US3889169A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Position and velocity servo control for motor controlled article carrier and handler
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1973-10-11
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Granted: 1975-06-10
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Expires: 1993-10-11
Abstract
Abstract A continuously moving information-bearing article carrier and a selectively actuated article handler are in peripheral velocity synchronism for exchanging information-bearing articles. In a preferred form, the carrier is a rotating cylinder having a large plurality of information-bearing articles spaced about its periphery and extending outwardly of the outer periphery for facilitating dynamic article exchanges. Peripheral velocity and positioning synchronism between the article carrier and handler is achieved by incorporating the desired synchronism characteristics into a control tachometer on the handler and maintaining the carrier tachometer linear. Such characteristics result from variable spacing between tachometer marks representing the acceleration characteristics of the article handler.
Inventors
- 👤 Joel A Hirschman
- 👤 Winkle Howard E Van
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 00:54
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02P; H02P5/00; H02P5/46; H02P5/52; H02P5/56
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
288 words
For an article storage and retrieval apparatus for handling a plurality of articles having a predetermined shape and one given dimension, a continuously moving article carrier having a plurality of article retaining means disposed about its outer periphery and traveling along a given travel path at a given speed; a transfer station adjacent said outer periphery and interposable into said travel path and including intermittently moved article engaging means for selectively transferring articles to and from an article storing location without stopping or altering the speed of said article carrier and including speed control means for matching speed of said article engaging means to that of the article retaining means during said selective article transfer; an improved control apparatus, including in combination: a tachometer element in said transfer station and mounted for movement with said article engaging means, said tachometer element having tachometer marks spaced in accordance with a predetermined velocity profile for said engaging means, spacing between predetermined adjacent ones of said tachometer marks being inversely related to desired speed of said engaging means with successively adjacent spacings varying in length for indicating acceleration/deceleration speed change, means for supplying tachometer signals in response to movement of said tachometer element; and control means receiving said tachometer signals and having means operatively associated with said continuously moving article carrier for measuring said given speed, motor control means in said central means jointly responsive to said measured given speed and said tachometer signals to synchronize the speed of said engaging means to said article carrier during said selective article exchange and to accelerate and decelerate said engaging means to and from said given speed in accordance with said velocity profile indicated on said tachometer element by said variably spaced marks.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
288 words
For an article storage and retrieval apparatus for handling a plurality of articles having a predetermined shape and one given dimension, a continuously moving article carrier having a plurality of article retaining means disposed about its outer periphery and traveling along a given travel path at a given speed; a transfer station adjacent said outer periphery and interposable into said travel path and including intermittently moved article engaging means for selectively transferring articles to and from an article storing location without stopping or altering the speed of said article carrier and including speed control means for matching speed of said article engaging means to that of the article retaining means during said selective article transfer; an improved control apparatus, including in combination: a tachometer element in said transfer station and mounted for movement with said article engaging means, said tachometer element having tachometer marks spaced in accordance with a predetermined velocity profile for said engaging means, spacing between predetermined adjacent ones of said tachometer marks being inversely related to desired speed of said engaging means with successively adjacent spacings varying in length for indicating acceleration/deceleration speed change, means for supplying tachometer signals in response to movement of said tachometer element; and control means receiving said tachometer signals and having means operatively associated with said continuously moving article carrier for measuring said given speed, motor control means in said central means jointly responsive to said measured given speed and said tachometer signals to synchronize the speed of said engaging means to said article carrier during said selective article exchange and to accelerate and decelerate said engaging means to and from said given speed in accordance with said velocity profile indicated on said tachometer element by said variably spaced marks.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
The apparatUs set forth in claim 1 wherein saaid desired speed change is a minimum energy profile for said article engaging means during acceleration/deceleration and said continuously moving article carrier moves at a substantially constant speed and includes a tachometer element with evenly spaced apart marks disposed in operative relationship to said measuring means for enabling measurement of said given speed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
115 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said tachometer element is a circular disk with tachometer markings about its periphery and having first and second stop zones on a common diameter and a pair of position-and-velocity synchronization zones disposed about a diameter perpendicular to the first-mentioned diameter, said tachometer marks within said position-and-velocity zones being evenly spaced apart a distance greater than spacings in any other of said zones, said marks in said stop zone being closely spaced apart, and all of the marks intermediate said zones being said predetermined adjacent ones of said marks which are variably spaced apart in accordance with said desired acceleration and deceleration characteristics of said article engaging means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
149 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said continuously moving carrier has a circular tachometer disk with tachometer marks evenly spaced apart its periphery, means in said measuring means for sensing said tachometer marks and supplying constant reference pulses therefrom; said tachometer element on said article engaging means being a circular element having said tachometer marks about its periphery; said supplying means supplying said tachometer signals as variable controllable pulses, said control means receiving said constant reference pulses and said tachometer signals and phase comparing same for supplying a control signal; and motor means operatively connected to said article engaging means within said transfer station and responsive to said control signal for actuating said article engaging means in a rotary sense in accordance with said velocity profile as represented by said control signal resulting from the phase comparison of said constant reference pulses to said variable controllable pulses.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
114 words
A positioning and speed control apparatus for a motor, the movement including in combination; a first tachometer element having evenly spaced apart marks; a second tachometer element relatively movable with respect to said first tachometer element and having tachometer markings spaced apart in accordance with a desired functional characteristic, spacing between predetermined adjacent ones of said tachometer markings being inversely related to desired relative speed between said elements adjacent each of said tachometer markings; first means for sensing the marks of said first tachometer element and second means for sensing the marks of said second tachometer element; and phase comparison means responsive to said first and second sensing means to supply a control signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
114 words
A positioning and speed control apparatus for a motor, the movement including in combination; a first tachometer element having evenly spaced apart marks; a second tachometer element relatively movable with respect to said first tachometer element and having tachometer markings spaced apart in accordance with a desired functional characteristic, spacing between predetermined adjacent ones of said tachometer markings being inversely related to desired relative speed between said elements adjacent each of said tachometer markings; first means for sensing the marks of said first tachometer element and second means for sensing the marks of said second tachometer element; and phase comparison means responsive to said first and second sensing means to supply a control signal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
101 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 5 further including motor means operatively connected to one of said tachometer elements and to a load for moving same, said load and said motor exhibiting certain inertial characteristics, said spacing between predetermined adjacent markings on said second tachometer element representing said desired functional characteristic as acceleration and deceleration characteristics of said load and motor in a minimum energy expenditure mode for achieving predetermined relative acceleration/deceleration between said elements adjacent each said tachometer markings, and an electrical connection receiving said control signal and supplying a motor actuating signal to said motor for operating said load.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 6 wherein said motor is operatively connected to said second tachometer element whereby the load is actuated in accordance with minimum energy expenditure of said motor; and means for moving said first tachometer element aT a relatively constant given speed.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
155 words
The method of operating a motor having a first tachometer element with tachometer marks spaced apart in accordance with the velocity profile desired of a servomechanism, successive spacing between said marks varying to indicate accelerations/decelerations of said velocity profile, the improved method including the following steps in combination: supplying a set of constant reference pulses; selectively actuating said motor to rotate said tachometer element, sensing said marks and supplying a set of variable controllable pulses representing the relationship of the actual motor performance with respect to the desired performance indicated by the spacing of said tachometer marks; and phase comparing the constant reference pulses with said variable controllable pulses, supplying a control signal in accordance with said phase comparison and changing the actuation of the motor until there is a time coincidence between said constant reference pulses and a variable controllable pulse such that motor performance follows said tachometer mark spacing on said tachometer element.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
155 words
The method of operating a motor having a first tachometer element with tachometer marks spaced apart in accordance with the velocity profile desired of a servomechanism, successive spacing between said marks varying to indicate accelerations/decelerations of said velocity profile, the improved method including the following steps in combination: supplying a set of constant reference pulses; selectively actuating said motor to rotate said tachometer element, sensing said marks and supplying a set of variable controllable pulses representing the relationship of the actual motor performance with respect to the desired performance indicated by the spacing of said tachometer marks; and phase comparing the constant reference pulses with said variable controllable pulses, supplying a control signal in accordance with said phase comparison and changing the actuation of the motor until there is a time coincidence between said constant reference pulses and a variable controllable pulse such that motor performance follows said tachometer mark spacing on said tachometer element.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
95 words
The method set forth in claim 8 further including a continuously moving member having a second tachometer element with evenly spaced-apart marks; the improvement further including the following steps in combination; sensing the marks of said second tachometer element on said continuously moving tachometer element and supplying said constant reference pulses from said sensed marks and including synchronizing the speed of said tachometer elements at least during a small portion of movements thereof whereby speed is precisely synchronized and at other times moving said first tachometer element at diverse speeds in accordance with said spacings.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-06-09 | 1978-12-09 | 1979-06-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-06-09 | 1982-12-09 | 1983-06-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-06-09 | 1986-12-09 | 1987-06-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |