Accelerometer gauge using solid state accelerometers

• US 20030176962A1
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chadwick Ray Traylor
• Original Assignee: Chadwick Ray Traylor
• Inventors: Traylor, Chadwick Ray
• Granted Patent: US 6,856,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/127 for acceleration values

Abstract

An acceleration gauge using solid-state accelerometers positioned along the major axes of a motor vehicle record and display values representing the acceleration forces on the vehicle. The acceleration gauges, of which there are at least two positioned along the major x-y axes, develop signals to a housing having a microprocessor-based system. The housing is connected to either an analog or digital read out system wherein the various accelerations are displayed. The system can be an analog or digital system using discrete wiring or fiber optics to convey light signals. In the preferred embodiment there are three accelerometers positioned a various locations on the motor vehicle and their signals generate relative forward and reverse speed signals and vehicle tilt angles with respect to the horizontal.

Claims

1. An acceleration gauge for a vehicle, comprising:

a first solid state accelerometer mounted along one axis of the vehicle and responsive to the vehicle movement along said one axis to generate a first acceleration signal;

a second solid state accelerometer mounted along a second axis of the vehicle and responsive to the vehicle movement along said second axis to generate a second acceleration signal;

a third solid state accelerometer mounted along a third axis of the vehicle and responsive to the vehicle movement along said third axis to generate a third acceleration signal;

a housing;

a microcomputer located in said housing and having an input for receiving said acceleration signals, a memory, an algorithm stored in said memory, calculation means responsive to said algorithm and said acceleration signals for generating control signals;

power driver means responsive to said control signals for generating driver signals; and

display means responsive to said driver signals for generating alpha-numeric displays giving acceleration values of the vehicle movement in all three axes in human readable form.

2. An acceleration gauge according to claim 1 wherein said one axis is the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and said second axis is the axis orthogonal to said one axis and said third axis is the vertical axis of the vehicle.

3. An acceleration gauge according to claim 1 additionally including a servo control unit responsive to said driver signals, a servo motor electrically connected to said servo control unit and said display means being at least one analog gauge having a needle connected to said servo control unit for displaying acceleration values sensed by said accelerometers on said display means.

4. An acceleration gauge according to claim 1 additionally including a digital control unit responsive to said driver signals for generating digital acceleration signals and a digital gauge member responsive to said digital acceleration signals for displaying acceleration values sensed by said accelerometers.

5. An acceleration gauge according to claim 1 additionally including a light source control unit responsive to said driver signals for generating light source control signals to a plurality of lighting devices in said gauges for displaying acceleration values sensed by said accelerometers.

6. An acceleration gauge according to claim 1 vertical acceleration display gauge responding to said accelerometers and said algorithm for displaying vertical accelerations.

7. An acceleration gauge according to claim 1 wherein said display means has indices in both acceleration values and angular values.