Abstract: Systems and methods for the efficient characterization of acceleration events in accordance embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, an acceleration characterization telematics system includes an acceleration sensor, a storage device, where the storage device is configured to store an acceleration event characterization application, and a processor, wherein the acceleration event characterization application configures the processor to receive acceleration information using the acceleration sensor, determine short interval filter information using the received acceleration information, determine long interval filter information using the received acceleration information, and characterize an acceleration event in the received acceleration information using the received acceleration information, the short interval filter information, and the long interval filter information.

Abstract: A bill softness recognition method and a bill softness recognition device are provided. The method includes: receiving bills; extracting and separating the bills to make the bills enter a bill channel in a separated manner; capturing a single-bill image and a bill background image of each of the extracted bills; rolling the extracted bill to make the bill press a plurality of prearranged force sensors; acquiring effective force signals fed back from the force sensors; acquiring an inclination angle of the bill based on the single-bill image and the bill background image; determining, based on the inclination angle, the force sensor that is pressed by the bill as an effective force sensor; and judging whether the effective force signal of the effective force sensor meets a preset softness condition, and determining the bill as a soft bill if the effective force signal meets the preset softness condition.

Abstract: A rough road determination device (100) is mounted on a vehicle (1) that is equipped with an internal combustion engine (10) having a crank angle sensor (31). This rough road determination device is equipped with determination means (20) for determining whether or not a road on which the vehicle travels is a rough road, by comparing a first amplitude fluctuation amount as an amplitude fluctuation amount of one pulse of an output of the crank angle sensor, which is determined in advance on the basis of a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine, with a second amplitude fluctuation amount as an amplitude fluctuation amount of one pulse that is actually output from the crank angle sensor.

Abstract: A scanning measurement system includes independently driven, self-aligning, dual-sided heads. The system is configured to perform a method that includes receiving information associated with a discrepancy in a desired cross direction alignment of a first sensor head and a second sensor head that are disposed on opposite sides of a web of material and that are configured to move in a cross direction relative to the web. The method also includes adjusting a velocity of at least one of the sensor heads based on the received information to improve the cross direction alignment of the first sensor head and the second sensor head.

Abstract: A smart cap system includes a cap adapted to fit on a concrete test cylinder, the cap including one or more internal surfaces, and one or more sensors disposed in or on the one or more internal surfaces of the cap, the one or more sensors being adapted to obtain a measurement of a characteristic of a concrete mixture disposed in the test cylinder. The cap may be adapted to fit on one of a 4×8-inch cylinder and a 6×12-inch cylinder. The one or more sensors may include one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a chronometer, a heat flow sensor, a motion sensor, a pH sensor, a location detector, a GPS sensor, an accelerometer, a triangulation sensor, a thermoelectric heat flow sensor, a salinity sensor, a macro fiber composite (MFC) sensor, and a capillary sensor.

Abstract: A first measurement of a magnet that rotates is received from a first set of Hall sensors in a first component. A second measurement is received from a second set of Hall sensors in a second component where the first component and the second component are in a plane that is parallel to an axis of rotation associated with the magnet. An angle associated with the magnet is determined based at least in part on the first measurement and the second measurement.

Abstract: Method for performing simultaneous encoded-source inversion of geophysical data to estimate parameters of a physical property model (41), especially adapted for surveys without fixed-receiver acquisition geometry, such as marine seismic surveys with moving source and receivers. The encoding functions (32) used on the sources to generate one or more simultaneous encoded-source gathers of data (35), as well as to simulate the same (34), are orthogonal or pseudo-orthogonal with respect to cross-correlation. In addition, receivers are also encoded, with the receiver encoding being designed to make a given receiver less sensitive to sources to which it was not listening during the survey (38). The encoding functions may be temporal bandpass filters differing one from another by central frequency, phase, or both. Efficiency of the method may be further improved by grouping several sources into a super-source, grouping the corresponding gathers into a super-gather, and then applying the above encoding strategy.

Abstract: This disclosure provides devices, computer programs and methods for determining a motion direction. In one aspect, a mobile device includes sensors for measuring acceleration data. The mobile device also includes a processor and a memory that implement a motion direction estimation module configured to determine a primary axis of motion. The motion direction estimation module also determines a motion direction along the primary axis. The determination includes fitting the acceleration data, or data derived therefrom, to a bimodal distribution. A first peak of the bimodal distribution corresponds to a first motion direction along the primary axis, and a second peak corresponds to a second motion direction opposite the first. The motion direction estimation module is configured to estimate the motion direction based on the bimodal distribution. In some implementations, the motion direction estimation module selects the motion direction corresponding to the higher of the peaks as the estimated motion direction.

Abstract: A system for monitoring coastal underground water is disclosed. The system includes a freshwater/saltwater interface position tracking device that is inserted into an observation well used for observing coastal underground water and can move on a freshwater/saltwater interface according to a change of buoyancy; and a first measuring sensor that is inserted into the observation well so as to be placed at a position above the freshwater/saltwater interface position tracking device and has a distance measuring unit used for measuring a first distance between the freshwater/saltwater interface position tracking device and the first measuring sensor, wherein the first measuring sensor has a first signal output unit used for outputting a signal indicative of the measured first distance.

Abstract: High-frequency data capture for diagnostics is provided. An example system collects device data at a high acquisition rate. The collected data can be diagnostic when a critical event occurs, but need not be stored permanently or transmitted to a remote server unless needed. In an implementation, the data is stored in a dynamic circular buffer and the resolution of the data is tapered in real-time to maintain a lean data size of the entire buffer contents. High-resolution is maintained for recent data, while a decreasing resolution is applied to aging data. A triggering event changes the system from transmitting low bandwidth status information to transmitting the entire leaned-down data record stored in the buffer. After the triggering event, the system can also transmit incoming diagnostic data to the remote server at a high data resolution, and then can taper the resolution of the data transmission over time.

Abstract: An electrochemical battery system in one embodiment includes at least one electrochemical cell, a current sensor configured to generate a current signal, a voltage sensor configured to generate a voltage signal, a memory in which command instructions are stored, and a processor configured to execute the command instructions to obtain the current signal and the voltage signal, and to generate an estimated cell nominal capacity (Cnom) of the at least one electrochemical cell by estimating a first leg Cnom during a first charging sequence using a first charging current, estimating a second leg Cnom during a second charging sequence using a second charging current, wherein the second charging current is at a current amplitude different from the current amplitude of the first charging current, and generating the cell Cnom based upon the first leg Cnom and the second leg Cnom.

Abstract: A method of determining whether service is needed on a solar array includes gathering current data with regard to current solar array performance and environmental conditions, collecting weather data, accessing a storage for historical performance data, using the current data, weather data and historical data to generate a predicted performance, comparing the predicted performance to the current solar array performance data to determine if service is needed and generate comparison data, and analyzing the comparison data to determine a type of service needed, if service is needed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining when a shipment undergoes excessive vibration or bouncing is provided herein. During operation, a device such as an accelerometer, Piezoelectric, or vibration sensor, will monitor an acceleration/vibration experienced by a shipment. The device will also monitor an acceleration/vibration experienced by the shipping container housing/holding the shipment. If the acceleration or vibration of the shipment exceeds the acceleration or vibration of the shipping container by a predetermined amount, a warning will be given so that the situation can be mitigated.

Abstract: A mobile device includes a chemical sensor to detect chemicals in the environment in which the mobile device is present. The detected chemicals are analyzed and used to generate a chemical characteristic of the environment. The chemical characteristic of the environment is used to determine location related data for the mobile device. For example, an implemented within or remote chemical characteristic database that stores chemical characteristics associated with location related data may be searched based on the chemical characteristic of the environment to determine the location of the mobile device. The location related data may be a location of the mobile device or assistance data that may be used to assist in generating a more accurate position fix, e.g., using a satellite positioning system. The location related data may simply whether the mobile device is inside or outside or the floor of a multi-floor building.

Abstract: CD variations and/or MD variations in scan measurements are determined from spectral components of power spectra of scan measurements taken using two or more scanning speeds. Dominant spectral components having the same spatial frequencies identify CD variations and dominant spectral components having the same temporal frequencies identify MD variations. Dominant spectral components are extracted from a noisy power spectrum (PS) by sorting all spectral components into an ordered PS. A first polynomial representing background noise of the ordered PS is used to set a first threshold. Spectral components of the ordered PS that exceed the first threshold are removed to form a noise PS. A second polynomial representing the noise PS is used to set a second threshold. Spectral components of the PS that exceed the second threshold are identified as dominant spectral components of the PS.

Abstract: Pressure variations within a solid propellant rocket motor produce like variations in the optical radiance of the motor exhaust plume. The periodicity of the variation is related to the length L of the rocket motor or speed of sound in the rocket motor combustion chamber to length ratio a/L. The optical radiance is collected and converted to electrical signals that are sampled at or above the Nyquist rate. An array of single-pixel photo detectors is well suited to provide amplitude data at high sample rates. The sampled data from the one or more detectors is assembled to form a high fidelity time sequence. A window of sampled data is processed to form a signal frequency spectrum. The mode structure in the frequency spectrum is related to the rocket motor length or speed of sound in the rocket motor chamber to length ratio. The rocket motor length or speed of sound to length ratio is used alone or in combination with other information to either classify or identify the rocket motor.

Abstract: A method implemented through an electronic system for processing a sequential data to identify possible peak points is disclosed. The method defines a decayed threshold function and partition the sequential data into a plurality of segments by grouping each data point with surrounding data points into one of the segments. After that, a plurality of weighted segments are derived through weighting the surrounding data points by the decayed threshold function in each of the segments, and the peak points are identified through corresponding weighted segment.

Abstract: A required-circulated-refrigerant flow-rate calculating portion provided in a chilled-water flow-rate estimation calculation portion calculates an evaporator exchanged heat quantity exchanged between a refrigerant and chilled water at an evaporator based on a planned chilled-water-flow-rate value and a measured value of the temperature of the chilled water flowing in the evaporator, and calculates an evaporator-refrigerant flow rate based on that evaporator exchanged heat quantity.

Abstract: A vehicle wheel service system configured with a load roller assembly to apply a generally radial load to a vehicle wheel assembly during rotation, and which is configured with sensors to obtain one or more measurements of lateral forces associated with the vehicle wheel assembly during the loaded rotation, from which a quantified representation of lateral force for the tire of the vehicle wheel assembly is determined.

Abstract: A method for controlling a sensor by a mobile device, the method comprising: executing an application performing a task; obtaining first sensor data using a first sensor to perform the task; receiving second sensor data obtained using a second sensor of at least one communicably connected external device; comparing the first sensor data with the second sensor data; and when the first sensor data is replaceable with the second sensor data, controlling an operation of the first sensor and the second sensor according to a battery state of the mobile device and the external device.