Patents Examined by David C. Goldman
  • Patent number: 4799178
    Abstract: A system and method for determining the rotational speed of a rotating member is described that determines speed from signals having a frequency directly proportional to the rotational speed. The speed signals are counted during each of successive sampling intervals. At the end of each sampling interval, the rotational speed is determined based on a calculation interval that is the time interval from the next-to-last speed signal generated in the prior sampling interval to the last speed signal generated and the number of speed signals occurring in the calculation interval. The resulting overlapping calculation intervals minimize the influence of one speed signal on successive determinations of rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1989
    Assignee: Delco Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Peter J. Spadafora, Jill G. Hersberger, Myron H. Bell, Robert L. Harding
  • Patent number: 4782452
    Abstract: The initial contact of a rotating milling tool to a workpiece is detected in the presence of spurious noise spikes by digitally processing samples of a preprocessed vibration signal concurrently through basic tool touch detection logic and milling tool touch detection enhancement logic, and generating a touch indication if either logic set is satisfied. The basic logic detects a continuously increasing signal level higher than a threshold set above background noise. The milling logic detects an above-threshold signal sample and sets up an acceptance window about the expected time of contact of the next cutter. Tool touch is declared when an above-threshold signal occurs during the window; the milling logic is reset by a noise spike in the interval before the window starts. The basic logic detects tool touch in a dense spiky noise situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Charles E. Thomas
  • Patent number: 4780834
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring and indicating mass throughput of a fluid moved in a channel by a processing machine includes first to fourth measurement value pickups, first to third divider stages, first to fourth resistances, first to fifth multiplier stages, an adder for forming a difference ##EQU1## between an output signal of the first divider stage which is weighted with the first resistance, a memory of characteristics of the processing machine which has stored therein an appertaining volume number as a function of a magnitude of an output of the second divider stage and of the fourth measurement value pickup, and a measurement value indicator for indicating an output of the third divider stage weighted by the fourth resistance which is the mass throughput ##EQU2##
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1988
    Assignee: Interatom GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Craemer, Ralf Wehrlein, Josef Lambrecht
  • Patent number: 4775947
    Abstract: A method of determining the runout of a shaft which includes combining the signals from two linear variable differential transformers and a resolver in a computer to provide a visual or machine readable representation of the deviation of the outer peripheral portion of a shaft from that of a true cylindrical portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1988
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Gerald I. Marron
  • Patent number: 4773027
    Abstract: An automated trash management system for measuring the fullness of a plurality of trash containers, each trash container associated with a packing system having a compression member for engaging and compacting the trash in the container and, optionally having a limit switch activated by the compression member when the compression member is fully extended for controlling the movement of the compression member by the packing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1988
    Assignee: MGM Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Rodney H. Neumann
  • Patent number: 4771394
    Abstract: A pair of running shoes provided with a housing at the heel thereof, into one of which an electronic device is removably mounted. The electronic device comprises a normally open inertia switch for producing a footstrike count, an oscillator crystal for providing a stopwatch function, a sound generating device, a battery power source and a gate array for counting time and footstrikes. The electronic device together with a computer and a cable for enabling communication between the computer and the electronic device in the shoe form a computer shoe system for enabling accurate information to be obtained with respect to a period of usage of the shoes of one or more users as well as enabling a running log to be maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1988
    Assignee: Puma Aktiengesellschaft Rudolf Dassler Sport
    Inventor: Peter R. Cavanagh
  • Patent number: 4766557
    Abstract: Apparatus which provides an indication of gas leakage from the interior of an electric generator into a closed circuit water-cooling system for the generator's stator coils. The closed circuit water-cooling system includes a water tank for degasification with the closed volume above the water level being occupied by a gas of the same type as the generator interior. Sensors are provided for obtaining indications of pressure, temperature and volume of the gas, and from these indications the number of moles of gas in the tank are calculated in periodic time increments. The gas is maintained within certain pressure limits by the addition or venting of gas, and if an addition or venting has taken place from one calculation to a next, a projected value for the number of moles is calculated after the change, had the change not occurred. The difference between the actual and projected value is then added onto subsequent calculated values to obtain a history of gas leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1986
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1988
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Michael Twerdochlib
  • Patent number: 4754408
    Abstract: A method of placing circuit elements in an integrated circuit. The chip area is divided into a grid. In an initial pass, the elements are randomly placed in the grid locations, and these placements are recorded. Thereafter, the elements are sequentially replaced in each of the grid locations, and a score is calculated for the wiring interconnections to the remaining elements as they were last recorded. The placement yielding the best score is recorded for that element. This placement is repeated for each of the elements. Once all the elements have been replaced, a final score is compared with the last best score. If the recent final score is better, the placements associated with that score are saved as the best placements. Then the process of replacement is repeated until a given number of iterations fails to yield a better score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1988
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kurt D. Carpenter, Roger K. Jackson, Keith W. Lallier
  • Patent number: 4751655
    Abstract: At least two methods of reconstituting the original form of a time/amplitude trace, such as seismic data, are disclosed wherein the seismic data has been rectified by a scanner to produce a signal representative of a hardcopy display of the trace. One of the methods comprises selecting a time window of a certain duration, obtaining a measurement of the predominant period within the selected positive components of the signal, and filtering the signal with a bandpass filter having a range of about F/2 to about 3F/2, where F equals the reciprocal of the predominant period of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1988
    Assignee: Amoco Corporation
    Inventor: Kenneth L. Peacock
  • Patent number: 4745571
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling the temperature of liquid cooled power transformers. The winding temperature of a transformer winding is electronically computed from the actual top oil temperature and the incremental additional temperature resulting from transformer load current. One curve from a family of curves representing the incremental temperature for various transformers may be selected or calibrated by adjustments made which simulate the incremental additional temperature which results from transformer winding current. The total temperature value resulting from the addition of both the top oil temperature and the incremental temperature are used to control indicators, cooling fans, circuit trips and retain an indication of the highest temperature occuring during the time period of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1988
    Assignee: Qualitrol Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph F. Foster