Acustar, Inc.

Chrysler Corporation

William Nolle

Paul A Markow

Alfred H Glover

Joseph T Betterton

John L Evans

William D DeBardelaben

Hugo A Jenrath

Theodore M Cummings

Charles L Bell

John H McElreath

A gauge, system and method are disclosed for determining the accuracy and performance of a gauge by determining the angular deflection of the gauge needle in response to a known input signal. A frequency generator supplies a predetermined frequency signal or a controller supplies an input signal to a gauge motor which causes deflection of the gauge needle. A video camera is used to capture a video frame corresponding to the visual data indicating the needle deflection. The needle includes a head portion and a remote portion, such as a hub or tail, which show up as high intensity values against the low intensity background in the video frame. The pixel intensity values around the perimeter of a selected portion of the frame are scanned to determine the location of maximum intensity pixels which correspond to either the head or the remote portion of the needle. Alternatively, the image is scanned in terms of color. By ascertaining the locations of the head and the remote portion, the exact deflection of the needle can be quickly and accurately determined. This deflection is then compared against the expected deflection based on the known input signal. If the deviation between the two values is not within an acceptable range, the particular gauge is rejected. The deviation may also be used to calibrate the gauge, for example, by realigning the needle or by storing one or more compensation values to be used by the gauge.

Automated gauge, assessment system and method

A radial type air-core gauge includes orthogonally positioned pairs of stator coils wound on independent coil forms spaced radially 90 degrees apart about a central cup of a gauge case. The cup houses a permanent magnet rotor which rotates about a shaft extending from a support bearing in a bottom surface of the cup to a hub of a dial pointer. Movement of the shaft causes a dial pointer to move over a dial face in response to changes of a balanced resultant field caused by variations of excitation signals applied to the stator coils.

Radial air-core gauge

A wye-type air-core gauge system provides magnitude indications of measurands in response to PWM signals generated by a control unit that receives electrical signals from a sensor that represents magnitude variations of the measurand. The size of the stator coils of the gauge makes possible a very low profile gauge suitable for mounting in an instrument cluster.

Wye winding radial air-core gauge system

An air-core gauge containing interwoven cross-coil stator windings that permit interchanging the stator windings of equal radii and still achieve rotor meter movement that coincide directly with desired needle movement over a dial containing linear magnitude graduations.

Woven crossed-coil air-core gauge

A cross-coil winding system for forming woven stator coils for air-core gauges that have orthogonal coils with equal radii.

Winding machine for woven crossed-coil air core gauge

A cross-coil winding system for forming woven stator coil windings for an air-core gauge that has orthogonal coils with equal radii. The system employs a bobbin positioner that moves a bobbin along a path in a manner that permits forming layers of interlaced windings about the bobbin.

Growing community of inventors

Hazel Green, AL, United States of America

William Nolle