The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 29, 1988
Filed:
May. 14, 1985
Edward Marcus, Baltimore, MD (US);
Franklyn M Rybak, Glen Arm, MD (US);
Other;
Abstract
An apparatus and method are disclosed which find particular utility as a component of a traffic control system known as a conflict monitor. The apparatus includes a number of solid state switches which are activated to scan inputs from traffic control signals. The inputs are sequentially applied to a A-D converter which samples the voltage and applies it to a microprocessor which is programmed to determine the voltage and analyze the signals for conflicts, or other errors. The input lines are also connected to terminals of a program board whereby the microprocessor can instruct a switch to ground the common pin on the program board to allow program board inputs to be applied to the microprocessor for indicating permissible conflicts. A method includes a technique for determining the voltage of an input analog signal by scanning a plurality of input signals and sampling them in accordance with a relationship which provides minimum error. A display may be operated in one of two modes. In the first mode, a display indicates the signals involved in a conflict, or other error determination. In a second mode, the display may be sequentially stepped through each signal to determine its particular state at the time of a conflict.