Boots – shoes – and leggings
Patent
1990-10-05
1992-12-22
Lall, Parshotam S.
Boots, shoes, and leggings
3644241, 36455101, 307 101, 3404255, 340439, 340516, G06F 1574, G07C 510
Patent
active
051738562
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a vehicle recording system and, more particularly, to an on-board computer designed for racing cars.
In order to provide information to the driver, engineers etc. of a racing car team, it is desirable to record data relating to the movement, speed, and other operational factors for subsequent analysis.
According to the present invention there is provided a vehicle data recording system for connection to one or more analog sensors, and for storing data from the sensor(s) in a memory during a plurality of chosen periods, the system comprising: sensor(s) into digital data; in memory; of data stored during a further period and selecting for retention in memory one of the sets of data in accordance with a predetermined algorithm; and, outputting differences between said datum set and said selected set.
Preferably, the means for automatically starting and ending periods of storing of the data in memory comprises; one set of data and the start of a further set. The means for triggering a procedure for storing of the data into memory may include a manually operable switch actuable by the driver of a vehicle in which the system is installed.
Furthermore, the means for displaying the differences between the datum set and the selected set may advantageously include a printer removably attachable to the system.
One example of a system according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the front face of a display/processor unit of the system;
FIG. 2 is an example of a lap report produced by the system;
FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrammatic representations of the system circuit and arrangement on a car; and,
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of the system in use.
The electronic data recording system has three functions. Firstly, it provides all the facilities of conventional race car dash mounted instrumention, although with added features such as memory and automatic warnings. Secondly, it can be used as a data-logger capable of storing large quantities of information from many different types of sensors. Thirdly, the system can produce printed "lap reports" as soon as the car returns to the pit lane. These serve the purpose of quantifying mechanical changes in such a way so that the race engineer can see where on the track, and by how much, the car has gone quicker or slower after its set up has been altered.
The main display/processor unit 100, which houses most of the electronic components, also has an LCD display 124 which provides the driver with a tachometer 201 and three alphanumeric displays 202-204. A nine-position rotary switch 205 allows the user to switch between different display readings as required. Warnings are automatically issued by the system as necessary, for example a drop in oil pressure would trigger an alarm no matter what the display was set to read. Such warnings must be acknowledged by the driver before the display reverts to its previous reading.
The system can be used to log data continuously on plural independent channels (up to forty channels are possible with an expansion board added). The data acquired can be off-loaded from the system to a host personal computer. Software has been written to allow the user to analyze data at leisure on a personal computer should he so wish. The data is automatically divided into laps and can be displayed graphically. The graphs obtained can be expanded and overlaid for comparison.
The lap reports provide the race engineer and the driver with an assessment of the car's performance. This is primarily in terms of speed, although additional information on rpm, boost etc. may be provided. The reports are presented either in an absolute manner or in a form which compares one lap to another. The purpose of the lap report is to provide the race engineer with immediate information giving him a deeper insight into the manner in which engineering changes on the car have altered the car's performance. The onus is no longer on the driver to judge the r
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AutoWeek, "Black Magic in '89 Lola Indycar", Jan. 30, 1989, p. 59.
Bradbury Keith A.
Broadbent Mark J.
Mumford John C.
Purnell Anthony J.
Wardell Raymond A.
Lall Parshotam S.
PI Research Limited
Pipala Edward J.
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