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. 06, 2001
Filed:
Mar. 17, 1999
Charles D. Angert, Colorado Springs, CO (US);
G. Kirk Farley, Indianapolis, IN (US);
Other;
Abstract
A steering wheel movement detection device has a magnetic flux source and a magnetic sensor. The magnetic sensor is mounted on the steering column and the magnetic flux source is attached to the steering shaft or steering wheel and moves in accordance therewith. The magnetic flux source has lines or bands of varying magnetic flux. The magnetic sensing device is mounted adjacent and opposing the magnetic flux source so that when the steering wheel moves varying magnetic flux impinges upon the magnetic sensing device. The magnetic sensing device forms the inductive component of a resonant LC tank circuit and the frequency of that circuit varies in accordance with the flux impinging on the sensing device. A microcontroller integrates or averages the varying frequency signal over brief periods of time and when the average frequency does not have sufficient deviations an alarm signal is produced. A speaker is driven by the alarm signal to signal the driver to a state of alertness. A cruise control deactivation signal is also produced by the apparatus to disengage cruise control mode when driver alertness is in question.