Texaco Inc.

Chew-Chen Lin

Frank L Lankford, Jr

Winthrop K Brown

Ronald L Campsey

Katherine L Greenhill

A safety system and method, for use with apparatus having a conductive member where the apparatus changes the attitude and/or altitude of the conductive member during the operation of the apparatus, includes an antenna mounted on the conductive member which senses an electric field and provides an AC signal representative of the strength of the electric field. The peaks of the AC signal are averaged over several cycles to provide an average peak signal. A reference signal circuit derives the reference signal from either the average peak signal prior to the change in the member's attitude and/or altitude or while the member's attitude and/or altitude is changing. A control device connected to the averaging circuit and to the reference signal circuit prevents further changing of the conductive member's attitude and/or altitude in accordance with the average peak signal and the reference signal when the electric field strength is greater than a safe value.

Safety monitor means and method

A method which evaluates at least one subject element includes detecting radiation from a plurality of elements including the subject element. Data pulses are provided which are representative of the detected radiation. A spectrum is derived from the data pulses and a shift of the spectrum is determined. The subject element is evaluated in accordance with the energy level of data pulses occurring in a region of interest associated with the subject element which are derived from with the spectrum and the determined shift of the spectrum.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Chew-Chen Lin