Other

University of Michigan

Sentech, Inc.

Weisman & Allen

Agc America, Inc.

William J Williams

Mitchell Max Rohde

Colin Byrne

Brent W Pankey

Mark S Ackerman

Jeffrey C O'Neill

Robert E Marshall

Jechang Jeong

William J Heetderks

Eugene J Zalubas

Richard E Purkey

Robert M Nickel

Howard Shevrin

Alfred O Hero, Iii

A sensing device includes a piezoelectric vibration sensor mounted to a surface for producing an analog signal proportional to raindrops striking the surface, an amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, and a processor for calculating the rain rate based on an exponential probability density function of a first order point process.

Sensing device for determining a rain rate

A method for determining a rate of rain falling on a surface. As rain falls and strikes the surface, vibrations are generated on the surface. The vibrations are sensed and a vibration signal is generated, the vibration signal being proportional to the vibrations of the surface. The vibration signal includes peaks. The peaks of the vibration signal are determined. The time intervals between the peaks are then determined. Using the time intervals, a number nof timer intervals that occur between a first time and a second time are counted. A number nof time intervals that occur between the second time and a third time are also counted. The rain rate &#x3bb; is then determined using an equation that is derived from a point process equation and utilizes nand n.

Method for determining a rate of rain

Method and system for extracting features from measurement signals obtained from real world, physical signals by first forming an invariant component of the measurement signals and then using a technique based on a noise subspace algorithm. This technique first casts or projects the transformed measurement signals into separate subspaces for each extraneous variation or group of variations. The subspaces have minimal over-lap. The recognition of a particular invariant component within a pertinent subspace is then preferably performed using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) techniques to generate a pattern recognition signal. A series of transformations can be used to form an invariant component called the Scale and Translation Invariant Representation (STIR). In one embodiment, the first step is to form an appropriate time-frequency representation such as the Reduced Interference Distribution (RID) or other distribution whose properties are covariant with translations in time and frequency and changes in scale. A series of additional transformations including a scale transform yield the STIR representation. Features are then extracted from a set of STIR representations taken as examples of the desired signal. The STIR approach removes much of the variation due to translation. In bit-mapped documents, the same translation invariant and scale invariant transformations may be made to regularize characters and words. Also, the same feature selection method functions in an image setting. The method has been found to be particularly useful in word spotting in bitmapped documents corrupted by faxing.

Method and system for extracting features in a pattern recognition system

A system including method and apparatus for determining the energy content in a signal to be analyzed employs, in an apparatus aspect thereof, a sampling element for producing samples of the electrical signal to be analyzed, a local correlator for producing a plurality of signals corresponding to the samples delayed and multiplicatively combined with their complex conjugates, a bank of delay and adder systems for correlating the outputs of the multipliers in accordance with a binomial kernel, and a Fourier transformer for producing the distribution as a function of time and frequency. Local correlation is effected using a multi-element delay system, such as a shift register. Binomial correlation in the delay and adder systems is achieved by combining additively given samples with samples which are in other states of delay. Moreover, the banks have respectively different numbers of such delay and adder systems. The resulting analytic signal corresponds to a binomial kernel.

System for detecting reduced interference time-frequency distribution

A method for discovering amounts of halogen in a liquid is provided wherein the a reservoir comprising the liquid and suspected halogen is healed to a temperature characteristic of the solubility of halogen in the liquid to provide a vapor. After condensing, a sampling vapor is provided to from which the amount of halogen may be detected.

Detection of a gas leaked into a liquid which has been sampled from a

A method for discovering amounts of halogen in a liquid is provided wherein a reservoir comprising the liquid and suspected halogen is heated to a temperature characteristic of the solubility of halogen in the liquid to provide a vapor. After condensing, a sampling vapor is provided from which the amount of halogen may be detected.

Method of detecting halogen gas in a liquid

A system for assessing psychobiological conditions of a subject utilizes a plurality of words which are selected to be in four categories as critical stimuli. The words are presented by a tachistoscope to the subject in subliminal and supraliminal modes of operation. Subliminal stimulation of the subject is achieved by presenting the selected words for an exposure period of approximately one millisecond. The supraliminal exposure time is approximately thirty milliseconds. Prior to stimulation, the subject is diagnosed in accordance with conventional psychoanalytical techniques to establish the presence and nature of a pathological condition. The words are selected and categorized in four groups: pleasant words, unpleasant words, words related to a diagnosed conscious pathological condition, and words related to a diagnosed unconscious pathological condition. The brain wave responses which are evoked by the stimulation are collected via electrodes and analyzed in accordance with a transinformation technique which is based on information signal theory for establishing a probabilistic value which corresponds to the information content of the evoked responses.

System for assessing verbal psychobiological correlates

Disclosed is a torque limiting valve handle having one more independently adjustable spring loaded balls urged in contact with depressions formed in the inside surface of a housing adapted for external manual engagement. The adjustment of the torque limit setting of the valve handle is protected from tampering or inadvertent modification by unauthorized personnel by the access to the adjustment requiring disassembly of the parts. One embodiment provides a torque lock in one direction of rotation. Another embodiment provides a torque limit override feature in either direction of rotation by an axial displacement of the housing of the handle with respect to an adaptor fixedly secured to the valve stem of the valve to which it is secured.

Adjustable torque limiting valve handle

A roller assembly for mounting carriages to rails is provided with a clamp having a pair of jaws securable to the rail by a handwheel. The length of bearing of the jaws on the rail is relatively small so that, upon loading a clamped assembly in a direction tending to move it along the rail, the clamp will rotate into tighter biting engagement with the rail to prevent slippage thereon. Release is achieved, even after the biting action, by positive separation of the jaws in response to loosening rotation of the handwheel with screw thread action driving the jaws apart from each other and from the rail.

Roller clamp for engine test stand

A quick connector is provided for attaching the handle portion of a billiard cue to the shaft portion thereof. The connector includes fittings carried by the ends of the handle and shaft portions. The fitting on the end of the handle portion comprises a cylindrical body having an eccentric shoulder and an elongated central stud on the outer end thereof. The fitting on the end of the shaft portion comprises a cylindrical body having an elongated central bore and an eccentric counterbore on the outer end thereof. The end of the handle portion is initially loosely joined with the end of the shaft portion by inserting the elongated central stud into the elongated central bore and the eccentric shoulder into the eccentric counterbore. Then by twisting the portions relative to each other for a fraction of a turn, the eccentric shoulder cams against the eccentric counterbore thereby causing the central stud to frictionally engage the wall of the central bore.

Billiard cue having a quick connector for the handle portion thereof

The operation of a patient's cardiovascular system is analyzed by positioning an inflatable cuff over an extremity of the patient so that a blood vessel in the extremity experiences the cuff pressure and then modifying the pressure in the cuff through a cycle in which the vessel is occluded. A first electrical signal is generated as a function of the pressure in the cuff during the cycle and a second electrical signal is independently generated as a function of the rate of change of pressure in the cuff through use of a transducer which receives a fluid signal proportional to the pressure in the cuff and moves a core with respect to a wire coil to generate the rate of change signal. The two signals are plotted relative to one another and the resulting plot includes information relating to cardiovascular disfunctions such as arhythmia, ischemia and hypertrophy.

Method and apparatus for analyzing cardiovascular systems

A method and apparatus for making blood pressure measurements is disclosed particularly adapted to automated measurements of systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. The method includes detecting the rate of change of pressure values existing in an inflatable occluding cuff encircling an extremity of the subject, in whom the blood pressure measurements are to be taken, as the pressure in the occluding cuff is varied from a pressure sufficiently high to completely occlude blood flow to the extremity, to a pressure value in which blood flow takes place in the extremity substantially unaffected by the encircling inflatable cuff. The rate of change of pressure is disclosed as precipitously increasing at a cuff pressure value corresponding to a systolic blood pressure and precipitously declining at a cuff pressure corresponding to diastolic pressure, with the onset of a precipitous increase and decrease detected in order to ascertain the systolic and diastolic pressure values respectively. The particular arrangement disclosed features a rate-of-change-of- pressure transducer which produces a signal directly corresponding to the rate of change of pressure. The transducer includes a pressure responsive moveable element such as a diaphragm subjected to the varying cuff pressures, which element is drivingly connected to a magnetic core surrounded by an electrically conductive coil, the rate of movement of the magnetic core with respect to the encircling coil inducing an emf in the electrical coil corresponding to the rate of change of pressure to which the diaphragm is subjected, which signal is used to detect the systolic and diastolic cuff pressure values as described.

Method and apparatus for blood pressure measurements

A method and arrangement for the indirect measurement of systolic and diastolic blood pressure is disclosed which involves applying an occluding inflatable cuff to a body member, with the pressure applied thereby being cycled between a pressure greater than systolic and a pressure less than diastolic. Systolic blood pressure is detected by sensing the point in the pressure cycle at which the blood flow in the occluded member shifts between a flow and no flow condition, while diastolic blood pressure is detected by sensing a characteristic change in slope of blood pulse wave form changes occurring with changing cuff pressures which occurs at a cuff pressure equal to the diastolic pressure. An approach for correcting the systolic and diastolic pressure measurements obtained by this method at one point of the body to give equivalent readings of the systolic and diastolic blood pressure at another point is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

William J Williams