1. A method to improve audio data overlap and matching accuracy between a base unit and an audience monitor, comprising:
initiating a delay period having a first duration on the base unit and the audience monitor, the delay period initiated in response to the base unit sending an acknowledgement signal to the audience monitor, the acknowledgment signal being in response to a radio frequency (RF) initialization signal received by the base unit from the audience monitor at a first time;
determining, when the first duration expires at a second time, if the audience monitor is still processing the acknowledgement signal; and
incrementing the delay period to a second duration to improve audio data overlap and matching accuracy between the base unit and the audience monitor when the audience monitor is still processing the acknowledgement signal after the first duration expires, the second duration based on an increase of the difference between the first time and the second time.
2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the delay period is based upon a room size.
3. A method as defined in claim 1, further including triggering a base unit measurement pulse in response to the expiration of the delay period.
4. A method as defined in claim 3, further including measuring a delay between the base unit measurement pulse and a stop signal from the audience monitor.
5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the stop signal from the audience monitor is indicative of the audience monitor completion of audio data processing.
6. A method as defined in claim 1, further including determining an alternate duration for the delay period by adjusting a packet length of the acknowledgement signal from the base unit.
7. A method as defined in claim 6, further including identifying an upper boundary duration of the delay period by adjusting the packet length of the acknowledgement signal to a relatively higher value.
8. An apparatus to improve audio data overlap and matching accuracy between a base unit and an audience monitor, comprising:
a test manager to initiate a delay period having a first duration on the base unit and the audience monitor, the delay period initiated in response to the base unit sending an acknowledgement signal to the audience monitor, the acknowledgement signal being in response to a radio frequency (RF) initialization signal received by the base unit from the audience monitor at a first time, the test manager to determine, when the first duration expires at a second time, if the audience monitor is still processing the acknowledgement signal; and
a delay period adjuster to increment the delay period to a second duration to improve audio data overlap and matching accuracy between the base unit and the audience monitor when the audience monitor is still processing the acknowledgement signal after the first duration expires, the second duration based on an increase of the difference between the first time and the second time.
9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the delay period adjuster is to adjust the delay period based upon a room size.
10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the test manager is to trigger a base unit measurement pulse in response to the expiration of the delay period.
11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the delay period adjuster is to measure a delay between the base unit measurement pulse and a stop signal from the audience monitor.
12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the stop signal from the audience monitor is indicative of the audience monitor completion of audio data processing.
13. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the delay period adjuster is to determine an alternate duration for the delay period by adjusting a packet length of the acknowledgement signal from the base unit.
14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the delay period adjuster is to identify an upper boundary duration of the delay period by adjusting the packet length of the acknowledgement signal to a relatively higher value.
15. An article of manufacture comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
initiate a delay period having a first duration on a base unit and an audience monitor, the delay period initiated in response to the base unit sending an acknowledgement signal to the audience monitor, the acknowledgement signal being in response to a radio frequency (RF) initialization signal received by the base unit from the audience monitor at a first time;
determine, when the first duration expires at a second time, if the audience monitor is still processing the acknowledgement signal; and
increment the delay period to a second duration to improve audio data overlap and matching accuracy between the base unit and the audience monitor when the audience monitor is still processing the acknowledgement signal after the first duration expires, the second duration based on an increase of the difference between the first time and the second time.
16. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, trigger a base unit measurement pulse in response to the expiration of the delay period.
17. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed, measure a delay between the base unit measurement pulse and a stop signal from the audience monitor.
18. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, identify completion of audio data processing in response to detecting the stop signal.
19. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, determine an alternate duration for the delay period by adjusting a packet length of the acknowledgement signal from the base unit.
20. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, identify an upper boundary duration of the delay period by adjusting the packet length of the acknowledgement signal to a relatively higher value.
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 for determining parameters of a fluctuating stream of fluid in a pipe using at least three electrodes provided at a periphery of the stream in spaced relationship to each other in a direction of flow, comprising:
sequencing the supply of an AC voltage signal to a first transmitting electrode located upstream of a receiving electrode and to a second transmitting electrode situated downstream thereof;
receiving signals at the receiving electrode that is located between the first and second transmitting electrodes in succession from the first and second transmitting electrodes in accordance with the sequencing of the supply of the AC signal;
analyzing the received signals from the first and second transmitting electrodes to detect a time-discrete cross correlation between received signals of the first and second transmitting electrodes; and
determining transit times using the detected time-discrete cross correlation of the received signals.
2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein:
the sequencing of the supply of the AC voltage signal includes feeding the AC voltage signal to the first and second transmitting electrodes in a temporally controlled manner; and
the analyzing of the received signals includes carrying out the time-discrete cross correlation using a profile of the temporal control of the first and second transmitted signals.
3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the sequencing of the supply of the AC voltage signal is alternately switching the supply of the AC signal between the first and second transmitting electrodes.
4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first transmitting electrode andor the second transmitting electrode has a plurality of single transmitting electrodes distributed around the periphery of the stream.
5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising using a further first transmitting electrode and a further second transmitting electrode.
6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a velocity-distribution profile from the transit times of fluctuations between the first and second electrodes by means of back projection.
7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are provided on a flexible insulating support material and the support material is disposed on the inner or outer surface of a delivery pipe for the fluid.
8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein a common external shield is provided for the first and second electrodes.
9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising asymmetrically carrying out the supply of the AC voltage signal and measurement of the received signals on a common ground.
10. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein at least one of the plurality of single transmitting electrodes is shifted in position in an upstreamdownstream direction relatively to the receiving electrode so that a relevant distance is adapted according to an amplitude of a resulting cross correlation value to optimize the amplitude of the resulting cross correlation value to conditions of flow.
11. A device for determining parameters of a fluctuating stream of fluid in a delivery pipe using at least three electrodes provided at a periphery of the stream in spaced relationship to each other in a direction of flow, comprising:
a first transmitting electrode configuration located upstream and a second transmitting electrode configuration located downstream, and a receiving electrode configuration located between transmitting electrodes of the first and second electrode configurations, the first and second electrode configurations being provided at the periphery of the stream of the fluid passing through the delivery pipe;
a receiving and evaluation device having a receiving electrode circumferentially surrounding the periphery of the stream for detecting the received signals produced by dielectric currents, for carrying out a time-discrete cross correlation and for determining transit times of fluctuations detected by the receiving electrode from cross correlation values; and a driver circuit for temporally controlled supplying of an AC voltage signal to the first and second transmitting electrode configurations.
12. A device as defined in claim 11, further comprising a driver circuit for temporally controlled supplying of an AC voltage signal to the transmitting electrode configurations.
13. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein at least one first transmitting electrode configuration andor at least one second transmitting electrode configuration havehas a plurality of single electrodes distributed around the periphery of the stream.
14. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein two first transmitting electrode configurations and two second transmitting electrode configurations are provided.
15. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein the electrode configurations are provided on a flexible insulating support material and the support material is situated on inner or outer surface of the delivery pipe for the fluid.
16. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein a common external shield is provided for the electrode configurations.
17. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein at least one of the transmitting electrode configurations is mounted for displacement in the upstreamdownstream direction relative to the receiving electrode configuration.
18. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein the receiving electrode is one common continuous receiver ring covering a circumference of the delivery pipe.