Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Other

Timothy R Schlax

John T Auman

Myron U Trenne

Ronald L Colling

James B Ricketts, Jr

William A Hehs

Wallace K Tsuha

A contact responsive integrated switching and display system intended as an improvement to electromechanical devices such as rotary switches. The switching device controls the sequencing of displayed characters, by controlling gating of clock pulses into a counter, with activation of a function (such as selection of a circuit) corresponding to a selected displayed character produced by release of the switching device and discontinuance of the sequencing. The switching device is disclosed as physically directly associated or integrated with the display. The switch/display device can be self-contained or can be integrated in a system such as computer-data processing applications. An application of the device to data programming of a computer system is disclosed, in which a multidigit display is interfaced with a computer for operation in computer display, count advance and computer input modes. For each digit of the display, contact with the face of the display element gates clock pulses into a counter. The contents of the counter may be selectively displayed and/or output to the computer by way of a bidirectional data bus. The computer has a digit selection capability. The mode selection switch is implemented as a contact responsive visual display element.

Multifunction sequence operated integrated switch-display device

The output signal pulses of a constant frequency oscillator are counted between successive timing signals, each of which corresponds to a cylinder of an associated internal combustion engine. The total number of pulses counted during each count period is stored and employed to derive an engine speed advance binary code representation of the number of pulse counts corresponding to the predetermined number of degrees ignition spark engine speed advance for the speed at which the engine is operating. Vacuum advance binary code representation of the number of pulse counts corresponding to the predetermined number of degrees ignition spark vacuum advance is also produced and added to the engine speed advance binary code representation. The difference between the sum of the engine speed and vacuum advance binary code representations and the stored total number of pulses counted during the previous count period and the running total of pulses being counted during the present count period are applied to a comparator circuit which produces an output ignition initiating signal upon the detection of an equality. The oscillator circuit output signal pulses are also counted in another counter circuit between successive ignition initiating signals. The total number of pulses counted between successive ignition initiating signals is employed to derive a dwell initiating signal.

Digital electronic ignition spark timing system

Procedure and apparatus for monitoring the lash and the toe-in of a vehicle steering system by comparing the angular position of the vehicle's steering wheel as the front wheel spindles pass through preselected reference positions during tuning maneuvers. For example, an angular position transducer at one front wheel determines the instant at which that wheel spindle crosses the reference position in one direction and gates the output of an angular position transducer of the steering wheel to a comparator which stores the signal corresponding to the instantaneous angular position of the steering wheel. When that wheel spindle next crosses the reference position in the opposite direction the instantaneous output of the steering wheel angular position transducer is again gated to the comparator which then compares the two signals and generates a proportional output signal which is transmitted to a display means which functions to display an improper lash condition warning when the comparator output signal achieves a preselected magnitude.

Steering system monitoring apparatus and procedure

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Rochester, MI, United States of America

Timothy R Schlax