Other

Rimrock Corporation

Kirsch Technologies, Inc.

Auto-place, Inc.

Jerry Kirsch

Kerry F Kirsch

Robert J Tindall

Kenneth J Hornacek

The subject of the invention relates to a positioning system having a control that integrates a GPS receiver for determining the system's operating coordinates. The control can interface with either radio or cellular telephone transceivers, or receivers for receiving GPS coordinate data via remote radio or cellular transceivers or senders, in order to process the local GPS coordinate data using logarithms for solving triangles with various geometrical propositions to establish and control the sensor positioner and to automatically maintain a sensor fix on remote objects or vehicles transmitting their GPS coordinates. The positions control is configured with a target operating mode that permits an operator to manually steer the positioner to desired positions at which information is desired, and to engage the control to make use of, at targeted time, positioner angular data stemming from the positions dive assemblies encoders to automatically maintain a sensor fix on desired targeted positions. In addition, the positions control is configured with a coordinate entry mode that permits an operator to engage the controller to automatically position the positioner in order to maintain a sensor fix on the entered coordinates. The positioning system functions to either maintain a sensor fix on stationary or moving objects from either a stationary position or a moving object or vehicle.

GPS signal driven sensor positioning system

A positioning device (10, 10') including a mounting base (16), a yaw assembly (18) for imparting yaw movement relative to the mounting base (16) and a pitch assembly (22) for imparting pitch movement relative to the mounting base (16) is disclosed. The yaw assembly (18) comprises a yaw table (20) rotatably mounted to the mounting base (16) and the pitch assembly (22) comprises a pitch wheel (24) rotatably mounted to the yaw table (20). The positioning device (10, 10') includes a pitch motor (28) located on the yaw table (20) for rotating the pitch wheel (24) relative to the yaw table (20) and a yaw motor (38) located on the yaw table (20) for rotating the yaw table (20) relative to the mounting base (16).

Miniature positioning device

The information station uses a computer for receiving, storing and transmitting digital electronic signals which represent digitized information corresponding to printed text or graphics. A facsimile transceiver is used to digitize the printed information and also used to reprint a hard copy from digital electronic signals received from the computer. The computer has a serial interface including a synchronous communication interface and modem for communicating with the facsimile transceiver. A switching circuit, responsive to the computer, switches between three switching states to selectively connect to modem to an external telephone line or to connect the facsimile transceiver to an external telephone line or to connect the modem and facsimile transceiver in order to implement a local information station mode. Digital electronic signals stored in the computer may be off-loaded to a video tape recorder by means of a video interface circuit.

Handling process and information station

A rotary and linear actuating device is disclosed for imparting precision rotary and linear movement to an external member or assembly. In a preferred form of the invention a rotatable assembly is rotated about an axis within a housing by selectively varying the relative pressures of an actuating fluid in at least a pair of fluid pressure chambers defined by the housing, the rotatable assembly and at least a pair of vane members extending therebetween. An elongated shaft member is rotationally fixed relative to the rotatable assembly and is supported by at least a pair of linear bearing assemblies to allow linear movement of the elongated shaft member along said axis. The linear bearing assemblies remain a fixed axial distance from one another in order to adequately support heavy loads on the elongated shaft member and the external member or assembly attached thereto. The device also preferably includes adjustment means for selectively adjusting the clearance between the elongated shaft member and the linear bearing assemblies.

Rotary and linear actuating device

For feeding short rods, which term includes tubes, such as clinical thermometer tubes with bulbs at one end, a feeding hopper has downwardly-converging bottom walls terminating in an elongated gap between their lower edges forming an elongated slot. Reciprocable horizontally beneath the slot is fluid-pressure-operated ejector plunger which feeds, one at a time, the short rods to a horizontal receiver composed of a pair of spaced parallel guide bars separated by a distance large enough to pass the rod but to detain the bulb, whereupon the rod pivots around the detained bulb to swing downward into the slot and comes to rest between the bars with the bulb uppermost and the rod suspended vertically from the bars. Agitating mechanism including a pair of alternately-reciprocable agitator slides mounted side by side in spaced relationship beneath the gap to closely select and receive the rods one at a time by moving upward and downward through the slot and, also intermittently shakes the stack of rods in the hopper so as to force them into mutually parallel horizontal positions, thereby preventing jamming of the rods in or arching together above the slot.

Hopper feeder for singly dispensing short rods or tubes

Mounted upon a servo-motor-driven longitudinally-reciprocable X-axis carriage is a servo-motor-driven laterally-reciprocable Y-axis carriage carrying an air cylinder with a vertically-reciprocable and rotatable piston rod. Mounted atop the piston rod is a fixed horizontal arm carrying a rotary actuator and a reciprocating motor respectively rotating and reciprocating a movable horizontal arm mounted on the fixed arm. Also mounted on said fixed arm and rotatable by a stepping motor is a horizontal narrow-angle video camera with high resolving power. An inclined reflector mounted on the outer end of said movable arm reflects into the horizontal camera light rays from articles underneath on a work carrier. A stationary vertical overhead wide angle video camera of lower resolving power is fixedly mounted above said work carrier and focussed thereupon. Mounted on said movable arm behind said reflector is an article-gripper stepping motor arranged to rotate, upon a vertical axis, a depending article gripper having gripping fingers operated by an air cylinder mounted on said movable arm. A modification replaces both cameras by a single vertical overhead video camera mounted on and rotated by a stepping motor upon a servo-motor-driven laterally-reciprocable Y-axis carriage which in turn is mounted upon a servo-motor-driven longitudinally-reciprocable X-axis carriage above the work carrier. The computerized electronic operating system for this device involves conventional components and is described below.

Rotary video article centering, orienting and transfer device for

Vertically bored for horizontally swingable mounting on a vertical pivot pin fixed in a base is an upstanding mirror holder support post containing a horizontal partly-cylindrical recess thereacross, the horizontal axis of which intersects the vertical axis of the pivot pin. Mating with the partly-cylindrical recess and coaxial therewith is a horizontal partly-cylindrical convex mirror holder with a flat front mirror mounting face thereon. A first set screw locks the post in its horizontally-adjustable position relatively to the pivot pin, whereas a second set screw locks the mirror holder in its vertically-adjusted position relatively to the mirror holder support post.

Horizontally and vertically adjustable mirror mounting

Mounted adjacent and in alignment with the workpiece supporting portion of a workpiece-shape-altering machine, such as the lower die of a stamping press, is a laser beam source, the outgoing beam from which passes through a beam splitter which divides the entering beam. One of the two emergent beams from the beam-splitter is a workpiece position-inspecting beam which passes in a grazing direction across one portion of the top of a workpiece resting upon the lower die for subsequent stamping by the upper die of the press. This beam continues onward to a mirror which reflects it in a grazing direction back across another portion of the top of the workpiece to a workpiece position detector. The other emergent beam from the beam splitter is a workpiece presence-inspecting beam which is obstructed by the workpiece, if present on the lower die, so that it does not reach the workpiece presence detector therebeyond. If, however, the workpiece has not been delivered to the lower die or, if delivered and worked upon, has adhered to and has been carried upward with the upper die, the workpiece presence detector immediately transmits the absence of the workpiece from the lower die to the electrical control system of the press, which prevents the operation of the press until a workpiece is properly supplied to and positioned upon the lower die. On the other hand, even if the workpiece is in position on the lower die but is improperly positioned, such as being tilted, so that it obstructs the workpiece position-inspecting beam with the result that the beam does not reach the workpiece detector, the improper position of the workpiece is transmitted to the electrical press control system, which thereupon prevents actuation of the press until the workpiece has been properly repositioned upon the lower die by the operator.

Laser workpiece position and presence inspector and machine control

To determine whether or not all of the required holes have been formed in a multiple-hole workpiece, as by a punch press, the workpiece is placed in an inspection arrangement containing a system of multiple mirrors adapted to reflect a laser beam from a laser beam source through the multiple holes in the workpiece to a laser beam sensor which preferably is electrically connected to an acceptance or rejection indicator or actuator or to the press control system. If all of the holes have been properly punched or otherwise formed, the sensor recognizes that fact and permits the next workpiece to be fed to the press and the inspected workpiece to be conveyed onward as accepted. If, on the other hand, one or more of the holes have not been punched or otherwise formed, the passage of the laser beam is blocked, so that the workpiece is rejected by the sensor and its connected workpiece handling system, and at the same time, the press control system halts the press and prevents the workpiece handling mechanism from supplying another workpiece to the press until the rejection has been overcome. In a modification, the inspector is built into the press equipment itself, whereby the upper and lower dies of the press are provided with the laser beam source and sensors, also with passageways containing the multiple mirrors, and operating similarly as above described. The lower die is also provided with scrap slug disposal passageways for carrying away the slugs punched out of the workpiece placed between the upper and lower dies.

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Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, United States of America

Jerry Kirsch