Control circuit employing digital techniques for loads such as balance wheel motors

Claim 2

The combination comprising: a load; first means, coupled to said load, which when enabled supplies current pulses to said load; a signal input terminal coupled to said load for receiving a train of pulses derived from said load having a periodic pattern of a single pulse followed by at least two relatively closely spaced pulses, and means coupled to said signal input terminal for sensing said closely spaced pulses and for in response to the next occurring single pulse enabling said first means and said means including means responsive to said single pulse for inhibiting the closely spaced pulses from enabling said first means.

Claim 3

The combination as claimed in claim 1 further including two terminals for the application therebetween of a source of operating potential wherein said load includes a coil connected at one end to one of said two terminals and wherein said first means includes a switch connected between the other end of said coil and the other one of said two terminals.

Claim 4

The combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein a zero level detector is connected between the junction of said coil and said switch and said signal input terminal, wherein the zero level detector converts the signals generated at said junction into said periodic pattern of a single pulse followed by a pair of relatively closely spaced pulses.

Claim 5

The combination as claimed in claim 2 further including means rotatably mounted adjacent to said coil; wherein the current pulses supplied to said coil sustain the oscillatory motion of said rotatably mounted means; and wherein the oscillation of said rotatably mounted means across said coil induce in said coil alternating X and Y signals where the X signal is the mirror image of the Y signal.

Claim 6

The combination as claimed in claim 4 wherein said rotatably mounted means is part of a balance wheel and includes a magnet.

Claim 7

The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for sensing the closely spaced pulses includes a flip flop and a counter, wherein said counter includes means for in response to a first pulse producing a time t1 after said first pulse a given binary level for a period T1; and wherein said means for sensing includes means responsive to said level and to the concurrent presence of a second pulse relatively closely spaced to said first pulse occurring during said period T1 for putting said flip flop in a condition to change in response to a subsequent pulse.

Claim 8

The combination as claimed in claim 6 wherein said subsequent pulse is a single pulse and wherein in response to said single pulse said counter generates a time t2 after the occurrence of said single pulse a signal for inhibiting the supply of current pulses during the presence of the next occurring closely spaced pulseS; and wherein a time t3 after the occurrence of said single pulse where time t3 is later than time t2 and occurs after the occurrence of said relatively closely spaced pulses the counter is reset to zero and said flip flop is put in a condition to begin a new cycle.

Claim 9

The combination comprising: coil; means rotatably mounted adjacent to said coil for, per each cycle of rotation of said means, alternately inducing first and second signals across said coil in response to a first or a second direction of rotation, respectively; first means coupled to said coil for when enabled supplying current pulses to said coil for sustaining the oscillatory motion of said rotatably mounted means; digitizing means coupled to said coil for sensing said first and second types of signals and for producing in response thereto first and second sets of pulses, where said first set includes a single pulse per cycle and said second set includes at least two relatively closely spaced pulses per cycle; and second means coupled to said digitizing means for sensing said second set of pulses and for in response to the next occurring pulse from said first set enabling said first means and said second means including means responsive to said first set of pulses for inhibiting the second set of pulses from enabling said first means.

Claim 10

The combination comprising: coil; means rotatably mounted adjacent to said coil for, per each cycle of rotation of said means, alternately inducing first and second signals across said coil in response to a first or a second direction of rotation, respectively; first means coupled to said coil for when enabled supplying current pulses to said coil for sustaining the oscillatory motion of said rotatably mounted means; digitizing means coupled to said coil for sensing said first and second types of signals and for producing in response thereto first and second sets of pulses, where said first set includes a single pulse per cycle and said second set includes at least two relatively closely spaced pulses per cycle; and second means coupled to said digitizing means for sensing said second set of pulses and for in response to the next occurring pulse from said first set enabling said first means and said second means including means responsive to said first set of pulses for inhibiting the second set of pulses from enabling said first means.

Claim 11

The combination comprising: a coil; means rotatably mounted adjacent to said coil for, per cycle, alternatively including first and second signals across said coil in response to a first or a second direction of rotation, respectively; digitizing means coupled to said coil for sensing said first and second types of signals and for producing in response thereto first and second sets of pulses, where said first set includes a single pulse per cycle and said second set includes at least two relatively closely spaced pulses per cycle; and second means coupled to said digitizing means for in response to said first set of pulses supplying current pulses of first polarity to said coil and for in response to said second set of pulses supplying current pulses to said coil of second polarity opposite to that of said first polarity, said supply of current pulses for causing the continued oscillation of said rotating means.

Claim 12

The combination comprising: a coil; means rotatably mounted adjacent to said coil for, per cycle, alternatively including first and second signals across said coil in response to a first or a second direction of rotation, respectively; digitizing means coupled to said coil for sensing said first and second types of signals and for producing in response thereto first and second sets of pulses, where said first set includes a single pulse per cycle and said second set includes at least two relatively closely spaced pulses per cycle; and second means coupled to said digitizing means for in response to said first set of pulses supplying current pulses of first polarity to said coil and for in response to said second set of pulses supplying current pulses to said coil of second polarity opposite to that of said first polarity, said supply of current pulses for causing the continued oscillation of said rotating means.