Battelle Memorial Institute

Jean-Louis Prost

Simon Arieh

Guy Courvoisier

Michel Kornmann

Daniel M Gross

Jacques Vermot-Gaud

Dominique Noir

Alain Charoy

Dieter Gold

Method for detecting thickness variations in the wall of a tubular body

The flow rate of a fluid, e.g. hot water, is determined by measuring the temperature of the fluid and the cooling time between two temperature thresholds of a previously heated probe. On the basis of these values, by way of a first interpolation based on a table comprising the cooling times of the probe as a function of different temperatures and flow rates, the cooling times at the temperature measured are calculated for all the flow rates recorded on the table, then, by way of a second interpolation between the values thus calculated which are higher and lower than the value measured, the flow rate corresponding to this value is calculated.

Method for determining the flow of a fluid

A container of known volume, such as a fuel tank of an automotive vehicle, is provided with a loudspeaker-like membrane which can be energized to produce a pressure pulse in the gas space above the liquid in the container. The oscillations of this gas space are then converted into a signal via the diaphragm and the period of the signal is determined to provide the volume of the gas space. This is subtracted from the gas volume of the container automatically to indicate the liquid volume and the liquid volume can be displayed on the dashboard of the vehicle.

Method of and apparatus for determining the level of liquid in a vessel

A photoelectric transparency detector juxtaposed under a certain contact pressure with the tip of a finger works into a computer also receiving the values of an astringent pressure simultaneously applied to another part of the finger by an inflatable air cushion of a flow-blocking cuff. The computer calculates a predetermined fraction, specifically one-half, of the sum of several air-pressure values measured during a period of progressive relaxation of the astringent pressure, taken at instants coinciding with certain points of a continuous curve representing changes in the mean transparency of a skin area contacted by the detector, which constitutes a close approximation of systolic blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure may be measured during a heartbeat immediately following a low point of the mean-transparency curve.

Process and apparatus for measuring blood pressure

This process involves detecting piezo-electric potentials which are characteristic of a mechanical strain exerted on a long rigid member made of organic material. For this purpose, the potentials at two points spaced apart on this member are measured by means of two operational amplifiers CI.sub.1 and CI.sub.2 in order to obtain a signal which is characteristic of the stress rather than of its derivative and these signals are processed by means of analog operators OA.sub.1, OA.sub.2, OA.sub.3 in order to identify the bending .DELTA. F and torsional T stresses which are then compared with reference values RT, RF in order, for example, to trigger a signal. This process can be used for opening a safety ski binding.

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Geneva, Switzerland

Jean-Louis Prost