Halliburton Company

John E Mosier

Jim Basuki Surjaatmadja

George B McLawhon

Jack C Penn

Jeffrey M Gallup

An optical reader contained in a portable case includes elements for rotating a chart containing indicia and for moving a lens and photo-responsive member substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the chart. These elements are controlled so that the photo-responsive element detects every one of an array of discrete informational units defined by the optical reader on the chart and for generating for each discrete informational unit a respective binary bit having one of two logic values depending upon whether the respective discrete unit is relatively light or relatively dark. The reader also includes circuit elements for detecting every eighth one of the respective binary bits to define a byte of information representing eight of the discrete informational units of the chart. The reader is controlled to commence a read of the chart from the right-hand end and to incrementally read strips of the chart progressing to the left-hand end of the chart. At the conclusion of the reading period, the optical reader is automatically reset to the right-hand end to read the next chart.

Optical reader

A local station and a central computer subsystem remotely located from each other are interconnected by a transmission system, such as a telephone network, so that a medium containing visual data can be read in the vicinity where the cart is made, but automatically analyzed by a computer at the central computer subsystem. The local station includes an optical reader device for reading the medium and converting the visual data contained thereon into numerical data in the form of binary electrical signals. The binary electrical signals are compressed by a hardware compressor circuit and a software compressor program so that the transmission time for transmitting the data to the central computer subsystem is reduced. Once the data is transmitted to the central computer subsystem, an analysis of the data is made after any desired modifications of the data have been made through a graphics terminal.

Data conversion, communication and analysis system

A high-speed interface for use between a computer having a Unibus data transmission system and a Tektronix graphics terminal includes elements for converting pairs of coordinate words from the host computer into five seven-bit bytes usable by the Tektronix graphics terminal. The interface is capable of emulating a standard interface device and is also capable of cyclically refreshing the Tektronix graphics terminal so that it can operate in a write-through mode.

Interface apparatus for host computer and graphics terminal

A data compressor includes circuit elements for counting the number of bytes transmitted in a binary bit stream and further includes storage circuit elements for temporarily storing each byte transmitted in the stream and the corresponding byte count of each byte. The data compressor also includes combinational logic control circuitry for detecting when one of the bits in a temporarily stored byte has a predetermined logic value and for generating a retain data control signal for signalling that the byte contains data desired to be retained.

Electronic data compressor

A method and apparatus for simulating operation and control of a railway train having at least one locomotive in a locomotive set and a plurality of articulated cars. A simulator control station including a train speed control throttle and a train braking controller provides signals related to the degree of operation of the throttle and braking controller. Information relating to car consist, track profile and simulated train location for a predetermined section of track are provided together with data related to the simulated locomotive tractive effort and train braking. Coupling forces between each car throughout the extent of the train are calculated from the data and displayed at the simulator control station to enable a simulator control station operator to control the throttle and braking controller in response to the displayed coupling forces and thereby simulate operation and control of the train. Brake pressure distribution along the length of the train is also displayed.

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Duncan, OK, United States of America

John E Mosier