APPARATUS FOR PROGRAMMING MOVEMENT OF A CART

• US 3,789,939 A
• Filed: 09/07/1971
• Issued: 02/05/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eric L. Geislinger
• Original Assignee: Eric L. Geislinger
• Inventors: Geislinger, Eric L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paperner, Leslie J.
• Application Number:
  US05/178,116
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 180/6.5,79.1,79 46/244D 56/10.2,DIG.15 172/3 318/162,568,587
• US Class Current: 180/6.5
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 56/15 Condition responsive

Abstract

A wheeled cart is controlled to take a particular path under the direction of movement information stored on a tape recorder. The information on the tape recorder is initially placed there as the cart is manually directed over the desired path with a control means. The prescribed path for the cart can be altered at any time by changing the recorded information in the same manner as initially provided.

Claims

1. Apparatus for programming movement of a cart, said apparatus comprising, motive means for said cart coupled to wheels thereof for determining the direction of movement thereof, control means for selectively controlling said motive means for determining the movement of said cart in a path arbitrarily selected by said control means, first and second oscillator circuits providing first and second outputs wherein said control means effects comparative amplitudes of the outputs of said first and second oscillator circuits to which said motive means are responsive for effecting a change in direction of movement of the cart in accordance with the relative outputs of said oscillator circuits, a recorder means provided with a magnetic recording medium adaptable for continuously recording information provided by the outputs of said first and second oscillator means according to said comparative amplitudes of the outputs of said first and second oscillator circuits during operation of said cart as said cart moves in said path for establishing a recording on the magnetic recording medium representative of such path, wherein the outputs of the first and second oscillator circuits are added before recording, and wherein said control means further includes means for regulating the total amplitude of the added signal for controlling the speed of said cart, and means for coupling an output of said recorder means to said motive means so that said motive means is alternatively controllable by said recording medium for subsequently operating said motive means to control the direction of said cart for substantially duplicating the path previously taken.

2. Apparatus for programming movement of a cart, said apparatus comprising:

motive means for said cart coupled to wheels thereof for determining the direction of movement thereof, control means for selectively controlling said motive means for determining the movement of said cart in a path arbitrarily selected by said control means, first and second oscillator circuits providing first and second outputs wherein said control means effects comparative amplitudes of the outputs of said first and second oscillator circuits to which said motive means are responsive for effecting a change in direction of movement of the cart in accordance with the relative outputs of said oscillator circuits, a recorder means provided with a magnetic recording medium adapted for continuously recording information provided according to said comparative amplitudes of the outputs of said first and second oscillator circuits during operation of said cart as said cart moves in said path for establishing a recording on the magnetic recording medium representative of such path, wherein the outputs of the first and second oscillator circuits are added before recording, and means for coupling an ouput of said recorder means to said motive means so that said motive means is alternatively controllable by said recording medium for subsequently operating said motive means to control the direction of said cart for substantially duplicating the path previously taken.

3. Apparatus for programming movement of a wheeled cart, said apparatus comprising:

motive means for said cart coupled to the wheels thereof by means of which movement of said cart is determined, including propulsion of said cart in a generally forward direction, said motive means comprising first and second motor means coupled to drive respective wheels of said cart, a recorder means having a recording medium for bearing movement information representative of the course of movement for said cart, means for coupling said recorder means to said motive means for causing said cart to follow a predetermined path in accordance with said information, manually operable control means for selectively providing electric control values, said motive means being selectively responsive to said electrical control values for directing a different path of movement for said cart, including first and second oscillator circuits providing first and second outputs wherein said control means effects comparative amplitudes of the outputs of said first and second oscillator circuits, means for at the same time coupling said control means to said recorder means for recording movement information representative of said different path on the recording medium in the recorder to which said cart can be subsequently responsive, said outputs of said first and second oscillator circuits providing the recording of information in said recorder means, and means in circuit with said first and second motor means responsive to the frequencies respectively of said first and second oscillators for determining movement of said first and second motor means, wherein said frequency responsive means each comprise an active filter circuit including an operational amplifier having a pair of differential inputs and a pair of feedback impedances coupled respectively thereto, a first RC series circuit for coupling a filter circuit input to an inverting input of said amplifier, and a parallel RC circuit coupled to a non-inverting input of said amplifier and across which the filtered output is taken.