Angle, Direction, Or Inclination Patents (Class 73/1.75)
  • Patent number: 6634206
    Abstract: A method for synchronizing a plurality of pedal position sensors in a motor vehicle. A series of voltages are accumulated from each of a plurality of pedal position sensors. Representative voltages are determined from the series of voltages. The representative voltages are assigned to linear relationships from which an offset is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Weijia Cui, Gerald L Holbrook, Binqiu Xu, Gary K Lowe
  • Patent number: 6561006
    Abstract: Weather vanes (1) are delicate instruments partially exposed to external conditions. They are used in particular in the aeronautical industry. The measurements provided by these weather vanes are crucial to the flying of an aircraft. A type of weather vane is proposed in which a vane can be changed. Changing the vane entails adjusting the orientation sensors (3). To perform this adjustment, use is made of a factory setting rig (16) that allows the various parts of the weather vane to be placed in a characteristic position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Thales Avionics S.A.
    Inventors: Philippe Roberge, Serge Fromentin
  • Patent number: 6557392
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for checking and calibrating high precision inclinometric sensors. It comprises a substantially quadrangular planar base body made of highly rigid material, set to float on mercury placed inside a tank; a pair of micrometric positioning means of known weights, situated in proximity to concurrent edges of the base body, on the respective axes of symmetry of the base body, able to allow to change the baricentre and the inclination on the mercury of the base body by a value determined by the variation in the applied moment; a pair of screws for adjusting the zero point, situated on said base body and a seat located centrally to the base body for positioning an inclinometric sensor to be calibrated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Inventors: Alessandro Bonaccorso, Giuseppe Falzone, Guido Raia
  • Patent number: 6546780
    Abstract: A sensor assembly for sensing the angular position of a rotatable body such as a motor vehicle steering column. The sensor assembly includes a ring gear which is zero calibrated upon assembly of the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly further includes a ring member which functions to lock the ring gear to the sensor housing to maintain the zero calibration between the time of calibration and the subsequent mounting of the sensor assembly on the steering column and further functions to release the ring member for free rotation with the steering column in response to mounting of the sensor assembly on the steering column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Roland Palfenier, Cecilia Hernandez
  • Publication number: 20030019278
    Abstract: An accelerator pedal is positioned at a kickdown position. Then, an output value of a measurement device of an accelerator pedal position sensor is measured. Thereafter, the measured output value of the measurement device is stored in a correction output value storage of the accelerator pedal position sensor along with a corresponding correction value, which is used to correct the measured output value of the measurement device. A couple of fully opened position stop members is provided and is engaged with the accelerator pedal when the accelerator pedal is rotated to a fully opened position. Furthermore, a couple of fully closed position stop members is provided and is engaged with the accelerator pedal when the accelerator pedal is rotated to a fully closed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Yasunari Kato, Masahiro Makino
  • Patent number: 6501536
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for use in locating the eyes of a vehicle driver or passenger in a vehicle for controlling vehicle systems including the positioning of vehicle sideview mirrors in relation to the driver's eyes to maximize the view of traffic on either side of the vehicle or the characteristics of vehicle airbag deployment. The location of a driver's or passenger's eyes is derived from the adjustment by the driver (or passenger, if capable of doing so) of adjustable light beam(s) emanating from light source(s) or illuminated indicia, until it (or they) intersect the driver's or passenger's eyes. From the angles of adjustment of the light beam(s) and other known coordinates of the vehicle, the location of the driver's or passenger's eyes or the target may be computationally derived as a set of Cartesian coordinates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Inventor: Ronald J. Fredricks
  • Patent number: 6497134
    Abstract: A system for calibrating an error between the location of a feature of an object as determined by indirect calculation compared to as determined by physical measurement in order to be able to use this determined error to correct the location of the feature as determined by calculation in actual use in the field. This error is found by calculating the position and orientation of the object, having energy emitters disposed thereon, in a plurality of orientations and positions relative to a reference frame, but with the feature in a substantially constant position relative to the reference frame; calculating the locations of the feature of the object from these calculated positions and orientations; averaging these calculated locations; determining the location of the feature by physical measurement thereof in relation to the physical locations of the emitters; and comparing the calculated average location with the physically measured loacation to arrive at the error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: Image Guided Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ivan Faul, Jesse Dean Paylor
  • Patent number: 6481272
    Abstract: A device responsive to angular rotation of an object, such as provided by a driving unit, to produce a geared-down pivotal measuring movement by including a reduction gear formed by a differential planetary gear mounted on a frame plate jointly with a rotatably supported angle diaphragm which enables the rotational angle and/or the number of rotations of the object to be measured to be indicated opto-electronically. The differential planetary gear has an input gear in the form of a change gear which engages the shaft rotation to be measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: PWB-Ruhlatec Industrieprodukte GmbH
    Inventor: Jürgen Kieselbach
  • Publication number: 20020166362
    Abstract: A method for calibrating a rotation angle sensor having a magnet, a magnetic detector disposed in a magnetic field of the magnet for outputting a detected value indicative of a direction of the magnetic field that varies in accordance with a rotation angle of a rotatable member, and an output circuit which transforms the detected value to an output value in accordance with a transforming characteristic and outputs the output value, the method entailing: assembling the magnet, the magnetic detector and the output circuit to a device that has the rotatable member; rotating the rotatable member to a predetermined reference angle; measuring the detected value or the output value as a measured value when the rotatable member is at the reference angle; and setting the transforming characteristic based on the measured value so that the output circuit outputs a reference output value at the reference angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Applicant: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takamitsu Kubota, Naoyuki Kamiya, Hirofumi Hagio, Takashi Hamaoka
  • Patent number: 6418774
    Abstract: A device for calibration of an industrial robot, which calibration device is adapted for being in contact during the calibration with at least one plane of reference arranged on the robot, the calibration device includes an angle measuring member arranged for measuring an angle relative to the vertical line. The device further comprises two contact elements each having a curved surface, and the contact elements are arranged for being in contact with the plane of reference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: ABB AB
    Inventors: Torgny Brogårdh, Henrik Jerregård, Alec Robertson, Alexander Slocum, Patrick Willoughby
  • Patent number: 6356808
    Abstract: A method for cell alignment, identification and calibration of part of a robot tool, preferably a part of the robot tool, is positioned close to a detector, whereupon it is moved repeatedly past the limit of the area of detection of the detector. During the movement, the pose of the robot is registered each time the surface of said robot tool comes into tangential contact with the area of detection, and an over determined system of equations is formed, consisting of a correlation between the registered poses and unknown parameters regarding the detection area of the detector and the location of the robot part in space. An error vector is introduced into the system of equations, which is then solved while minimizing the error vector, preferably in the least square sense, in order to thus identify said unknown parameters and the error vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Robotkonsult AB
    Inventor: Björn Stenberg
  • Patent number: 6306126
    Abstract: A calibrating device for detecting the position, firstly, of the axis of the shank (axis of action) and, secondly, of the front end (point of action or line of action) of a surgical instrument relative to an reference position determination device 42 mounted on the rear part of the instrument, has: two clamping-device carriers, each with a clamping device, in a clamping state the clamping devices bringing the shank of the instrument into a clearly defined clamped position; a supporting plate 12 on which the front end of the instrument rests in the clamped state; and a reference position determination device 42, the axis of action being essentially perpendicular to the supporting plate 12 in the clamped position, and the supporting plate and the reference position determination device 42 being connected firmly to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Stryker Leibinger GmbH & Co KG
    Inventor: José-Luis Moctezuma
  • Patent number: 6276188
    Abstract: Abnormality of a yaw rate sensor, including a state in which the neutral point is normal, but the sensitivity is abnormal, is detected with high accuracy, irrespective of the situation of a road surface traveled. A lower one of an output from a dividing device for dividing a vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting device by a minimum radius of turning of a vehicle and an output from a dividing device for dividing a gravitational acceleration by the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting device, is selected in a low-select device. It is determined in an abnormality determining device that the yaw rate sensor is abnormal when a yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor exceeds a value selected in the low-select device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yutaka Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 6205839
    Abstract: An equipment for calibration of an industrial robot which has a plurality of axes of rotation and wherein, the equipment comprises a measuring device is adapted for rotatable connection to a reference point the position of which is known, is adapted to be in contact with the robot, or a tool carried by the robot, during the calibration process, and has an axis of rotation which intersects the reference point when the measuring device is connected to the reference point. The measuring device further comprises a gravity sensor which is so mounted so that the axis of the gravity sensor is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the measuring device, whereby the gravity sensor measures the angle between the gravity vector and axis of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Asea Brown Bovreri AB
    Inventors: Torgny Brogårdh, John-Erik Snell
  • Patent number: 6173620
    Abstract: A counter counts the repetitive pulse signals, a sawtooth generation circuit generates a sawtooth signal based on the count output of the counter, the amplitude and the offset of the sawtooth signal is adjusted by a resistance, and a comparing circuit compares the sawtooth signal with the analog voltage from an angle sensor to output a pulse signal having a duty ratio corresponding to the detected angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventor: Koichi Okada