Patent ID: 6121735
Filing Date: 2000-09-19
Classification: G01B,G05B

Abstract:
A system for initiating a plurality of mechanical elements in a machine, comprising:a plurality of housings, each housing containing a motor controller, a motor electrically coupled to the motor controller, and means for mechanically coupling said motor to one of the mechanical elements, an uncoordinated motion initializing means electrically connected to each of said motor controllers, for instructing said motor controllers to operate the associated motor subsequent to the time an initialization command is received and until the associated mechanical element reaches an initialization position, such that each of said motors moves the associated mechanical element in uncoordinated motion until each mechanical element reaches the associated initialization position, the improvement comprising;memory means associated with said uncoordinated motion initializing means provided with at least one predetermined pattern relating to the movement of said mechanical elements;wherein each of said mechanical elements moves in an operating range between an upper limit (P.sub.max) and a lower limit (P.sub.max) in accordance with said predetermined operating pattern and further wherein each of said mechanical elements starts from a predetermined starting position and simultaneously reaches a target position moving in a start-stop motion with the other mechanical elements, said memory means further recording an initial potential at P.sub.max and P.sub.min for each of said mechanical elements;a slide resistance connected to each of said mechanical elements including a slider generating a potential corresponding to the distance each of said mechanical elements has traveled from said starting position, said potential received by said uncoordinated motion initializing means;means associated with said uncoordinated motion initializing means for determining the present potential percentage value corresponding to the present potential (P.sub.x) measured by said slide resistance for each of said mechanical elements at a shifted position from said predetermined starting position with respect to said target position on the basis of said predetermined operating pattern, said potential percentage value being the ratio of P.sub.x to the difference between P.sub.min and P.sub.max ;wherein each of said motor controllers generates and supplies signals to operate its respective motor in harmony in a start-stop motion in accordance with said predetermined operation pattern between P.sub.max and P.sub.min, and further wherein each of said motor controllers generates a signal to its respective motor to gradually alter said start-stop motion based upon a comparison of said present potential percentage value and an ideal percentage value determined by said predetermined operating pattern.