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Apparatus for recognizing code marks

  • US 4,812,982 A
  • Filed: 12/16/1986
  • Issued: 03/14/1989
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1985
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for recognizing a position of an article having a plurality of code marks by determining the relative positions of the code marks in respect to each other, comprising:

  • means for adjusting positions of said code marks such that the code marks are spaced a plurality of discrete distance increments from each other;

    a read station including at least first and second code readers for recognizing positions of at least two of said code marks relative to a third of said code marks, said first and second code readers being spaced at a distance corresponding to a plurality of said discrete distance increments, each of said code readers generating output signals, and wherein said output signals include first signals indicative of the presence of a code mark at a code reader and second signals indicative of the absence of a code mark at a code reader;

    an address counter;

    a multiplexer system controlled by said address counter to sequentially interrogate said code readers and serially obtain said output signals of said code readers;

    a buffer memory connected to an output of said multiplexer system to store said output signals at addresses corresponding to the positions of the code readers;

    a priority encoder connected to an output of said buffer memory, said priority encoder generating output signals corresponding to an address of the serially highest of said first signals indicative of the presence of a code mark;

    first and second end buffer memories connected to the output of said priority encoder, said end buffer memories having parallel inputs;

    wherein said first and second end buffer memories are controlled by first and second pulse generators so that the first end buffer memory receives said priority encoder output signals in response to output by said first code reader of said first signal indicative of the presence of a code mark at said first code reader, and so that the second end buffer memory receives the priority encoder output signals in response to output by said first and second code readers of subsequent first signals indicative of the presence of a code mark at said second code reader, whereby the priority encoder output signals received by said second end buffer memory in response to the subsequent first signal indicative of the presence of a code mark at said second code reader correspond to the relative positions of the code marks.

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