Abstract: A low cost, energy monitoring system comprises a plurality of remote sensors for monitoring energy consumption in specific circuits, or by specific appliances, a adapter that communicates with the remote sensors over a wireless network, and a host device with a display. The remote sensors monitor energy consumption in specific circuits, or by specific appliances, and report the energy consumption by the monitored circuits or appliances to the remote adapter. The adapter stores the energy consumption data in memory and generates output images for display by the host device. The output images are based on display templates stored in the memory of the adapter and define how the energy consumption data is formatted and displayed for the user.

Abstract: Fatigue failure in composite materials can be successfully modeled and predicted by monitoring irreversible gains in entropy. Permanent degradations in composites are marked by irreversible processes that are characterized by increases in entropy. By measuring changes in entropy, one can model and predict the deterioration and failure of composites. The technique may be used to predict the deterioration and failure of composites under essentially any type of loading—constant, variable, bending, torsion, tension, compression, or other.

Abstract: A method of detecting a fault mode of a sensor is provided. The sensor may be, for example, a bending moment sensor and may sense a bending moment of a blade on a wind turbine generator (WTG). The method includes comparing data output by a first sensor with reference data indicating what is expected to be output by the first sensor to produce a first comparison result and comparing data output by the first sensor with data output by a second sensor to produce a second comparison result. A determination of whether the first sensor has entered a fault mode is made based at least in part on the first and second comparison results.

Abstract: A technique facilitates the collection of improved gravitational acceleration measurements and enables use of those measurements in analyzing environmental characteristics of a subterranean region. In one embodiment, a downhole tool is constructed with a gravimeter having a quantum source and an associated detector. The quantum source and detector use a velocity of the quantum source for determining gravitational acceleration measurements that can be employed in evaluating subterranean characteristics.

Abstract: Example methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture are disclosed herein that may be utilized, in whole or in part, to facilitate or support one or more operations or techniques for detecting a state of rest of a mobile communication device using, at least in part, output signals from an accelerometer.

Abstract: Methods and systems for use in indicating and/or determining fuel properties. One or more physical properties of a fuel are determined and indicated using taggants that are added to the fuel, such as by encoding the properties in the taggants or by encoding an identifier in the taggants and associating the properties with the identifier. The taggants are detected by a taggant sensor, and the physical properties are determined based on the detected taggants. A concentration of the taggants in the fuel may also be determined.

Abstract: The present invention provides a weighing apparatus comprising a load cell and an inclinometer and a method of weighing with and calibrating the weighing apparatus that tilt compensates for component parts of load cell readings that vary according to different relationships with load cell inclination. The present invention further provides a weighing apparatus and method of weighing with and calibrating the weighing apparatus that compensates for residual errors in a measured weight that has been pre-compensated for load cell inclination.

Abstract: The advantageous embodiments provide a method for identifying anomalies on an object. The advantageous embodiments detect a presence of the object in a control area using a sensor system. In response to detecting the presence of the object in the control area, the object is identified using the sensor system. Scan priorities are identified for the object using the sensor system. The object is scanned while the object is within the control area to form scan results. The scan results are analyzed and a determination is made as to whether a number of maintenance anomalies are detected on the object using the scan results.

Abstract: In a method of ensuring crop treatment compatibility crop treatment information is received at a computer system. The crop treatment information comprises a real-time location of a crop treatment applicator and a description of a crop treatment resident in the crop treatment applicator. Planted crop treatment information is accessed for a planted field which encompasses the real-time location. The planted crop information comprises a description of a planted crop in the planted field. It is determined whether the crop treatment is compatible with application to the planted crop. In response to determining the crop treatment is not compatible with application to the planted crop, a crop treatment incompatibility action is initiated in real-time from the computer system.

Abstract: An exemplary input device detects a first detected attitude thereof based on angular velocity data outputted from an angular velocity sensor. Next, the input device corrects the first detected attitude based on acceleration data outputted from an acceleration sensor. Then, the input device performs predetermined information processing, without using components, in a horizontal direction and a depth direction, of the first detected attitude which has been corrected.

Abstract: A process for calibrating and correcting errors in laser measurement systems in situ, either remotely over the Internet or where the laser measurement system is physically located. In one embodiment, a number of targets are arrayed around the scanner and read by the software of a system. The laser scanner is rotated 180 degrees and the positions of the targets are read again. A correction factor is determined by calculation and displayed to show the expected improvement in accuracy of the laser measurement system. In a second embodiment, the laser scanner is positioned under a vehicle with targets at reference positions for which the measurements are known. The scanner readings are checked against the known values and a correction factor developed. This could be applied on a one-time basis or it can be programmed in the host computer where evaluation and compensation occur automatically.

Abstract: A power line monitoring device is mounted to a power line. The device includes circuitry for monitoring the power line and communicating information regarding the power line. A ground reference point of the circuitry is electrically coupled to the power line. Therefore, the monitoring device, including its circuitry, has substantially the same voltage potential as the power line. Accordingly, there is a substantially equalized or uniform electric field around the device. The substantially equal voltage potential and electric field allow communications with the monitoring device to have reduced noise and interference, as compared to other devices that have different voltage potentials than their corresponding power lines. A pad of semi-conductive material may be disposed between the power line and the electrical conductors to slow a rate of change of the voltage potential of the device circuitry when mounting the device to the power line, thereby minimizing risk of corona discharge.

Abstract: A method is provided for evaluating the reliability of an electrical power measuring device for measuring high-frequency electrical power. To build an evaluation system, the measuring device, together with a reference electrical power measuring device, is arranged between a high-frequency power supply device and an artificial reproduction load, which includes an impedance conversion device and a reference load. Using this system, an uncertainty range of an electrical power measured value measured by the measuring device is calculated, according to a prescribed calculation formula, from the electrical power measured value, and a judgment is made as to whether or not the electrical power measured value measured by the measuring device is within the uncertainty range. If it is within the uncertainty range, the measuring device is evaluated as being reliable, while if it is not within the uncertainty range, the measuring device is evaluated as being unreliable.

Abstract: Borehole logging methods and apparatuses for estimating formation properties using nuclear radiation, particularly an apparatus and method for estimating amounts of silicon and/or oxygen in the formation. Methods include estimating a formation property using an oxygen estimate and at least a formation lithology. The method may include using nuclear radiation information from at least one nuclear radiation detector generate the oxygen estimate. The apparatus may include at least one nuclear radiation detector. The apparatuses may include an information processing device to perform the methods.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods relate to use of a time-varying bias for application to an avalanche photodiode. Embodiments include systems and methods of determining an appropriate time-varying bias for application to an avalanche photodiode in linear mode. Avalanche photodiode having appropriate parameters may also be determined. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Abstract: Embodiments of a system are provided for forming enhanced seismic array traces using virtual seismic sensors in addition to the real seismic sensors to form a virtual seismic array. The system receives the signal responses from the real sensors, processes the signal responses from the sensors to define virtual signals using a narrowband decomposition of the complex envelope of the sensor signal responses, calculates second- and fourth-order statistics to derive steering vectors for the array of real sensors, and forms a virtual seismic array in response thereto. Machines, computer program product, and computer-implemented methods are provided for forming enhanced seismic array traces by receiving the array responses from sensors, processing the signals to define virtual sensor signals and a virtual seismic array, and forming an array response for the virtual seismic array to form a seismic trace of enhanced resolution.

Abstract: Low-complexity, application-independent fixation of a chromatogram is achieved by a) determining a limit frequency under the assumption that the shape of the peaks in the chromatogram corresponds approximately to a Gaussian function having a standard deviation and the Fourier transform of the Gaussian function describes the frequency spectrum of a peak, at which limit frequency the Fourier transform has decreased to a predetermined limit value, b) determining the height, width, and retention time of each individual peak from the chromatogram, or a chromatogram taken previously under the same conditions, c) determining a constant factor based on a first predetermined relationship, d) determining the functional dependency of the limit frequency on the retention time as a variable quantity based on a second predetermined relationship, and e) filtering the chromatogram with the limit frequency depending on the retention time as the variable quantity using a low-pass filter.

Abstract: A method is provided for identifying resonant frequency vibration events in an assembly of rotating blades mounted on a rotor. A plurality of circumferentially spaced stationary timing probes associated with the blades detect the times at which the blades pass the respective probes. The method includes the steps of: obtaining blade timings detected by the probes, determining, for successive rotations of the assembly, respective correlation factors for one or more of the blades, each correlation factor quantifying the degree of correlation between the blade timings detected by the probes for a particular blade on a particular rotation and the blade timings detected by the probes for that blade on the previous rotation and identifying a resonant vibration event when the one or more correlation factors cross a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Disclosed is a diagnose system for rearranging order of testing items in a diagnose program and a method thereof. The method is applicable to a diagnose system, including an electronic device to be tested, a storage component and a plurality of detecting apparatuses. The electronic device to be tested includes an interface and stores a diagnose program including a plurality of testing items. The storage component is electrically coupled to the electronic device to be tested through the interface for reading a log file that includes a plurality of invocation commands, so that the electronic device to be tested can sequentially execute each of the invocation commands to invoke the corresponding testing items. Each of the detecting apparatuses corresponds to at least one testing item so as to drive each of the detecting apparatuses and execute a corresponding testing process to the electronic device to be tested.

Abstract: Catastrophic earthquakes cause tremendous loss to people, especially when they occur unprepared. Imminent prediction of the earthquake with occurrence time, location and magnitude may give people time to prepare for it and minimize the loss. Unfortunately, imminent prediction of the earthquakes, especially those without foreshocks, is very difficult if not impossible. This invention discloses a method and system that work around the difficulty of the imminent prediction of the earthquake. Instead of trying to predict the occurrence, it triggers the earthquake artificially at a known time so that evacuation and other preparations can be accomplished prior to the triggering time of the earthquake to reduce the loss caused by the earthquake. The artificial triggering of the earthquakes may be implemented by at least one underground nuclear explosion.