Abstract: A method and apparatus for interactively tuning a transmitter for use in a monitoring station is described. The monitor includes a voltage controlled oscillator producing a radiowave signal for use as a carrier. The voltage used to control the voltage controlled oscillator is provided by a voltage supply that produces an output voltage corresponding to an input data stream. The tuning station provides test data streams to the voltage supply and monitors the output frequencies of the transmitter to determine when the output frequency of the transmitter is above or below the maximum allowable output frequencies. When data streams corresponding to the maximum and minimum output frequencies are determined, they are stored in a memory in the monitoring station and a complete table of temperature-compensated data is generated based upon typical unit temperature drifts. The entire table is loaded into the monitoring station to provide maximum and minimum data sequences for various operating temperature ranges.

Abstract: A hybrid method and system are disclosed for the detection of internal combustion engine misfires. The method and system are capable of detecting misfires even at very low occurrence rates in real time with inexpensive analog and digital (i.e. hybrid) electronics suitable for use on-board a vehicle, thus satisfying current and proposed exhaust emission control regulations. The method and system exploit a measurement of engine crankshaft angular velocity in conjunction with hybrid electronic signal processing. Once the angular velocity signal is conditioned to minimize the effects of random error and external disturbances, four alternate computationally efficient methods may be used to extract information pertaining to individual cylinder torque productions. Two of the methods employ extremal samples of the estimated torque or velocity waveform to obtain a random torque nonuniformity index or metric.

Abstract: A fader device used for an audio mixer etc. includes fader operators, a signal processing circuit for processing signals in accordance with operation position of the fader operators, switches for switching an operation mode of fader operators between an absolute mode in which amounts of displacement of the fader operators represent absolute change value and a relative mode in which amounts of displacement of the fader operators are caused to represent relative change values by setting a predetermined displacement range of a control parameter. When the operation mode has been switched from the absolute mode to the relative mode, a control circuit peforms control in such a manner that the amounts of displacement of the fader operators in the absolute mode have been stored and the fader operators are forced to be set in central positions of the strokes of the fader operators.

Abstract: A fully automatic servovalve analyzer system includes a data processing system, a transducer system, and a transducer interface system connecting the data processing system to the transducer system. The data processing system stores data defining characteristics of transducers connected to a unit under test as well as characteristic data for the unit under test itself and test procedures which are to be performed. After a unit under test has been hydraulically and electrically connected to the analyzer system, the system automatically performs any defined tests, analyzes the results and outputs the results in a preselected human recognizable form.

Abstract: The invention provides a system for determining the spatial position of a moving object and for guiding its movement, which system comprises a triangular arrangement of three light sources attached to the moving object and facing guidance device, electrooptical sensing device comprising an area imaging device and an image processing computer located at a position facing the moving object, there being provided a guidance computer connected to the image processing computer, and radio-communication device for the exchange of signals from and to said moving object. As an alternative the three light sources can be provided at the ground station and the other components of the system being attached to the moving object, there being provided communication device between said station and object. The system is of special value for guiding manned and unmanned aircraft.

Abstract: A process for relocking a driverless, robotized vehicle (1) on a theoretical trajectory (T.sub.th2) in which during the passage of the vehicle through a joining section (S.sub.1), the curvature of the trajectory of the vehicle (1) is progressively modified as a function of the instantaneous curvature and the heading or course (.theta.). Thus, there are no orientation discontinuities along the trajectory, which imposes no impossible operating conditions on the drive members of the vehicle, but still makes it possible to converge rapidly with the theoretical trajectory.

Abstract: An air/fuel ratio feedback control system for an internal combustion engine sets an air/fuel ratio feedback correction coefficient on the basis of an air/fuel ratio for an air/fuel mixture introduced into a combustion chamber of the engine, to cause the air/fuel ratio to approach a set point thereof. The correction coefficient consists of a rich control proportional component P.sub.R, a lean control proportional component P.sub.L and an integral component I. When the air/fuel ratio set by the feedback control system deviates from an initial set point (the stoichiometric value) due to deterioration of an oxygen sensor for detecting the air/fuel ratio, the feedback control system compensates for the deviation to cause the air/fuel ratio to approach the initial set point, by varying a ratio of the rich control proportional component P.sub.R to the lean control proportional component P.sub.

Abstract: A wearout monitor for failure prognostics is a prognosis tool to predict incipient failure in rotating mechanical equipment. The wearout monitor provides maintenance management of a plant or process with information essential to planning preventive maintenance strategies. The monitor also assists in constructing a data base for development and implementation of policies for plant life extension, refurbishment, and modernization. The apparatus identifies systems of operation degradation of the whole system, as well as diagnosis of signs of commencing aging cycles of specific equipment, components or parts of equipment during operation. Data from the system is stored and also supplied to a central processing unit which includes an expert system, rule-based failure data bank, a predictor, a performance evaluator and a system identifier. The results of the predictions are supplied to management terminals or other indicators for subsequent use.

Abstract: An electronically controlled automatic transmission system for applying and releasing clutches and brakes when the gears for the speed ranges are to be shifted or changed in accordance with the drive torque of the engine. Each brake and clutch is controlled by a solenoid valve and a manual valve. The manual valves control the application of fluid pressure to the clutches and the brakes. Each manual valve has a separate solenoid valve which controls the manual valve in accordance with the detected value of the driving force of the engine. In addition, the automatic transmission system measures the number of revolutions of the input shaft to the automatic transmission after the clutches and brakes at the release side are released for a gear shift, and detects the acceleration of the number of revolutions of the input shaft of the automatic transmission.

Abstract: An autozeroing apparatus is disclosed for correcting the offset error in a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner data acquisition subsystem (DAS). The DAS includes a floating point amplifier for applying discrete amplification factors, or gain range segments, to an analog input before conversion to digital in an A/D converter. A digital autozero circuit is connected to the output of the A/D converter and adds a digital offset value to each A/D converter sample during data acquisition to correct for the net offset errors throughout the DAS. Separate storage latches are included for storing offset values corresponding to each gain range segment, and the offset value used for each sample correction corresponds to the gain range segment used for that sample. During an autozero reference interval, a reference voltage is applied to the DAS and the offset values are updated so as to force the corrected A/D converter output to agree with the reference voltage.

Abstract: In an air-fuel ratio feedback system including a single air-fuel ratio sensor downstream of or within a three-way catalyst converter, a coarse-adjusting term AF.sub.c is calculated integrally in accordance with the output of the air-fuel ratio sensor, and an O.sub.2 storage term AF.sub.CCRO is calculated in accordance with an O.sub.2 storage amount of the three-way catalyst converter.

Abstract: A method and control for controlling an AMT system (10) having input shaft (IS) and output shaft (OS) speed sensors is provided including sensing faulty determinations of transmission engagement in a known gear ratio (GR).

Abstract: An engine control apparatus for shifting an ignition timing signal to an ignition coil (48) so that the engine produces optimum torque generates a pseudo random signal (26) which is preferably an M series signal and applies the pseudo random signal to a parameter of the engine having a noise frequency component such as the engine rotational speed y(t). The M series signal is a signal having a impulse type self correlation function. A mutual correlation function of the number of revolutions of the internal combustion engine and of the M series signal is computed (30-44) and an optimum ignition advance angle is supplied to an adder (46). The adder (46) combines the optimized signal ignition advance angle with a basic ignition timing signal (.theta..sub.advB) to provide an ignition timing signal (.theta.ig) to the ignition coil (48).

Abstract: An analog and digital display device for use with railroad vehicles which comprises: a host processor which transmits operational data received from a digital overspeed controller (DOC), such as actual speed, allowable speed, profile speed, distance to profile, messages and an indication of overspeed; a central processing unit (CPU) which receives and interprets operational data transmitted by the host processor; and an analog and digital display which displays the operational data in both analog and digital formats.

Abstract: In a fuel supply control system of an internal combustion engine having a function of feedback-controlling the air-fuel ratio, dispersions of the fuel supply characteristics in respective cylinders are corrected by changes of the air-fuel ratio by the correction of the fuel supply quantity. Factors causing the deviations of the air-fuel ratio are independently compensated by learning the correction value for correcting the fuel supply quantity only at a certain ratio and the correction value for correcting the fuel supply quantity only by a certain quantity so that these correction values are commonly fit for at least two different driving conditions.

Abstract: In a method for automatically controlling the gear-shifting operation of a vehicle gear transmission so as to shift the transmission to a calculated target position according to the vehicle operation parameter(s), the stability of the calculated target position is discriminated and the required gear-shifting operation is carried out only when the stability satisfies a prescribed condition, whereby unnecessary gear-shifting operations can be effectively eliminated even if for some reason the calculated target gear position frequently changes.

Abstract: A multi-level probe for sonic range measurements utilizes a plurality of parallel reflectors that each include an opening arranged coaxially about a beam of ultrasonic energy transmitted along a reference axis from an associated transducer. The opening in each reflector permits most of the sonic energy to pass to a subsequent reflective surface, while the periphery about the opening provides echo signals for determining physical conditions in the environment through which the sonic energy has passed. A novel system is used for determining physical conditions that are a function of time differences between signals from different reflectors, calculated with a highly efficient digital signal processing algorithm.

Abstract: An electronic integrated engine and vehicle management and control system includes an electronic vehicle control module and a fuel injection control module, in communication with each other, which together control the total vehicle and engine operation functions of a heavy duty vehicle. A novel fuel injection timing device is utilized with the control module to allow precise and sophisticated control of engine timing based on a number of engine and vehicle operating parameters as determined by the control modules. Functions such as engine speed control, vehicle road speed control, engine protection shutdown, fuel economy, braking control and diagnostics are performed by the system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an anti-skid brake control apparatus for a brake system of wheeled vehicles. The control apparatus according to the present invention is essentially composed of a slip speed meter, a threshold value setting device and a brake oil pressure control device. The slip speed meter calculates at least one of a slip speed and a wheel acceleration. The acceleration is a time derivative of the rotational speed of a wheel. The threshold value setting device temporarily determines a threshold value for at least one of the slip speed and the wheel acceleration with reference to at least one of the slip speed and the wheel acceleration. The brake oil pressure control device controlling braking force of the brake system with reference to at least one of a comparison of the slip speed and the threshold value thereof, and a comparison of the wheel acceleration and the threshold value thereof, whereby skidding of the wheel is prevented by temporarily controlling the braking force.

Abstract: An engine speed control apparatus including an air control valve which controls the cross-sectional area of a bypass passage provided so as to bypass the throttle valve of the engine. The apparatus also includes a control unit which controls a degree of opening of the air control valve on the basis of a synthesized quantity which is obtained by synthesizing a basic air quantity for maintaining a target engine speed and an engine speed feed-back correction quantity which effects to eliminate an error between the target speed and an actual engine speed. An atmosphere pressure sensor is used to detect an atmospheric pressure, and a correction circuit is used to ensure that the synthesized quantity corresponds with the detected atmospheric pressure the engine is started.