Abstract: A testing method includes the steps of: (1) providing a negative pressure generator; (2) generating a negative pressure in a fluid passageway and a chamber which are in fluid communication with a guiding section of a fluid reservoir wherein a second sensing element is affixed to a guiding section of the fluid reservoir; (3) transferring a fluid flow stream from the guiding section to the chamber via the fluid passageway and drawing a float having a first sensing element from an upper position to a lower position within the guiding section; (4) generating a signal via the first and second sensing elements as the float moves relative to the second sensing element within the guiding section; and (5) transmitting a signal to at least one of a control unit or a graphical user display.

Abstract: Encoding device for encoding vibrotactile multichannel signals, includes an encoder input module configured to receive a multichannel signal; a transform module adapted to execute a discrete wavelet transform of each channel of the multichannel signal and to generate a respective frequency range representation of each channel; a psychohaptic model unit designed to allocate to each channel, based on the respective frequency range representation, a mathematical representation of human perception of the channel; a clustering module configured to group, based on the allocated mathematical representation and a similarity measure of the channels, the wavelet-transformed channels of each multichannel signal into clusters, wherein each cluster is allocated a reference channel; a reference encoding module designed to quantize and compress wavelet coefficients of the reference channels which result from the performed discrete wavelet transform of the reference channels; a differential encoding module configured to enco

Abstract: A method for detecting a steering engagement by a driver in a vehicle without a steering wheel sensor system, in which at least one steering sensor associated with a steering system of the vehicle, which sensor is associated either with the steering wheel or with a steering linkage of the vehicle, is used to capture a first application of force into the steering system of the vehicle, in which at least one chassis sensor associated with at least one chassis component of the vehicle is used to capture a second application of force onto the at least one chassis component.

Abstract: A gas nozzle for the outflow of a protective/shielding gas stream from a gas outlet of the gas nozzle having a gas distributor/diffuser section has a double-walled configuration at least in a partial area of the gas distributor/diffuser section in order to create a flow space for the protective/shielding gas stream. The invention also relates to a torch neck and to a method for thermally joining at least one workpiece, in particular for arc joining, preferably for arc welding or arc brazing/soldering, with an electrode which is arranged in the torch neck or with a wire for producing an arc between the electrode or the wire and the workpiece, and having a gas nozzle for the outflow of a protective/shielding gas stream from a gas outlet.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus for encoding a vibrotactile signal includes a first transforming unit configured to perform a discrete wavelet transform of the signal, a second transforming unit configured to generate a frequency domain representation of the signal, a psychohaptic model unit configured to generate at least one quantization control signal based on the generated frequency domain representation of the sampled signal and on a predetermined perceptual model based on human haptic perception, a quantization unit configured to quantize wavelet coefficients resulting from the performed discrete wavelet transform and adapted by the quantization control signal, a compression unit configured to compress the quantized wavelet coefficients, and a bitstream generating unit configured to generate a bitstream corresponding to the encoded signal based on the compressed quantized wavelet coefficients.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus for encoding a vibrotactile signal includes a first transforming unit configured to perform a discrete wavelet transform of the signal, a second transforming unit configured to generate a frequency domain representation of the signal, a psychohaptic model unit configured to generate at least one quantization control signal based on the generated frequency domain representation of the sampled signal and on a predetermined perceptual model based on human haptic perception, a quantization unit configured to quantize wavelet coefficients resulting from the performed discrete wavelet transform and adapted by the quantization control signal, a compression unit configured to compress the quantized wavelet coefficients, and a bitstream generating unit configured to generate a bitstream corresponding to the encoded signal based on the compressed quantized wavelet coefficients.

Abstract: A method for detecting a steering engagement by a driver in a vehicle without a steering wheel sensor system, in which at least one steering sensor associated with a steering system of the vehicle, which sensor is associated either with the steering wheel or with a steering linkage of the vehicle, is used to capture a first application of force into the steering system of the vehicle, in which at least one chassis sensor associated with at least one chassis component of the vehicle is used to capture a second application of force onto the at least one chassis component.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a manually operable tactile input/output device for a data processing system, in particular a tactile computer mouse, which is configured with a housing and a plurality of actuators in operative connection with the housing and in which the actuators are arranged and jointly controlled in the housing to cause at least temporarily a tactile perception by a user in manual contact with the housing, by which simultaneously at least two and in particular all five tactile perception dimensions of microscopic roughness, macroscopic roughness, friction, hardness and heat are simulated. Furthermore, the disclosure relates to an operating method for a manually operable tactile input/output device and a data processing system.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a manually operable tactile input/output device for a data processing system, in particular a tactile computer mouse, which is configured with a housing and a plurality of actuators in operative connection with the housing and in which the actuators are arranged and jointly controlled in the housing to cause at least temporarily a tactile perception by a user in manual contact with the housing, by which simultaneously at least two and in particular all five tactile perception dimensions of microscopic roughness, macroscopic roughness, friction, hardness and heat are simulated. Furthermore, the disclosure relates to an operating method for a manually operable tactile input/output device and a data processing system.

Abstract: A method for transmitting information between a motor vehicle and a vehicle-external server. A contour profile of a road to be traveled along by the vehicle, which is stored on the server, is retrieved by the vehicle via a vehicle-server interface. The contour values of the road contour profile lying ahead of the vehicle are cyclically transmitted by the server to the vehicle at a definable interval. A contour value is transmitted per cycle, which lies ahead of the vehicle at a speed-dependent interval. In addition, a chassis system for carrying out the method and a vehicle are provided with the chassis.

Abstract: The invention relates to a firing direction system for adjusting a rocket launcher, and includes a drive motor (9) that is connected via a safety brake (2-8) with a drive shaft (1) for adjusting the rocket launcher, whereby a rotation of the drive shaft (1) in a first direction effects a raising of the rocket launcher, and a rotation in the opposite direction effects a lowering of the rocket launcher, whereby the safety brake prevents a back-driving torque of the rocket launcher from effecting a rotation of the drive shaft (1) in the opposite direction. In addition, an electric motor (11) is disposed on the drive shaft (1) and is controlled is such a way that upon a rotation of the drive shaft in the first direction, the electric motor effects an additional torque of the drive shaft (1) in the first direction, and upon rotation of the drive shaft in the opposite direction effects a recovery of energy.

Abstract: The invention relates to a firing direction system for adjusting a rocket launcher, and includes a drive motor (9) that is connected via a safety brake (2-8) with a drive shaft (1) for adjusting the rocket launcher, whereby a rotation of the drive shaft (1) in a first direction effects a raising of the rocket launcher, and a rotation in the opposite direction effects a lowering of the rocket launcher, whereby the safety brake prevents a back-driving torque of the rocket launcher from effecting a rotation of the drive shaft (1) in the opposite direction. In addition, an electric motor (11) is disposed on the drive shaft (1) and is controlled is such a way that upon a rotation of the drive shaft in the first direction, the electric motor effects an additional torque of the drive shaft (1) in the first direction, and upon rotation of the drive shaft in the opposite direction effects a recovery of energy.

Abstract: During the recognition, speech values which are derived from sample values of the speech signals are compared with reference values, the words of a given vocabulary each time being given by a sequence of reference values. The words are then determined from phonemes according to a fixed pronouncing lexicon and the reference values for the phonemes are determined in a learning phase, each phoneme within a word consisting of a number of equal reference values determined in the learning phase. In order to approach transitions between phonemes, each phoneme may also consist of three sections of each time constant reference values. By the given number of reference values per phoneme, the time duration of a phoneme in a given word can be simulated more accurately. Different possibilities are indicated to determine the reference values and the distance value during the recognition.