Speedometer

• US 6,570,526 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Arno Unkrig, Noller Tilmann, Robert Gotz, Stephan Jurende
• Original Assignee: Arno Unkrig, Robert Gotz, Stephan Jurende, Tilmann Noller
• Inventors: Christl, Rupert, Unkrig, Arno, Jurende, Stephan, Götz, Robert, Noller, Tilmann, Kaltschmidt, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US08/776,745
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 342/61, 342/70-72, 342/104, 342/105, 342/192-197, 342/27, 342/28, 342/118-128, 342/109, 342/134, 342/135-144, 343/700.MS, 343/713, 327/31-38
• US Class Current: 342/109
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/60 wherein the transmitter and receiver are mounted on the moving object, e.g. for determining ground speed, drift angle, ground track G01S13/64 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/032 Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/06 Cathode-ray tube displays or other two dimensional or three-dimensional displays

Abstract

A device for measuring the speed reached and the distance covered by a moving user or object has a Doppler radar sensor that may be secured to the moving user or object and is made of a microwave strip transmission line sensor (1) that generates measurement signals and supplies them to an evaluation unit (2) with a sender that transmits the evaluated data to a separate processing and display unit (8).

Claims

1. A unit for measuring speed and traveled distance of a moving user or object through the intermediary of a Doppler radar sensor, wherein said Doppler radar sensor is attached to the moving user or object and consists of a strip transmission line sensor operating in a microwave range (1), which produces and transmits measuring signals;

an evaluation unit for receiving said transmitted signals from said strip transmission line sensor, said evaluation unit (2) comprising a transmitter for the transmission of evaluated data; and

a processing and display unit (8) for receiving said evaluated data.

2. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said processing and display unit (8) comprises a separate transportable component.

3. A unit according to claim 2, wherein said separate processing and display unit (8) is fastened to the moving user with a wrist band.

4. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said processing and display unit is a separate and stationary component.

5. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said strip transmission line sensor (1) and evaluation unit (2) are located in a casing which is selectively attached to the moving user or object with an elastic belt, buckle, or a clip attached to the casing.

6. A unit according to claim 5, wherein said strip transmission line sensor (1) is located in the casing such that radiation emitted therefrom strikes the ground at an angle when the casing is attached to the user or object.

7. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said evaluation unit (2) comprises at least one preamplifier (3), and A/D converter (4), a microprocessor (5) with RAM and ROM memories, and a transmitter (6).

8. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said evaluation unit (2) includes a multiplexer (7).

9. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said processing and display unit (8) comprises a receiving unit (9), as a microprocessor (10) with RAM and ROM memories, and an evaluation unit (14).

10. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said strip transmission line sensor (10) possesses a transmitting frequency of 5.8 GHz.

11. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said strip transmission line sensor (1) and the evaluation unit (2) are combined with an acceleration sensor so as to turn off the strip transmission line sensor when the speed of the user or object remains constant.

12. A unit according to claim 1, wherein said strip transmission line sensor (1) and said evaluation unit (2) are combined with a pressure sensor so as to compensate of errors in measurement caused by changes in altitude.

13. A unit according to claim 1, comprising means for converting the analog measuring signals produced by the strip transmission line sensor into digital signals;

means for converting the analog measuring signals produced by the strip transmission line sensor into digital signals;

means for periodically scanning the digital signals;

means for transforming the periodically scanned signal portions into a respective frequency spectrum A (f);

means for determining a frequency barrier F of the respective current frequency spectrum A (f); and

means for calculating the current speed or traveled distance of the moving user or object from the frequency barrier F of the respective current frequency spectrum A(f).

14. A unit according to claim 13, wherein said means for transforming the signal portions into a respective frequency spectrum A (f) comprises means for multiplying the respective signal portions with a hamming window and means for a subsequent Fourier transformation of the multiplied signal portions.

15. A unit according to claim 13 or 14, wherein said means for determining the frequency barrier F of the respective current frequency spectrum A (f) comprises:

a) means for determining a threshold indicator S, whereby S<

A (f=0);

b) means of comparing the threshold indicator S, with a frequency spectrum A (f) from the frequency f=0 in the direction of increasing frequencies up to a predetermined barrier frequency f_g;

c) means for determining a first frequency value f₁ at A (f=f₁)=S;

d₁) means for determining f₁ as the required frequency barrier F on the condition A (f)<

S for f₁<

F≦

f_G;

d₂) means for determining a second frequency value f₂ at A(f=f₂)=S on the condition A(f) not smaller than S for f₁<

f≦

f_G;

e) means for comparing the threshold value shortage d=f₂−

f₁ with fixed values y and z, whereby y<

z;

f₁) means for ignoring f₁ and f₂, and means for further comparing A (f) and S according to the steps c) et seq. up to the barrier frequency f_G, on the condition d<

y;

f₂) means for ignoring the current frequency spectrum A (f) on the condition y<

d≦

z; and

f₃) means for determining f₁ as the required frequency barrier F on the condition d>

z.

16. A unit according to claim 15, wherein there are provided means for a plausibility control of the speed values calculated from the respective current frequency spectrum A(f), comprising;

means for estimating the acceleration performance of the moving user or object by means of the equation;

17. A process for determining the speed or traveled distance of a moving user or object from measurement signals produced by a strip transmission line sensor operating in a microwave range (1) which consists of a unit comprising a Doppler radar sensor, comprising the steps of:

converting the analog measurements signals produced by the strip transmission line sensor (1) into digital signals;

effecting periodic scanning of the digital signals;

transforming each of the periodically scanned signal portion into a frequency spectrum A(f);

determining a frequency barrier F of the respective current frequency spectrum A (f); and

calculating the current speed or traveled distance of the moving user or object from the frequency barrier F of the respective current frequency spectrum A(f).

18. A process according to claim 17, wherein the transformation of the signal portions into respective frequency spectrums A (f) is achieved by a multiplication of the respective signal portions with a hamming window and a subsequent Fourier transformation of the multiplied signal parts.

19. A process according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the determination of the frequency barrier F of the respective current frequency spectrum A(f) is achieved by the following steps:

a) determining a threshold indicator S, whereby S<

A(f=0)

b) comparing the threshold indicator S with the frequency spectrum A(f) from the frequency f=0 in the direction of increasing frequencies up to a predetermined frequency f_G,

c) determining a first frequency value f₁ at A (f=f₁)=S,

d₁) when is A(f)<

S for f₁<

f≦

f_G;

determining f₁ as the required frequency barrier F, or alternatively

d₂) determining a second frequency value f₂ at A (f=f₂)=S, whereby f₂>

f₁,

e) comparing the threshold value shortage d=f₂−

f₁ with fixed values y and z, whereby y<

z;

f₁) if d<

y;

ignore f₁ and f₂, further comparison of A(f) and S according to the steps c) et seq. up to barrier frequency f_G,

f₂) if y<

d≦

z;

ignore the current frequency spectrum A(f),

f₃) if d>

z;

determine f₁ as the required frequency barrier F.

20. A process according to claim 19, wherein the calculated speed value from the respective current frequency spectrum A(f) is subjected to a plausibility control with the following steps:

estimation of the acceleration performance of the moving user or object according to the equation;