Apparatus for moving a printer carriage

A method for controlling the positioning of a printer carriage wherein a reversible stepping motor drives said carriage in forward and reverse directions along a row and a plurality of signal generators are spaced along said row for selective actuation by said carriage, a first one of said generators being fixed at a selected line-commence location, a second at a line-end location, and a third signal generator at an intermediate location spaced adjacent said line-commence location, said carriage carrying a control strip means for actuating said third generator while said carriage is between said line-commence and intermediate locations, and said motor having a control unit comprising a timing pulse generator, a coincidence signal generator, and an AND- logic circuit, said method comprising the steps:

• moving said carriage stepwise in a forward direction, a plurality of steps constituting one type-character space or column;
• operating said stepping motor for carriage return in a reverse direction of rotation in its maximum torque range;
• generating at intervals a coincidence signal from said coincidence signal generator as a function of timing pulses which govern rotation of the stepping motor;
• triggering an output signal from said logic circuit upon carriage return by a coincidence of a signal from said coincidence signal generator and a signal from said first signal generator;
• and
• employing said output signal in said control means to terminate said timing pulses from said timing pulse generator to stop the return movement of said carriage selectively adjacent said line-commence location.