Abstract: An apparatus for alarming decrease in tire air-pressure which alarms decrease of internal pressure of a tire on the basis of a rotational information obtained by tires attached to a four-wheeled vehicle. The apparatus comprises rotational information detecting means; memory means for storing the rotational information; calculation processing means for calculating a reciprocal number of a turning radius and calculating a judged value; first judging means for comparing the judged value with a reference value at every regions of the turning radius; and second judging means for canceling a judgement of decrease of internal pressure when a difference between the judged values in the right and left turning regions is different from a difference between reference judged values in the right and left turning regions which are obtained at a time of initializing run.

Abstract: A system and method that utilizes information relating to vehicle damage information including damaged vehicle area information, crush depth of the damaged areas information, and vehicle component-by-component damage information to estimate the relative velocities of vehicles involved in a collision. The change in velocity is estimated using a plurality of methods, and a determination is made as to which method provided a result that is likely to be more accurate, based on the damage information, and the types of vehicles involved. The results from each method may also be weighted and combined to provide a multi-method estimate of the closing velocity. The methods include using crash test data from one or more sources, estimating closing velocity based on the principals of conservation of momentum, and estimating closing velocity based on deformation energy resulting from the collision.

Abstract: A rotary speed detector includes a rotating angle sensor for outputting digital signals which constitute rotating angle data of a rotating member, an angle variation calculator for calculating an angle variation with respect to a predetermined interval of time and a revolving speed calculator for calculating rotary speeds from the angle variation.

Abstract: A velocity calculating device and a hood raising apparatus for a vehicle are provided. In order to calculating velocity of the vehicle, velocity pulse signals from a velocity sensor 5 are inputted to a CPU 33. Further, it is executed to calculate average velocity V2 at intervals of a standard period T2 and acceleration &agr; at intervals of a period Tb on the basis of the velocity pulse signals. Next, on the basis of the calculated average velocity V2 and the acceleration &agr;, momentary velocity V3 at intervals of the period Tb is calculated. It is carried out to measure a passing of time t3 from the input of velocity pulse signal till a time when the output of calculation results is required, while momentary velocity V4 at a point of time when the output of calculation results is required is estimated on the basis of the momentary velocity V3 and the acceleration &agr;.

Abstract: A wrist watch which instantaneously displays the velocity of the service ball in kilometers or miles for its manual or electronic display during competitions.

Abstract: The invention detects the loft time and/or speed of a vehicle, such as a sporting vehicle, during activities of moving and jumping. A loft sensor detects when the vehicle leaves the ground and when the vehicle returns to the ground. A microprocessor subsystem converts the sensed information to determine a loft time. A display shows the recorded loft time to a user of the system. In addition, a speed sensor can detect the vehicle's speed for selective display to the user. The invention is particularly well-suited to sporting activities such as snowboarding where users loft into the air on ski jumps and catch “air” time but have no quantitative measure of the actual time lapse in the air. Therefore, users in skiing can use invention to record, store, and playback selected information relating to their sporting day, including the total amount of “air” time for the day and information such as dead time, i.e., time not spent on the slopes.

Abstract: The invention concerns a test procedure for measuring the speed of individual objects, in which the test objects (5) are recorded one after another by three sensors (1, 2, 3) arranged on the trajectory. The time that the test object takes to go the distance from the first sensor (1) to the second sensor (2) is determined by means of a time-interval measuring device controlled by the sensors through the test signals (11a, 11b). The test signal outcome (11b) occurring at the second sensor (2) is stored and, during the recording of the test object through the third sensor (3), cross-correlated with the test signal outcome (11c) occurring at this occasion, whereby a corrected value results through the proposed assessment procedure in real time for the first-recorded time test value, which greatly reduces its test error.

Abstract: A pipeline inspection and defect mapping system includes a pig having an inertial measurement unit and a pipeline inspection unit for recording pig location and defect detection events, each record time-stamped by a highly precise onboard clock. The system also includes several magloggers at precisely known locations along the pipeline, each containing a fluxgate magnetometer for detecting the passage of the pig along the pipeline and further containing a highly precise clock synchronized with the clock in the pig. The locations of the various magloggers are known in a north/east/down coordinate system through a differential global positioning satellite process. Finally, a postprocessing off-line computer system receives downloaded maglogger, inertial measurement, and odometer data and through the use of several Kalman filters, derives the location of the detected defects in the north/east/down coordinate frame. Consequently, a task of identifying sites for repair activity is much simplified.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the distance covered by walking or running on foot, the apparatus comprising two complementary electronic devices, each fixed on one shoe. One of the devices, the slave unit, generates signals; the other device, the master unit, receives, stores and processes the signals to calculate speed and distance. Means for displaying the processed data are further provided.

Abstract: A method of determination an input signal changed in time and its integral value has the steps of integrating an input signal to a given value of an integration result for a final point, and performing calculations also for a plurality of intermediate points.

Abstract: A process for estimating the speed of a vehicle or of an assemblage of vehicles, based on measuring the speeds of the mechanically independent wheels, while all the wheels are slipping with respect to the rolling surface, the process includes a step using mechanical and kinematic information characteristic of the vehicle or vehicles.

Abstract: An engine tachometer device for determining the revolutions per minute of an engine which generates sparks and has a predetermined configuration. A computer memory is utilized for storing engine configuration data. The engine configuration data associates engine configurations with predetermined equations. An engine configuration selector selects from the computer memory one of the engine configurations which is indicative of the configuration of the engine. An engine characteristic calculator which is connected to the engine and to the engine configuration selector and to the computer memory determines the revolutions per minute of the engine based upon the generated sparks and upon the equation associated with the selected engine configuration. Accordingly, the device accurately monitors the RPM of all configurations of engines.

Abstract: An object tracking device (1) tracks an object to find a position of the object. A first arithmetic circuit (2) calculates the variation of the position of the object with time, a second calculating circuit (3) determines a characteristic value representing the movement of the object. A third arithmetic circuit (4) determines a moving pattern of the object. A display unit (6) displays the characteristic value representing the movement of the object.

Abstract: A device for measuring a movable object, such as a baseball, football, hockey puck, soccer ball, tennis ball, bowling ball, or a golf ball. Part of the device, called the object unit, is embedded, secured, or attached to the movable object of interest, and consists of an accelerometer network, electronic processor circuit, and a radio transmitter. The other part of the device, called the monitor unit, is held or worn by the user and serves as the user interface for the device. The monitor unit has a radio receiver, a processor, an input keypad, and an output display that shows the various measured motion characteristics of the movable object, such as the distance, time of flight, speed, trajectory height, spin rate, or curve of the movable object, and allows the user to input data to the device.

Abstract: A device for measuring a movable object, such as a baseball, football, hockey puck, soccer ball, tennis ball, bowling ball, or a golf ball. Part of the device, called the object unit, is embedded, secured, or attached to the movable object of interest, and has a spin detection circuit, electronic processor circuit, magnetic field sensor circuit, and a radio transmitter. The other part of the device, called the monitor unit, is held or worn by the user and serves as the user interface for the device. The monitor unit has a radio receiver, a processor, an input keypad, and an output display that shows the various measured motion characteristics of the movable object, such as the time of flight, speed, trajectory height, spin rate, or curve of the movable object, and allows the user to input data to the device.

Abstract: A vehicular mass is determined, or a signal indicative thereof is generated, in particular for a commercial vehicle having a towing vehicle and a trailer/semitrailer. The vehicle has actuatable braking devices, which act, in particular, on the wheels of the towing vehicle and/or on the wheels of the trailer/semitrailer. At least one first acceleration value representing the vehicle's acceleration before the braking device is actuated, and at least one second acceleration value representing the vehicle's acceleration after the braking device is actuated, are measured. The vehicular mass or the signal indicative of the vehicular mass are determined and produced, respectively, as a function of the first and second measured acceleration values.

Abstract: A data-transmission device has a pulse generator (1) and a monitoring unit (20) for use in a vehicle. A signal generated by the sensor (2) is transmitted from the pulse generator (1) to the monitoring unit (20) by a signal line (9) and also, when requested by the monitoring unit, is transmitted in encrypted form along a data line (19). The signal generated by the pulse generator (1) is first stored in an intermediate store. Before transmission, the contents of this store are encrypted. On arrival in the monitoring unit, the encrypted signal is compared with the signal previously transmitted in the usual way and recorded there. This is a security check which reveals any manipulations which have been made during transmission.

Abstract: A programmable cycling computer including a display having at least a bit-mapped portion, the cycling computer having user-actuable means for permitting the user to specify the sequence, position and selection of displayed data for a plurality of user-selected functions.

Abstract: A circuit for generating a speed value corresponding to a rotational frequency of a rotating shaft. A digital tachometer circuit has a tachometer circuit and a copy/hold circuit. The tachometer circuit maintains an intermediate speed value which is incremented by a gain constant as the rotational frequency increases and is decremented as the rotational frequency decreases. The copy/hold circuit samples the intermediate speed value at selected intervals, thus generating the speed value. The speed value is displayed to a user and represents the vehicle's speed.

Abstract: A device for measuring the time of flight, speed, and trajectory height of a projectile, such as a baseball, football, hockey puck, or model rocket, or the time and speed of swing of a movable object, such as a baseball bat or golf club. Part of the device, called the object unit, is embedded, secured, or attached to the projectile or movable object of interest, and consists of an acceleration sensor, threshold circuit, and a radio transmitter. The other part of the device, called the monitor unit, is held or worn by the user and serves as the user interface for the device. The monitor unit has a radio receiver, a processor, an input keypad, and a display that shows the various measured motion characteristics of the projectile or movable object, such as distance, time of flight, speed, and trajectory height, and allows the user to input data to the device.

Abstract: A instrument and method for measuring archery tackle performance is disclosed. A low power, electronics measurement unit attached onto or mounted internal to a bow in communication with a sensor which detects a signal from an external trigger mechanism mounted onto or internal to an arrow shaft for the purposes of measuring arrow velocity or collecting data indicative of arrow position. The statistical parameters of the collected data may then be used to determine and improve archery tackle performance in any shooting situation.

Abstract: This invention is a one-dimensional elementary motion detector that measu the linear optical flow in a small subsection of the visual field. This sensor measures motion by tracking the movement of a feature across the visual field and measuring the time required to move from one location to the next. First a one-dimensional image is sampled from the visual field using a linear photoreceptor array. Feature detectors, such as edge detectors, are created with simple circuitry that performs simple computations on photoreceptor outputs. The detection of the feature's location is performed using a winner-take-all (WTA) mechanism on feature detector outputs. Motion detection is the performed by monitoring the location of the high WTA output in time to detect transitions corresponding to motion. The correspondence problem is solved by ignoring transitions to and from the end lines of the WTA output bus. Speed measurement is performed by measuring the time between WTA output transitions.

Abstract: An after-change supply prevention unit prevents a cross coil from being supplied with a driving pulse signal with a duty ratio corresponding to a deflection angle calculated based on a period of a running pulse in a duration in which a period range judging unit judges that the period of the running pulse generated with the running of a vehicle is not in a predetermined range after the input state of the running pulse is shifted from the input state at the stoppage of the vehicle to the input state in running of the vehicle. While the supply of the driving pulse signal is prevented, a driving pulse signal with a duty ratio corresponding to a deflection angle calculated based on the period of the running pulse at the stoppage of the vehicle is supplied to the cross coil.

Abstract: The time period that a foot is in contact with the ground during a stride taken by a user, and the period that the foot is not in contact with the ground between strides taken by the user are determined by processing and analyzing the output signal of an accelerometer. The accelerometer is mounted on the user such that its acceleration sensing axis senses acceleration in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom of the user's foot. The output of the accelerometer is high-pass filtered, amplified, and fed to the input of a micro-controller, which monitors the signal for positive and negative signal spikes that are indicative, respectively, of the moment that the foot of the user leaves the ground and the moment that the foot impacts with the ground. By measuring time intervals between these positive and negative spikes, average "foot contact times" and "foot loft times" of the user may be calculated.

Abstract: A method of measuring in a material a time-of flight of a signal having a first signal burst and a second signal burst, the first signal burst having a first set of cycles and the second signal burst having a second set of cycles. The method includes identifying a cycle in the second signal burst corresponding to a cycle in the first signal burst, to measure the time-of-flight of the signal.

Abstract: A speed measuring apparatus and a toy for measuring a speed of a moving member has a quartz oscillator for generating a clock signal which has a predetermined frequency, a CR oscillator for generating a clock signal which has a higher frequency than that of the quartz oscillator, a comparative circuit, connected with the quart oscillator and the CR oscillator, for comparing the oscillation frequency of the quartz oscillator as a reference signal with the oscillation frequency of the CR oscillator, a corrective circuit, connected with the comparative circuit, for calculating a corrective factor in accordance with a result from the comparative circuit, a measuring unit, connected with the CR oscillator and the corrective circuit, for measuring a speed of the moving member in accordance with the clock signal from the CR oscillator and the corrective factor from the corrective circuit, and a display unit, connected with the measuring unit, for displaying the speed computed by the measuring unit.

Abstract: A velocity calculating apparatus includes an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in the direction in which a motor vehicle travels. The acceleration sensor is connected to a CPU through an A/D converter. The CPU is connected to a GPS-signal receiver through a digital converter, and is also connected to a memory. The apparatus carries out a program for compensating for an error in the output signal of the acceleration sensor, wherein the program compensates the output signal of the acceleration sensor according to a GPS signal received from the GPS-signal receiver.

Abstract: A stepping motor type instrument 6 has driving circuits 3, 4 for driving a stepping motor based on a digital signal corresponding to a measurement quantity and a needle 9 fixed to a driving shaft end of this stepping motor indicates the measurement quantity by pointing out a graduation 8 on a character panel 7 corresponding to the measurement quantity.

Abstract: The invention detects the loft time and/or speed of a vehicle, such as a sporting vehicle, during activities of moving and jumping. A loft sensor detects when the vehicle leaves the ground and when the vehicle returns to the ground. A microprocessor subsystem converts the sensed information to determine a loft time. A display shows the recorded loft time to a user of the system. In addition, a speed sensor can detect the vehicle's speed for selective display to the user. The invention is particularly well-suited to sporting activities such as snowboarding where users loft into the air on ski jumps and catch "air" time but have no quantitative measure of the actual time lapse in the air. Therefore, users in skiing can use invention to record, store, and playback selected information relating to their sporting day, including the total amount of "air" time for the day and information such as dead time, i.e., time not spent on the slopes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system which calculates vehicle speeds from distance pulses utilizing vehicle acceleration. More particularly, the present invention calculates vehicle speed through a system comprising a speed input task and a speed output task. The speed input task generates a speed value and an acceleration value from a pulse train delivered by a distance sensor or electronic transmission. The acceleration, deceleration or steady state of the motor vehicle is determined in the input task through use of the distance sensor tolerance. The output task drives the speedometer according to the new speed value from the input task if a new speed value has been generated since the last execution of the output task. If no new speed value has been generated since the last execution of the output task, the output task drives the speedometer according to the acceleration value. Thus, the output task is executed periodically regardless of the sequence of pulses received in the input task.

Abstract: The tension in an optical fiber being drawn from a preform is monitored by sensing its motion transverse to the drawing direction and analysing the sensed motion using an autoregressive time-series model to provide a power spectrum. One of the peaks of the spectrum is identified as associated with the fundamental natural frequency of the drawn fiber and the frequency of that peak is used in a calculation of the tension of the fiber.

Abstract: A speed-sensing projectile such as for example a baseball includes a generally spherical body. An inertial switch is positioned within the body and is actuable between open and closed conditions in response to accelerations of the body greater than a threshold value. A processor also within the body is responsive to the inertial switch and calculates the average speed at which the baseball is thrown over a fixed distance. A visible display on the body is in communication with the processor and displays the calculated speed.

Abstract: A traffic monitoring system has a common housing for a Doppler radar transceiver, a video camera, and a digital computer for processing the Doppler signal. The system also includes a video cassette recorder, a high-speed photographic camera, and a laptop computer for downloading control settings and a program from a diskette or memory card to the digital computer. The digital computer performs an initial self-test by injecting a calibration signal in lieu of a Doppler signal into an electronic interface between the radar transceiver and the digital computer. The radar transceiver generates a Doppler signal having two channels, and the phase between the channels indicates whether a vehicle is approaching or receding from the radar transceiver. The two channels are recorded on the left and right audio channels of the video cassette.

Abstract: A system 20 for measuring the initial velocity vector of a ball 500 includes a first light sensing array 24, a first light source 28, a second light sensing array 30, and a second light source 32. The ball 500 has an initial position 22. When the ball 500 is struck, at time T1 it casts a first shadow position 36 on first light sensing array 24, and at time T2 it casts a second shadow position 42 on second light sensing array 30. A first plane 38 is formed by initial position 22, first light source 28, and first shadow position 36. A second plane 44 is formed by initial position 22, second light source 32, and second shadow position 42. The line of flight 37 of ball 500 is defined by the intersection of planes 38 and 44. A slant distance D.sub.s is determined, whereby the speed S.sub.b of ball 500 is defined as S.sub.b =D.sub.s /(T2-T1). The velocity vector is then S.sub.b in the direction of line of flight 37.

Abstract: A device that measures the distance traveled, speed, and height jumped of a moving object or a person while running or walking. Accelerometers and rotational sensors are placed in the object or in the sole of one shoe, or in a wrist watch or the waist of the user, along with an electronic circuit that performs mathematical calculations to determine the distance and height. A microprocessor calculates an output speed based upon step-distance and elapsed time, and the distance traveled from the sum of all previous steps. The output of the microprocessor is coupled to a display that shows the distance traveled, speed, or height jumped.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a parachute release device comprising a data processing and acceleration determining means connected to said data processing system and provided for determining an acceleration parameter indicating the acceleration of a falling object to which the parachute is attached, said data processing system being provided for calculating from said acceleration parameter and a jump duration time an instant speed and an instant height value, and for generating a release signal for opening said parachute when said instant height value reaches an opening height value.