Levin, Arie (Rehovot, IL)
Arazi, Efraim (Rehovot, IL)
Gronemann, Uri (Rehovot, IL)

04/884802

01/09/1973

12/15/1969

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358/501

234/89, 234/55, 358/524, 358/514

D03C19/00; H04N9/02

178/5.2,5.2A,6.7,7.6

Murray, Richard

What is claimed is

1. A translator for translating an encoded multi-colored graticulated design pattern for the control of a textile machine in which a sequence of cells traversing one dimension of said design pattern is a column of the pattern and a sequence of cells traversing the other dimension of said pattern is a row of the pattern, said translator comprising

2. a scanner head,

3. means for moving said scanner head along a row of design pattern cells, and

4. a plurality of photodetectors mounted on said head for movement therewith and arranged to simultaneously detect light reflected from the same location of said design pattern and thereby collectively sense the color in that location, each photodetector being responsive to a particular color range whereby the outputs of the photodetectors when taken together provide a multi-bit representation of the colors of said cells,

5. a plurality of shift registers, each having an input stage, and

6. means for applying the signal at a decision circuit output terminal to a separate shift register input stage, said shift registers responding to said sensing signal by integrally shifting and by accepting the decision circuit signals into their input stages,

7. The translator defined in claim 1 wherein said output means provides signals suitable for control of a card or tape punching machine.

8. The translator defined in claim 1 wherein

9. a sequence of cells traversing one dimension of said design pattern is a column of the pattern, and

10. a sequence of cells traversing the other dimension of said pattern is a row of the pattern, and

11. The translator defined in claim 3 wherein said scanner includes

12. mounted on said head for movement therewith, and

13. arranged to simultaneously detect light reflected from the same location of said design pattern and thereby collectively sense the color in that location, and

14. The translator defined in claim 4

15. having an output terminal corresponding to each photodetector, and

16. providing at each output terminal a signal indicating whether or not the intensity of the light sensed by the corresponding photodetector exceeds a reference level, an intensity exceeding the reference level indicating that the color range to which the photodetector responds is present in the design pattern location whose color is being sened at that time.

17. The translator defined in claim 4 wherein there are two photodetectors in said scanner for use with a four-color design code, one photodetector being selectively responsive to light of a first color range and the other to light of a second color range.

18. The translator defined in claim 1 including

19. The translator defined in claim 7

20. The translator defined in claim 8 including means causing said distributor to select a further decoder output each time said decoder has decoded the contents of said storage means.

21. A translation system for translating an encoded, multicolored, design pattern for the control of textile machine, said system comprising

22. having a grid imprinted thereon and

23. having a textile design recorded on a first surface thereof in the form of various removable colors in the cells of said grid, and

24. for sensing the colors in said cells and providing electrical signals indicative of said colors, and

25. disposed on the opposite side of said medium from said first surface so as to view the colors through the medium, thereby to facilitate changing colors on said medium when said medium is in position for scanning by the scanner.

26. The system defined in claim 10 in which said medium is receptive to the deposition of colors from color pencils.

27. The system defined in claim 10 in which said grid is imprinted on the medium in a form that permits eradication of said colors from the medium without eradicating the grid.

28. A translator for translating a coded multi-colored design pattern for the control of a textile machine, said translator comprising

29. The translator defined in claim 13

30. A translator for translating an encoded multi-colored graticulated design pattern for the control of the textile machine in which a sequence of cells traversing one dimension of said design pattern is a column of the pattern and a sequence of cells traversing the other dimension of said pattern is a row of said pattern, said translator comprising

31. a scanner head,

32. means for moving said scanner head along a row of design pattern cells,

33. a plurality of photodetectors mounted on said head for movement therewith and arranged to simultaneously detect light reflected from the same location of said design pattern and thereby collectively sense the color in that location, each photodetector being responsive to a particular color range, whereby the outputs of said photodetectors when taken together provide a multi-bit representation of the colors of said cells, and

34. a light source for illuminating the location of said pattern whose color is being sensed by said photodetectors,

35. having an output terminal corresponding to each photodetector, and

36. providing at each output terminal a signal indicating whether or not the intensity of the light sensed by the corresponding photodetector exceeds a reference level, and intensity exceeding the reference level indicating that the color range to which the photodetector responds is present in the design pattern location whose color is being sensed at that time,

37. A translator for translating an encoded multi-colored graticulated design pattern for the control of a textile machine in which a sequence of cells traversing one dimension of said design pattern is a column of the pattern and a sequence of cells traversing the other dimension of said pattern is a row of the pattern, said translator comprising

38. a scanner head,

39. means for moving said scanner head along a row of design pattern cells,

40. a plurality of photodetectors mounted on said head for movement therewith and arranged to simultaneously detect light reflected from the same location of said design pattern and thereby collectively sense the color in that location, each photodetector being responsive to a particular color range whereby the outputs of said photodetectors when taken together provide a multi-bit representation of the colors of said cells, and

41. a light source for illuminating the location on said pattern whose color is being sensed by said photodetectors,

42. being arranged to sense light directly emanating from said light source,

43. being associated with one of said photodetectors, and

44. having essentially the same spectral response as the photodetector associated therewith,

45. having an output terminal corresponding to each photodetector, and

46. providing at each output terminal a signal indicating whether or not the intensity of the light sensed by the corresponding photodetector exceeds the reference level, an intensity exceeding the reference level indicating that the color range to which the photodetector responds is present in the design pattern location whose color is being sensed at that time,

47. A translator for translating an encoded multi-colored graticulated design pattern for the control of a textile machine in which a sequence of cells traversing one dimension of said design pattern is a column of the pattern and a sequence of cells traversing the other dimension of said pattern is a row of the pattern, said translator comprising

48. a scanner head,

49. means for moving said scanner head along a row of design pattern cells,

50. a plurality of photodetectors mounted on said head for movement therewith and arranged to simultaneously detect light reflected from the same location of said design pattern and thereby collectively sense the color in that location, each photodetector being responsive to a particular color range whereby the outputs of said photodetectors when taken together provide a multi-bit representation of the colors of said cells,

51. having an output terminal corresponding to each photodetector,

52. providing at each output terminal a signal indicating whether or not the intensity of the light sensed by the corresponding photodetector exceeds a reference level, an intensity exceeding the reference level indicating that the color range to which the photodetector responds is present in the design pattern location whose color is being sensed at the time,

53. including means for defining an indecision band within the range of photodetector output levels, said band being a function of said reference level, a photodetector level outside said band on one end thereof indicating the presence of a color in the design pattern location whose colors are being sensed and an output level outside said band on the other end thereof indicating the absence of said color, and

54. including means for generating an indecision signal in response to a photodetector output level within said band,

55. A translator for translating an encoded multi-colored graticulated design pattern for the control of a textile machine in which a sequence of cells traversing one dimension of said design pattern is a column of the pattern and a sequence of cells traversing the other dimension of said pattern is a row of the pattern, said translator comprising

56. The translator defined in claim 18 and further including output means responsive to said signals for reading out the information in said storage means in a form suitable for control of a machine.

57. A translator for translating a coded color design into a digital signal, said translator comprising

58. The translator defined in claim 20 and further including

59. The translator defined in claim 20 and further including

60. The translator defined in claim 20 wherein the scanner includes

61. mounted on said head for movement therewith, and

62. arranged to simultaneously detect light reflected from the same location on said design and thereby collectively sense the color at that location, and

63. The translator defined in claim 20 wherein the scanner includes

64. a photodetector arranged to detect light detected from the portion of the design being scanned, and

65. means for sequentially making said photodetector responsive to particular color ranges,

66. has a plurality of reference levels, each corresponding to one of said color ranges,

67. is switchable between said reference levels in synchronism with said responsivity to particular color ranges, and

68. provides at its output terminal a signal indicating whether or not the intensity of the light sensed by the photodetector exceeds the reference level, intensity exceeding the reference level indicating that the color range to which the photodetector responds is present in the cell being scanned at the time, and

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the reproduction of textile pattern instructions in a form readable by programmable textile machines. Specifically, the invention relates to the translation of textile patterns from a multi-colored, graticulated pattern format utilized by the textile designer to a punched card or tape format readable by a textile knitting or weaving machine.

The textile designer normally lays out a design pattern on a strip of drawing material which we shall call the scanner art medium. A graticulated pattern is overlayed on the art medium, with each individual element of the resultant grid being a cell of the design pattern. A "row" of the art medium is a sequence of cells traversing the width of the medium while a "column" is a sequence of cells extending lengthwise of the medium.

The designer has two or more colors at his disposal with which to mark the cells of the art medium. Each cell corresponds to a particular location on the final textile fabric. Each color, according to the code being used, may represent a particular variable in the textile design pattern. For example, the color in the cell may represent a particular thread color, type of stitch, or size of thread in the corresponding location of the textile fabric.

The art medium with its color-coded pattern, must be translated into a format which is meaningful to the textile machine. The following discussion will center on the well-known Wildman-Jacquard machine; however, the invention is fully applicable to other textile machines controlled by a coded input.

The Wildman-Jacquard machine responds to instructions punched on cards or tapes utilizing a one-out-of-four color code. Information is fed into the machine on punched cards or tapes. Since the textile machine senses the presence or absence of a hole on a punched tape for each of four variables, it is necessary to have a field of four rows on the tape for each row on the art medium. Each of these four rows corresponds to one of the four colors at the artist's disposal. That is, each column of four cells in a field on the tape corresponds with a single cell in the art medium and a single location in the textile fabric. One of the four cells in the tape column is punched, in accordance with the color in the corresponding art medium cell, to designate the desired feature in the textile location. Since each field of the punched tape has 56 columns, each row of the art medium is 56 cells in length.

B. Prior Art

Ordinarily, the translation from the color-coded art medium to the punched tape is done manually. The operation requires two people; one operator scans the cells of the art medium while the other operates the tape-punch machine. The tape-punch machine advances the tape one column at a time; hence, all cells in a given field of the tape which are to be punched with the same color information are punched before the tape is advanced to the next row.

Therefore, the scanner must look at every cell in a particular row of the art medium for one color, calling out the location (row) of that color every time it is encountered. While the scanner moves along a row of the art medium, the punch machine operator moves along a row of the punched tape. When a cell location is called out by the scanner, the machine operator must position the punch machine to punch the tape in the row called out by the scanner. The scanner then scans the same row of the art medium a second time for the second color, while the punch operator moves down the second row in the same field of the punched tape. The sequence is repeated until the row in the art medium has been scanned for each color in the code. This arrangement is a time-consuming one which occupies the full attention of both operators.

Inherent in the two-operator, manual translation method are several problems which tend to cause errors in translation. The scanner may improperly identify the cell location; the punch operator may misunderstand the cell location identified by the scanner; or the punch operator may position the punch mechanism over the incorrect row of the punched tape, even though he properly hears the scanner.

A further problem arises when there is a cell which contains two colors. In order to avoid an ambiguous instruction to the textile machine, or alternately, the absence of an instruction, the scanner must decide which of the two colors should be punched on the machine control tape. Accordingly, when he first perceives a cell partly containing a color for which he is scanning at that time, he must decide whether or not that color predominates. On a later scan of the same row, he will encounter the other color in the cell. He must remember his initial decision as to whether the first color in the cell dominates. The failure to remember his initial decision can cause either the lack of a machine instruction pertaining to that cell or instructions ordering the textile machine to do two different operations in that cell.

Moreover, the manual translation process is quite tedious, and this increases the probability of error.

When considering the undesirability of the laborious manual translation process described above, with its high possibility of error, it must be remembered that the Wildman-Jacquard machine is a relatively unsophisticated textile knitting machine. A more complex machine may utilize a color code with more colors. This increases the time required for manual translation and it also increases the probability of error.

Several systems have been proposed to perform the scanning operation either automatically or semi-automatically. The systems of interest here basically use a scanning head that moves along each row of the art medium, focuses light on successive cells of the row, and senses the color located in each cell. Simultaneously with the scanning operation, a tape-punching machine is actuated to punch the translated information into a machine-readable format.

In a typical system, the scanner head contains one photodetector with color filters located on a disc between the art medium and the photodetector. The disc rotates so that all the filters are successively interposed between the art medium and the photodetector every time a cell of the art medium is sensed. In this manner, each cell is sensed for all possible colors during the scanning operation.

These systems have failed to gain widespread commercial acceptance, apparently for several reasons. For example, in a system to be used in connection with a Wildman-Jacquard machine, punching the tape simultaneously with the scanning operation complicates the machine decoding process by requiring that the punching commands control motion in two dimensions, so that any of the four colors of the code may be punched on the machine-readable tape. Specifically, the tape punch controller must allow translation of the punch mechanism over a 4 × 56 matrix; which is the size of the punched tape field corresponding to each row of the art medium.

Moreover it appears to us that the systems previously proposed are less mechanically reliable than one would desire. For example, they require that the sensing and punching operations be properly synchronized. Improper time synchronization results in improper punching.

Additionally, one must remember that textile machines are used throughout the world, frequently in countries or areas of relatively unsophisticated technological capabilities. Any complexity in an automatic translating machine which increases operating or servicing problems greatly decreases the usefulness of the machine. It is desirable that a machine be operable with a minimum of technological understanding and be easily serviced.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an accurate and reliable machine for translating a color-coded art medium to a format readable by a textile machine.

It is a further object of this invention that the machine be capable of use by workers with a minimal amount of mechanical aptitude or training.

It is also an object of this invention that the machine operate accurately and rapidly.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a machine with a minimal need for service or repair.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a translating machine which is easily serviceable by people with relatively little knowledge about the basic operation of the machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine that is easily adaptable to a broad variety of textile weaving or knitting machines and to other processes which require translation of a visually encoded pattern to a machine-control punched card or tape.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Our translation machine comprises an indexing mechanism which moves the art medium through a scanner row-by-row. Each time the medium is indexed, a scanner head moves a set of photodetectors along a row of the medium to develop outputs corresponding to the colors of successive cells in the row.

Each time the color of an individual cell has been sensed, the information is electronically stored in a memory, if the translative is for a Wildman-Jacquard machine or other textile machine that uses a similar punched tape format. Then, after an entire row of the art medium has been scanned, the contents of the memory are decoded, control signals for a tape-punching machine are properly developed, and a machine control tape is accordingly punched. The art medium is then indexed and another row thereon is scanned.

The scanner head contains a light source which is focused on a single cell of the design pattern. Thus, as the head moves along a row of the art medium, the light beam successively illuminates each cell in the row. Diffusely reflected light from each illuminated cell is simultaneously sensed by a pair of photodetectors mounted in the scanner head.

The photodetectors are color-sensitive and, by a proper selection of their characteristics, it is possible to have the two detectors jointly sense the presence of any of four colors. More specifically, one photodetector may be selectively responsive to green light incident upon it, while the other may be selectively responsive to red light. Therefore, if a cell is colored green or red, only one photodetector or the other will have an output; if a cell is colored white, which contains both green and red light, both photodetectors will have an output; if a cell is colored black, neither detector will have an output. As a result, the photodetector outputs comprise a two-bit binary code representative of the color in the art medium cell.

If, during a scan, there is more than one color in any cell, the machine can always decide which of the colors predominates and correspondingly store that color in the memory. As an alternative, the machine can be programmed to stop if the color-indicating signals are within a predetermined "indecision range" and indicate the presence and location of the multi-colored cell. In this event, the operator may erase the contents of the cell in question and color the cell as he chooses. He then resets the machine which rescans the same row. This time the cell which previously caused the indecision is now colored with only one color, so that the machine may properly decide how the textile machine control card should be punched.

The punching machine advances the punched tape through a bank or set of punches one row at a time. Accordingly, the contents of the memory are searched four times, once for each color row of the tape. Specifically, the contents of the memory are decoded in order for a particular color, and the machine control tape is correspondingly punched. The tape is then advanced in the punching machine and the memory contents are decoded for another color. This is repeated until the punched tape rows for all four colors have been punched.

The fact that the punching operation does not take place until a complete art medium row has been scanned allows simplification of the punching machine and its control circuitry when a Wildman-Jacquard machine is involved. Only one row of punches need be used and they can be restricted to one punched tape row at a time.

The invention also facilitates verification of the information sensed from the art medium. The output of the translation described above is applied to a verifier which reproduces the pattern of the original art medium. The verifier advances a second, or facsimile, art medium past a printing head row-by-row. The printing head contains four inking pens which ink the individual cells of the facsimile in response to the same commands from the translation machine that control the punching operation. This enables the operator to check the validity of the translation by comparing the verifier output with the original art medium.

The art medium we prefer to use is a plastic tape colored by means of color pencils. An ideal plastic is transparent polyethyleneterephthalate slightly roughened or textured on one side to facilitate marking by the textile designer. If one of the colors used is white, the white cells can be left blank. The tape is then viewed by the scanner against a white background which projects white through the uncolored cells. Alternatively, the plastic itself can be loaded with a white pigment and thereby provide its own white background. However, the art medium must then be positioned with the pattern facing the scanner and this will make it difficult to erase portions of the pattern when required by the translator as described herein.

The pencils, whose colors are matched by filters in the scanner, are inexpensive, they are easier to store and use than conventional inking supplies and their markings are readily erased to correct mistakes in coloring the art medium. A plastic colored in this manner can easily be washed to remove the textile pattern recorded on it, while leaving the grid, row numbers, etc. which are indelibly pre-printed. The art medium can thus be used again and again for different textile patterns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view, partly broken away, of a textile pattern translator embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a simplified pictorial view of the scanner head;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of an interior back plate of the translator;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the electric circuitry of the translator;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of the punch selection matrix and associated counter; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the decision circuit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 depicts the textile pattern translator with its cover 10 raised, exposing the internal mechanism of the translator. The art medium, in the form of a basically transparent tape 11, carrying a graticulated pattern with cells 12 arranged in columns 13 and rows 15, is loaded into a feed bin 16 and advanced row-by-row, across a scanning area 17 into a spill bin 18. Each tape advance brings a new row 15 into the scanning area 17, where a scanner 20 below the tape transverses the tape 11 to sense the colors of the cells 12 in the row. The sensed data is electronically stored and later used to control a card-punching machine.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the tape 12 passes from the bin 16 between a top roller 21 and a bottom roller 22, and over an erase support plate 26 in the scanning area 17. The tape then passes between a top roller 28 and a bottom roller 30 and finally into the spill bin 18.

The tape 11 is advanced by a stepping motor 31 which is coupled to the bottom roller 30.

The resulting rotation of the bottom roller 30 pulls the tape 11 across the scanning area 17 by means of cogs 32 that mesh with sprocket holes 33 (FIG. 1) along both edges of the tape. These cogs 32, and similar cogs on the bottom rollers 22 also serve to position the tape 11 in both the longitudinal and transverse directions, thereby assuring that each tape advance brings a new tape row 15 (FIG. 1) into the correct location in the scanning area 17.

With further reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, top roller 21 is supported by an arm 34 which rotates on a pivot 36. The top roller 28 is similarly supported by an arm 38 on a pivot 40. Tension springs 42 and 44, connected to the arms 34 and 36, maintain pressure between the top rollers and their corresponding bottom rollers. As shown in FIG. 4, an adjustable friction brake 45, mounted on a back plate 46 (FIGS. 1 and 4), restrains rotation of the bottom roller 22, thereby applying tension to the tape 12 to keep it taut between the rollers 22 and 30.

To load the tape 11, the arms 34 and 36 are rotated to loading positions 47 and 48, depicted in dashed lines in FIG. 2, lifting the top rollers 20 and 28, and thereby enabling the operator to thread the tape over the bottom rollers 22 and 30.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the scanner 20 is mounted on guide rods 50 and 52 and is coupled to a lead screw 54. A drive motor 56 rotates the lead screw 54 to advance the scanner 20 across the tape 11, i.e. along a row 15. A boot 60 protects the lead screw 54 from dirt or other damaging substances.

The colors of the tape cells 12 are sensed in a scanner head 65 as the scanner 20 advances. When the scanner has traversed a tape row 15, it is automatically returned to its starting position where it awaits a signal to scan the next row 15. A limit switch 62 is engaged when the scanner 16 is at its starting position, and a second limit switch 64 (FIG. 2) is engaged when the scanner 20 has traversed to the opposite end of a tape row 15.

Referring to FIG. 3, the scanner head 65 carries a lamp 66 which projects light through an infrared filter 67, a focusing lens system 68 and a partially reflecting mirror 70 onto a tape cell 12 on the optical axis of the lens system. Photodetectors 72 and 74 receive light diffusely reflected from the tape cell 12.

The textile pattern is on the top surface of the tape, so that color indicating reflections come from that surface. A white background provided by the bottom surface of the cover 10 when the latter is closed, or by a plate (not shown) resting on the tape 11, causes white light to be reflected back through enclosed cells 12. Alternatively a white pencil can be used on these cells to cause them to reflect white.

A color filter 76, interposed between the tape 11 and the photodetector 72, selectively passes a band of red light and a filter 77 between the tape 11 and the photodetector 74 selectively passes green light. Thus, the photodetector 72 generates an output in response to red or white light, while the photodetector 74 generates an output in response to green or white light.

Table I shows the outputs of the photodetectors 72 and 74 as a function of the color reflected from a cell 12.

TABLE I

Color of Cell Photodetector Photodetector 72 output 74 output ____________________________________________________________ ______________ Red yes no Green no yes White yes yes Black no no

Any one of four colors may be detected by simultaneously sensing the outputs of both photodetectors. Specifically, an output from photodetector 72, with no output from photodetector 74, indicates that the cell color is red; an output from photodetector 74 with the absence of an output from photodetector 72 indicates that the cell color is green. An output from both photodetectors indicates that the cell color is white; and an output from neither photodetector indicates that the cell color is black.

As also shown in FIG. 3, a pair of reference photodetectors 78 and 79 receive light reflected from the mirror 70. A red-transmitting filter 80, similar to the filter 76 is positioned in front of the detector 78; and in like manner, a green-transmitting filter 81 having the characteristics of the filter 77 is positioned in front of the detector 79. With this arrangement, the outputs of the detectors 78 and 79 vary in the same manner as the respective outputs of the detectors 72 and 74 in response to changes in the light from the lamp 66. As described below, the reference detectors 78 and 79 are used to eliminate the effects of such changes.

As shown in FIG. 4, an arm 82 is attached to lead screw 54. During each revolution of the lead screw 54, arm 82 moves past a magnetic reed switch 83 mounted on the back plate 46, and a small magnet 82a on the tip of the arm causes the switch to close momentarily. The pitch of the lead screw 54 is equal to the distance between centers of consecutive cells 12 on the tape 11 (FIG. 1) and the parts are positioned so that the switch 83 closes whenever the light from lamp 66 (FIG. 3) is focused on a single tape cell 12. The switch closure actuates photodetector readout circuitry to be described, thereby assuring that the information sensed corresponds to an individual cell.

FIG. 5 depicts in block form the electric circuits associated with the translator. The outputs of the detectors 72 and 74 are applied to a decision circuit 100 along with the outputs of the reference detectors 78 and 79. At an output terminal 100a the decision circuit provides a signal indicating whether or not the color red has been detected by the red-detector 72 and at an output terminal 100b it provides a signal indicating whether or not the color green has been detected by the detector 74. Thus the signals on the terminals 100a and 100b together indicate which of the four art medium colors is being sensed in accordance with the logic arrangement shown in Table I.

The red signal from the terminal 100a is fed through a gate 102 to a recirculating memory 103. The memory 103 comprises a shift register 104 whose last stage 104a is connected back to the first stage 104b by way of a gate 106 and an OR circuit 108 that also receives the output of the gate 102. Similarly, the green signal from the terminal 100b is applied through a gate 110 to a recirculating memory 111. The memory 111 includes a shift register 112 whose contents can be returned from an output stage 112a to an input stage 112b by way of a gate 114 and an OR circuit 116.

To begin operation a START switch 117 is momentarily actuated to turn on a latching forward motor switch 119 by way of an OR circuit 121. This starts the motor 56 in the forward direction and the scanner 20 (FIGS. 1 and 5) thereby begins to scan a row 15 on the tape 11. The output of the OR circuit 121 also sets a flip-flop 118, thereby enabling the gates 102 and 110 and disabling the gates 106 and 114. This couples the red and green signals into the shift registers 104 and 112 while at the same time preventing recirculation of the contents of the registers. The set condition of the flip-flop 118 also enables a gate 120 to pass pulses from the reed switch 83 to an OR circuit 122 from which they are applied to the shift registers 104 and 112 as shift pulses. Thus each time the switch 83 closes, the contents of the registers 104 and 112 are shifted and the signals from the decision circuit terminals 100a and 100b are loaded into the register stages 104b and 112b.

More specifically, as pointed out above the switch 83 emits a pulse each time the scanner 16 is properly positioned to sense the color of a cell 12 on the tape 11 (FIG. 1), at which times the signals at the decision circuit terminals 100a and 100b accurately reflect the color of a cell. Therefore, the first pulse from the switch 83 causes the color of the first cell in the row being scanned to be recorded in the input stages 104b and 112b of the shift registers, the colors being recorded in a binary form code corresponding to the logical arrangement of Table I. The second pulse from the switch 83 causes the color indication of the first cell to be shifted to the second stages of the shift registers 104 and 112, with the color of the second cell on the tape column being loaded into the input stages 104b and 112b.

In this manner the colors of all of the cells in the row being scanned are recorded in the two shift registers. The number of stages in each shift register preferably equals the number of cells in an art medium row (56 in the example) so that, at the end of the row the color of the first cell is recorded in the stages 104a and 112a and the color of the last cell in stages 104b and 112b.

When the scanner 16 reaches the end of the row it engages the limit switch 64 (FIGS. 2 and 5) and the output of the switch 64 resets the flip-flop 118, as well as the motor switch 119 and other resettable elements, as indicated by the signal R. The output of flip-flop 118 now disables the gates 102 and 110 and enables the gates 106 and 114 to connect the shift registers 104 and 112 for a recirculating mode of operation. At the same time, the output of the flip-flop disables the gate 120 to cut off the switch 83 pulses from the shift registers 104 and 112 and enables a gate 126 to pass shift pulses from a clock 128 to the OR circuit 122.

When the flip-flop 118 is reset it also actuates a latching reverse switch 130 for the scanner motor 56 by way of an OR circuit 131. The motor 56 thereupon returns the scanner 20 to its initial position at which point the limit switch 62 (FIGS. 1 and 5) resets the switch 130 to cut off the motor 56.

The circuit is now ready to control the punching of a punched tape used by the textile machine.

The signals for this operation are provided by a decoder 134 to which the contents of the shift register output stages 104a and 112a are applied. The decoder 134 has output terminals 134a-134d, each of which is associated with one of the four colors used in the system described herein. One of these terminals is energized at any given time, depending on the color whose code is contained in the stages 104a and 112a. The outputs at the respective decoder terminals are selected by means of a distributor 136 which passes the selected output to a punch selection matrix 138 by way of a gate 140. The matrix 138, in turn, applies these signals to punches in a punch set 142.

The punch set 142 punches holes in a tape 144 that is to control a textile machine in accordance with the colors in the respective cells 12 of the scanner art medium. As noted above, the tape 144 has a series of fields, each of which consists of four transversely extending rows 144a. Each field corresponds to a given row 15 on the art medium tape 11; and each row 144a corresponds to one color. The punches in the set 142 are disposed along a column 144a of the tape 144, each punch corresponding to row 13 on the art medium tape 11. The punches are actuated in unison so as to simultaneously punch a series of holes. Each of these holes corresponds to an art medium cell 12 that contains the color to which the column 144a corresponds.

More specifically, the individual punches in the set 142 are unlocked by means of solenoids (not shown in FIG. 5). The solenoids are energized according to where the various holes in the tape 144 row are to be punched; and after the requisite punches are unlocked, a further solenoid (not shown) is energized to actuate them. The punches are selected one-by-one by the matrix 138 in response to the output of a counter 146. Each punch selected in this manner is unlocked or not depending on whether the corresponding art medium cell has the color associated with the row 144a being punched.

For example, assume that the first row 144a in each field on the tape 144 corresponds to the color red and that the decoder 134 energizes the terminal 134a whenever it detects the code for red in the shift register stages 104a and 112a. At the beginning of the punching operation, the distributor 136 is positioned by the reset signal from the switch 124 to pass the signal at the terminal 134a to the gate 140. Similarly the counter 146 has been reset so as to cause the matrix 138 to select the first punch in the set 142.

The matrix thus passes the output of the gate 140 to the solenoid associated with the first punch. If the color in the first cell on the art medium tape 11 is red, the corresponding output at the terminal 134a will enable the gate 140 to pass the first pulse from the clock 128 through to the matrix 138 and on to the first punch solenoid, thereby unlocking the first punch. On the other hand if the first cell color is other than red, the gate 140 will not be enabled and the first solenoid will not be energized.

Next, following a short delay, provided by a delay element 148, e.g., a one shot multivibrator, the clock pulse is applied to the shift registers 104 and 114 to shift the color code for the next cell 12 into the output stages 104a and 112a. At the same time, the delayed clock pulse advances the counter 146 so that the matrix 138 selects the second punch in the punch set 142. The gate 140 is now enabled or inhibited depending on whether the color of the second cell is red and this determines whether or not the next pulse from the clock 128 will be passed to the second solenoid in the punch set 142.

This cycle is repeated until the entire contents of the shift registers 104 and 112 have been searched for the red code and correspondingly, the matrix 138 has selected in turn all of the punches in the set 142. At this point the counter 146 has reached its maximum count corresponding to the number of cells in the row 144a being punched. This condition is detected by a detector 150 which enables a gate 152. The next pulse from the clock 128 is thus passed by the gate 152 to a delay element 153 and on to the distributor 136, thereby stepping the distributor to the decoder output terminal 134b.

The output of the delay element 153 also actuates the punches in the set 142 and indexes the mechanism 154 that advances the tape 144 to bring the next row on the tape into alignment with punch set 142.

The output of the delay element 148 following the same pulse returns the counter 146 to its initial state so that the matrix 138 once again selects the first punch in the punch set 142. The contents of the registers 104 and 112 have now undergone one complete circulation so that the color of the first cell recorded in the registers is again contained in the output stages 104a and 112a. If the decoder terminal 134b provides an output when the decoder senses the color green, for example, the presence of green in the first cell will result in the enabling of gate 140, as described above, so that the next pulse from the clock 128 will energize the solenoids associated with the first punch in the set 142.

Operation continues in the foregoing manner, with the matrix 138 selecting in turn the success of punches in the set 142 and the decoder 134 unlocking the punches which correspond to the green cells 12 in the art medium column 15 whose colors are stored in the memories 103 and 111. When the contents of the memories have been searched for green, the punches are actuated and the tape 144 advanced as described above, and the distributor 136 is indexed to select the decoder output terminal 134c.

This format continues until the memories have been searched for the color that provides an output from the decoder terminal 134d and the corresponding holes have been punched in the tape 144. The next distributor-shifting pulse from the delay element 153 is passed by a gate 156 which is enabled by an output from the distributor 136 when the distributor is in its fourth state, i.e., selecting the decoder terminal 134d. This pulse causes the card advance mechanism 154 to advance the tape 144 an additional increment to provide the requisite separation between fields on the tape. The same pulse sets the flip-flop 118 to return operation to the scanning mode as described above and it energizes the stepping motor 31 to advance the next tape row 15 into position for scanning.

FIG. 6 illustrates the preferred embodiments of the matrix 138 and counter 146. The matrix 138 comprises a set of vertical conductors 160 and a set of horizontal conductors 162. The punch-selecting solenoids 164 of the punch set 142 (FIG. 5) interconnect the conductors 160 and 162 at the respective crossovers thereof. The vertical conductors 160 are selectively connected to a power supply 166 by means of relays 168 and an intervening switch 170. The horizon conductors 162 are selectively grounded by switches 172.

Thus by energizing a relay coil 168a in one of the relays 168 and at the same time closing one of the switches 172, the system can select the solenoid 164 connected to a particular pair of vertical and horizontal conductors 160 and 162. If the selected solenoid 164 is to be energized to unlock a punch and ultimately punch a corresponding hole in the tape 144 (FIG. 5), the gate 140 will be enabled by the output of the distributor 136 to pass a pulse from the clock 128, as described above, thereby closing the switch 170 momentarily by way of a pulse shaper 171. This briefly passes current from the power supply 166 to the selected solenoid.

The counter 146 comprises a pair of recirculating shift registers 174 and 176. Each stage of the shift register 174 is coupled to one of the switches 172 and similarly the contents of the stages in the shift register 172 are applied to the relay solenoids 168a. Whenever a stage in the register 174 contains a a ONE the switch 172 associated therewith is closed; otherwise the switch is open. Likewise, whenever a stage in register 176 contains a ONE, the relay solenoid 168a associated therewith is energized and if the stage contains a ZERO, the solenoid is not energized.

The initial resetting of the counter 146 inserts a ONE in the first stage 174a of the register 174, and also in the first stage 176a of the register 176. The other stages of both registers contain ZEROES. Thus, the lower left hand punch solenoid 164 ₁ is initially selected by the matrix 138. The next delayed pulse from the clock 128 shifts the ONE in the register 174 to the second stage thereof so as to select the punch solenoid 164 ₂ . This sequence continues until the ONE reaches the last stage 174b of the register 174. The next clock pulse transfers it back to the first stage 174a and the change from a ONE to a ZERO in the stage 174b causes a shift in the register 176 to move the ONE in that register from the first stage 176a to the second stage of that register. The counter 146 and matrix 138 then sequence through the punch solenoids connected to the second vertical conductor 160, and this operation continues until all of the solenoids 164 have been selected. As described above, whenever the output of the distributor 136 indicates that a cell in the art medium contains the color then being searched for, the corresponding solenoid 164 is energized to unlock the punch associated therewith. The unlocked punch later makes a hole in the tape 144.

The makeup of the decision circuit 100 is illustrated in FIG. 7. Since the circuit contains identical sections for the detection of red and green, only one of these need be shown in detail, e.g., the section that detects the color red. This section includes amplifiers 180 and 182 that receive the outputs of the red detector 72 and red reference detector 78. The red signal from the amplifier 180 is applied directly as one input of a differential amplifier 184. The other input of the amplifier 184 is derived from the output of the amplifier 182 by way of a potentiometer 186. The amplifier 184 has a sufficiently high gain to serve as a threshold detector indicating which of its input signals is greater.

The output of the amplifier 180 is at a maximum level V _h when the red detector 72 senses a red or white cell on the art medium tape 11, and it is at a minimum level V _l when the cell is green or black. The potentiometer 186 is set to provide a reference voltage from the reference detector 78 half way between V _l and V _h , i.e., (V _l + V _h )/2. Thus when the output of the amplifier 180 is above this half-way point, indicating that the detector 74 has detected the red color of a red or white art medium cell 12 (FIG. 5), the amplifier 184 will saturate in one direction, providing a red or white-indicating voltage at the terminal 100a. Conversely, when the output of the amplifier 180 is less than (V _l + V _h )/2, corresponding to the sensing of a blue or black cell, the output of the amplifier 184 will saturate in the opposite direction and there will be no red signal at the terminal 100a.

The decision circuit 100 also includes an indecision detector comprising a pair of threshold detectors 190 and 192 responding to the differences between the output of the amplifier 180 on the one hand, and the voltages provided by potentiometers 194 and 196, respectively. The input voltage for these potentiometers is the output of the amplifier 182. The potentiometers 194 and 196 are set to provide an indecision band defined by a pair of reference voltages above and below the level V _r provided by the potentiometer 186. For example, the potentiometer 194 may be set to provide a voltage (V _r + δ), with the potentiometer 196 providing a voltage (V _r - δ).

The threshold detector 190 provides an output to an AND circuit 198 when the red-indicating signal from amplifier 180 is less than (V _r + δ), while the threshold detector 192 provides an output to the AND circuit when the output of amplifier 180 exceeds (V _r - δ). The AND circuit 198 is thus enabled to pass a pulse from the reed switch 83 whenever the output of the amplifier 180 is in a band having the width 2δ and centered between the voltages V _l and V _h . This is the indecision band and when the red detector 74 provides a signal within this band, the system terminates the scanning operation if it is operating in the "indecision mode."

More specifically, the indecision mode is selected by closing a switch 202 that applies the output of AND circuit 198 from an OR circuit 203 to a flip-flop 206, thereby setting the flip-flop. The resulting output of flip-flop 206 resets the motor switch 119.

At the same time the flip-flop 206 output inhibits a gate 208 that passes the reed switch pulses to a counter 210. The counter 210 begins counting with the beginning of each scanning cycle. Thus, at any given time, its content indicates the number of the art medium column 13 containing the cell 11 whose color is being sensed.

Since the counter stops counting in response to an indecision signal from the AND circuit 198, it holds the column number of the cell in which the indecision occurred. This number is transmitted to the operator by means of an indicator 212. Referring briefly to FIG. 1, the operator can thus immediately identify the cell on the tape 11, erase the contents of the cell, and then recolor it, all without moving the tape. A transparent plate 215 underlying the tape 11 supports the tape for erasure and recoloring. He then actuates a push button restart switch 213 (FIG. 5) to reverse the motor 56 and return the scanner to its initial position at the beginning of the same column on the tape 11. The scanner then rescans the entire column and the translator continues operation in the manner described above.

Table II is a logic diagram illustrating operation of the system in the indecision mode. ##SPC1##

The outputs of the red and green detectors 72 and 74 are registered as long as the output of each detector is greater or less than an intermediate band of outputs (the indecision band) having a width of 2δ. In such cases the color indications as shown in Table II correspond to those of Table I. On the other hand, if the output of either detector falls within the indecision band, the system makes no decision, but rather stops for corrective action by the operator.

To facilitate operation of the translator without close attention we prefer to include a visible or audible alarm 214 actuated by the output of the switch 202 when operation is interrupted by an indecision.

The translator can also be arranged to shut itself off automatically after the entire pattern on the art medium tape 11 has been scanned. As shown in FIG. 5, the pattern designer applies a black mark 215 on the margin of the tape, which is otherwise transparent or white. The mark 215 is opposite the row 15 following the last row of the textile pattern. When the mark moves into the scanning area, it is sensed by a photodetector 217. The output of the photodetector is applied to a switch 219 that turns off the translator or otherwise inhibits further operation.

From the point of view of the operator, the translator is an exceedingly simple device. He merely loads the art medium tape 11 as described above and then repeatedly actuates a jog switch 216 (FIG. 5) to step the motor 31 and advance the first column 15 of the tape 11 into position over the scanner 20 (FIG. 1). Finally, he actuates the start switch 117 (FIG. 5) and automatic translation commences.

Moreover, the translator is relatively small in size and weight, facilitating its use in almost any desired location; and it is characterized by high reliability, a particularly advantageous feature when use in remote installations is contemplated in remote locations particularly those having uncontrolled environments, is also facilitated by the use of a dimensionally stable, reusable plastic art medium colored by pencils as described above.