1. A topography recording device comprising:
a position determination unit configured to obtain coordinate data of a location;
a sensor unit configured to determine inclination of the terrain at the location;
a processing unit coupled to the position determination unit and the sensor unit, and configured to calculate gradient of the terrain at the location based on data representing the inclination of terrain at the location, and to generate a map showing three-dimensional terrain in the vicinity of the location based on the coordinate data of the location and the gradient of the terrain at the location.
2. The topography recording device of claim 1, wherein the coordinate data indicates at least one of a longitude, latitude, and altitude of the location.
3. The topography recording device of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit comprises an accelerometer, and the data representing the inclination of terrain at the location comprises at least two components of acceleration of gravity at the location.
4. The topography recording device of claim 1, further comprising:
a compensator coupled to the sensor unit and the processing unit, and configured to eliminate regular fluctuations from the data representing the inclination, and to provide the results to the processing unit.
5. The topography recording device of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:
a temperature sensor coupled to the processing unit, and configured to detect temperature in the vicinity of the location;
a humidity sensor coupled to the processing unit, and configured to detect humidity in the vicinity of the location;
a wind speed sensor coupled to the processing unit, and configured to detect wind speed in the vicinity of the location;
an air pressure sensor coupled to the processing unit, and configured to detect air pressure in the vicinity of the location,
wherein the processing unit generates environmental parameters associated with the location based on at least one of the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and air pressure.
6. The topography recording device of claim 5, further comprising:
a display unit configured to display at least one of the map and the environmental parameters associated with the location.
7. The topography recording device of claim 1, further comprising:
a communication unit configured to transfer data of the map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the location to another device.
8. The topography recording device of claim 1, further comprising:
a communication unit configured to receive from another device data of another map showing the three-dimensional terrain of another location.
9. The topography recording device of claim 8, wherein the display unit is configured to display the map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the location and the other map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the other location jointly.
10. The topography recording device of claim 8, wherein the display unit is configured to display the map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the location and the other map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the other location individually.
11. The topography recording device of claim 1, wherein the location comprises a plurality of continuous locations of a hiking path.
12. A topography recording method comprising:
obtaining coordinate data of a location;
determining inclination of the terrain at the location;
calculating gradient of the terrain at the location based on data representing inclination of the terrain at the location; and
generating a map showing three-dimensional terrain of the location based on the coordinate data of the location and the gradient of the terrain at the location.
13. The topography recording method of claim 12, further comprising:
eliminating regular fluctuations from the data representing the inclination of terrain at the location.
14. The topography recording method of claim 12, further comprising:
detecting temperature in the vicinity of the location;
detecting humidity in the vicinity of the location;
detecting wind speed in the vicinity of the location;
detecting air pressure in the vicinity of the location; and
generating environmental parameters associated with the location based on at least one of the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and air pressure.
15. The topography recording method of claim 14, further comprising:
displaying on a screen at least one of the map and the environmental parameters associated with the location.
16. The topography recording method of claim 12, further comprising:
outputting data of the map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the location.
17. The topography recording method of claim 12, further comprising:
receiving data of another map showing the three-dimensional terrain of another location.
18. The topography recording method of claim 17, further comprising:
displaying on a screen the map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the location and the other map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the other location jointly.
19. The topography recording method of claim 17, further comprising:
displaying on a screen the map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the location and the other map showing the three-dimensional terrain of the other location individually.
20. A computer-readable recording medium containing a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method comprising:
obtaining coordinate data of a location;
determining inclination of terrain at the location;
calculating gradient of the terrain at the location based on data representing the inclination of terrain at the location; and
displaying on a screen a map showing three-dimensional terrain of the location based on the coordinate data of the location and the gradient of the terrain at the location.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of thermoforming, comprising:
providing a thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool comprising a density of between about 0.35 gcm3 to about 0.95 gcm3, a melting point andor a Tg at least 5\xb0 C. higher than a thermoforming operation design operating temperature, and a hollow filler having a lower density than the thermoplastic resin;
disposing the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool in a mold; and
thermoforming an article in the mold using the plug assist tool.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the syntactic foam comprises between 15 vol. % and 70 vol. % of the hollow filler.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the hollow filler includes glass microspheres, hollow polymeric microspheres, hollow ceramic microspheres, microspheres of urea-formaldehyde resin andor phenol-formaldehyde resin.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plug assist tool is a one-piece plug assist tool.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin has a melting point andor Tg of greater than 180\xb0 C.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin comprises a polyamide, polycarbonate, polyurethane, polyester, polyacrylate, andor copolymers andor mixtures thereof.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool consists essentially of the thermoplastic resin and the hollow filler.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool consists of the thermoplastic resin and the hollow filler.
9. A method of thermoforming, comprising:
disposing a thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool in a mold, the plug assist tool comprising a density of about 0.6 gcm3 to about 0.9 gcm3 and a thermal conductivity of about 0.17 to about 0.23 Wm\xb0 K; and
thermoforming an article in the mold using the plug assist tool;
wherein the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool comprises a thermoplastic resin and a hollow filler, the thermoplastic resin comprising a melting point andor Tg at least 5\xb0 C. higher than a design operating temperature of the thermoforming operation, and the hollow filler having a density lower than the thermoplastic resin.
10. A method of thermoforming, comprising:
disposing a non-thermosetting syntactic foam plug assist tool in a mold, the plug assist tool comprising a density of about 0.35 gcm3 to about 0.95 gcm3; and
thermoforming an article in the mold using the plug assist tool;
wherein the non-thermosetting syntactic foam plug assist tool comprises a thermoplastic resin and a hollow filler, the thermoplastic resin comprising a melting point andor Tg at least 5\xb0 C. higher than a design operating temperature of the thermoforming operation, and the hollow filler having a density lower than the thermoplastic resin.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the density of the plug assist tool is about 0.6 gcm3 to about 0.9 gcm3.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plug assist comprises a thermal conductivity of about 0.17 to about 0.23 Wm\xb0 K.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the density of the plug assist tool is about 0.6 to about 0.95 gcm3.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the plug assist comprises a thermal conductivity of about 0.17 to about 0.23 Wm\xb0 K.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the density of the plug assist tool is about 0.59 gcm3 to about 0.86 gcm3.
16. The method of claim 9, wherein the density of the plug assist tool is about 0.59 gcm3 to about 0.86 gcm3.
17. The method of claim 10, wherein the density of the plug assist tool is about 0.59 gcm3 to about 0.86 gcm3.
18. A method of thermoforming, comprising:
providing a thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool comprising a density of between about 0.35 gcm3 to about 1.23 gcm3, a melting point andor a Tg at least 5\xb0 C. higher than a thermoforming operation design operating temperature, and a hollow filler having a lower density than the thermoplastic resin;
disposing the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool in a mold; and
thermoforming an article in the mold using the plug assist tool.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the syntactic foam comprises between 15 vol. % and 70 vol. % of the hollow filler.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the density of the plug assist tool is about 0.59 gcm3 to about 0.86 gcm3.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein the plug assist comprises a thermal conductivity of about 0.17 to about 0.23 Wm\xb0 K.
22. The method of claim 18, wherein the hollow filler includes glass microspheres, hollow polymeric microspheres, hollow ceramic microspheres, microspheres of urea-formaldehyde resin andor phenol-formaldehyde resin.
23. The method of claim 18, wherein the plug assist tool is a one-piece plug assist tool.
24. The method of claim 18, wherein the thermoplastic resin has a melting point andor Tg of greater than 180\xb0 C.
25. The method of claim 18, wherein the thermoplastic resin comprises a polyamide, polycarbonate, polyurethane, polyester, polyacrylate, andor copolymers andor mixtures thereof.
26. The method of claim 18, wherein the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool consists essentially of the thermoplastic resin and the hollow filler.
27. The method of claim 18, wherein the thermoplastic syntactic foam plug assist tool consists of the thermoplastic resin and the hollow filler.