Sprocket signal processor

Claim 2

Apparatus for reading a record member subject to oscillations as a result of being rapidly advanced comprising means for sensing the data and the control information recorded on a record member as the record member is advanced thereover and provide electrical signals corresponding to the advancement of the recorded data and control information thereover, means for incrementally advancing a record member having data and control information recorded thereon to be sensed by the sensing means, circuit means coupled to be responsive to the control information signal from the sensing means for providing an output signal representative of the sensed control information, said circuit means providing a further signal representative of the sensing of the control information, and control circuit means coupled to be responsive to said further signal from said circuit means for providing advancing control signals to said advancing means in response to each of said further signals, said first-mentioned circuit means being adapted to provide only a single further signal in response to the sensed control information for a preselected time interval related to the rate of advancement of the control information on the record member to thereby block out any signals provided from the sensing means due to erroneous transitions of the record member thereover.

Claim 3

Apparatus for reading a record member subject to oscillations or jitter as it is conveyed over a sensor, said apparatus including means for incrementally advancing a record member having data and control information recorded thereon for each piece of data, means for sensing the data and the control information as the record member advances thereover and providing electrical signals corresponding to the data and the associated control information, binary signal generating means coupled to be responsive to the control signals derived from the record member and providing binary signals representative of the presence and absence of the recorded control information, signal generating means coupled to be responsive to the binary signal generating means for providing signals for energizing said advancing means, means coupled to be responsive to the signal generating means for maintaining said binary signal generating means in a preselected binary state for a predetermined time interval related to the rate of advancement of the record member and the spacing of the recorded control information to prevent the generation of erroneous signals due to successive transitions of the same control information over the sensing means, and means coupled to be responsive to the binary signal generating means for producing a signal representative of the correct recorded control information despite any undesired transitions of the record member and the multiple sensing of the same recorded information.

Claim 4

Apparatus for reading a record member subject to oscillations or jitter as it is conveyed over a sensor, said apparatus including means for incrementally advancing a record member having data and control information recorded thereon for each piece of data, means for sensing the data and the control information as the record member advances thereover and providing electrical signals corresponding to the data and the associated control information, binary signal generating means coupled to be responsive to the control signals derived from the record member and providing binary signals representative of the presence and absence of the recorded control information, signal generating means coupled to be responsive to the binary signal generating means for providing signals for energizing said advancing means, means coupled to be responsive to the signal generating means for maintaining said binary signal generating means in a preselected binary state for a predetermined time interval related to the rate of advancement of the record member and the spacing of the recorded control information to prevent the generation of erroneous signals due to successive transitions of the same control information over the sensing means, and means coupled to be responsive to the binary signal generating means for producing a signal representative of the correct recorded control information despite any undesired transitions of the record member and the multiple sensing of the same recorded information.

Claim 5

Apparatus for reading a record member as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for maintaining the binary state of the signal generating means is a delay pulse generator.

Claim 6

Control apparatus for advancing a record member having control information recorded thereon, said apparatus comprising stepping motor means adapted to be coupled to a record member for linearly advancing the record member in preselected increments, the motor including a stator having individually energizable windings and a rotor magnetically coupled to the stator and responsive to the energization of the individual windings for rotating the rotor said preselected increments, sensing means associated with said motor means for sensing the recorded control information on said record member and providing electrical signals corresponding to each sensed piece of control information, binary signal generating means coupled to be responsive to the control signals derived from the record member and providing binary signals in response thereto, binary counting menas coupled to be responsive to the binary signals for providing output signals coupled to individual windings of the motor means in accordance with each count thereof, triggerable circuit means coupled to be responsive to the binary signal generating means for providing an output signal of a preselected time duration related to the time required to incrementally advance the record member from position to position, the output signal from said circuit means being coupled to said binary signal generating means for maintaining it in a preselected state for said preselected time duration, said binary signal generating means including binary signal storage elements coupled to be responsive to the control signal derived from the record member and to said output signal for providing output signals for controlling the rate of said binary signal generating means, and circuit means coupled to be responsive to the latter-mentioned output signals for defining a single control signal representative of the control information recorded on the record member for each incremental advancement of the record member.

Claim 7

Control apparatus for advancing a record member having control information recorded thereon, said apparatus comprising stepping motor means adapted to be coupled to a record member for linearly advancing the record member in preselected increments, the motor including a stator having individually energizable windings and a rotor magnetically coupled to the stator and responsive to the energization of the individual windings for rotating the rotor said preselected increments, sensing means associated with said motor means for sensing the recorded control information on said record member and providing electrical signals corresponding to each sensed piece of control information, binary signal generating means coupled to be responsive to the control signals derived from the record member and providing binary signals in response thereto, binary counting menas coupled to be responsive to the binary signals for providing output signals coupled to individual windings of the motor means in accordance with each count thereof, triggerable circuit means coupled to be responsive to the binary signal generating means for providing an output signal of a preselected time duration related to the time required to incrementally advance the record member from position to position, the output signal from said circuit means being coupled to said binary signal generating means for maintaining it in a preselected state for said preselected time duration, said binary signal generating means including binary signal storage elements coupled to be responsive to the control signal derived from the record member and to said output signal for providing output signals for controlling the rate of said binary signal generating means, and circuit means coupled to be responsive to the latter-mentioned output signals for defining a single control signal representative of the control information recorded on the record member for each incremental advancement of the record member.

Claim 8

Control apparatus for advancing a record member having control information recorded thereon, said apparatus comprising stepping motor means adapted to be coupled to a record member for linearly advancing the record member in preselected increments, the motor including a stator having individually energizable windings and a rotor magnetically coupled to the stator and responsive to the energization of the individual windings for rotating the rotor said preselected incremEnts, sensing means associated with said motor means for sensing the recorded control information on said record member and providing electrical signals corresponding to each sensed piece of control information, binary signal generating means coupled to be responsive to the control signals derived from the record member and providing binary signals in response thereto, binary counting means coupled to be responsive to the binary signals for providing output signals coupled to individual windings of the motor means in accordance with each count thereof, triggerable circuit means coupled to be responsive to the binary signal generating means for providing an output signal of a preselected time duration related to the time required to incrementally advance the record member from position to position, the output signal from said circuit means being coupled to said binary signal generating means for maintaining it in a preselected state for said preselected time duration, anti-jitter control means coupled to be responsive to said triggerable circuit means for providing a winding energization signal for reducing the oscillation of the rotor at each increment of advancement for positively advancing the record member, said binary signal generating means including binary signal storage elements coupled to be responsive to the control signal derived from the record member and to said output signal for providing output signals for controlling the rate of said binary signal generating means, and circuit means coupled to be responsive to the latter-mentioned output signals for defining a single control signal representative of the control information recorded on the record member for each incremental advancement of the record member.

Claim 9

Control apparatus for advancing a record member having control information recorded thereon, said apparatus comprising stepping motor means adapted to be coupled to a record member for linearly advancing the record member in preselected increments, the motor including a stator having individually energizable windings and a rotor magnetically coupled to the stator and responsive to the energization of the individual windings for rotating the rotor said preselected incremEnts, sensing means associated with said motor means for sensing the recorded control information on said record member and providing electrical signals corresponding to each sensed piece of control information, binary signal generating means coupled to be responsive to the control signals derived from the record member and providing binary signals in response thereto, binary counting means coupled to be responsive to the binary signals for providing output signals coupled to individual windings of the motor means in accordance with each count thereof, triggerable circuit means coupled to be responsive to the binary signal generating means for providing an output signal of a preselected time duration related to the time required to incrementally advance the record member from position to position, the output signal from said circuit means being coupled to said binary signal generating means for maintaining it in a preselected state for said preselected time duration, anti-jitter control means coupled to be responsive to said triggerable circuit means for providing a winding energization signal for reducing the oscillation of the rotor at each increment of advancement for positively advancing the record member, said binary signal generating means including binary signal storage elements coupled to be responsive to the control signal derived from the record member and to said output signal for providing output signals for controlling the rate of said binary signal generating means, and circuit means coupled to be responsive to the latter-mentioned output signals for defining a single control signal representative of the control information recorded on the record member for each incremental advancement of the record member.