Abstract: An electronic device is provided for use in an impact sport head protector. The device includes a tilt sensor that generates at least one output signal representing tilt orientation of the head protector. A processor is configured to sample and process the tilt sensor output signal(s) over a number of successive cycles to determine whether the head protector is in an unsafe position during a given cycle and to generate an alarm signal based on such determination at least for the given cycle. An audio device is configured to produce an audible alarm in response to such alarm signal. The processor is configured to remove the effect of noise components in the tilt sensor output signal(s) in generating the alarm signal. The processor can also be configured to constrain the time delay that the head protector is in an unsafe position before raising the alarm signal.

Abstract: A control system and method for exercise equipment and the like provides a way to simulate a physical activity in a manner that takes into account the physics of the physical activity being simulated to provide an accurate simulation. According to one aspect of the present invention, the control system and method takes into account the physics of the corresponding physical activity to generate a virtual or predicted value of a variable such as velocity, acceleration, force, or the like. The difference between the virtual or expected physical variable and a measured variable is used as a control input to control resistance forces of the exercise equipment in a way that causes the user to experience forces that are the same or similar to the forces that would be encountered if the user were actually performing the physical activity being simulated rather than using the exercise equipment.

Abstract: A control system and method for exercise equipment and the like provides a way to simulate a physical activity in a manner that takes into account the physics of the physical activity being simulated to provide an accurate simulation. According to one aspect of the present invention, the control system and method takes into account the physics of the corresponding physical activity to generate a virtual or predicted value of a variable such as velocity, acceleration, force, or the like. The difference between the virtual or expected physical variable and a measured variable is used as a control input to control resistance forces of the exercise equipment in a way that causes the user to experience forces that are the same or similar to the forces that would be encountered if the user were actually performing the physical activity being simulated rather than using the exercise equipment.

Abstract: A scale is designed to be lightweight and easily portable. The scale comprises two weighing assemblies connected by a flexible joint so that the two assemblies may be folded against each other to form a compact case. Each weighing assembly comprises a weighing platform connected by resilient support members to a based. Weight measurement is effected by a Hall effect sensor in each weighing assembly which measures the variation in magnetic flux density caused by the movement of magnets mounted on the platforms when a load is placed on the platforms. Output from the Hall effect sensors is summed and the total weight is displayed on a digital display.

Abstract: A color identification circuit for use in identifying color samples received by a color raster scanner from a multicolor cartographic source chart includes a plurality of color limit comparators, one for each spectral parameter data channel of the sampled color element, each limit comparator including for each resident color on the source chart, the range of spectral values for the spectral parameter associated therewith, the range of values for each parameter representing the variations in the same color as obtained through color measurement samples taken from the source chart prior to actual data raster scanning; the output identification of a defined color spectral parameter from each limit comparator being presented to a color encoder, the color encoder identifying a unique color in dependence on the spectral parameter identification signals from each of the color limit comparators.

Abstract: A run-length encoder circuit for use in compacting data samples from a multicolor cartographic source chart includes hardware filtering which counts the number of incoming identical color samples and rejects them as noise unless they exceed a programmable count; the actual count value being dependent simultaneously on the number of incoming color samples and also the particular type of color, either a line color or an area color which was recognized as valid.

Abstract: A DITS receiver provides direct memory access (DMA) for a central processing unit (CPU) to the latest update value of a plurality of pre-identified signal data words stored in a DITS data RAM. The DITS stores the data received asynchronously on a plurality of input channels directly in RAM as it is received, by stripping the first byte of the data word information field which identifies the data source and using this first byte ID as an address pointer to define the location in RAM for each remaining signal bit of the data word. The DITS slices the data received on each input channel into samples of less than one bit cell duration through a common sampling network which under sequence control provides commutation of the input channel samples to ensure that dual speed input channel are each sampled at least one time within the signal speed time period. The sampled data is multiplexed into a serial data stream and steered either to a first byte address register or directly to the data RAM.