Abstract: Aircraft gyro (20, 22) signals .theta. and .phi., representative of pitch and roll attitude, respectively, and accelerometer (24, 26, 28) signals a.sub.x, a.sub.y, a.sub.z, representative of longitudinal, lateral, and normal acceleration, respectively, are processed (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40) to produce signals a.sub.GSLO, a.sub.GSLA, and a.sub.GSN, representative of the longitudinal, lateral, and normal groundspeed rate components, respectively. The component signals are summed (50) to produce a signal representative of total aircraft groundspeed rate.

Abstract: An analog to digital converter comprising a data strobe terminal to which a signal is supplied upon the start of the converting operation, a delay circuit having a transistor with controlled conduction resistance and having its gate supplied with an analog input signal, an EX-OR gate having a first input terminal connected to the data strobe terminal and a second input terminal connected to the data strobe terminal through the delay circuit, an AND gate to which the output signal of the EX-OR gate and a clock pulse are supplied, and a counter for counting the output signal of the AND gate, whereby to produce the output of the counter as a digital signal.

Abstract: In a method of storing characters in a display system having a display device with an orthogonal matrix of addressable points, each character is represented as a succession of strokes each constrained to lie in one of the eight fundamental directions of the matrix and, except for the first stroke, each starting at the end of the previous stroke. Each such stroke is stored in a binary coded form which includes a first binary number (direction code) defining the angular direction of the stroke, a second binary number (length code) defining a number of matrix steps from one addressable point to the next along the stroke in that direction, and a third binary number (move/draw code) defining the visibility of the stroke. In order to facilitate character rotation by any multiple of 45.degree. the direction code defining each fundamental direction corresponds to the addition modulo 2.sup.n of a binary constant to the direction code which defines the fundamental direction of 45.degree.

Abstract: An apparatus for interfacing externally generated display data with a display terminal so that the externally generated data can be displayed on the display terminal, the apparatus including means for storing the externally generated display data, means responsive to the display control signals of the display terminal for generating addresses for accessing the storage means, wherein the access addresses are in synchronism with the display control signals, and means for logically combining the internally generated display data and the synchronized externally generated display data.

Abstract: A vehicle monitoring device 10 consists of a damped-pendulum transducer 12 coupled to a potentiometer 14. The analog output of the potentiometer 14, following a braking test with the vehicle concerned, is sampled in a peak/trough detector 16. A microprocessor 18 comprising signal processing unit 20 and arithmetic unit 22 controls the sampling and sums, averages and displays the output of microprocessor 18 on a digital display 24. If desired, a suitably programmed small computer may be used in place of microprocessor 18. According to one aspect of the invention, the device 10 is adapted to serve as a brake-efficiency meter. In this case, the display 24 will be arranged to display the average, or currently-measured, deceleration, as the case may be. In an alternative application, the device 10 is adapted to serve as a safe-slope meter.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for determining and following the instantaneous coordinates of the extreme value of a curve y=f(x), characteristic of a system having an input x and an output y.The device comprises a multiplier having two inputs and one output, a first differentiator, whose input is connected to the input x of the system and whose output is connected to one of the inputs of the multiplier, a second differentiator, whose input is connected to the output y of the system and whose output is connected to the other input of the multiplier, and an integrator, whose input is connected to the output of the multiplier and whose output is connected to the input x of the system.

Abstract: This system computes final fuel injection amount TAU on the basis of the following formula;TAU=A.times.TP+B+JwhereA : a first learning termB : a second learning termTP : basic fuel injection amountJ : correction amountLearning control is effected by correcting the second learning term B during idling periods and by correcting the first learning term A when an engine has larger than a predetermined load.

Abstract: An electronic engine control apparatus and method for computing various engine operating parameters such as fuel injection amount on the basis of input signals from a temperature sensor which detects engine temperature, wherein the signals from the temperature sensor are read more frequently before the complete explosion (i.e., running without a starter motor) of the engine than after attainment of complete explosion (i.e., after a start period) so that degradation of accuracy in the computed fuel injection amount, due to variation of the input signals from the temperature sensor which is caused by the starting motor, is reduced.

Abstract: A subranging analog-to-digital converter is disclosed having digitally controlled subranging for eliminating switching gain and switching paths in the analog section thereof. The digitally controlled subranging apparatus may be applied to either a single time-shared quantizer embodiment or a converter embodiment including a plurality of simultaneously operated quantizers. In either case, the conversion is formed in a series of quantizer operations on a sampled analog signal input for forming a final accumulated digital word conversion representative thereof. Another aspect of the present invention includes the addition of apparatus in a subranging A/D converter for maintaining the pre-alignment of the various conversion dynamic subranges thereof. In this aspect, the subranges of the converter are prealigned to affect a unique set of digital conversion codes of subranged conversions of the analog signal input value corresponding to the conversion threshold transition regions between the pre-aligned subranges.

Abstract: Clocking circuitry for providing clocking signals in accordance with a preprogrammed sequence of rates. An addressable memory is included having data defining such rates with a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) controlled via data from the addressable memory. An address producing means is controlled by the clocking signals of the VCO to provide an address signal for the memory in response to each clocking signal. The clocking circuitry is used with a moving mirror for a laser printer apparatus, the mirror having a known repetitive movement which is used in establishing the preprogrammed sequence of rates.

Abstract: A microprocessor controlled condition sensor comprising a parallel multiport microprocessor, precision resistor, capacitor, and one or more transducers (e.g., thermistor) determines the value of the condition being sensed (e.g. temperature) by calculating the resistance of the transducer through the ratio of interval 0/1 threshold timings determined by the RC time constants of precision resistor-capacitor and transducer-capacitor connections. The value of the condition (e.g., temperature) is subsequently obtained via a lookup table within the microprocessor which contains the relationship between transducer resistance and condition magnitude.