Abstract: A system for determining service outages and restorations includes an outage management server (OMS) that generates reports of outages and restoration information for metering endpoints. The outages may be caused by faults at various locations in the distribution network. The metering endpoint may include a transmitter having a battery backup that transmits the outage information upon a failure to detect a voltage at the endpoint. The transmission of the information may be filtered based on configurable criteria. The metering endpoints may also inform the OMS when power is restored.

Abstract: Methods and systems of enforcing a season change demand reset in a meter that communicates via a wireless network. When billing data is received by a server, it is accompanied by a season change demand reset counter. The counter is compared to a counter stored on the server. If the received counter is different that an expected value based on the server counter, it is determined that the meter missed a season change demand reset. The server then instructs the meter to perform a billing read and to perform a season change demand reset to ensure that accurate demand data is received by the server.

Abstract: A velocity and acceleration are measured (14) in a method for determining a vehicle reference velocity, said vehicle reference velocity being used for determining and selecting a suitable transmission ratio. If a measured acceleration (aist) exceeds (16) a maximally possible acceleration (amax), a vehicle reference acceleration (aref) is determined depending on said exceeding. For this purpose, an acceleration correction value (BKF) is calculated (22) by means of which acceleration correction value a vehicle reference acceleration is calculated (24). The vehicle reference velocity (vref) is determined (26) by means of the vehicle reference acceleration (aref). A gearbox transmission ratio is determined (20) by means of the determined vehicle reference velocity. This branch of the procedure represents the case in which at least one wheel equipped with sensors slips.

Abstract: A judgment whether a decrease in tire air-pressure occurs or not is performed by a process comprising the steps of: detecting information on wheel rotational velocities of tires; obtaining a judgment value for decrease in tire air-pressure based on relative comparison between the detected information on wheel rotational velocities; storing the judgment value(s) into an average preparation buffer BF; obtaining an average value of the judgment value(s) stored in the average preparation buffer BF when the vehicle stops; writing the average value and the number of the judgment values into a nonvolatile memory 2e; expanding the average value written in the nonvolatile memory 2e into the average preparation buffer BF in duplicate corresponding to the number of the judgment values after the start of a drive of the vehicle; and calculating an average value of a prescribed number of judgment values stored in the average preparation buffer BF so as to compare the average value with a threshold value.

Abstract: A transmission measuring system includes a subject for transmission measurement for outputting, in response to a start signal for measurement from a central processing unit, an output signal including information on a transmission time to be measured. An analog-digital converter converts the output signal into digital data. The central processing unit processes the digital data to obtain the transmission time required for propagating the signal through the subject. A clock signal source provides a clock signal to the central processing unit, and a variable delay unit is interposed between the clock signal source and the analog-digital converter. The central processing unit delivers a delay time control signal to the variable delay unit so that the delay time of the clock signal of the analog-digital converter may be varied with time relative to the start signal for measurement.

Abstract: A meter device for measuring electrical energy is provided. The meter device includes circuitry for measuring at least one parameter of electrical energy provided to the meter device. A storage device is provided for storing at least one calibration factor for compensating for errors associated with at least one of at least one current transformer (CT) and at least one potential transformer (PT) that operates on the electrical energy provided to the meter device. At least one processor is provided for processing the at least one calibration factor for adjusting the measuring for compensating for the errors when measuring the electrical energy.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for counting the steps taken by a walker is provide. The method includes detecting an acceleration value generated by a step taken by a walker at every first stated interval, calculating a standard deviation of detected acceleration values at every second stated interval, determining a walking mode corresponding to the calculated standard deviation among first through Nth walking modes as a walking pattern of the walker, in which N is a positive integer that is larger than 1, checking if there is at least one absolute value that is larger than a threshold acceleration value corresponding to the determined walking mode among the absolute values of the detected acceleration values, and incrementing a count value as a step taken by the walker if there is at least one absolute value that is larger than the threshold acceleration value among the absolute values of the detected acceleration values.

Abstract: The present invention provides method and apparatus for quantifying sample clean up in real time by providing curve-fitting measurements of optical or other physical properties of fluid downhole. Fluid is extracted from the formation surrounding a borehole. As fluid continues to be extracted the composition of the extracted fluid changes, altering the measured values of optical and physical properties of the fluid. Measurements are made of optical or physical properties of the sampled fluid, analysis is performed on the acquired measured data points.

Abstract: Event data associated with possible terrorist activities occurring at geographically-dispersed locations is monitored and analyzed. Event data collected from the locations is delineated by one or more data classes. Statistical analyses performed on the event data are based on one of a number of unique time periods or blocks. Results of the statistical analyses are used in the performance of a number of correlations in order to identify patterns occurring in the data classes and/or correlations between the data classes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for implementing automatic-calibration of a Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) probing apparatus. A calibration procedure is performed automatically each time a TDR probe is moved from a device under test (DUT). A current calibration TDR waveform is obtained and compared with a reference calibration TDR waveform, checking for deviations between the current and reference measurements. If a deviation is detected, then the user is notified and calibration is failed.

Abstract: In a Web application testing method which has been configured in accordance with the present invention, a network message from one of several network clients can be intercepted. Session data in the network message can be identified and state information retrieved for the session in the Web application. An operation and corresponding associated parameters can be selected from a Web scenario template based upon the retrieved state information. Finally, operations can be invoked in the Web application, the operations corresponding to the operation and associated operational parameters selected from the Web scenario template.

Abstract: Apparatus and associated systems, methods and computer program products relate to monitoring the performance of an operating gas meter by automatic and substantially continuous differential pressure (dP) measurement. Measured dP may be compared against a baseline dP characteristic to determine if the measured dP exceeds a threshold value above a baseline dP characteristic. If the threshold is exceeded, then the system may generate a signal to request repair or replacement of the meter. After installation, some embodiments collect dP data over time and/or over a range of flow rates to automatically learn a baseline dP characteristic under installation conditions. A system may switch from a default baseline dP characteristic to a learned baseline dP characteristic. Some embodiments may further correct volume or flow rate signals for line pressure and/or temperature. Further embodiments provide a passive apparatus to protect a dP sensor against transients in line pressure and/or differential pressure.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for estimating surface moisture content of wood chips employing a surface moisture measurement obtained from a non-contact surface moisture sensor, which measurement is calibrated with values of a set of optical parameters, such as HSL color camera signals, representing light reflection characteristics of the wood chips in order to estimate the surface moisture content thereof.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus using time domain reflectometry to determine electrical properties of concrete for calculating physical and mechanical properties of the concrete that are indicative of concrete quality and durability. The dielectric constant of a concrete is determined to calculate the gravimetric water content of the concrete for use in finding the water-cement ratio of the concrete. Electrical conductivity of curing concrete is determined to calculate compressive strength of the concrete for use in predicting strength development in the concrete.

Abstract: A method of evaluating the performance of a control system using an electronic device having state machine logic. The state machine logic includes determining a first logic state representative of a first condition of the control system based on data received from the control system. The state machine logic also includes executing a first testing function and transitioning to a second logic state representative of a second condition of the control system based on at least one of the received data and output from the first testing function. The state machine logic further includes executing a second testing function and providing a diagnosis of the performance of the control system based on the output of at least one of the first testing function and the second testing function.

Abstract: A transfer characteristics measuring device automatically measures the transfer characteristics of each channel of a multi-channel acoustic reproduction system in a multi-channel acoustic reproduction environment, while allowing normal multi-channel reproduction to proceed. The transfer characteristics measuring device (5) comprises an object of measurement selecting section (51) that selects one of the objects of measurement according to the levels of the input signals for five channels being supplied to the objects of measurement and a transfer characteristics computing and determining section (52) that computes and determines the transfer characteristics of the object of measurement selected by the object of measurement selecting section (51).

Abstract: Methods and recordable media for monitoring structural health conditions. The present invention provides a method for interrogating a damage of a host structure using a diagnostic network patch (DNP) system having patches. An interrogation module partitions the plurality of patched in subgroups and measures the sensor signals generated and received by actuator and sensor patches, respectively. Then, a process module loads sensor signal data to identify Lamb wave modes, determine the time of arrival of the modes and generate a tomographic image. It also determines distribution of other structural condition indices to generate tomographic images of the host structure. A set of tomographic images can be stacked to generate a hyperspectral tomography cube. A classification module generates codebook based on K-mean/Learning Vector Quantization algorithm and uses a neural-fuzzy-inference system to determine the type of damages of the host structure.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that tests the quality and/or the reliability of a component. During operation, the system applies test conditions to a plurality of specimens of the component. While applying the test conditions, the system measures the same variable from each of the plurality of specimens. Next, the system computes a running average of the measured variable across the plurality of specimens. The system then computes residuals between the measured variable for each specimen and the running average. The system next determines from the residuals whether the associated specimens are degraded.

Abstract: A processor 46 operating under program instruction control generates a desired performance level request. A mapping circuit then maps this to a control signal, such as a thermometer coded control signal, which is supplied to further circuits which require control so as to support the desired data processing performance level. These further circuits can include a clock generator 4 and a voltage controller 6.

Abstract: In a system for automatic meter reading of utility meters, a utility supply measuring system may include one or more collector units, wherein each one of the collector units accesses a supply of a utility, wherein the accessing occurs in addition to receiving meter reading data from a telemetry device, such as a telemetry device coupled to a utility. In accessing the supply of the utility, the collector unit component may itself be at least loosely coupled to a utility supply, or may communicate with a device that monitors quality, such as an outage detector. A method for transmitting utility supply data for such communications may include continuously transmitting a PN sequence code over a single channel.