Speed measuring device

• US 4,219,878 A
• Filed: 04/14/1978
• Issued: 08/26/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kustom Signals Incorporated (MPD Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kastom Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Goodson, William D., Alden, John R., Hyder, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Atkinson, Charles E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US05/896,373
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 364/565, 364/438, 324/187, 324/160, 324/166, 324/172, 346/18, 340/38 R, 235/92 TC
• US Class Current: 702/143
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/54 by measuring frequency of generated current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/66 using electric or magnetic means G01P3/80 takes precedence; measuring short time intervals G04F8/00, G04F10/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/92 for velocity measurement

Abstract

A special accessory for traffic radar devices includes two operating routines. These routines are to be used with a programmable microprocessor which comprises a portion of the traffic radar device. The routines are designated as a stopwatch routine and an interrupt routine. The stopwatch routine controls the overall operation of the speed computation within the programmable microprocessor of the traffic radar device while the interrupt request routine causes the microprocessor to perform as a precision clock capable of measuring elapsed time.

Claims

1. A speed measurement device for calculating and displaying the average speed of an object moving a distance between first and second location, the device comprising:

means for generating a first time base;

means for accumulating time interval information based on said first time base and occurring between a first event corresponding to said first location and a second event corresponding to said second location;

means for supplying information corresponding to said distance between the two locations in appropriate units for calculation;

means for calculating speed by dividing said distance information by said time interval information;

means for displaying said calculated speed of said moving object;

means for generating a second time base;

means for comparing said first and second time bases for determining the existence of a predetermined relationship between them; and

means for controlling the display means in accordance with said predetermined relationship.

2. The invention as in claim 1 including means for displaying said time interval.

3. The invention as in claim 1 including means for producing an error indication if said time interval reaches a preset maximum value.

4. The invention as in claim 1 wherein said calculating means includes scaling means for providing said speed measurement in a predetermined unit of measure.

5. The invention as in claim 1 including means for checking the magnitude of said calculated speed prior to display, said checking means being operable to inhibit display of said calculated speed and to provide an error indication if said calculated speed is above a preselected value.

6. The invention as in claim 1 wherein said accumulating means is switched of:

switch means having a normal condition and an increment condition, said switch means being normally biased toward said normal condition and operable to be manually moved from said normal condition to said increment condition;

counting means for recording the number of times said switch means is manually moved from said normal condition to said increment condition, said counting means being incremented by a certain amount each time said switch means is manually moved from said normal condition to said increment condition;

means for effectuating activation of said means for generating a first time base whenever said counting means obtains a count state representative of one incremental increase;

means for causing deactivation of said means for generating a first time base whenever said counting means obtains a count state representative of two incremental increases.

7. The invention as in claim 6 including means for blanking said speed measurement display means and for resetting said counting means whenever said counting means obtains a count state representative of three incremental increases.

8. In a doppler radar device capable of determining the speed of a moving vehicle, the combination therewith of:

means for manually entering distance information of a distance measurement;

timing means for measuring elasped time between events to thereby provide a time measurement;

switch means having a normal condition and an increment condition, said switch means being normally biased toward said normal condition and operable to be manually moved from said normal condition to said increment condition;

counting means for recording the number of times said switch means is manually moved from said normal condition to said increment condition, said counting means being incremented by a prescribed amount each time said switch means is manually moved from said normal condition to said increment condition;

means for effectuating activation of said timing means whenever said counting means obtains a count state representative of one incremental increase;

means for causing deactivation of said timing means whenever said counting means obtains a count state representative of two incremental increases;

means for converting said distance and time measurements into a speed measurement upon deactivation of said timing means; and

means for displaying said speed measurement;

timing calibration check circuit connected to said converting means for controlling the display of said speed measurement in said display means in response to said timing calibration check circuit.

9. The invention as in claim 8 wherein said timing calibration check circuit comprises:

means for generating a first time base;

means for generating a second time base;

means for comprising said first and second time bases for determining a predetermined relationship therebetween;

means for controlling the display means in accordance with said predetermined relationship; and

further including

means for displaying said time measurement.

10. The invention as in claim 8 wherein said timing calibration check circuit comprises:

means for generating a first time base;

means for generating a second time base;

means for comparing said first and second time bases for determining a predetermined relationship therebetween;

means for controlling the display means in accordance with said predetermined relationship; and

further including

means for producing an error indication if said timing means reaches a preset maximum value.

11. The invention as in claim 8, wherein said timing calibration check circuit comprises:

means for generating a first time base;

means for generating a second time base;

means for comparing said first and second time bases for determining a predetermined relationship therebetween;

means for controlling the display means in accordance with said predetermined relationship; and

further including

means for blanking said speed measurement display means and for resetting said counting means whenever said counting means obtains a count state representative of three incremental increases.

12. The combination as in claim 8 wherein said timing calibration check circuit comprises

means for generating a first time base;

means for generating a second time base;

means for comparing said first and second time bases for determining a predetermined relationship therebetween;

means for controlling the display means in accordance with said predetermined relationship; and

further including

scaling means for providing said speed measurement in any predetermined unit of measure.

13. The invention as in claim 8 wherein said timing calibration check circuit comprises:

means for generating a first time base;

means for generating a second time base;

means for comparing said first and second time bases for determining a predetermined relationship therebetween;

means for controlling the display means in accordance with said predetermined relationship; and

further including

means for checking the magnitude of said speed measurement prior to display, said checking means being operable to inhibit display of said speed measurement and to provide an error indication if said speed measurement is above a preselected value.

14. The invention as in claim 8 wherein said timing calibration check circuit comprises:

means for generating a first time base;

means for generating a second time base;

means for comparing said first and second time bases for determining a predetermined relationship therebetween;

means for controlling the display means in accordance with said predetermined relationship; and

further including

means for resetting said timing means to zero prior to activation of said timing means.

15. The method for calculating and displaying the average speed of an object moving between a first and a second location, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a first time base;

accumulating a time interval based on said first time base and occurring between a first event corresponding to said first location and a second event corresponding to said second location;

determining the distance between said two locations in appropriate units for calculation;

calculating speed by dividing said distance by said time interval;

generating a second time base;

comparing said first and second time bases to determine if a predetermined relationship exists between them, and

displaying said calculated speed if said predetermined relationship between said first and second time bases exists.

16. The method as in claim 15 including the step of displaying said time interval.

17. The method as in claim 15 including the step of producing an error indication if said time interval reaches a preset maximum value.

18. The method as in claim 15 including the step of scaling said calculated speed prior to display to provide said speed measurement in the predetermined unit of measure.

19. The method as in claim 15 including steps of:

checking the magnitude of said calculated speed prior to display,

inhibiting display of said calculated speed if said calculated speed exceeds a preselected maximum value, and

generating an error indication if said calculated speed exceeds said preselected maximum value.