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Technologies Developed to date include:
(2006 to 2008 technology updates will be added soon!)
(9" Digits)
(18" Digits)
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Wireless Fuel Price
Display System (Canadian Production)
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Wireless Fuel Price
Display System (US Multiple Fuel Grade Prototype)
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Wireless Fuel Price
Display System (Canadian Prototype)
Production
" Belt C.A.T. "
Conveyor Belt Scanning System (DAS v2.2)
Diesel Injection Pump Stroke Metering System
Prototype of next generation portable
high-speed
" Belt C.A.T. "
Conveyor Belt Scanning and Data Acquisition System.
"
Method and Apparatus for Electrodynamic Intrusion Detection ", Conceived, designed and prototyped a
novel form of intrusion detection, particularly applicable to conductive
structures that are electrically earthed (i.e., metal buildings, fences and
tracked or bladed heavy equipment.)
 "
Heavy Equipment Theft Deterrent System ", Capable of
detecting unwanted intrusion or tampering with heavy equipment. It remotely alerts
(via paging network or cellular link) the equipment owner or supervisor when
intrusion is detected. Features include engine fire detection and low-battery alerts.
MTI
/ Mack Truck; under
contract, researched & developed a cellular-based asset tracking (GPS), remote
engine diagnostics and engine controller system, allowing for remote access
and reprogramming for fleet maintenance and life cycle analysis. (Picture
of Mack Truck supplied R&D tractor.)
"
Wireless Media Access Controller (WMAC)"
The Wireless Media Access Controller (WMAC) module has been designed to
be physically (i.e., internally) embedded into the most commonly used trunked
and conventional mobile radios (i.e., Kenwood, Motorola, GE, Johnson etc.) An
external stand-alone version is also available. The WMAC contains
all the intelligence and modem electronics to control and interface to the
mobile radio and supports various operator interface, vehicle logistics sensor
and GPS inputs. The WMAC also provides optional support for secondary wireless
communications systems such as, satellite, AMPS, CDPD and multimode cellular.
It provides a number of autonomous functions (optionally customizable),
without an external computer, unlike normal wireless terminal
node controllers (WTNC’s).
" Electromagnetically Activated Display Element ",
created, designed and prototyped a novel passive matrix display technology.
" Embedded Electronic Commutation (EEC) ",
patent issued. Currently continuing development work on
advanced embedded electronic commutation techniques for use within rotary (DC) electromechanical power
converters.
 Production version of the
" Belt C.A.T. "
Conveyor Belt Scanning and Data Acquisition System (DAS v1.4, 1997-2002.)
 Designed, constructed, delivered
and installed a custom Belt C.A.T. MDR
system for the R&D laboratories of the BRIDGESTONE Corporation
in Yokohama, Japan for use on their conveyor belt test stand (1996.)
“ MIDR ”,
conceived and designed a magnetodynamic impulse sensing system for damage
detection in magnetically permeable objects (1996.)
 CATV VOD System (Digital);
was awarded the contract to design and develop a video-on-demand (VOD) set-top
that would accept delivery of compressed video/audio content over CATV plant and
would provide virtual VCR functionality to the subscriber. This contract also
involved the design of a digital video modulator, a high speed control channel
modem (communicates over the cable plant) a session control manager and
software to control and track program access and provide for billing
interfaces. This system interfaced with the
MAGIC video server, a
massively parallel multi-processor derivative of the
PRINCETON ENGINE,
which was developed by the
David Sarnoff Research Labs, part of SRI.
This project was wound up in the fall of 1995 as a result of the sale of the
technology and company to a US corporation.
 Under a
National Research Council sponsored R&D contract,
designed, prototyped and tested a "Magnetostatic Weld Seam Tracking
System" for use in the automated production of tapered metal
poles (i.e., light standards.)
" Real Tune "; created,
designed and prototyped a novel automatic stringed instrument tuner, which is
capable of correcting the pitch drifts of individual strings on an instrument
such as a guitar in real-time.
Modular Data Radio;
responsible for the design and development of a modular full duplex UHF (450
MHz) packet data radio transceiver, the first of a series of three highly
integrated modular radios spanning the RF spectrum from 150 to 850 MHz. These
radios implement DSP-based baseband modulation schemes, with voice over data
capabilities, diversity receive operation (for multipath interference
rejection) and split transmit operation (for increased TX gain).
RF Modem;
responsible for the design and development of a high speed (19,200 bps, GMSK
modulation in 25 kHz RF channel spacing) radio frequency modem for use in a
mobile TNC. This modem received FCC approval in September of 1995.
“ Conveyor Belt Cover Profiler ”, Under an R&D contract, won a Science
Council of B.C. competition in the winter of 1995 to provide matching
R&D funding to the client, for the design and development of a conveyor belt
rubber cover thickness profiler. This resulted in the design, development and
prototyping of a novel optical cover position sensor and the design of a novel
steel cable position sensor.
Mobile TNC;
designed a mobile Terminal Node Controller incorporating a modular RF modem
interface capable of variable data rates (from 4800 bps Manchester baseband
modulation, through to 9600 bps QAM), thereby allowing a notebook computer to
perform as a mobile data terminal. This TNC also supports various external
interface modules for GPS-based location tracking, fingerprint scanners and
out-of vehicle spread spectrum data communication.
(This TNC is in use with
numerous US law enforcement agencies.)
“ Magnetostatic Differential Reluctance Sensing
”, Under an R&D contract (started
in 1992 with National Research Council sponsorship), conceived,
designed, developed and prototyped the
“BELT CAT” conveyor
belt NDT system. This resulted in the development of a novel variable
magnetic reluctance sensing NDT system.
RF Modem;
responsible for the design and development of a low speed (4800 bps,
Manchester baseband modulation) and a medium speed (9600 bps, QAM) radio
frequency modem for use in mobile data terminal applications.
 "Hydraulic Recirculation
Controller”; designed and prototyped a recirculation controller for
hydraulics / saw positioning in automated sawmills.
 “ EVENTS ”; Completed the successful field
trial of the EVENTS (Electronic Vehicle Extracting Nodal Traffic System)
development program wherein a new video-based velocimetry technique was
conceived, designed and prototyped. The system can passively detect the
trajectories of objects from video signals and provides accurate determination
of object velocity (at 30 to 100 times greater resolution than video camera
field or frame rate methods) and can extract and automatically OCR vehicular
license plates at the rate of 8 per second or better. The system was
successfully demonstrated to the R.C.M.P. and I.C.B.C. etc.
 "Hydro Turbine Cogeneration Controller”; designed and prototyped a
hydro-electric alternator controller and grid synchronization governor for use
with variable pitch turbines (<200KW).
Non-Uniform Extrema Sampling of Analog Waveforms; Conceived, designed,
and developed a novel sampling technique allowing for the acquisition,
manipulation and subsequent reconstruction of analog waveforms on the basis of
both amplitude and time domain quantization. This technique did not violate
information theory and effectively sampled analog signals at their instantaneous
Nyquist rate. It's primary application was in producing a PSTN pair gain system
known as the PL2000. (Note: The inventor was invited to present a paper at
the 1990 International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal
Processing [
ICASSP ] by Dr. Maurice Bellanger (Philips/TRT Chief
Scientist and Chairman of the IEEE Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing
Society), who performed the original technical due diligence on this
technique in 1988, and also assisted in the drafting of the paper by the
inventor.)
Video Signal Content Identifier; conceived,
designed, developed and demonstrated a system capable of discriminating between
commercial and normal program content. This technology was utilized in a
commercial eliminator product, as well, it was utilized within a VCR and within a
dual tuner television to remove/skip undesired program material and to
substitute alternate program material (Sheraton Hotel/Rogers Cable.)
Discrete
Electroacoustic Transducer; Conceived, designed and prototyped a piezoelectroacoustic transducer employing a matrix of bi-positional drivers. This
allowed the input of a digital data stream representing a quantized analog
signal to be converted into audible air pressure fluctuations.
 "Ophthalmic Lens Edging System”; Conceived, designed,
developed and prototyped all hardware and software and demonstrated a complete automated
prescription lens edging system known in the trade as the diLab. This
system was composed of a number of components; the diCer, a
microcontroller-based servomechanism
retrofitted onto existing manual edging machines, that employed a novel
multiplex data communications technique, incorporated a novel positional drive
technique and provided for bar code driven operator input; the diScan, a
very-high resolution axial scanning CCD camera system, which provided for the
digitization of lens shapes and eyeglass frames; the diComp, a multiprocessor
computer system allowing for the operation of up to 32 diCers, 14 terminals and
4 diScans; as well as a complete software package allowing for job entry,
tracking, inventory control etc.
"Feller Controller”; Designed, built and demonstrated an
electro-hydraulic feller control system employing closed-loop control over
position, feed-rate and cutting pressure.
Header Height Control;
Designed, built and demonstrated a land surface contour tracking header table position
controller for harvest combines.
"Electronic Depth Control"; Conceived, designed, built and
demonstrated an electronic depth control system for use with pneumatic seeders.
The system incorporated closed-loop techniques to provide for electro-hydraulic
control over the position of the working portions of the agricultural implement.
Designed a unique electrically controlled proportional-flow hydraulic valve for use therewith.
"Daytime Running Light Controller";
Conceived, designed, developed and demonstrated an electronic automobile
headlight controller, which provided for reduced current consumption, fail-safe
operation, non-intrusive installation, and convenience features. Was tested and
endorsed by Saskatchewan Government Insurance and brought to market as
the "SaveTlite".
Electronic Depth
Monitor; Conceived, designed, developed and demonstrated an electronic
depth monitor for use with pneumatic seeders. The device provided visual and
audible feedback to allow the operator to compensate for field surface
deviations.
Power Saving Extension
Cord; Conceived, designed, developed and demonstrated an extension cord
for use with automobile block-heaters, which employed integral electronics to
provide for
electric power delivery proportional to ambient
temperature.
Touch Dimmer; Designed, developed and
demonstrated an electronic touch dimmer for use with incandescent lamps.
Automobile Brake Light
System; Conceived, designed, developed and demonstrated a negative
acceleration proportional brake light pulsation controller which increased the
visual awareness of following drivers.
Chemical Sprayer
Controller; Designed, developed and demonstrated an application rate
control system for agricultural sprayers employing closed loop techniques to
compensate for varying ground speed and chemical density, as well as providing
for full programmability for chemical app. rate vs. sprayer type and width. A multiplexed digital
communications scheme was utilized to provide for remote control from the tow
vehicle.
Neon Sign Controller; Designed, developed and demonstrated a fully
electronic multi-function programmable sequencer for use in neon signs and
displays, replacing existing electro-mechanical controllers.
Public Information
Terminal; Designed and developed all hardware and software and
demonstrated a public information terminal with internal database memory, high
resolution graphics, touch screen operator input and RF transmitter for
updating and programming a remote prompt unit (see Shopping Cart Prompter
below).
Shopping Cart Prompter; Conceived,
designed and prototyped an RF programmable remote display unit
incorporated into a shopping cart handlebar. This product allowed the display
of advertiser specific messages on an aisle by aisle basis within a
supermarket, providing for point of purchase prompts to the consumer.
Point of Sale Terminal;
Designed, built and demonstrated a point of sale terminal specifically
oriented to restaurant drive-through applications
(McDonalds Canada). The product included internal logging for transaction
backup and remotely provided data to the production caller and provided a statistical analysis of
items/quantities ordered.
Agricultural Alarm System;
Conceived, designed, developed and demonstrated an agricultural alarm system
for monitoring a fully programmable matrix of conditions/locations which
communicated via a digitally encoded power line carrier technique with a
monitoring base located up to three miles away.
Livestock Labor Alarm; Conceived, designed, developed
and demonstrated an alarm system for use in monitoring the labor process
leading up to delivery in livestock such as cows and horses. The alarm
electronically monitored several vital signs of the animal, was fail-safe in
operation and communicated via a digitally encoded RF link to a remote
receiver station.
“ Line of Sight Weapons Targeting System ”, Conceived, performed
preliminary research and designed a weapons targeting system capable of
sensing the pilots' line of sight and of being used to provide input to the
fire control system of a fighter aircraft. Entered into discussions /
negotiations with the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND)
and
McDonnell-Douglas Corp.
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