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:
Jul. 13, 1999
Filed:
Oct. 02, 1997
Donald L Wray, Ocala, FL (US);
Angstrom Technologies, Inc., Erlanger, KY (US);
Abstract
Apparatus for producing an output signal responsive to a sensor signal having a unit for setting desired hysteresis values and desired reference values of the sensor signal, aunit for detecting whether the sensor signal has a positive or negative slope with respect to time, a unit for triggering one logical signal when the sensor signal has a positive slope and also exceeds one reference value minus a first hysteresis value, and a unit for triggering another logical signal when the sensor signal has a negative slope and also falls below the sum of a second reference value and a second hysteresis value. The apparatus and method may have more than two reference values and/or more than two hysteresis values simultaneously. The apparatus may be implemented by an embedded microcomputer of conventional type, programmed to perform the signal-processing disclosed. The steps of the process and initial values of the reference values and hysteresis values may be stored in a read-only memory. The method for controlling an output signal responsive to a sensor signal includes steps of setting first and second hysteresis values, setting first and second reference values of the sensor signal, detecting whether the sensor signal has a positive or negative slope with respect to time, triggering a first logical signal when the sensor signal has a positive slope and also exceeds the first reference value minus the first hysteresis value, and triggering a second logical signal when the sensor signal has a negative slope and also falls below the sum of the second reference value and the second hysteresis value. Both reference values and hysteresis values are preferably made programmable by a user. When more than two reference values and/or more than two hysteresis values are used simultaneously, each of those values is programmable.