Abstract: Various examples of methods and systems are disclosed for correction of phase and amplitude errors that occur in transmission lines connecting transmitter/receiver devices to measurement fixtures. In one example, a method is described that includes using time domain processing to determine a phase shift from the measurement fixture that can occur between calibration measurements and measurements of the specimen under test. In another example, a method is described that includes frequency-domain processing of the signals to obtain both phase and amplitude corrections. Including these phase and amplitude corrections in the calibration procedure can reduce or minimize the errors induced in the measurements when the transmission line(s) experience either temperature changes or physical deflections, among other things.

Abstract: Various examples of methods and systems are disclosed for correction of phase and amplitude errors that occur in transmission lines connecting transmitter/receiver devices to measurement fixtures. In one example, a method is described that includes using time domain processing to determine a phase shift from the measurement fixture that can occur between calibration measurements and measurements of the specimen under test. In another example, a method is described that includes frequency-domain processing of the signals to obtain both phase and amplitude corrections. Including these phase and amplitude corrections in the calibration procedure can reduce or minimize the errors induced in the measurements when the transmission line(s) experience either temperature changes or physical deflections, among other things.

Abstract: The present invention is a charging device with solar cells wrap around it and that houses electronics plug in ports for various devices. The charging device has a rectangular base with a top that has solar panels on it. The panels will create electricity using solar power which is used to either charge a rechargeable battery or to power an electronic device. The device would have charging ports on the front with a plane back. The charging device can be placed on a dashboard or a car or vehicle.

Abstract: Various examples of methods and systems are disclosed for correction of phase and amplitude errors that occur in transmission lines connecting transmitter/receiver devices to measurement fixtures. In one example, a method is described that includes using time domain processing to determine a phase shift from the measurement fixture that can occur between calibration measurements and measurements of the specimen under test. In another example, a method is described that includes frequency-domain processing of the signals to obtain both phase and amplitude corrections. Including these phase and amplitude corrections in the calibration procedure can reduce or minimize the errors induced in the measurements when the transmission line(s) experience either temperature changes or physical deflections, among other things.

Abstract: To obtain a quality-meat-attached backbone part suitable as a material for minced fish the invention proposes cutting off a fin part and a kidney from a meat-attached backbone part obtained when filleting a fish into three pieces. The meat-attached backbone part is conveyed by a pair of upper and lower conveyor belts while being sandwiched and held between the belts. When the backbone part reaches a fin cutter arranged in a midstream of the conveyance, a belly part is pushed by a first pushing lever while a back part of the meat-attached backbone part is received and stopped by a receiving and stopping lever, and the back skin from a back fin to a tail fin is cut off by the fin cutter. Then, when the meat-attached backbone part reaches a kidney cutter, the belly part of the meat-attached backbone part is pushed by a second pushing lever to position the kidney-attached backbone section of the meat-attached backbone part at a cutting position by a kidney cutter.

Abstract: A biosensor is comprised of a free and a biofunctionalized recognition self-sensing nanocantilever, a dock adjacent to the ends of the nanocantilevers, and a gap between the nanocantilevers and dock. The self-sensing cantilevers each include a semiconductor piezoresistor defined in a pair of legs about which the cantilevers flex. A bias power or current is applied to the piezoresistor. The sensitivity of the cantilevers is optimized for a given ambient temperature and geometry of the cantilevers and dock by minimizing the force spectral density, SF, of the cantilevers to determine the optimum bias power, Pin. A sub-aN/?Hz force sensitivity is obtained by scaling down the dimensions of the cantilevers and supplying an optimum bias power as a function of temperature and geometry.

Abstract: A real time emergency response surveillance system, a method, and a computer readable medium for storing a computer program for responding to an emergency situation are disclosed. The real time emergency response surveillance system includes one or more surveillance stations communicatively coupled to an operations center. Each surveillance station includes a controller, a video camera, a communication module and a display screen. The surveillance station is placed in one of a surveillance mode and an emergency response mode. Real time video data is transmitted from the surveillance station to the operations center in both the surveillance mode and the emergency response mode. Real time video data is received from the operations center at the surveillance station in emergency response mode. The real time video data received at the surveillance station is displayed on a display screen in emergency response mode.

Abstract: A large-scale high-visibility, color LED display sign intended for viewing from a long distance is described wherein power is managed by dividing the display sign into two or more distinct sections and providing power to each section from a respective separate power source. As a result, the amount of current drawn from any one source is reduced, thereby reducing require conductor sizes, circuit breaker trip limits, etc. Additionally, in applications where two or more power sources are available, this permits the distribution of the power load from the sign across the multiple sources without requiring bulky, complex and expensive power sharing apparatus. The sign's computer interface electronics are operated (scanned) directly by bus-connected interface circuitry. This eliminates the need for an external image buffer memory, since the computer's local memory acts as an image buffer. The computer serially transmits pixel data to the display via the interface mechanism.

Abstract: An improved engine fuel control detects combustion instability due to the use of high DI fuel during cold start and warm-up and compensates the fuel control for detected combustion instability through temporary enrichment of the delivered air/fuel ratio. When the engine idle speed error magnitude is less than a calibrated threshold, usage of high DI fuel is detected by identifying a surge signal based on the engine speed error fluctuation in a predetermined frequency range attributable to combustion instability due to the presence of high DI fuel in a cold engine. When the average amplitude of the surge signal exceeds a calibrated surge threshold, the presence of high DI fuel is detected. Additionally, the method is disabled for a prescribed period following commanded load transitions associated with the air conditioning system and the automatic transmission.

Abstract: An improved engine fuel control detects combustion instability due to the use of high DI fuel during cold start and warm-up and compensates the fuel control for detected combustion instability through temporary enrichment of the delivered air/fuel ratio. The usage of high DI fuel is detected during an engine idle period following starting by monitoring the engine speed to identify an engine speed excursion more than a calibrated percentage below the desired idle speed. The detection method is enabled under specified environmental conditions, provided the engine run time is greater than a specified time and the engine temperature is within a specified range. Additionally, the method is disabled for a prescribed period following commanded load transitions associated with the air conditioning system and the automatic transmission.

Abstract: An improved engine fuel control detects combustion instability due to the use of high driveability index (DI) fuel during cold start and warm-up and compensates the fuel control for detected combustion instability through temporary enrichment of the delivered air/fuel ratio. The usage of high DI fuel is detected during engine cranking by measuring the time required for the engine speed to increase from a lower reference speed to an upper reference speed, provided the engine run time is less than a calibrated value. A timer is started when the lower reference speed is achieved, and the timer value is compared to a crank time threshold determined as a function of the initial engine coolant temperature. If the timer value exceeds the crank time threshold before the engine speed reaches the upper reference speed, the presence of high DI fuel is indicated, and the air/fuel ratio is temporarily enriched.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conducting dynamometric testing of an internal combustion engine at a test site under a simulated atmospheric pressure that differs substantially from an actual ambient atmospheric pressure existing at the test site. The internal combustion engine has an air inlet for supplying an intake airflow for combustion within the internal combustion engine and an exhaust outlet for exhausting an exhaust flow exiting from the internal combustion engine. The method includes the steps of subjecting the air inlet to the simulated atmospheric pressure, subjecting the exhaust outlet to the simulated atmospheric pressure and operating the internal combustion engine while both of the air inlet and the exhaust outlet are subjected to the simulated atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conducting dynamometric testing of an internal combustion engine at a test site under a simulated atmospheric pressure that differs substantially from an actual ambient atmospheric pressure existing at the test site. The internal combustion engine has an air inlet for supplying an intake airflow for combustion within the internal combustion engine and an exhaust outlet for exhausting an exhaust flow exiting from the internal combustion engine. The method includes the steps of subjecting the air inlet to the simulated atmospheric pressure, subjecting the exhaust outlet to the simulated atmospheric pressure and operating the internal combustion engine while both of the air inlet and the exhaust outlet are subjected to the simulated atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: A voltage sensing system that has a pair of input leads having a first input lead, and a second input lead each sensing a non-grounded voltage, and an amplifier coupled to the pair of input leads, the amplifier generating an amplifier output voltage in response to a voltage on the first input lead, a voltage on the second input lead and an offset voltage. The system further includes a controller for receiving the amplifier output voltage and determining an operating range, and an offset voltage generator for generating the offset voltage, the offset voltage generator altering the offset voltage in response to the operating range determined by the controller. An oxygen sensing system using a sample resistance for sensing a bi-directional current may be coupled to the voltage sensing system. A method for sensing air-to-fuel ratio includes sampling an input voltage drop derived from a pumping current across a sampling resistance. The input voltage is indicative of air-to-fuel ratio.

Abstract: An improved method of assessing the frequency response of an in vehicle exhaust gas air/fuel ratio sensor by measuring and analyzing the sensor response to a predetermined perturbation of the fuel delivered to the engine. In a first test mode that provides both quantitative and qualitative assessments, the perturbation is achieved by applying fixed biases to the fuel pulse widths of individual engine cylinders to create a rich/lean perturbation in the exhaust gas, and by adjusting the engine throttle to gradually vary the engine speed over a test interval so that the rich/lean perturbation correspondingly varies in frequency. Since the biases are fixed, intake port wall-wetting effects are minimized. In a second test mode that provides a qualitative assessment, the perturbation is achieved by applying an alternating fuel bias multiplier to every engine cylinder, with the engine operating at a fixed speed and load setting that is of interest for diagnostic purposes.

Abstract: An improved engine fuel control detects combustion instability due to the use of high DI fuel during cold start and warm-up and compensates the fuel control for detected combustion instability through temporary enrichment of the delivered air/fuel ratio. When the engine idle speed error magnitude is less than a calibrated threshold, usage of high DI fuel is detected by identifying a surge signal based on the engine speed error fluctuation in a predetermined frequency range attributable to combustion instability due to the presence of high DI fuel in a cold engine. The speed error fluctuation content in the predetermined frequency range is identified with a Butterworth bandpass filter, and the bandpass filter output is low pass filtered to identify an average amplitude of the surge signal. When the engine speed error magnitude exceeds the calibrated threshold, the inputs of bandpass and low pass filters are set to zero.

Abstract: An improved method of assessing the frequency response of an in-vehicle exhaust gas air/fuel ratio sensor by measuring and analyzing the sensor response to a predetermined perturbation of the fuel delivered to the engine. In a first test mode that provides both quantitative and qualitative assessments, the perturbation is achieved by applying fixed biases to the fuel pulse widths of individual engine cylinders to create a rich/lean perturbation in the exhaust gas, and by adjusting the engine throttle to gradually vary the engine speed over a test interval so that the rich/lean perturbation correspondingly varies in frequency. Since the biases are fixed, intake port wall-wetting effects are minimized. In a second test mode that provides a qualitative assessment, the perturbation is achieved by applying an alternating fuel bias multiplier to every engine cylinder, with the engine operating at a fixed speed and load setting that is of interest for diagnostic purposes.

Abstract: An improved engine fuel control detects combustion instability due to the use of high DI fuel during cold start and warm-up and compensates the fuel control for detected combustion instability through temporary enrichment of the delivered air/fuel ratio. The usage of high DI fuel is detected during engine cranking by measuring the time required for the engine speed to increase from a lower reference speed to an upper reference speed, provided the engine run time is less than a calibrated value. A timer is started when the lower reference speed is achieved, and the timer value is compared to a crank time threshold determined as a function of the initial engine coolant temperature.

Abstract: An improved engine fuel control detects combustion instability due to the use of high DI fuel during cold start and warm-up and compensates the fuel control for detected combustion instability through temporary enrichment of the delivered air/fuel ratio. The usage of high DI fuel is detected during an engine idle period following starting by monitoring the engine speed to identify an engine speed excursion more than a calibrated percentage below the desired idle speed. The detection method is enabled under specified environmental conditions, provided the engine run time is greater than a specified time and the engine temperature is within a specified range. Additionally, the method is disabled for a prescribed period following commanded load transitions associated with the air conditioning system and the automatic transmission.

Abstract: A method of estimating the volumetric efficiency of an internal combustion engine having independent intake and exhaust cam phase variation, compensates a nominal or base estimate of the volumetric efficiency in two successive stages: an intake stage, and an exhaust stage. The intake stage compensates for the effects of intake cam variation, using the base volumetric efficiency estimate as a starting point; and the exhaust stage compensates for the effects of exhaust cam variation, using the output of the intake stage as a starting point. The volumetric efficiency so compensated is then used to accurately compute the mass intake airflow for engine control purposes.