparator generating a first control signal on said first output in response to the gated video information signal of each horizontal line scan increment being at said first voltage level and a second control signal on said second output in response to the video information signal of each horizontal line scan increment being at said second voltage level; a first storage means electrically connected to said amplifying means and to said first output of said comparator and being responsive to a first control signal from said comparator to store as a first reference signal the average voltage level of the amplified horizontal sweep voltage when said gated video information signal of each increment of the horizontal line scan is at said second voltage level; differential amplifying means having a first and second input and a first and second output, said first and second input being electrically connected to said first and second storage means and responsive to the differential between the first and second reference signals stored therein to produce an analog output voltage derived from the difference between the voltage levels of said amplified horizontal sweep voltage represented by said stored first signal and second signal, which analog output voltage represents the dimensional measurement of an object; and display means electrically connected to said differential amplifying means for displaying as a visual readout the dimensional measurement of the object represented by said analog output voltage.

Claim 10

Apparatus for automatically measuring the length of an object and displaying the length measurement as a visual readout comprising a video camera positioned to have an object to be measured in the field of view of the video camera, said video camera generating composite video signals including horizontal synchronizing signals and video information signals and having means in generating a horizontal sweep voltage integral with generation of the composite video signal; an amplifier electrically connected to the video camera for receiving said composite video signals and producing in response thereto amplified composite video signals; amplifying means electrically connected to the televising means and responsive to said composite video signal for producing an amplified composite video signal; gating means responsive to said amplified composite video signal and to a selected number of gating pulses for enabling transmission of a plurality of increments of horizontal line scan video information signals; boundary determination means responsive to the horizontal sweep voltage and having a horizontal position set means for establishing the horizontal component of the field of view of an object to be measured and a vertical position set means for establishing the vertical component field of view of the object to be measured, said horizontal and vertical components of fields of view being slightly larger than the horizontal and vertical components of the dimensional measurement of the object to be measured; horizontal line scan gating means responsive to said horizontal sweep voltage, said horizontal position set means and said vertical position set means for generating said selected number of gating pulses each having a duration equal to that increment of a horizontal line scan defined by the horizontal component of the field of view and the selected number of gating pulses being determined by vertical component of the field of view; a comparator having a first input, a second input and a first output and a second output, said comparator having one of said first and second inputs electrically connected to a reference voltage and the other of said first and second inputs electrically connected to said gating means to receive said gated increments of each horizontal line scan video information signal, said comparator generating a first control signal on said first output in response to the gated video information signal of each horizontal line scan increment being at said first voltage level and a second control signal on said second output in response to the video information signal of each horizontal line scan increment being at said second voltage level; a first storage means electrically connected to said amplifying means and to said first output of said comparator and being responsive to a first control signal from said comparator to store as a first reference signal the average voltage level of the amplified horizontal sweep voltage when said gated video information signal of each increment of the horizontal line scan is at said second voltage level; differential amplifying means having a first and second input and a first and second output, said first and second input being electrically connected to said first and second storage means and responsive to the differential between the first and second reference signals stored therein to produce an analog output voltage derived from the difference between the voltage levels of said amplified horizontal sweep voltage represented by said stored first signal and second signal, which analog output voltage represents the dimensional measurement of an object; and display means electrically connected to said differential amplifying means for displaying as a visual readout the dimensional measurement of the object represented by said analog output voltage.

Claim 11

An automatic measuring system adapted for use with a television microscope system having a video camera which includes means for generating a horizontal sweep voltage and a composite video signal, having horizontal synchronizing signals and video information signals in horizontal line scans, for generating an analog output voltage representative of the dimensional measurement of an article, the improvement comprising pulsed gating means responsive to means for selecting the horizontal and vertical components of field of view to pass video information signals of a selected number of increments of horizontal line scans; means responsive to each gated video information signal of each horizontal line scan for generating a first control signal when the video information signal is at a first level representative of one boundary of the dimensional measurement and a second control signal when the video information signal is at a second level representative of the other boundary of the dimensional measurement; storage means electrically connected to said generating means and responsive to each of said first and second control signals of each increment of horizontal line scan for detecting and storing first and second electrical signals representative of the average voltage levels of said horizontal sweep voltage at each horizontal line scan increments said first and second control signals are generated by said generating means; and differential amplifying means electrically connected to said storage means and responsive to the difference between said first signal and said second signal for deriving therefrom an analog output voltage representative of the dimensional measurement of an article.

Claim 12

An automatic measuring system adapted for use with a television microscope system having a video camera which includes means for generating a horizontal sweep voltage and a composite video signal, having horizontal synchronizing signals and video information signals in horizontal line scans, for generating an analog output voltage representative of the dimensional measurement of an article, the improvement comprising pulsed gating means responsive to means for selecting the horizontal and vertical components of field of view to pass video information signals of a selected number of increments of horizontal line scans; means responsive to each gated video information signal of each horizontal line scan for generating a first control signal when the video information signal is at a first level representative of one boundary of the dimensional measurement and a second control signal when the video information signal is at a second level representative of the other boundary of the dimensional measurement; storage means electrically connected to said generating means and responsive to each of said first and second control signals of each increment of horizontal line scan for detecting and storing first and second electrical signals representative of the average voltage levels of said horizontal sweep voltage at each horizontal line scan increments said first and second control signals are generated by said generating means; and differential amplifying means electrically connected to said storage means and responsive to the difference between said first signal and said second signal for deriving therefrom an analog output voltage representative of the dimensional measurement of an article.

Claim 15

The method of claim 9 further comprises the step of amplifying the horizontal sweep voltage generated by the television camera and applying an amplified horizontal sweep voltage to said detecting and storing means.