Abstract: An automotive vehicle may include one or more controllers, a braking system and an electric machine. The one or more controllers may be configured to determine whether the vehicle is about to roll over. The braking system may be configured to apply a braking torque for a time period, under the command of the one or more controllers, to a front traction wheel to cause the front traction wheel to skid or slide relative to a road if the vehicle is about to roll over. The electric machine may be configured to generate a propulsion torque, under the command of the one or more controllers, during the time period.

Abstract: A method of correcting a pointing position of a pointer rotated by a stepper motor includes the steps of: performing a prereset operation in which the pointer is rotated to a reset operation starting position that represents a pointing position of the pointer which is shifted by a predetermined amount in a plus direction of a scale from a reset position where a pin which is rotated in conjunction with a rotation of the pointer abuts against a fixed stopper; after the prereset operation, performing a reset operation in which the pointer is rotated in a minus direction of the scale to the reset position; and after the reset operation, performing a correcting operation in which the pointer is rotated in the plus direction up to a reference pointing position which is indicated by previously stored reference pointing positional information.

Abstract: The present system is a system for controlling a trolling motor in a fishing boat. The system comprises a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit includes a direction sensor, a selection switch, and a transmitter. The direction sensor automatically senses the direction to which the user desires to steer the fishing boat when the user points the direction sensor in that direction. The user then uses the selection switch, and by “clicking” the switch once the transmitter sends a signal with the direction information to the receiving unit. The receiving unit then receives the signal containing the direction information, and affects the trolling motor in such a way that it steers the fishing boat in the desired direction.

Abstract: A robot that includes a plurality of roller assemblies. Each roller assembly may include a transmission roller that is spun by a drive mechanism to rotate a drive ball. Rotation of the drive ball propels the robot across a surface. The transmission roller is in continuous contact with the drive ball. Continuous contact between the roller and ball eliminates roller induced wobble in the robot movement, reduces impact forces and resultant stress within the roller assembly and allows for the use of a drive ball that is more complaint than balls in the prior art.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that afford a user accelerated access to operation of a balancing personal transporter. The method includes first initializing a single-axis stabilizer, and, while initializing a 3-axis stabilizer, alerting the rider that the transporter is ready for use, allowing operation of the transporter, and then completing initialization of the 3-axis stabilizer, and employing the 3-axis stabilizer for control of the balancing personal transporter. Apparatus includes single axis and 3-axis stabilizer and means to alert the user of the personal transporter.

Abstract: An electrical fly-by-wire system for operating an aircraft rudder includes a low-pass filter, arranged between a rudder bar and an actuator of a rudder. The low-pass filter receives a control command from the rudder bar corresponding to the degree of travel the rudder bar has experienced from a neutral position. Based on the amplitude of the control command, the filter generates an operating command for the actuator. Additionally, the filter operates such that the higher the fraction of the rudder bar's travel away from the neutral position, with respect to its maximum value of travel, the higher the filter's time constant is set.

Abstract: In a method for current regulation of permanently excited synchronous motors for guided missiles with an electromechanical actuating drive for the rudder, the commanded current is always guided orthogonally to the magnet-wheel flow. Further: a) from measured current of two voltage phases, a measured magnitude of a current-space pointer is determined and an error value for the current is added to a desired value of the amount via a correction regulator; and b) from measured current of two voltage phases as well as from the angle command of the current-space pointer, a measurement for the angle error is determined and added to the desired angle value via a correction regulator. The method according to the invention can be implemented with little hardware expenditure and in a compact design size, even for high rotational speeds of >10,000 min−1. Current-regulating methods used heretofore, which involve frequency response compensation in polar coordinates, cannot be used with synchronous motors, i.e.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for controlling a stepper motor having a rotor and a multi-phase stator. Sinusoidal command signals define a commanded position of the motor's rotor. An actual position of the rotor is sensed as a function of an electrical angle between the actual position and the commanded position. The actual position is defined by sinusoidal position signals. An adjustment signal is generated using the sinusoidal command signals and sinusoidal position signals. The adjustment signal is defined as a function of the cosine of the electrical angle. The adjustment signal is multiplied by each sinusoidal command signal to generate a corresponding set of excitation signals, each of which is applied to a corresponding phase of the multi-phase stator.

Abstract: A mobile robot navigating method for navigating an autonomous mobile robot utilizes a path planning unit, a posture control unit, a command signal converting unit, a current posture computing unit and a running mechanism, such as an autonomous carrier vehicle, capable of quickly and accurately controlling the mobile robot for steady running to a desired posture along a specified path. The mobile robot is controlled for running by a speed command including a desired speed for feed-forward control a speed correction for feed back control, and an angular velocity command including a desired angular velocity for feed-forward control and an angular velocity correction for feedback control. The mobile robot is controlled in a feed back and feed-forward control mode using the speed command and the angular velocity command so as to run steadily along an optimum path to a desired posture without meandering.

Abstract: The apparatus controls the positioning of a device in response to a commanded input signal, and comprises an element for moving the device in response to an error signal. A sensor component determines the actual position of the device, the sensor component outputting a primary signal and a derivative signal corresponding to the actual position and velocity of the device, respectively. A complementary filter system filters the primary signal and the derivative signal to generate a derived position signal, the derived position signal being combined with the commanded input signal thereby generating the error signal. The filtering results in effectively increasing the resolution of the sensor component thereby reducing the limit cycle caused by quantization of the sensor component.

Abstract: An authority limiter includes an input shaft clutched to an output shaft. The output shaft is geared to a motor. Opto-sensors provide control signals to a current source supplying power to the motor. Different amounts of opposing torque are applied by the motor dependent upon the positioning of a disc, mechanically attached to the output shaft, effecting the optical path in the opto-sensors. In another embodiment, the opto-sensor control is replaced by an electro-mechanical mechanism which senses various thresholds corresponding to angular positions of the coupled input and output shafts.

Abstract: A heading trim reference system provides beep commands indicative of a desired heading/attitude change to the roll channel of an AFCS as roll commands at slow speed in a conventional manner, and to the yaw channel as yaw commands at cruise speed. At cruise speed, the yaw synchronizing integrator responds to the beep commands and provides an error signal to existing turn coordination logic to turn the aircraft.

Abstract: Aircraft attitude along the pitch axis is controlled by inputting a velocity command to a pitch control subsystem that includes a velocity side channel and a gain side channel of a pitch servo amplifier. An output from each channel of the pitch servo amplifier is applied to a pitch servo motor for positioning a primary control surface. The velocity of the pitch servo motor is detected by a velocity detector that generates a velocity feedback signal and control signals for each channel of the pitch servo amplifier. Also responsive to the velocity signal of the detector is a pre-flight test circuit for pre-flight checkout of the pitch control subsystem. In each line from the output of the channels of the pitch servo amplifier is a current detector that is part of a pitch trim control subsystem that responds to the current through the pitch servo motor to generate a trim velocity command signal. This velocity command signal is input to a velocity side channel and a gain side channel of a trim servo amplifier.

Abstract: A maneuver force gradient system causes a helicopter, that otherwise tends to pitch up in a banked turn, to pitch nose-down. A command signal (25) is provided as a function of the roll angle to operate the longitudinal trim actuator (27) which automatically moves the cyclic control (50) resiliently (28) forward to push the nose down. The pilot must consequently pull back on the cyclic control (50) to achieve a desired pitch attitude, thereby establishing a longitudinal positive maneuver-force gradient. The system is operable only when the pilot initiates a roll (33, 38, 50, 51) and the roll angle equals or exceeds 30.degree. (30, 33, 36, 37). Both analog (FIG. 1) and digital (FIG. 2) embodiments are disclosed, and the invention may be practiced in association with an AFCS (101) having the longitudinal trim actuator (27) and resilient linkage (28).

Abstract: A work vehicle with a rolling-control mechanism, having a ground-engaging implement to be connected via a three-point link mechanism adapted to be free to effect adjustment with respect to the connection positions, has a sensor to detect slanting of the vehicle body. It also has electrical circuitry for correcting the control gain based on the detection results thereof, in response to the adjustment of the implement-attaching width and of the connection positions of three-point link mechanism. It may further be provided with a sensor and a control mechanism for effecting the control to minimize errors as are particular to using, as the rolling-control mechanism, torsional displacement in the three-point link mechanism.

Abstract: A system and technique is disclosed which provides a complemented roll attitude signal for use in the control system of an aircraft. The complemented roll attitude is produced by combining a yaw rate and true airspeed signal with a conventional roll attitude signal to produce a complemented signal which may be combined with a roll command signal to produce a roll steering signal for controlling aircraft response under non-zero roll attitude conditions of aircraft flight. The complemented roll attitude signal provides improved response to aircraft roll commands under non-zero roll attitude conditions, particularly in helicopter systems.

Abstract: An anti-log power amplifier for energizing a reversible electric motor of an electrically assisted power steering system for an automotive vehicle. The power amplifier has a preamplifier which amplifies the output signal of a torque sensor detecting the torque applied to the vehicle's steering wheel, an anti-log signal generator exponentially modifying the amplified output signal, a pulse width modulator converting the exponentially modified signal to a pair of complementary pulse width signals, and a pair of bridged power amplifiers for energizing the reversible electric motor in response to the complementary pulse width signal. The bridged power amplifiers are further responsive to the exponentially modified signal for increasing the electrical power delivered to the reversible electric motor under high torque loads.

Abstract: An autopilot control system includes roll rate synchronization circuitry for precisely responding to control wheel roll commands without overshoots. Unique fade-in/fade out circuitry prevents transient signal "bumps" upon mode switching of the system.

Abstract: A microprocessor-based controller for a stepper motor driven machine tool compensation system is disclosed. The step pulses for the motor are stored in the controller firmware as a table of numbers, each number representing the time elapsing from one motor step command to the next, thus enabling precise generation of the desired motor velocity versus time characteristic. The controller additionally interprets compensation system command inputs, drives a system display unit, and activates appropriate output status signals to the compensation system and machine tool apparatus. The controller is capable of detecting impending commercial power failure and protecting, via battery back-up power, its volatile random access memory.

Abstract: A digital, open-loop control system which compensates for the effects of roll on a missile-carried seeker head such as a radar antenna or an infrared sensor. The system utilizes a roll rate gyro affixed to the missile body for sensing the missile roll rate, developing a digital signal in proportion to the sensed roll rate, and using the digital signal in open-loop fashion to actuate a stepping servomotor for repositioning the seeker head so as to stabilize the same relative to the target irrespective of missile roll movements.

Abstract: A missile control system can avoid instability at high angles of attack by cross-coupling roll and steering sensor signals between the steering and roll channels. The control law for the system is derived by use of the Model-in-the-Performance Index Technique which makes the system respond at high angles as it does at low angles with desired response times, bandwidths, and stability.

Abstract: This invention is an improvement in aircraft control systems that utilize feedback motion sensors to generate a control signal to control the aircraft. The improvement consists essentially of a complementary filter comprising a simplified model of the aircraft, a high-pass filter, a low-pass filter and a summing amplifier. The control signal is applied to the simplified model of the aircraft which ateempts to compute the vehicle response to the signal. This computed response is then fed into the high-pass filter to eliminate long-term errors in the calculated response, with the result that a good estimate of the high frequency content of the aircraft motion is obtained. In order to obtain a good estimate of the low frequency content of the motion a rate gyro signal is fed through the low-pass filter that eliminates all of the offending noise. The outputs from the high-pass and low-pass filters are summed by the summing amplifier to produce an estimated rate which is then used as a motion feedback signal.

Abstract: Apparatus for remotely adjusting reference indicia of display instruments such as flight instruments wherein a knob affixed to the shaft of a d.c. generator, remotely disposed from the flight instrument produces a d.c. signal, the magnitude and polarity of which are dependent on the speed and direction, respectively, of rotation of the knob. The d.c. signal is coupled to a d.c. motor mechanically connected to said flight instrument reference indicia and adjusts the same accordingly. The apparatus further includes circuitry, electrically connected between the d.c. generator and the d.c. motor for producing compensating voltages equal to the start-up voltages of the d.c. motor, which when added to the d.c. signal insure a continuous response by the d.c. motor to the d.c. signal, and also for isolating the output impedance of the d.c. generator from the d.c. motor.

Abstract: The instant system describes a heading and attitude reference system for an aircraft in which slaving of the directional gyro to the magnetic compass and roll erection of the vertical gyro is cut off during turns which exceed a predetermined rate. A unique feature of the system is the manner in which the turn rate cutoff rate signal is generated from the directional gyro without incorporating either rate gyros or rate generators. The turn rate cutoff signal is generated from the directional gyro heading signal by converting the heading signal electrically into a signal proportional to turn rate. In one embodiment, the heading signal from the directional gyro which is representative of the heading shaft angle (.theta.) is converted into a plurality of signals proportional to the sine and cosine of shaft angle .theta.. These signals are first differentiated and then vector summed to produce a signal directly proportional to the rate of shaft rotation (d.theta.

Abstract: A control system for hydrofoil craft is one in which control surfaces are moved automatically in response to signals derived from the motion of the craft to stabilize and control the craft. In such systems, a potentially dangerous condition can occur in case of a failure or malfunction in the roll control system. In order to prevent such conditions, two roll sensing devices are provided which normally generate identical signals to actuate the control surfaces to stabilize the rolling motion. In case a failure or malfunction, the signals provided by the two sensing devices become different and apparatus is provided to compare these signals and to respond to a difference in the signals to initiate landing of the craft rapidly and safely.

Abstract: A roll measurement system for a flight vehicle, such as a tank-launched ged projectile or guided missile, includes a power source and a pulsed laser, such as a laser diode, which propagates a laser beam which is focused into a narrow conical beam and directed toward the earth. The laser beam's reflections from the earth are detected, for example, by a photo-diode, and converted into an analog electrical signal. The signal is converted to digital form and analyzed to determine its nadir (the shortest path-length to the earth). A microcomputer compares the immediate nadir determination with stored nadir determinations to compute the angle and rate of roll of the flight vehicle.