Claims
- 1. Processor apparatus for monitoring a sensor output signal that follows a nonlinear curve in response to linear changes in a monitored phenomenon, and for converting said sensor output signal to phenomenon data point values, the combination comprising:
- memory means for storing a table including an initial data point value S.sub.0 on said curve, an initial slope value S.sub.1 ' to another data point value S.sub.1 on said curve, an initial curvature value S.sub.2 " to a further data point value S.sub.2 on said curve, and a plurality of rate-of-change-of-curvature values S.sub.n '" for said curve, a said value of S.sub.n '" for an initial region of said curve derived based on a sensor output signal initial increment value, and values of S.sub.n '" for succeeding regions of said curve derived based upon multiples of said initial increment value;
- comparator means responsive to said sensor output signal to provide a segment signal indication when said sensor output signal changes by a determined amount;
- detector means responsive to a count of said segment signals to indicate an entry of said sensor output into another region of said curve;
- means responsive to said indication from said detector means for controlling said detector means to issue said indication of entry in response to a different count of said segment signals; and
- computation means responsive to each said segment signal indication from said comparator means for outputting a phenomenon data value S.sub.n, said value S.sub.n derived by adding a value S.sub.n '" to a value S.sub.n-1 " to obtain a value S.sub.n ", and adding said value S.sub.n " and S.sub.n-1 ' to obtain a value S.sub.n ', and adding said value S.sub.n ' and a value S.sub.n-1 to obtain said data value S.sub.n.
- 2. The processor apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said computation means is responsive to a said sensor output signal exceeding a phenomenon data point value S.sub.n, to determine a further phenomenon data point value S.sub.n+1 from stored values of S.sub.n, S.sub.n ', S.sub.n " and S.sub.n '", and to interpolate between S.sub.n and S.sub.n+1 to obtain a phenomenon data point value equal to said sensor output signal.
- 3. The processor apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said responsive means causes a doubling of said count of said segment signal upon each indication from said detector means of an entry of said sensor output into another higher region of said curve.
- 4. The processor apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said detector means produces a count each time said comparator means provides a segment signal, so as to maintain a cumulative count of said segment signals, said detector means further providing an output indication of an entry of said sensor output into another region of said curve when said count of segment signals reaches a predetermined value for a said segment of said curve.
- 5. The invention as recited in claim 4 wherein said count values are chosen so that regions of said curve which are more nonlinear are described by larger numbers of smaller signal changes than for equal regions of more linear curve areas.
- 6. The processor apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein said computation means computes said output data values S.sub.n by repeated additions of said values S.sub.n '", S.sub.n ", S.sub.n ' and S.sub.n.
- 7. The processor apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said computation means, upon said sensor output signal value having risen into a succeeding curve portion delimited by a data point value S.sub.n, performs a further series of calculations as follows:
- adds S.sub.n '"+S.sub.n-1 "+S.sub.n-2 "+S.sub.n-3 " to obtain a new S.sub.n ";
- adds S.sub.n "+S.sub.n-1 '+S.sub.n-2 ' to obtain a new S.sub.n '; and
- adds new S.sub.n '+S.sub.n-1 ' to obtain a new value of S.sub.n.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/594,073, filed Oct. 9, 1990, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
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Parent |
594073 |
Oct 1990 |
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