Apparatus to permit both contouring and numerical positioning operations with a common control system

Claim 1

AN OBJECT POSITIONING SYSTEM RESPONSIVE TO INPUT DATA COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, POSITION COMMAND MEANS OPERATIVE TO PRODUCE TO SAID INPUT DATA TO GENERATE A SIGNAL DISCRETELY REPRESENTING THE ABSOLUTE POSITION SAID OBJECT IS TO ASSUME, POSITION RESPONSIVE MEANS OPERATIVE TO PRODUCE A SIGNAL DISCRETELY REPRESENTING THE ACTUAL POSITION OF SAID OBJECT, VELOCITY COMMAND MEANS OPERATIVE IN RESPONSE TO SAID INPUT DATA TO PRODUCE A SIGNAL DISCRETELY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE VELOCITY WITH WHICH SAID OBJECT SHOULD TRAVERSE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID ABSOLUTE POSITION AND SAID ACTUAL POSITION, FEED MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY MOVING SAID OBJECT AT A RATE COMMENSURATE WITH THE MAGNITUDE OF A SIGNAL, FIRST MEANS CONTROLLED BY THE SIGNALS FROM SAID POSITION COMMAND MEANS AND SAID POSITION RESPONSIVE TO MEANS TO GENERATE A SIGNAL HAVING A MAGNITUDE PORPORTIONAL TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE COMMANDED POSITION AND PRESENT POSITION OF SAID OBJECT, SECOND MEANS CONTROLLED BY THE SIGNALS FROM SAID VELOCITY COMMAND MEANS AND SAID POSITION RESPONSIVE MEANS AND OPERATIVE TO PRODUCE A SIGNAL HAVING A MAGNITUDE COMMENSURATE WITH THE VELOCITY WITH WHICH SAID OBJECT IS TO TRAVERSE, AND SWITCHING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY APPLYING THE SIGNALS FROM SAID FIRST MEANS AND SAID SECOND MEANS TO SAID FEED MEANS.