Interpolation utilization apparatus

US4306220A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH · DE

Inventors

• Ernst Schwefel · Traunreut, DE
• Alfons Baumgartner · Prien am Chiemsee, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 20, 1978
• Grant date: Dec 15, 1981
• Expiry date: Dec 20, 1998

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H03M1/287
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for processing the output of an incremental measuring device of the type which provides a periodic analog output signal. The analog output signal is applied to a trigger circuit to produce a square wave signal which is applied as an input to an updown counter. This counter operates to count the number of complete cycles of the analog signal associated with the measurement. The analog signal is also applied to a circuit which acts to generate a coded intermediate value in response to the sign and amplitude of the analog signal. The counter value and the coded intermediate value are both applied as inputs to a computer which combines these two values to produce a composite reading in which the coded intermediate value supplies the high precision component of the reading and the counter value supplies the low precision component. In this way increased precision readings can be attained without increasing the maximum counting rate of the counter.