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| Automatic tuning circuit arrangement with switched impedances |
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| Digitally tuned electrically small antenna |
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| Antenna with P.I.N. diode switched tuning inductors |
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| Vehicle antenna system |
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| Tunable antenna apparatus and method for use with superheterodyne receivers |
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| Railway signalling system |
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| Communication network system and rebuilding method thereof |
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| Remote-control system for large rooms with free grouping |
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Method and apparatus for low power, micro-electronic mechanical sensing and processing
| Details |
Inventors: Tanenhaus, Martin; McDowell, Robert; Nelson, Tom;
Assignee: System Excelerator, Inc. (Orlando, FL)
Primary Examiner: Horabik; Michael
Assistant Examiner: Wong; Albert K.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Allen, Dyer, Doppelt, Milbrath & Gilchrist, P.A.
A method and apparatus for low-power sensing and processing are provided. A method preferably includes collecting a plurality of sensor signals. The plurality of sensors include sensed data representative of at least shock and vibration. The method also includes converting the plurality of sensor signals into digital data, processing the digital data, generating a data communications protocol for communicating the digital data, and simultaneously and remotely detecting the generated communications protocol having the processed data to determined the occurrence of at least one predetermined condition. An apparatus preferably includes a low-power, data acquisition processing circuit responsive to a plurality of sensor signals representative of at least shock and vibration for acquiring and processing the sensed data. The data acquisition processing circuit preferably includes a plurality of data inputs, an analog-to-digital converter responsive to the plurality of data inputs for converting each of the plurality of sensor signals from an analog format to a digital format, a digital signal processor responsive to the analog-to-digital converter for processing the digitally formatted data, a data communications processor responsive to said digital signal processor for generating and processing data communications, a battery, and a power management controller at least connected to the battery, the digital signal processor, and the data communications processor for controlling power management of the data acquisition processing circuit. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION In view of the foregoing background, the present invention advantageously provides a method and apparatus for accurately, compactly, and flexibly remotely monitoring a device by the use of a plurality of sensors such as shock, vibration, and at least one other such as temperature, tilt, strain, or humidity simultaneously and with a low power consumption.
The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for reducing inspection costs and also creates new monitoring capabilities not possible or not available for various types of systems.
The present invention additionally advantageously provides a method and apparatus for making rapid, reliable, and timely readiness measurements of a broad range of systems desired to be monitored such as missiles, missile launchers, missile support systems, highway bridges, operating machinery, transportation, or telemetry systems.
The present invention further advantageously increases reliability, readiness, flexibility, and safety and greatly reduces maintenance time, labor, and cost for monitoring various types of systems.
For example, the apparatus advantageously can readily be expanded for additional types of sensors which may be desired on various selected applications.
More particularly, the present invention provides a method of monitoring a device comprising the steps of collecting a plurality of sensor signals representative of sensed data from a plurality of micro-electrical mechanical sensors ("MMEMS") The plurality of micro-electrical mechanical sensors generate sensed data representative of at least shock, vibration, and at least one other parameter.
The method also includes converting the plurality of sensor signals into digital data, processing the digital data, and simultaneously and remotely detecting the processed data to determined the occurrence of at least one predetermined condition.
The method can also include sensing an initial wake-up condition prior to the step of collecting the plurality of sensor signals
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