Patent GB-782538-A (GB)
Title: Data reading machine
IPC: G06K7/015
Filed: 1955-07-01
Abstract: 782,538. Photo-electric readers. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. July 1, 1955 [July 6, 1954], No. 19066/55. Class 40 (3). [Also in Groups XIX and XL (c)] In a device for reading coded information arranged in lines, a light-spot produced by a cathode-ray tube scans the edge of the document vertically for a mark 27a, Fig. 2, indicating the first line, then scans the document horizontally until it reaches a mark (as shown, a perforation) indicating the presence of a character and then scans all the possible positions for code elements forming the characters. It then moves on to the next character and so on and then to the next line until the end of the sheet. As shown, each character occupies a space corresponding to the holes I ... VIII, Fig. 3, and the beam travels as indicated by the arrows. Every character has a mark in position I, known as the key-hole, which merely indicates the presence of a character. The code characters are translated by a binary register which controls printing magnets. To increase the width of the spot and so minimize the chance of lost signals the sweep voltages of the cathode-ray tube are supplemented by alternating "jizzle" voltages at appropriate times and arrangements are made for supplementing the vertical sweep voltage by a steady voltage to compensate for faulty positioning of the document being read. Initial vertical sweep. On the operation of start-key 36, Fig. 5a, a Schmitt (nonostable) trigger 35 is actuated to reverse the condition of a bi-stable trigger 44 and thereby enable capacitor 56 to charge via diode 57 to the raised voltage of the cathode of tube 53. The rising voltage on the upper plate of 56 is passed on via amplifier 61 and cathode followers 64 and 675 (Fig. 13) to the vertical beam deflecting amplifier (not shown). When the beam reaches the first start hole an impulse from the photo-cell is received on lead 100, Fig. 6, and is amplified and repeated via gate 107, Fig. 5a, to a Schmitt trigger 132. Gate 107 is normally closed but is opened by the change-over of a bi-stable trigger 122 in response to the trailing edge of the impulse generated by a one shot multivibrator 117 actuated on the operation of the start key to impose a slight delay before the beam stopping circuit becomes effective. The signal from 132 which is slightly slow-acting to enable the beam to reach the middle of the start-hole restores the bi-stable trigger 44 which stops the charging of 56 and the bi-stable trigger 122 which closes gate 107. The beam thus stops. Initial horizontal sweep. The signal from 132 also changes over a bi-stable trigger 151, Fig. 7, to initiate the charging of a capacitor 159. The rising voltage is passed on via cathode follower 163 to the circuit, Fig. 11, controlling the horizontal deflection amplifier. When the first key hole is encountered, the photo-cell impulse passes via gate 194, Fig. 6, cathode follower 195, Schmitt trigger 222, amplifier 231 and inverter 245, Fig. 7, to restore the bistable trigger 151 and stop the charging of capacitor 159. The opening of gate 194 is delayed by the duration of the impulse of a oneshot multi-vibrator 211, Fig. 5b, actuated when the Schmitt trigger 132 responded to the detection of the start-hole to prevent a false signal from the start-hole itself. The signal from trigger 132 to initiate the horizontal sweep also changed over a bi-stable trigger 638, Fig. 13, to start a free-running multi-vibrator 681 which with the aid of a network 714 adds a highfrequency saw-tooth "jizzle" to the vertical sweep voltage. The chances of missing a keyhole during the horizontal sweep because of misalignment of the record card are thus reduced. When the key hole is detected the "fizzle" generator is turned off by a pulse 186. Scanning character pattern. A signal from the trigger 222, delayed by a one-shot multivibrator 255, Fig. 9a, changes over a bi-stable trigger 262 to bias a tube 265 to cut-off and so allow the operation of a free-running multivibrator 268. These impulses are counted by a three-stage binary counter constituted by bistable triggers 282, 295 and 307, Fig. 9b, and at each step the effective connections of a potential-dividing network 309 are modified so that on steps 1, 2 and 3 increments of voltage are applied over lead 329 to the vertical sweep circuit, Fig. 13. On step 4 these voltages are removed and an increment of voltage is applied over 339 to the horizontal sweep circuit, Fig. 11. Steps 5, 6 and 7 again apply the vertical deflecting increments and step 8 over lead 540 reverses trigger 262 to stop the multivibrator 268, and the beam then returns to the key hole at the starting point of the cycle. To minimize the effects of misalignment, the beam is effectively widened during the scanning cycle by the addition of a "jizzle" to the horizontal sweep voltage. The initiating signal from 255, Fig. 9a, changes over a bi-stable trigger 403, Fig. 11, to paralyse a tube 409 and so start a freerunning multivibrator 414 which with the aid of a network 422 generates a high-frequency sawtooth wave for combination with the horizontal sweep voltage. The transient effect when the multivibrator is switched on is neutralized by an oppositely shaped pulse (without a sawtooth ripple) from tube 446. At the completion of the reading cycle, the jizzle generator is stopped by a pulse on 453 to restore the trigger 403. Registering character code. Each " bit " signal from the photo-cell passes via a gate 345, Fig. 10, opened by a bi-stable trigger 358 when the key hole was reached, cathode follower 349, diode 366 and cathode follower 371 to a Schmitt trigger 375. Diode 366 and capacitor 376 integrate the pulses of which-owing to the effect of the jizzle-each " bit " signal consists. After each signal the capacitor is discharged via a tube 384 which receives an impulse from the multivibrator 268 controlling the sequence. Each impulse from trigger 375 is repeated by a one-shot multivibrator 381 to the signal input 394 of a binary register comprising eight bistable triggers 567 ... 574, which also receives on line 395 a shift impulse for each " bit " position from the multivibrator 268. The effect of each " shift " impulse is to cause each of the triggers to assume the condition previously held by the trigger on its left and to restore the first, if necessary, to its normal condition. The impulse for terminating the cycle triggers a oneshot multivibrator 468, Fig. 12, and the resulting impulse energizes a relay 481, Fig. 8, which connects the anode supply to a group of thyratrons 607 . . . 612 which respond in accordance with the condition of the trigger registers. Contacts of their anode relays select the corresponding printing magnet. Resumption of horizontal sweep. The trailing edge of the pulse from 468, Fig. 12, which initiates the printing operation, triggers another single shot multivibrator 489 and to ensure a further delay for printing, the horizontal sweep is not restarted until the triggering of 151 by the trailing edge of the resulting pulse. To ensure that no signal is given when the beam scans the foot of the second column of the character just read, the opening of gate 194, Fig. 6, is delayed. When the trailing edge of the seventh pulse from multivibrator 268 changes over the triggers 282, 295, 307, Fig. 9b, the four element gate 545, Fig. 9c, is prepared so that the leading edge of the eighth impulse acts via amplifier 525, Fig. 9a to change over the bi-stable circuit 515 and this via tubes 202, 197, Fig. 6, holds gate 194 closed. Trigger 515 is restored to control the opening of the gate by the trailing edge of the impulse generated by a single-shot multivibrator 506 which is tripped by the trailing edge of the impulse from multivibrator 489. Restoration of scanning beam. At a predetermined voltage of the horizontal sweep capacitor 159, Fig. 7, Schmitt trigger 173 fires and trips a one-shot multivibrator 183 which momentarily renders tube 168 conducting to discharge the capacitor. At the same time 151 is tripped to terminate the horizontal sweep. The capacitor controlling the vertical sweep is similarly discharged when it reaches a predetermined voltage. Automatic skew correction. It is arranged to add to the vertical sweep voltage a steady voltage from capacitor 753, Fig. 14, depending on the instantaneous value of the jizzle voltage when the key-hole of the previous character was encountered. This is done by generating a voltage isochronous with the jizzle but lagging in phase by an amount to compensate for the time taken for the circuits to respond to the discovery of the key-hole by the beam. A freerunning multivibrator 631, Fig. 13, triggered by 638 at the same time as the vertical jizzle multivibrator 681 but instead of generating a symmetrical wave of semi-period T, as does 681, it is organized to produce in the absence of external control a wave with a positive part of duration T + and a negative part of duration T. However, the jizzle generator 681 controls a single-shot multivibrator 704 which generates an impulse of duration T+B T+ and the trailing edge of which terminates the positive impulse of 631. As a result, as shown in Fig. 16, 631 generates, after the first impulse, a symmetrical wave identical with that generated by 681 but lagging by the amount B. The output of 631 is fed via coupling tubes and an integrating network similar to those between 681 and the vertical sweep network, to a pair of gates 727, 728 which are normally closed. When the beam strikes a key-hole, an impulse from the photo-cell passes via gate 764 to open gates 727, 728 for the negative and positive half-cycles respectively to allow the lagging jizzle voltage to pass via a further double gate 786, also opened by the photo-cell impulse, to a capacitor 753 which acquires a charge such that the voltage applied to lead 756 (positive or negative) corresponds t