Abstract: A light weight, bi-directional, computerized profilograph is disclosed. The bi-directional profilograph includes an odometer for measuring the horizontal movement of the profilograph in either a first direction or a second direction, and a road surface measuring device for measuring a road surface profile while the profilograph is traveling in either the first direction or the second direction. A computation device is also included for plotting the profile of the road surface versus the horizontal movement of the profilograph while the profilograph is traveling in either the first direction or the second direction.

Abstract: A speed-sensing projectile such as for example a baseball includes a generally spherical body. An inertial switch is positioned within the body and is actuable between open and closed conditions in response to accelerations of the body greater than a threshold value. A processor also within the body is responsive to the inertial switch and calculates the average speed at which the baseball is thrown over a fixed distance. A visible display on the body is in communication with the processor and displays the calculated speed.

Abstract: The operability of a plurality of sensors is monitored by periodically interrogating the sensors individually and evaluating the responses to the interrogation. The sensors are each connected to a two-conductor power supply bus via a signal processor and an interface. The information exchanged via the bus is in the form of binary coded signals generated by clocking the bus voltage.

Abstract: The invention provides approximation of the value of a function of three variables. The invention embraces three processes: function domain packing, polyhedron extraction, and volumetric interpolation. The processes are applied to a mathematical function to calculate an approximation for the function range output value at a point which has been arbitrarily selected from the input domain of the function. Function domain packing utilizes two interlocked domain subdivisions. A first subdivision and a second subdivision each divide the domain space into rectangular solids. Each subdivision is accomplished by means of a plurality of planes of constant value corresponding to each of the input dimensions. After a function domain has been so subdivided, a tetrahedral volume is extracted from the fraction domain space. This tetrahedral volume is defined by two points from the first subdivision and two points from the second subdivision.

Abstract: A system and method that produces an acoustic waveform representing a semantically encoded modem waveform, transmits the acoustic waveform over an operational telephone line to a destination location, and records the transmitted acoustic waveform at the destination location. Semantic bit errors are identified at the destination and segments of the recorded acoustic waveform that corresponds to the semantic bit errors are isolated. The isolated segments of the recorded acoustic waveform are compared to corresponding segments of an ideal acoustic waveform to identify waveform distortions. The waveform distortions are then characterized as circuit component effects of the operational telephone line.

Abstract: An accessory adapted to be mounted to a bicycle having the capability of generating audible voice messages based on various parameters sensed by the accessory. The bicycle accessory includes sensing means adapted to be mounted to a bicycle having at least two wheels for generating a signal relating to an operational parameter of the bicycle, input means mounted to the bicycle for allowing the rider to make a request for the current state of the parameter, and means for determining the current state of the parameter in response to the request made by the rider, the current state of the parameter being determined by a microcontroller based upon at the signal generated by the sensing means. The accessory also includes means for generating an audible voice message relating to the current state of the parameter in response to the request made by the user.

Abstract: Coordination of the overcurrent/time trip characteristics of a hierarchy of overcurrent protection devices is accomplished through a central tester which establishes a pattern of test currents for the individual overcurrent protection devices which simulates a fault at a specified location in the power system. The individual assigned test currents are transmitted over a communications link to the separate overcurrent protection devices where they are stored in memory. The central tester then broadcasts a test signal which simultaneously initiates testing of all of the overcurrent protection devices using the assigned test currents stored in memory. The trip times are recorded and reported back to the central tester for analysis.

Abstract: A weight measuring apparatus comprising a plurality of load sensors, together with an input network, a multiplexer, a reference, an analog to digital converter, and a processor, wherein the input network includes an analog summing network and direct sensor connections to the multiplexer. The multiplexer is arranged to permit measurement of the sum signal, a reference signal, and each direct load sensor signal in a prescribed sequence. The multiplexed signals are converted to digital and processed to derive a weight estimate based on the multiplexed measurements and a system error model. The prescribed measurement sequence permits measurement of the sum signal more frequently than each of the direct signals. A method is described for deriving correction factors for the error model comprising the placing of calibration weights primarily on each weight sensor and solving the system of simultaneous equations for the resulting correction factors.

Abstract: An automatic gain control technique integrates samples of an incoming analog signal a controlled amount of time so that the magnitudes of the samples lie within the desired input window of an analog-to-digital converter or other signal processing device. The values of the samples are then determined from a combination of the output of the signal processing device and their integration time. This is utilized in a system for determining the temperature of a surface of an object, without contacting the surface, by measuring the level of its infra-red radiation emission. A particular application of the system is to measure the temperature of a semiconductor wafer within a processing chamber while forming integrated circuits on it. The measuring system is configured on a single printed circuit board with an extra height metal heat sink structure to which a cooling unit is mounted.

Abstract: An angular position change of the linearly driven drive system is proportional to its particular running time. In the process there is determined a desired value of the running time of the drive system belonging to a desired-value angular position (.alpha..sub.S), the drive system is thereupon started and its running time is measured and, when a measured value of the running time is equal to the determined desired value of said running time, the drive system is stopped. By this process the dependability of the drive system is improved and the costs of the latter are reduced.

Abstract: A distance measurement device comprises distance measurement device for measuring a distance to an object, a processor for judging a result of the distance measurement of the distance measurement device, a first digital switch connected to the processor for setting a first division point where a measurement range of the distance measurement means is divided into a first long distance side and a first short distance side, a second digital switch for setting a second division point where a range between the first division point and the first short distance side is further divided into a second long distance side and a second short distance side. Based on the set states of the first and second digital switches, the processor determines which area the measurement result of the distance measurement device belongs to, from the plurality of distance areas into which the measurement result of the distance measurement device is divided with the first division point and the second division point.

Abstract: Methods are presented to remove from misfire/roughness measures both acceleration effects and those errors which are of a cyclical nature over the engine firing cycle. Included in the latter category are errors which repeat every revolution, e.g. tooth spacing errors resulting from manufacturing tolerances on a multitoothed wheel used to measure speed. Also included are errors arising from the cylinder by cylinder variations occurring in one firing cycle which would be essentially the same in neighboring firing cycles, e.g. mechanical and electrical tolerance effects that are cylinder based. These methods permit the correction in each cylinder measure of such cyclic errors on a cycle basis, i.e., after the completion of one or more of the cycles causing the error, or on a cylinder by cylinder basis, i.e., after the completion of the interval associated with an individual cylinder.

Abstract: A system for monitoring and/or controlling the torque applied by a fluid driven tool for driving threaded fasteners, such as tools driven by either air or oil. The system includes a fluid flow meter to measure a parameter which is a function of the rate of fluid flow into the tool during operation of the tool, a transducer for converting the measured parameter into an electrical signal, and a data processing unit for processing that electrical signal into a signal representative of the torque applied by said tool. A system for digitally processing the measured parameter and comparing it to predetermined expected parameters to infer the condition of the fluid driven tool and for reporting that inferred condition is also included. The system is applicable to both nutrunner type fluid tools and impact wrenches.

Abstract: An electronic heading and attitude sensing subsystem which is fully integrated with the existing hardware of an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) oceanographic sonar suite to reduce the size and complexity of the apparatus. The subsystem uses a tri-state drive signal with relaxation periods and integration windows to synchronously drive the fluxgate magnetic sensors while reducing the effects of non-linearities and higher order harmonics which may result in heading errors. The present invention includes an electrolytic tilt sensor device and driving circuit which allow measurement of system vertical orientation without the effects of electrolyte conductivity are described. The present invention further includes methods of system calibration, magnetic perturbation modeling, and heading calculation.

Abstract: The invention concerns a device and a method for serial data transmission. In the position measuring device there is provided a memory, in which specific parameters of the position measuring device are kept. These parameters can be sent on the data line to a processing unit, by which the measurement values are transmitted during the position measurement. By receiving the parameters, the processing unit is adjusted to the connected position measuring device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for monitoring the operating conditions of an electric generator by producing a signal representative of vibration amplitude in end turns of stator windings of the generator; producing a signal representative of an electrical load under which said generator is operating; comparing the vibration and load signals to store reference data representative of normal or abnormal operating conditions; and producing an output signal based on a comparison of the vibration and load signals with the stored reference data. The output signal is representative of the operational status of the generator.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to provide a method of previously calculating the thickness of each of portions of a wiring harness to be produced prior to actually producing the wiring harness. A wiring harness constructed by bundling electric wires of a plurality of types which differ in diameter is assumed as having been converted to a bundle of electric wires of a single type with respect to the electric wires of each type, to find the number of electric wires. The perimeters and the diameters of the bundles of electric wires whose number is found are calculated for electric wires of each type, and the respective average values are respectively regarded as the perimeter and the diameter of the wiring harness. Thus, the thickness of a wiring harness can be approximately calculated in accordance with electric wires constituting the wiring harness.

Abstract: In a monitoring sensor for protecting computers and peripheral computer equipment by means of theft protection systems, wherein the sensor has a housing and a sensor element and the housing comprises a coupling member, with which the sensor can be attached to standard connections of the computers and peripheral computer equipment, it is suggested in order to make the monitoring sensor universally usable for standard connections of computers that the sensor element comprise a sensor means and an elastically deformable bending member as position transducer, wherein the sensor means registers the elastic deformation of the bending member and wherein the bending member is arranged adjacent to the coupling member such that it first of all abuts against parts of the standard connection when the sensor is attached to the standard connection and can subsequently be elastically deformed by these parts.

Abstract: Methods of operation and data analysis for an interferometer so as to eliminate the errors contributed by non-responsive or unstable pixels, interpixel gain variations that drift over time, and spurious noise that would otherwise degrade the operation of the interferometer are disclosed. The methods provide for either online or post-processing calibration. The methods apply prescribed reversible transformations that exploit the physical properties of interferograms obtained from said interferometer to derive a calibration reference signal for subsequent treatment of said interferograms for interpixel gain variations. A self-consistent approach for treating bad pixels is incorporated into the methods.

Abstract: A bump disk including a standard protrusion having a predetermined height and a plurality of reference protrusions positioned either on substantially the same radial line as the standard protrusion or on a circumferential line having substantially the same radial distance as the standard protrusion under a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the standard protrusion, a method of calibrating the floating height of a protrusion detection head by making use of a standard circumferential speed determined with the bump disk and a glide tester using such calibration method.