Method for automatically detecting the presence of cyclic pulses in noise corrupted process measurements

Claim 1

The method for automatically detecting the presence of cyclic pulses in a process measurement of high random noise content when the cyclic pulses are of substantial magnitude with respect to the noise, and wherein each of the following steps are performed by automatic computing apparatus, comparing the minimum and maximum values of the process measurements since the initiation of the running time interval, incrementing a count toward a preset maximum and initiating the running of a new time interval when the difference resulting from said comparison exceeds a preset magnitude approximating the expected magnitude of said cyclic pulses, and decrementing said count toward a preset minimum when the difference resulting from said comparison does not exceed said preset magnitude upon the expiration of a preset maximum duration for the time interval then running, whereby a count within a predetermined range of said maximum count indicates the presence of said cyclic pulses in the process measurement.

Claim 2

The method for automatically detecting the presence of cyclic pulses in a process measurement of high random noise content when the cyclic pulses are of substantial magnitude with respect to the noise, and wherein each of the following steps are performed by automatic computing apparatus, comparing the minimum and maximum values of the process measurements since the initiation of the running time interval, incrementing a count toward a preset maximum and initiating the running of a new time interval when the difference resulting from said comparison exceeds a preset magnitude approximating the expected magnitude of said cyclic pulses, and decrementing said count toward a preset minimum when the difference resulting from said comparison does not exceed said preset magnitude upon the expiration of a preset maximum duration for the time interval then running, whereby a count within a predetermined range of said maximum count indicates the presence of said cyclic pulses in the process measurement.

Claim 4

The method for automatically detecting the presence of cyclic pulses in a periodically sampled process measurement of high noise content when the cyclic pulses are of substantial magnitude with respect to the noise, and wherein each of the following steps are performed by automatic computing apparatus, comparing the sampled value with the minimum of the values sampled since the initiation of the running time interval, storing said sampled value as the new minimum if it is less than the previously stored minimum value, comparing the sampled value with the maximum of the values sampled since the initiation of the running time interval if said sampled value was not stored as the new minimum value, storing said sampled value as the new maximum if it exceeds in value the previously stored maximum value, comparing the stored minimum and maximum values, incrementing a memory counter toward a preset limited count and zeroing a time interval counter when the difference resulting from said comparison exceeds a preset magnitude approximating the expected magnitude of said cyclic pulses, incrementing said time interval counter when the difference resulting from said comparison does not exceed said preset magnitude, decrementing said memory counter toward a preset minimum count when said time interval counter reaches a preset maximum count, and producing a signal indicating the presence of said cyclic pulses when the count of said memory counter exceeds a certain value between said maximum and minimum cOunt.

Claim 5

The method for automatically detecting the presence of cyclic pulses in a periodically sampled process measurement of high noise content when the cyclic pulses are of substantial magnitude with respect to the noise, and wherein each of the following steps are performed by automatic computing apparatus, comparing the sampled value with the minimum of the values sampled since the initiation of the running time interval, storing said sampled value as the new minimum if it is less than the previously stored minimum value, comparing the sampled value with the maximum of the values sampled since the initiation of the running time interval if said sampled value was not stored as the new minimum value, storing said sampled value as the new maximum if it exceeds in value the previously stored maximum value, comparing the stored minimum and maximum values, incrementing a memory counter toward a preset limited count and zeroing a time interval counter when the difference resulting from said comparison exceeds a preset magnitude approximating the expected magnitude of said cyclic pulses, incrementing said time interval counter when the difference resulting from said comparison does not exceed said preset magnitude, decrementing said memory counter toward a preset minimum count when said time interval counter reaches a preset maximum count, and producing a signal indicating the presence of said cyclic pulses when the count of said memory counter exceeds a certain value between said maximum and minimum cOunt.

Claim 6

The method for automatically detecting the presence of cyclic pulses in a periodically sampled process measurement of high random noise content when the cyclic pulses are of substantial magnitude with respect to the noise, and wherein each of the following steps are performed by automatic computing apparatus, periodically comparing the minimum and maximum values of the process measurements sampled since the initiation of the running time interval, incrementing a count toward a preset maximum and initiating the running of a new time interval when the difference resulting from said comparison exceeds a preset magnitude approximating the expected magnitude of said cyclic pulses, and decrementing said count toward a preset minimum when the difference resulting from said comparison does not exceed said preset magnitude upon the expiration of a preset maximum duration for the time interval then running, whereby a count within a predetermined range of said maximum count indicates the presense of said cyclic pulses in the process measurement.

Claim 7

The method for automatically detecting the presence of cyclic pulses in a periodically sampled process measurement of high random noise content when the cyclic pulses are of substantial magnitude with respect to the noise, and wherein each of the following steps are performed by automatic computing apparatus, periodically comparing the minimum and maximum values of the process measurements sampled since the initiation of the running time interval, incrementing a count toward a preset maximum and initiating the running of a new time interval when the difference resulting from said comparison exceeds a preset magnitude approximating the expected magnitude of said cyclic pulses, and decrementing said count toward a preset minimum when the difference resulting from said comparison does not exceed said preset magnitude upon the expiration of a preset maximum duration for the time interval then running, whereby a count within a predetermined range of said maximum count indicates the presense of said cyclic pulses in the process measurement.