Abstract:
A control system includes a control unit configured to control a target controlled apparatus, and at least one communication processing unit configured to execute communication processing in communication between the target controlled apparatus and the control unit, and in the control system, the communication processing unit sequentially measures a processing time of the communication processing and sequentially outputs delay information indicating the measured processing time to the control unit, and the control unit sequentially acquires the delay information from all of a plurality of the communication processing units, and sequentially updates delay information incorporated in a control algorithm for controlling the target controlled apparatus based on the acquired delay information.
Abstract:
Variable autonomy level control systems are provided. A control system illustratively include an analog communications support component, a digital communications support component, a processing component, and a motor controller. The processing component synthesizes inputs received from the analog and the digital communications support components to generate an output. The motor controller utilizes the output from the processing component to generate a control signal for a motor. In certain embodiments, the input from the digital communications support component includes an indication of an autonomy level, and the processing component synthesizes the inputs by applying the autonomy level to the input received from the analog communications support component.
Abstract:
An analyzer unit for the measuring signal of a micromechanical sensor having an input/output characteristic which is represented as a characteristic curve includes means for analog-digital conversion of the measuring signal and transmission means for transmission of the converted measuring signal or a signal that depends on the converted measuring signal. The transmission means is designed so that the characteristic curve has at least two ranges having different slopes. Different resolutions of the measuring signal are implemented through the different slopes of the characteristic curve. A suitably resolved signal is thus made available for applications having different sensitivity requirements.
Abstract:
A pulse-width modulated (PWM) circuit applies a voltage across a load in accordance with a PWM command signal. The command signal is converted into first and second trains of pulses, by electronically comparing the command signal with a triangular dither signal and also with the dither signal whcih has been shifted by half its period. These two pulse trains, and two more pulse trains obtained by taking the complements of the original pulse trains, are applied to a pair of bridge circuits. The load is connected to both bridge circuits. Both bridge circuits include electronic switching devices actuated by the pulses. The bridge circuits are configured such that when a pulse is present, from either the first or the second pulse train, no net voltage appears across the load. At all other times, substantially the entire power supply voltage is applied across the load. In another embodiment, one or more additional pairs of bridge circuits are connected across the load. The pulse trains controlling the switches in the bridge circuits are generated using dither signals which are shifted in time. In general, there can be n pairs of bridge circuits, the pulse trains of one pair being shifted from the next pair by t/2n, where t is the period of the dither signal. The greater the number of pairs of bridge circuits, the less the effective ripple current in the load. The invention is especially suitable for use in controlling the gradient coils in a magnetic resonance imaging system.
Abstract:
Integrated semiconductor circuit for thermal measurements, comprising at least a thermal signal comparator (8), the comparator (8) being provided with a signal feedback loop containing a DA signal converter (3), more specifically, the comparator (8) being a temperature or a heat current comparator, the DA signal-converter (3) comprising a thermal output and the signal feedback loop comprising components for the transfer of thermal signals.
Abstract:
In the disclosed system, recurring signals, such as from a watt-hour meter or other type of meter, are registered, by sensing the signals, converting the signals to mechanical motions, and applying them to a mechanical register so that the register accumulates the motions sensed by the amplifier and indicates a value representative of the accumulated total of the signals. According to one embodiment of the invention, a sensor senses the signals formed by gaps in the rotating disc of a watt-hour meter and an amplifier drives a stepping motor on the basis of the signals. The stepping motor advances an odometer whose non-volatile output can be read visually or scanned electronically over a telephone line.
Abstract:
In a system for seismic exploration, a narrow passband channel of relatively-slow transmission speed is used to transmit commands from a control station to one or more remote signal acquisition devices to initiate acquisition and processing of echo signals generated by triggering of a seismic signal generator at a selected reference time. To permit use of the slow speed transmission channel for transmitting commands without delay in the recording of the echo signals, a first command to initiate processing and recording of received signals is transmitted to the acquisition devices prior to the selected reference time by an amount of time at least equal to the transmission time of the narrow passband channel. This first command also initiates in each acquisition device the counting of signal samples which are being recorded at a predetermined rate. A second command is transmitted at the selected reference time and upon receipt of this command, the count of signal samples is latched and a number is subtracted from this count based on the transmission time of the narrow passband channel to identify the signal samples which were processed and recorded beginning at the selected reference time.
Abstract:
A signal proportional to a vehicle speed is applied to one input terminal of a differential amplifier, and the output of the differential amplifier is fed back to the other input terminal of the differential amplifier via a switch the on-time of which is proportional to consumed fuel. Then, the output of the differential amplifier is taken out as a fuel consumption signal for informing a vehicle driver the momentary fuel consumption of the vehicle on a voltmeter or ammeter.
Abstract:
An integrated circuit comprising a plurality of adjustable voltage-current converters, of which one converter is employed as a reference converter. The reference converter is included in a control loop. To the input of the reference converter an input voltage is applied in that a first current is passed through a reference resistor connected to said input. A second current, which is in a fixed ratio to said first current, is compared with the output current of the reference converter and this reference converter is then biassed so that its output current corresponds to said second current. In this way the transconductance of the reference converter is determined by the reference resistor and the ratio of the first and the second current, so that this transconductance is highly independent of process, temperature and supply-voltage variations. The other converters are biassed by signals derived from the bias signals for the reference converter and thus have corresponding transconductances.
Abstract:
A device for reading coded tags or labels which may be read by scanning in either direction utilizes a coded format including an edge code which functions both as a start code and as an indicator that the code is independent or dependent.