US5345171A — Apparatus including a selectively connectable iso…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 325 words

An apparatus for determining the rotational speed and direction of a rotating object, wherein the apparatus has a circuit ground and power, the apparatus further comprising: a sensor having a sensor ground and being adapted to detect the speed and direction of the rotating object and responsively produce an input frequency signal having a frequency proportional to the rotational speed of the rotating object and a direction signal having a voltage value indicative of the rotational direction of the rotating object; a common terminal; a transformer adapted to receive the input frequency signal and electrically isolate the sensor ground from the circuit ground; double-pole, double-throw switch means coupling the input frequency signal through said transformer to said common terminal in a first position of said switch means, and, bypassing said transformer, connecting said sensor ground to circuit ground, and coupling said input frequency signal directly to said common terminal in a second position of said switch means; means for receiving said input frequency signal from said common terminal, and responsively producing a conditioned frequency signal having a pulsed waveform wherein each pulse is defined by a rising edge and a falling edge; distinguishing means for receiving said conditioned frequency and direction signals, determining the voltage value of a portion of said direction signal that coincides with the falling edge of said conditioned frequency signal, and responsively producing a control signal having a voltage level responsive to the determined voltage value of said direction signal; converting means for receiving said conditioned frequency signal and responsively producing an output signal having a DC voltage proportional to the frequency of said conditioned frequency signal; directional means for receiving the control signal and the output signal, and changing the polarity of the output signal in response to the voltage level of said control signal; and an output device adapted to receive the polarized output signal, and responsively store the magnitude and polarity of the output signal for subsequent analysis.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 325 words

An apparatus for determining the rotational speed and direction of a rotating object, wherein the apparatus has a circuit ground and power, the apparatus further comprising: a sensor having a sensor ground and being adapted to detect the speed and direction of the rotating object and responsively produce an input frequency signal having a frequency proportional to the rotational speed of the rotating object and a direction signal having a voltage value indicative of the rotational direction of the rotating object; a common terminal; a transformer adapted to receive the input frequency signal and electrically isolate the sensor ground from the circuit ground; double-pole, double-throw switch means coupling the input frequency signal through said transformer to said common terminal in a first position of said switch means, and, bypassing said transformer, connecting said sensor ground to circuit ground, and coupling said input frequency signal directly to said common terminal in a second position of said switch means; means for receiving said input frequency signal from said common terminal, and responsively producing a conditioned frequency signal having a pulsed waveform wherein each pulse is defined by a rising edge and a falling edge; distinguishing means for receiving said conditioned frequency and direction signals, determining the voltage value of a portion of said direction signal that coincides with the falling edge of said conditioned frequency signal, and responsively producing a control signal having a voltage level responsive to the determined voltage value of said direction signal; converting means for receiving said conditioned frequency signal and responsively producing an output signal having a DC voltage proportional to the frequency of said conditioned frequency signal; directional means for receiving the control signal and the output signal, and changing the polarity of the output signal in response to the voltage level of said control signal; and an output device adapted to receive the polarized output signal, and responsively store the magnitude and polarity of the output signal for subsequent analysis.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 29 words

An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said direction signal has a 50% duty factor and is phase shifted 90 degrees with respect to said frequency signal.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 114 words

An apparatus, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said distinguishing means includes: an inverter adapted to receive said conditioned signal and responsively invert said conditioned signal; and a D flip-flop having a clock and D input terminals and a Q output terminal, the D flip-flop being adapted to receive said direction signal at the D input terminal and the inverted frequency signal at the clock input terminal, to latch the Q output terminal at the voltage value of said direction signal in response to the rising edge transition of the inverted frequency signal, and to produce said control signal having a voltage level responsive to the voltage value at the Q output terminal.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 101 words

An apparatus, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the directional means includes: an inverting amplifier adapted to multiply the output signal by a negative gain and produce a negative output signal; a non-inverting amplifier adapted to multiply the output signal by a positive gain and produce a positive output signal; and an analog switch adapted to receive the positive and negative output signal and the control signal, pass the positive output signal in response to the control signal having a "high" voltage level, and pass the negative output signal in response to the control signal having a "low" voltage level.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 23 words

An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, including a scaling means for receiving said output signal and selectively amplifying said output signal.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 28 words

An apparatus, as set forth in claim 5, including a filter adapted to receive the polarized output signal and responsively remove predetermined frequency components from the output signal.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 17 words

An apparatus, as set forth in claim 6, wherein said filter includes a second order Butterworth filter.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 33 words

An apparatus, as set forth in claim 7, including a signaling means for receiving the control signal and producing an optical signal in response to the control signal having a "low" voltage level.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 55 words

An apparatus, as set forth in claim 8, wherein said signaling means includes: an LED connected between the Q output terminal and the circuit ground; and a P-channel MOSFET transistor having a gate connected to the Q output terminal, a drain connected to the LED, and a source and substrate connected to the circuit power.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1997-09-05	1998-03-07	1998-09-06	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2001-09-05	2002-03-07	2002-09-06	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2005-09-05	2006-03-07	2006-09-06	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Apparatus including a selectively connectable isolation transformer for determining the speed and direction of a rotating object

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