US4059787A — Method for the automatic location of particular z…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 263 words

A method for the automatic location of particular zones on a surface, especially of points to be machined on the surface of a workpiece by an automatic machine which operates point by point, wherein said method consists: in giving said particular zones a distinctive appearance with respect to the region surrounding said zones on said surface, especially an appearance which is transparent at the center of an opaque pastille, in automatically scanning the surface in a system of two coordinates, especially perpendicular rectilinear coordinates, by means of a reader comprising at least one detecting element which is responsive to said distinctive appearance, in establishing by means of electrical signals delivered by the reader a primary image coded in binary notation in which two different states represent respectively the presence and absence of said distinctive appearance at each point of the surface which is scanned by the detector, in processing said primary image in coded form in order to erase in successive points from the edges thereof in accordance with said system of coordinates all the states which are representative of the presence of the distinctive appearance encountered before a zone of absence of said distinctive appearance in order to obtain a clear image in coded form only of those points which have said distinctive appearance and are separated from the edges of the image by one point or a plurality of successive points which do not have said distinctive appearance, in determining the coordinates of at least a certain number of the points having a distinctive appearance which remain on said clear image.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 263 words

A method for the automatic location of particular zones on a surface, especially of points to be machined on the surface of a workpiece by an automatic machine which operates point by point, wherein said method consists: in giving said particular zones a distinctive appearance with respect to the region surrounding said zones on said surface, especially an appearance which is transparent at the center of an opaque pastille, in automatically scanning the surface in a system of two coordinates, especially perpendicular rectilinear coordinates, by means of a reader comprising at least one detecting element which is responsive to said distinctive appearance, in establishing by means of electrical signals delivered by the reader a primary image coded in binary notation in which two different states represent respectively the presence and absence of said distinctive appearance at each point of the surface which is scanned by the detector, in processing said primary image in coded form in order to erase in successive points from the edges thereof in accordance with said system of coordinates all the states which are representative of the presence of the distinctive appearance encountered before a zone of absence of said distinctive appearance in order to obtain a clear image in coded form only of those points which have said distinctive appearance and are separated from the edges of the image by one point or a plurality of successive points which do not have said distinctive appearance, in determining the coordinates of at least a certain number of the points having a distinctive appearance which remain on said clear image.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 143 words

A method according to claim 1, wherein the primary image is processed in successive lines in logical erasing circuits which, in the case of each point having an index n on a line having an index m, satisfy the equations: Al,m,n = Ao,m,n. (Eo,m-1,n + E'o,m,n-1 + E'o,m,n+1) E'o,m,n = Ao,m,n. (Eo,m-1,n + E'o,m,n-1 + E'o,m,n+1) where Ao, Eo, Al, E'o are given the following notations respectively, in binary code form: Ao represents a line of the primary image, Eo represents the erasing instructions of the preceding line, Al represents the line obtained after erasing, E'o represents the erasing instructions of the processed line, and wherein erasure is imposed on the one hand in the case of the two end points of each line and on the other hand in the case of all the points of the first line of the image.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 45 words

A method according to claim 2, wherein the primary image is processed twice within said erasing circuits, namely a first time at successive points from the first to the last line and a second time at successive points from the last to the first line.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 102 words

A method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of primary images are formed successively during a displacement of the reader in a direction at right angles to the lines, the primary images are processed alternately within two different erasing-circuit units, a partial overlap between two successive primary images is formed by addressing the common coded data lines simultaneously to the two units and there is reconstituted at the output of said units a continuous clear image in which there remain the data relating to the presence of the distinctive appearance which were not erased in either of the two units aforesaid.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 100 words

A method according to claim 1 as applied to the automatic elaboration of instructions for drilling the holes of a printed circuit, wherein the surface subjected to the scan is constituted by a photoetching positive of a printed circuit in which the circuit pattern is opaque on a transparent sheet and is provided at the location of the holes to be drilled with pastilles having an opaque zone surrounding a transparent center in which said opaque zone and said transparent center each cover at least one scansion point in said system of two coordinates, or by a corresponding photoetching negative.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 165 words

A method according to claim 1 wherein, starting from a clear image of successive scanning lines in coded form obtained during scanning of the surface in steps of equal length in a system of perpendicular coordinates and containing a zone having a center of symmetry extending over a plurality of adjacent reading points having the distinctive appearance whilst the other points of the image do not have said appearance, there is determined at each line on the one hand the number A of successive lines comprising at least one point having said distinctive appearance and on the other hand the number B which is one-half the number of points having said distinctive appearance on each line, the numbers A and B are compared at each line and when A becomes equal to or higher than B and a recording is taken of the corresponding coordinates of the reader converted to a coded form which correspond substantially to the coordinates of the center-point of said zone.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 61 words

A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded image covers a series of reading lines obtained during a displacement of the reader along a first axis of coordinates (X-axis), the successive lines containing in coded form the data delivered step-by-step by a series of aligned detecting elements in the reader in parallel relation to a second axis of coordinates (Y-axis).

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 57 words

A method according to claim 7, wherein the number of reading points preceding the zone on the line of the center-point and the half-number of the number of reading points comprised within the zone on said line are summated and wherein the corresponding coordinate (Y) of the reader is corrected as a function of the total result.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 35 words

A method according to claim 6, wherein the X-coordinate of the reader is corrected as a function of the number of reading steps corresponding to the time of processing by erasure of the primary image.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 77 words

A method according to claim 1, wherein a correspondence is established between the surface of the zones having a distinctive appearance and the tools of a machine for carrying out machining operations, especially the diameters of drilling tools, and wherein a recording is taken not only of said coordinates but also of the total number of reading points comprised within a zone in a coded form which determines the selection of the corresponding tool of the machine.

Claim 12

Independent Claim 213 words

An apparatus for the automatic location of particular zones or a surface, comprising automatic means for displacing a reader in a movement of scanning of a surface on which particular zones have a distinctive appearance with respect to the area surrounding said zones on said surface, especially a transparent appearance at the center of an opaque zone, scanning being performed in a system of two coordinates and said reader being provided with at least one detecting element which is responsive to said distinctive appearance and especially a photoelectric element, means for establishing by means of electrical signals delivered point by point by the reader during the scanning, a primary image in binary coded form of those points of the surface which have said distinctive appearance and those points which do not have said appearance, erasing means for processing said primary image in coded form by erasing in succession, starting from the edges of said image in accordance with said system of coordinates, all those points having the distinctive appearance and encountered before a point which does not have said appearance in order to obtain a clear image in coded form, and means for determining and recording in coded form the coordinates on said surface of particular points selected on the coded clear image.

Claim 13

Independent Claim 213 words

An apparatus for the automatic location of particular zones or a surface, comprising automatic means for displacing a reader in a movement of scanning of a surface on which particular zones have a distinctive appearance with respect to the area surrounding said zones on said surface, especially a transparent appearance at the center of an opaque zone, scanning being performed in a system of two coordinates and said reader being provided with at least one detecting element which is responsive to said distinctive appearance and especially a photoelectric element, means for establishing by means of electrical signals delivered point by point by the reader during the scanning, a primary image in binary coded form of those points of the surface which have said distinctive appearance and those points which do not have said appearance, erasing means for processing said primary image in coded form by erasing in succession, starting from the edges of said image in accordance with said system of coordinates, all those points having the distinctive appearance and encountered before a point which does not have said appearance in order to obtain a clear image in coded form, and means for determining and recording in coded form the coordinates on said surface of particular points selected on the coded clear image.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 65 words

An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the reader comprises a series of detecting elements aligned along one of the axes of coordinates for delivering a series of electrical signals as a function of the presence or absence of the distinctive appearance at the corresponding successive reading points, and means for converting said signals into a series of binary-coded data constituting a primary image line.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 136 words

An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein at least one erasing unit for processing an image of primary successive lines in coded form comprises a first register having a series input and parallel outputs for receiving said image line by line, a second register having a series input and parallel outputs, a third register having parallel inputs and series outputs for delivering line by line a clear image obtained after erasure, a fourth register having parallel inputs and a series output in which the output is connected to the input of the second register in order to transfer erasing instructions thereto, and a combinational circuit connected to the different outputs of the first and second registers and to the different inputs of the third and fourth registers in order to satisfy the equations of claim 4.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 232 words

An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the erasing unit further comprises a first storage device for storing the data of a series of lines constituting a primary image, said data being directed successively from a first to a last line to said first register at the time of a first treatment of the primary image, at least one of a second storage device for storing the clear image obtained at the output of the third register at the time of said first treatment, or of a third storage device for storing the corresponding erasing instructions at the output of the fourth register, a fourth storage device for storing a clear image obtained after a second erasing treatment of the same primary image carried out from the last to the first line from data of the first storage device and means for making it possible during the second treatment at least either to deliver to the second register the data of the third storage device as re-read from the last to the first line at the same time as those of the fourth register by means of a logical OR gate or to deliver to the fourth storage device by means of a logical AND gate the data of the second storage device as re-read from the last to the first line at the same time as those of the third register.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 134 words

An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said installation comprises at least one unit for locating the center-point of a hole in a clear image formed by successive lines in coded form and representing solely a hole having a center of symmetry and especially a substantially circular contour, by reading points having the distinctive appearance, said center-point locating unit being provided with a first counter for the number of successive lines each comprising at least one point having a distinctive appearance, a second counter for the number of points having a distinctive appearance in each line, a comparator for comparing at each line the state A of the first counter and the state B of the second counter and delivering a control signal for recording coordinates when A becomes at least equal to B.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 25 words

An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the center-point locating unit comprises a counter for summating the number of reading points comprised within the hole.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 70 words

An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said installation is provided between one or a number of erasing units and one or a number of center-point locating units with switching circuits for orienting towards a center-point locating unit solely those line data of the clear image which comprise at least one point having a distinctive appearance and if necessary for distributing within different units the data relating to different holes.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 22 words

An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said installation comprises a counter for summating the number of center-points whose coordinates are recorded.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 39 words

An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said installation comprises means for summating the number of reading points which do not have the distinctive appearance on the primary image in coded form prior to selection of the particular points.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1980-11-21	1981-05-23	1981-11-22	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1984-11-21	1985-05-23	1985-11-22	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1988-11-21	1989-05-23	1989-11-22	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Method for the automatic location of particular zones of a surface and an installation for the application of said method

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