US 4,377,744 AGranted

Remote lens focusing system for an aerial camera

AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy

InventorsMichael E. Mocenter, Harry F. Koper

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A system for remotely controlled focusing of a reconnaisance camera instad on an aircraft. The camera can be focused to any of a plurality of pre-selected focused position, each position having a unique corresponding binary coded decimal designator generated from a position correlated switch. When a change in focus is selected by depression of a push button switch, the resulting binary coded decimal designator for the desired focus position is added to the binary coded decimal designator from the optical switch. Differences between the two designators will cause a scanner to rotate and scan all optical switches, while simultaneously a gear mechanism adjusts the camera lens focus position to the position corresponding to that for the switch scan at that increment of time. When the scanner locates the activated switch whose binary coded decimal designator is the same as the designator of the selected pushbutton, scanning and focusing adjustments are halted.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A remote lens focusing system comprising:

a positionable lens for incrementally varying the focal length thereof;
selector means having a plurality of switches each producing a first decimal number signal indicative of a selected slant range, a first encoder connected to receive and convert the first number signal into a first binary coded signal, an inverter connected to receive and invert the first coded signal into an inverted coded signal;
sensor means connected to said lens for producing a stored binary coded signal indicative of the incremental focal length;
controller means having a binary full adder connected to receive and add the inverted and stored coded signals for producing a binary coded sum signal indicative of a difference between the selected range and said lens focal length and a carry signal indicative of a rotational direction command for positioning of said lens, a first NAND gate connected to receive the coded sum signal for providing a one-bit sum signal indicative of a difference between the selected range and the lens focal length, a second NAND gate connected to receive the first number signal for producing an inhibit signal indicative of the absence of range selection, an AND gate connected to receive the one-bit sum signal and inhibit signal for producing a drive signal indicative of a valid change position command;
and
motor means connected to receive the drive signal and carry signal and operatively connected to said lens for providing positioning thereof.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.