Dispensing from an apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10280033-B2
Application number	US-201615008532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2016
Priority date	Jan 28, 2016
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Various embodiments are described that relate to dispensing from an apparatus. The apparatus can be a cable dispensing apparatus that is attached to a vehicle. As the vehicle travels, the apparatus can lay or retract cable. The rate of this laying or retracting can be based, at least in part, on a travel condition of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to a processor that stores a command set executable by the processor to facilitate operation of a component set, the component set comprising:
an obtainment component to obtain a travel speed of a vehicle from indirect observation of the vehicle; and
a control component to determine a rate of dispensing from the dispensing apparatus based, at least in part, on a travel characteristic set of the vehicle,
where the travel characteristic set comprises the travel speed of the vehicle,
where the indirect observation of the vehicle is not indirect observation of the dispensing apparatus itself, including an item dispensed by the dispensing apparatus,
where the dispensing apparatus is resident upon the vehicle, and
where the travel characteristic set comprises a terrain upon which the vehicle travels.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 ,
where the travel characteristic set comprises a predicted direction of the vehicle.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 ,
where the rate of dispensing is an initial rate of dispensing from not dispensing such that the determination of the rate of dispensing is a determination that dispensing begins and
where the speed of the vehicle is not zero.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 ,
where the observation component achieves indirect observation of the vehicle through observation of an output of an accelerometer, that is part of the dispensing apparatus, configured to determine the speed of the vehicle.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , the component set comprising:
a calculation component to calculate the travel speed of the vehicle based, at least in part, on a sensor output,
where the observation component achieves the indirect observation of the vehicle through observation of an output of the sensor,
where the sensor is part of the dispensing apparatus, and
where the sensor is configured to observe a wheel rotation over time for a wheel of the vehicle and outputs the wheel rotation over time as the sensor output.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , where the rate of dispensing is a rate of dispending a cable, the component set comprising:
an analysis component configured to identify that a desired length for the cable is achieved; and
a modification component configured to cut the cable in response to identification that the desired length of the cable is achieved.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to a processor that stores a command set executable by the processor to facilitate operation of a component set, the component set comprising:
an obtainment component to obtain a travel speed of a vehicle from indirect observation of the vehicle; and
a control component to determine a rate of dispensing from the dispensing apparatus based, at least in part, on a travel characteristic set of the vehicle,
where the travel characteristic set comprises the travel speed of the vehicle,
where the indirect observation of the vehicle is not indirect observation of the dispensing apparatus itself, including an item dispensed by the dispensing apparatus,
where the dispensing apparatus is resident upon the vehicle,
where the travel characteristic set of the vehicle comprises a terrain type,
where the terrain type is a type of terrain the vehicle travels upon, and
where the obtainment component is to make an indirect observation of the terrain type.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 ,
where the obtainment component employs a visual sensor that views the terrain to make the indirect observation of the terrain type.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 ,
where the obtainment component employs a sensor that monitors shock movement of the vehicle to make the indirect observation of the terrain type.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 ,
where the obtainment component employs an optical sensor that views tire movement of the vehicle to make the indirect observation of the terrain type.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 ,
where the rate of dispensing is an initial rate of dispensing from not dispensing such that the determination of the rate of dispensing is a determination that dispensing begins and
where the speed of the vehicle is not zero.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 ,
where the observation component achieves indirect observation of the vehicle through observation of an output of an accelerometer, that is part of the dispensing apparatus, configured to determine the speed of the vehicle.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 , where the rate of dispensing is a rate of dispending a cable, the component set comprising:
an analysis component configured to identify that a desired length for the cable is achieved; and
a modification component configured to cut the cable in response to identification that the desired length of the cable is achieved.

14. A system, comprising:
a determination component configured to determine a rate of transfer for a dispensing apparatus based, at least in part, on a predictive motion data set that pertains to the dispensing apparatus;
an operational component configured to cause the dispensing apparatus to dispense at the rate of transfer; and
a deployment component configured to identify a condition on when to deploy a communication device,
where at least part of the determination component is located upon the dispensing apparatus,
where the operational component is configured to cause a communication device to be deployed on response to the condition being identified,
where the dispensing apparatus dispenses a communication cable at the rate of transfer
where a first end of the communication cable is coupled to the communication device,
where the dispensing apparatus begins dispensing the cable when the communication device is caused to be deployed, and
where the determination component, the operational component, the deployment component, or a combination thereof is implemented, at least in part, by way of non-software.

15. The system of claim 14 ,
where the communication device is a first communication device,
where a second end of the communication cable is coupled to the second communication device, and
where when the cable comes to an end upon a spool of the dispensing apparatus, the second communication device is deployed.

16. The system of claim 14 ,
where the determination component and the operational component are part of the dispensing apparatus.

17. The system of claim 14 ,
where the predictive motion data set indicates a predicted direction of the vehicle that is different from a current direction of the vehicle and that results from a turning of the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 14 ,
where the determination component is configured to determine a rate of transfer for a dispensing apparatus based, at least in part, on the predictive motion data set that pertains to the dispensing apparatus and a terrain traversed by vehicle that retains the dispensing apparatus.

19. The system of claim 14 , comprising:
a modification component configured to terminate the transfer by severing a cable dispensed from the dispensing apparatus such that at least part of the cable remains upon the dispensing apparatus.

20. A system, comprising:
a determination component configured to determine a rate of transfer for a dispensing apparatus based, at least in part, on a predictive motion

Assignees

• Us Army

Inventors

• Scott Jeremy David

Classifications

• B65H51/30 Primary

  Devices controlling the forwarding speed to synchronise with supply, treatment, or take-up apparatus (B65H59/10, B65H59/38 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02G11/02

  using take-up reel or drum · CPC title

• B65H75/425

  attached to, or forming part of a vehicle, e.g. truck, trailer, vessel · CPC title

• B65H75/4484

  Electronic arrangements or adaptations for controlling the winding or unwinding process, e.g. with sensors · CPC title