Abstract: A satellite-based navigation system providing improved accuracy and reliability over wide geographical areas, including remote regions, is disclosed. Ranging-type signals transmitted through two or more commercial geostationary telecommunication satellites are received at known reference locations where navigation and correction information is generated and transmitted back to remote users. At the same time, the reference stations receive signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS), generate corrections for the GPS measurements, then transmit these corrections to the remote user. The remote user receives all of this information plus direct measurements from both the GPS and the geostationary satellites and, using conditional error processing techniques, provides a position solution whose accuracy and reliability exceeds that of GPS alone. Alternatively, integrated carrier phase data can be substituted for pseudoranges obtained from the geostationary satellite transmissions.

Abstract: A monitor is provided for use with an AC voltage regulator having a number of taps including a neutral tap and a tap changer capable of activating any of the taps. The voltage regulator receives an input voltage and produces an output voltage and is constructed so that the output voltage bears a relationship to the input voltage that depends on the activated tap. The tap changer is constructed to activate different taps as necessary to maintain the output voltage close to a target level despite fluctuations of the input voltage or load. The monitor apparatus includes a switch responsive to activation of the neutral tap for providing initial activated-tap information and a dead-reckoning computation device responsive to changes of the activated tap for updating the activated-tap information in accordance with changes of the activated tap made after the activation of the reference tap.

Abstract: A vehicle electrical-load limiting apparatus wherein the priority given over a plurality of electrical loads, for restricting the driving of the electrical loads mounted on a vehicle, is first decided in order of importance and the amount of drive restriction of each of the electrical loads is then determined based on the remaining capacity of a vehicle electric source, thereby restricting the driving of the electrical loads. A fuzzy inference is carried out by making use of membership functions corresponding to both (a) the deviation indicative of the difference between a standard value set for each electrical load attached to the vehicle and a value of an electrical load when now in use, and (b) the residual capacity of the electric source. Then, the amount of the drive restriction of each of the electrical loads is obtained from the result of the fuzzy inference.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for two-dimensional compaction of object collections defines an initial set of unrefined objects and an initial compaction direction. One by one, each unrefined object is taken from the unrefined object configuration and placed within a refined configuration. Both unrefined and refined configurations possess profiles along which the selected object is placed. Pruning rules select which locations to investigate more closely, by eliminating those positions that clearly do not provide compaction improvement. Various orientations and/or shapes of an object can be tried to improve the compaction or the group of objects. Once a best location for the object is found, the object is included in the refined object set, new unrefined and refined profiles are constructed, and a new unrefined object is selected to place. Once all unrefined objects have been selected and placed, the compaction process for the chosen direction has completed.