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:
Apr. 24, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 30, 1998
John T. Pryor, San Diego, CA (US);
William H. Marn, San Diego, CA (US);
Christopher M. Young, San Diego, CA (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides a system for determining the deployed length of a flexible tension element such as cable which is wrapped in a pack and fed through a funnel. The element may be sensed using different types of sensors such as optical, acoustical or magnetic sensors. A sensor is mounted in a funnel flush with the inside funnel surface. As wraps of the flexible tension element are deployed, or pulled off from the pack, individual wraps of the flexible tension element pass across the face of a detector as the flexible tension element is displaced in a generally circular pattern around the inside of the funnel. Signal processing circuitry produces a signal indicating the presence of the flexible tension element within a predetermined distance of the sensor. For example, when a wrap of the flexible tension element is within a predetermined range of the sensor, head a signal representing a first logic level, such as a logic 1, generally in the form of a pulse, is produced; when the flexible tension element is beyond a predetermined range of the sensor head, a signal representing a second logic level, such as a logic zero is produced. A computer counts the pulses and a software program implemented in the computer calculates information about the pack status, such as the deployed length of the flexible tension element. If signal pulses are missing, the software program interpolates between identified pulses to provide a count for the missing, or interpolated pulses. The total count of the missing pulses and detected pulses are correlated to the deployed length of the element.