US 4,140,896 A · Electronic digital tape timer

Abstract

A digital tape timer containing a counter and associated arithmetic control and timing logic to detect the relative tape position and provide a time-multiplexed, binary coded decimal (BCD) output for the display of the tape position in hours, minutes, seconds and/or tenths of seconds of play/record time at any of the selected tape speeds. The timer employs an eight digit format; five digits are displayed and one of the three remaining digits becomes the least significant digit whose modulus is altered to present the correct division rate to the incoming tach pulses. The counter generates serial digits with one digit appearing on a selected line, whereby all eight digits are transmitted using four wires for the binary code plus one wire for selection of each digit to be displayed. Thus, the system inherently provides the added advantage of time-multiplexing of the timer system output. The pre-division of the tach pulses using the LSD provides division which instantly and accurately follows the counting direction.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A timer for generating a time-of-day record of the position of a medium bi-directionally moved by an associated medium transport apparatus, for different medium speeds, the apparatus including a medium-driven tachometer for generating tach pulses, and speed selector control means for generating a binary coded speed signal indicative of the different speeds, comprising the combination of;

up/down counter means including serial binary adder means for serially circulating a series of digits and for detecting said tach pulses to selectively increment or decrement the least significant digit of the series;
timing/control logic means coupled to said binary coded speed signal and to the up/down counter means for selectively altering the modulus of the least significant digit commensurate with the binary coded speed signal at any instant of medium movement;
wherein the seconds digit of the series of digits increments or decrements precisely once per second in response to the altering of the least significant digit modulus commensurate with the binary coded speed signal.

A timer for displaying the time-of-day position of a medium bi-directionally movable via transport apparatus, the latter including a medium-driven tachometer for generating tach pulses at a selected rate, speed selector control means for generating a binary coded speed signal indicative of different medium speeds, and binary time-of-day digit display means, the combination comprising:

up/down counter means including serial binary adder means for generating and circulating a multiple-digit binary-coded decimal data word which is incremented and decremented in response to the tach pulses and to the direction of medium movement;
and
timing/control logic means coupled to the up/down counter means and to the speed selector control means for generating a digit select signal, for generating binary patterns indicative of the different medium speeds which when selectively combined with the data word alters the counter means modulus commensurate with the speed of the medium, and for further generating binary patterns indicative of the respective digits to be displayed which when selectively combined with the data word alters the counter means modulus accordingly;
wherein a selected portion of the binary-coded decimal data word is displayed by said binary time-of-day digit display means in response to the digit select signal.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electronic digital tape timer

Life of this patent

Electronic digital tape timer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23