Patents Examined by George M. Dombroske
  • Patent number: 5741969
    Abstract: A gas meter installation wherein a gas meter is contained within a protective bag during normal operation and wherein the bag may not be opened to obtain access to the meter without causing a permanent indication of such opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Brooklyn Union
    Inventor: Clement Vincent Sebastopoli
  • Patent number: 5741970
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the force of an impact delivered by a user, comprises an impact receiving section for absorbing the impacts delivered by the user. The impact receiving section includes an open cell foam layer for generating pressure pulses which vary in amplitude according to the location where the impact is delivered on the impact receiving section by the user. A pressure sensor which communicates with the impact receiving section, is provided for receiving the pressure pulses generated by the open cell foam layer and provides an electrical signal which is indicative of the impacts delivered by the user. The apparatus also includes an electrical circuit which comprises a high pass filter coupled to the pressure sensor, for filtering the electrical signal generated by the pressure sensor. A threshold detector circuit is coupled to the high pass filter, for detecting if the electrical signal exceeds a predetermined level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Inventor: Martin D. Rubin
  • Patent number: 5741958
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for detecting and documenting exhaust-gas relevant malfunctions of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a fuel tank utilizing on-board diagnosis. In the method, malfunctions are detected utilizing a sensor device and the malfunctions are evaluated in a circuit unit with the malfunctions including those malfunctions which are based on an empty tank. The fault announcements of the malfunctions are stored in a memory in dependence upon a pregiven number of drive cycles. A fill-level value indicative of the level of fuel in the fuel tank is determined and stored in the memory. Fault announcements of the malfunctions are outputted and stored in the memory in dependence upon the fill-level value thereby eliminating fault announcements of the malfunctions based on an empty tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Denz, Andreas Blumenstock
  • Patent number: 5741974
    Abstract: A pressure sensor comprising a hollow main body (1) defining a bore (3) extending therethrough. A pressure sensing assembly (12) is disposed within the bore (3) to divide it into a detection cavity (3a) for transmitting therethrough the pressure to be detected at a pressure receiving end (3c) thereof and an output cavity (3b) through which an output signal from the pressure sensing assembly (12) is to be supplied. A flexible metal diaphragm (40) is attached to the main body (1) at the pressure receiving end (3c) to seal the detection cavity (3a) in which a pressure transmitting medium (11) is filled. The flexible metal diaphragm ( 40) has a resonance frequency above an oscillation frequency range of the pressure to be detected. Preferably, the effective diameter of the diaphragm (40) may be from 7.5 mm to 8.5 mm and the thickness dimension thereof may be from 35 .mu.m to 45 .mu.m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Fumito Uemura
  • Patent number: 5741068
    Abstract: A temperature derivative sensing and regulating device and method is described which facilitates the maintainance of a very stable isothermal environment for an item, apparatus or facility or a constant rate of temperarture change. The device comprises a block of material having no internal heat sources, a thermal conductivity greater than 100 Wm.sup.1 K.sup.-1 and a specific heat capacity greater than 385 JK.sup.-1 kg.sup.-1. The block is surrounded by means for measuring the heat flow to and from the block and the device is further provided with means for generating a signal proportional to said heat flow and means for interfacing with the controller of a heating or cooling means associated with the item, apparatus or facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
    Inventors: Johann Ludwig Hemmerich, Paul Milverton, Luigi Serio
  • Patent number: 5739421
    Abstract: A leak diagnosis system for an evaporative emission control system executes a correction process of diagnosis decision value. When the purge control of the evaporative emission control system is not executed, a purging line of the system is set in the atmospheric condition for a predetermined time. A pressure sensor installed in the purging line detects a pressure value V.sub.A0 in the atmospheric condition. A control unit of the leak diagnosis system determines a leak decision value V.sub.P0 on the basis of the atmospheric pressure detection value and an equation V.sub.P0 =V.sub.A0 +.DELTA.V.sub.0 where .DELTA.V.sub.0 is a difference between the output value in the predetermined positive pressure P.sub.0 and the output value V.sub.A0 in the atmospheric pressure condition and is constant. Therefore, it becomes possible to accurately execute the leak diagnosis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co.Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Iochi, Kenichi Goto
  • Patent number: 5739420
    Abstract: This invention is directed toward the detection fluid infiltration into an underground pipe system, and more particularly is directed toward the qualitative and quantitative detection of liquid leaks into, and out of, underground sewer systems. The invention is particularly suited for detecting the infiltration of ground water into sewer systems such that the leaks can be precisely located as a precursor to time and cost efficient repairs. Fluid properties are measured with a probe at station locations which are preferably manholes. Any leaks in the system are first determined to a geographic location spanning two adjacent manholes. The locations of the leaks are further define to a very high geographic resolution by floating the probe from the upstream manhole toward the downstream manhole while continuously recording fluid property measurements at the surface of the earth. Results are preferably presented in the form of a survey map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Inventor: Roger Peterson
  • Patent number: 5740197
    Abstract: An apparatus for inspecting, monitoring or injecting a process material into a high temperature process vessel includes a lance having an outer annulus, an inner annulus and a plurality of tubes positioned between inner annulus and outer annulus, the inner annulus defines a center passage, the tubes communicating with the cooling medium inlet for the flow of cooling medium to the distal end of the lance, the outer annulus, inner annulus and plurality of tubes defining a plurality of interspacial areas for the flow of cooling medium from the distal end of the lance to the cooling outlet. A thermocouple may mounted inside a thermocouple well for measuring the temperature adjacent the distal end of the injection lance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Koch Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: George W. Taggart, deceased, Lory Johnson, Orville C. Ungerer, F. Ellis Vandiver
  • Patent number: 5739417
    Abstract: A method and a device for controlling an internal combustion engine, in particular a diesel gasoline engine. The output signal from at least one structure-borne noise sensor is supplied to at least one first and one second filter means, which exhibit different response characteristics. On the basis of the output signals from the filmer means, at least two quantities that characterize the combustion and/or the injection in the internal combustion engine are able to be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Ferdinand Grob, Uwe Reuter, Uwe Maienberg, Klaus Scherrbacher
  • Patent number: 5739427
    Abstract: A plate circulator includes a plurality of plates, chaining means forming a circular body by connecting the plates in a loop, an engagement groove provided to surfaces of each plate in the circular body, a guide member having a receiving groove, a frame to which a guide member is fixed so that the receiving groove faces the engagement groove, a plurality of balls disposed between the plates and the guide members so as to be brought into contact with the engagement groove and the receiving groove and support the circular body, a circulation groove for rotating and circulating the plurality of balls, and a power transmitting device for circulating the circular body. Therefore, the arrangement can be made simple, the plane formed by the plates can be made high accurate and the apparatus can be made small at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignees: Bridgestone Corporation, Daiwa Manufacture Corporation
    Inventors: Kenziro Yamaya, Yutaka Naruse, Yukio Uchino
  • Patent number: 5736635
    Abstract: A position sensor for a throttle valve, the position sensor including a housing having a partition wall separating an attachment chamber and a sensor accommodating chamber, each of which include an outer opening. The partition wall defines a central opening. The housing is connected to a case of the throttle valve such that the outer opening of the attachment chamber is closed by the throttle valve case. A drive shaft of the throttle valve is connected to a driven shaft mounted in the attachment chamber, the driven shaft being rotatably supported on the partition wall. A sliding-element receiver is located within the accommodating chamber and is connected through the central opening in the partitioning wall to the driven shaft. The driven shaft and the sliding-element receiver cooperate to close the central opening of the partition wall. A insulating substrate is disposed within the accommodating chamber opposite to the sliding-element receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ichiro Onodera
  • Patent number: 5736633
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for distinguishing a cylinder identification (CID) signal pulse from camshaft timing signal pulses in a variable cam timing (VCT) engine having multiple engine combustion events. The method includes generating multiple signal pulses including a signal pulse which identifies an engine cylinder and a signal pulse for each one of the multiple engine combustion events. The method also includes measuring a first time period between a first signal pulse and a second signal pulse, measuring a second time period between the second signal pulse and a third signal pulse, and determining that the third signal pulse is the cylinder identification signal pulse if a product of the second time period and a scaling factor fails to exceed the first time period. A specially designed VCT/CID signal generator, and an appropriately programmed microprocessor are provided for performing the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen William Magner, Christopher Cyril Mann, Kenneth Roy Butts
  • Patent number: 5736634
    Abstract: Top dead center (TDC) is obtained by counting the number of unit angle signals from a reference angle signal for each cylinder, and combustion conditions of the engine are then detected based on fluctuations in the period of the top dead center. Here the unit angle signals occurring from after the reference angle signal until the TDC following the subsequent reference angle signal are counted, and the count number of the unit angle signals from after the reference angle signal until when the TDC is obtained, is modified based on a difference between the counted number and a reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: Unisia Jecs Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Machida
  • Patent number: 5734112
    Abstract: A method for determining pressure in an operating Coriolis effect mass flowmeter. The Coriolis flowmeter flow tubes are vibrated in both a bending mode (as is normal for measuring mass flow rate) and in a twisting mode. The ratio of the fundamental frequencies at which the flow tubes vibrate in each of the two vibration modes is proportional to the pressure within the flow tubes. In the preferred embodiment, a sum/difference method initially isolates the superposed sinusoids representing the fundamental frequencies of the two vibrational modes. Fast conjugate gradient (FCG) digital filters are then used to rapidly estimate the fundamental frequencies in each of the two vibration modes. The estimated frequencies are then used by filter chains including digital notch and band pass filters as well as recursive maximum likelihood (RML) digital filter techniques to enhance the bending mode and twisting mode fundamental frequency estimates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Tamal Bose, Howard Vincent Derby, Andrew Keith Levien, Anthony William Pankratz
  • Patent number: 5734100
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for outputting reference signals in synchronism with the firing action of the cylinders of a multi cylinder engine. Correction coefficients are calculated for correcting deviations in the periods between the cylinders from the periods of the reference signals which are obtained during the fuel cut off state. The periods of the reference signals for each cylinder are corrected according to these correction coefficients, and the presence or absence of misfiring for each cylinder is determined from the corrected periods. On the one hand the determination of misfiring is prevented when input of external interference to the engine is present, and on the other hand the learning of the correction coefficients is prevented when instability has occurred in the reference signals during the fuel cut off state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youichi Kishimoto, Toshio Takahata
  • Patent number: 5734109
    Abstract: The invention relates to an indicator device 1, especially for use as a manometer, with a housing 2 provided with an inlet for the pressurized medium to be measured and a spring-loaded piston 13 which can come into contact with the pressurized medium. The precision of the pressures indicated can be increased and the size can be made especially compact when the piston is designed as a control piston 13 and is in a working connection with an indicator element 5 via a groove and projection combination 39, 40 which translates the stroke of the control piston 13 into a rotating movement of the indicator element 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: itm, Ute Thanscheidt
    Inventor: Gunter Thanscheidt
  • Patent number: 5734111
    Abstract: A first measurement unit for untrasonically measuring a flow velocity, a river depth, and an ultrasonic velocity is mounted on floating members. The floating members are connected with a travelling unit for automatically travelling a propeller flowmeter which is used in advance, to thereby measure vertical average flow velocities and river depths at a plurality of positions while moving along a river width. The floating members are provided with ultrasonic vibrators in the center thereof for measuring a river depth and an ultrasonic velocity as well as with ultrasortie vibrator pairs for measuring flow velocities. A second measurement unit for measuring an ultrasonic pulse propagation time period has a unit for calculating an ultrasonic velocity, a river depth, a partial flow quantity and an entire flow quantity, and a unit for controlling movements of the floating members and a distance between the ultrasonic vibrators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Changmin Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chang Hak Soo
  • Patent number: 5734090
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for verifying an expiratory breath flow utilizes the sonic characteristics of a standardized breath as a reference. A breath sample is analyzed for the presence and absence of predetermined audio frequency components generated by the expiratory process. Breach sample validity is based upon a match between both the required and missing components. The length of time that the required components are present can further be used to validate the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Alcohol Sensors International, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ronald Koppel, Edwin Kirchmeier
  • Patent number: 5734101
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for detecting lean burn drive mode for a vehicle. In accordance with the present invention, when the lean burn engine is driven in the lean burn drive mode, the device lights the indicator lamp located at the front of the driving wheel. Accordingly, the driver is informed of whether the engine is operating in lean burn drive mode or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Jong-Choon Lee
  • Patent number: 5734099
    Abstract: A computer is responsible for information on a running speed of an electric automobile, information on a terminal voltage and a discharge current of a battery, stored data on a total capacity of the battery, and reference data for defining a minimum capacity of the battery, to generate and process data on a travel distance of the automobile during a past time interval, data on a consumed capacity of the battery during the past time interval, data on a capacity reduction rate of the battery per unit travel distance, and data on a residual capacity of the battery at a current time, and provide information on a potential travel distance of the automobile, which is displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Saigo, Kenichi Shimoyama, Youichi Arai