1-9. (canceled)
10. A motor vehicle state detecting system for detecting an unstable state of a motor vehicle or alternatively a prognostic sign thereof, comprising:
first detecting means for detecting an actual measured value of a first parameter corresponding to either a side slip angle or alternatively a steering angle of said motor vehicle;
second detecting means for detecting an actual measured value of a second parameter corresponding to either an alignment torque or alternatively a transverse acceleration which said motor vehicle is subjected to;
arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a third parameter relevant to a correlation which said first and second parameters bear to each other;
reference value setting means for setting in advance a comparison reference value for said third parameter;
motor vehicle behavior stability decision means for making decision that behavior of said motor vehicle is unstable when said third parameter departs from said comparison reference value;
vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a running speed of said motor vehicle as a vehicle speed,
wherein said first detecting means is designed to detect an actual steering angle of said motor vehicle as an actual measured value of said first parameter,
wherein said second detecting means is designed to detect as an actual measured value of said second parameter an actual alignment torque applied to said motor vehicle from a road surface in the course of running of said motor vehicle, and
wherein said arithmetic means is designed to arithmetically determine the change rate of said actual alignment torque for said actual steering angle as a torquesteering-angle change rate which serves as said third parameter,
wherein said reference value setting means is designed to set as a comparison reference value a predetermined range for said torquesteering-angle change rate in dependence on said motor vehicle concerned and said vehicle speed, and
wherein said motor vehicle behavior stability decision means is designed to determine that behavior of said motor vehicle is unstable when said torquesteering-angle change rate departs from said predetermined range.
11. A motor vehicle state detecting system according to claim 10, wherein
said arithmetic means includes:
time-based steering-angle change rate arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a time-based change rate of said actual steering angle as a time-based steering-angle change rate;
time-based torque change rate arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a time-based change rate of said actual alignment torque as a time-based torque change rate; and
torquesteering-angle change rate arithmetic means for dividing said time-based torque change rate by said time-based steering-angle change rate to thereby arithmetically derive said torquesteering-angle change rate.
12. A motor vehicle state detecting system according to claim 10,
wherein said arithmetic means includes:
travel distance arithmetic means for arithmetically determining travel distance of said motor vehicle;
distance-based steering-angle change rate arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a change rate of said actual steering angle for said travel distance as a distance-based steering-angle change rate;
distance-based torque change rate arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a change rate of said actual alignment torque for said travel distance as a distance-based torque change rate; and
torquesteering-angle change rate arithmetic means for dividing said distance-based torque change rate by said distance-based steering-angle change rate to thereby arithmetically derive said torquesteering-angle change rate.
13. A motor vehicle state detecting system according to claim 11, wherein
said arithmetic means includes:
lower limit value setting means for setting a lower limit permissible value for said time-based steering-angle change rate in dependence on the motor vehicle concerned and said vehicle speed;
predetermined change rate setting means for setting a predetermined change rate for said time-based torque change rate in dependence on the motor vehicle concerned; and
division arithmetic inhibiting means for inhibiting division processing executed by said torquesteering-angle change rate arithmetic means when said time-based steering-angle change rate is smaller than said lower limit permissible value,
wherein said motor vehicle behavior stability decision means determines that behavior of said motor vehicle is unstable when said time-based steering-angle change rate is smaller than said lower limit permissible value and when said time-based torque change rate is greater than or equal to said predetermined change rate.
14. A motor vehicle state detecting system according to claim 12, wherein
said arithmetic means includes:
lower limit value setting means for setting a lower limit permissible value for said distance-based steering-angle change rate in dependence on the motor vehicle concerned and said vehicle speed;
predetermined change rate setting means for setting a predetermined change rate for said distance-based torque change rate in dependence on the motor vehicle concerned; and
division arithmetic inhibiting means for inhibiting division processing executed by said torquesteering-angle change rate arithmetic means when said distance-based steering-angle change rate is smaller than said lower limit permissible value,
wherein said motor vehicle behavior stability decision means determines that behavior of said motor vehicle is unstable when said distance-based steering-angle change rate is smaller than said lower limit permissible value and when said distance-based torque change rate is greater than or equal to said predetermined change rate.
15-27. (canceled)
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. An adhesive backed measuring tape, comprising
(a) a flexible backing having two major surfaces, wherein one major surface has a measurement layer printed or contacted thereon, and
(b) a repositionable adhesive layer adhered to the other major surface of the flexible backing or to the measurement layer.
2. The tape of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer also is positionable.
3. The tape of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is adhered to the other major surface of the flexible backing.
4. The tape of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is adhered to the measurement layer.
5. The tape of claim 3, further comprising a low-adhesion backsize property on the measurement layer.
6. The tape of claim 4, further comprising a low-adhesion backsize property on the other major surface of the backing.
7. The tape of claim 1, wherein the measurement layer has alternating background colors at given intervals.
8. The tape of claim 1, wherein the tape has perforations at given intervals according to the measurement layer.
9. The tape of claim 1, wherein the measurement layer has a multiple of linear axes and a multiple of transverse axes, wherein each linear axis represents a linear segment of the measuring tape which is a function of the number of transverse axes.
10. The tape of claim 1, wherein the backing is selected from the group consisting of transparent materials, translucent materials, and opaque materials;
wherein the backing is selected from the group consisting of singularly colored materials, multiply colored materials, white materials, and black materials;
wherein the backing is selected from the group consisting of glossy materials, matte materials, metallic materials, reflective materials, retroreflective materials, and luminescent materials; and
optionally having a surface receptive to pen and pencil markings.
11. The tape of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is composed of an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive material.
12. The tape of claim 1, further comprising a symbol printed on the measurement layer, wherein the symbol is selected from the group consisting of a stud location marking, a promotional symbol, a branding indicium, and combinations thereof.
13. A method of using an adhesive backed measuring tape of claim 1, comprising the steps of:
(a) dispensing the measuring tape from a roll;
(b) applying the measuring tape to a substrate; and
(c) removing the measuring tape from the substrate.
14. An adhesive backed measuring tape, comprising:
a backing having two major surfaces,
wherein one major surface has a measurement layer printed or contacted thereon, wherein the measurement layer has a multiple of linear axes and a multiple of transverse axes, wherein each linear axis represents a linear segment of the measuring tape which is a function of the number of transverse axes, and
(b) a repositionable adhesive layer adhered to the other major surface of the backing or to the measurement layer.
15. The tape of claim 14, wherein the number of linear axes ranges from about 2 to about 20 measurement scales.
16. The tape of claim 14, wherein each linear segment is equally spaced.
17. The tape of claim 14, wherein background color on the measurement layer of each linear segment of a linear axis has a different color from another linear segment of the linear axis.
18. The tape of claim 17, wherein background color of the measurement layer of each linear axis has a different color from another linear axis.
19. The tape of claim 14, further comprising a symbol printed on the measurement layer, wherein the symbol is selected from the group consisting of a stud location marking, a promotional symbol, a branding indicium, and combinations thereof.
20. The tape of claim 14, wherein the measurement layer has multiple scales of different systems of measurement.
21. The tape of claim 14, wherein the backing is flexible and the adhesive layer is adhered to the other major surface of the flexible backing.