System for measuring characteristics of an object's motion

A measurement system adapted for displaying the speed value and an indication of the acceleration of an object as it passes through a predetermined zone, said system comprising:

• transmitter means for transmitting three parallel beams of electromagnetic energy such that said first and second zones are defined by said beams;
• receiver means for receiving, in the absence of beam interruptions, the transmitted energy in said three parallel beams, and for producing output signals indicative thereof;
• means responsive to the output signals from said receiver means, for providing first and second speed signals indicative of the speed of said object, as it passes through said first and second zones, repsectively;
• comparator means for comparing said first and second speed signals and for producing an acceleration signal which is indicative of the acceleration of the object as it passes through said first and second zones;
• and
• means for displaying said first speed signal and said acceleration signal.

A system for measuring the speed of an object as it passes through a preselected zone, said system comprising:

• means for transmitting first and second beams of pulsed electromagnetic energy such that said preselected zone is determined thereby;
• receiver means disposed for receiving, in the absence of beam interruptions, a portion of the transmitted energy in said first and second beams and for providing output signals indicative thereof;
• missing pulse detector and time gate generator means, responsive to said output signals from said receiver means, for producing a time gate signal which commences during the interpulse interval following the first missing pulse in the received energy from the first beam and which terminates during the interpulse interval following the first missing pulse in the received energy from the second beam;
• speed subsystem means for producing a first speed signal indicative of the speed of the object as it passes through said zone;
• and
• means for inhibiting the production of a subsequent time gate signal until the end of the first preselected interval following the start of the preceding time gate signal or until the end of a second preselected interval following the end of the preceding time gate signal, whichever occurs first.

A system for providing a signal which is indicative of the time it takes an object to pass through a preselected zone, said system comprising:

• transmitter means for transmitting first and second substantially parallel, synchronously pulsed beams of infrared energy such that said preselected zone is defined by said beams, and each beam has a predetermined fixed time interval between its energy pulses;
• receiver means disposed for receiving, in the absence of beam interruptions, a portion of the transmitted energy in said first and second beams, and for providing output signals indicative thereof;
• missing pulse detector and time gate generator means responsive to said output signals from said receiver means for producing a time gate signal which commences during the interpulse interval following the first missing pulse in the received energy from the first beam and which terminates during the interpulse interval following the first missing pulse in the received energy from the second beam;
• and
• means responsive to said time gate signal for producing a signal indicative of the time it takes the object to pass through said zone.