US 7,516,605 B2
Electronic elongation-sensing rope
Dan Goldwater, Emeryville, Calif. (US); Saul Griffith, Emeryville, Calif. (US); Eric Wilhelm, Oakland, Calif. (US); and Colin Bulthaup, Oakland, Calif. (US)
Assigned to Makani Power, Inc., Alameda, Calif. (US)
Filed on Mar. 07, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/74,292.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/521200, filed on Mar. 10, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2005/0231207 A1, Oct. 20, 2005
Int. Cl. D02G 3/02 (2006.01); D02G 3/22 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 57—238  [57/264] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
6. The fibrous tension member, comprising:
a plurality of structural threads; and
an indicator thread, wherein the indicator thread indicates elongation by modulating one or more electrical properties based at least in part on the elongation of the fibrous tension member, and wherein the fibrous tension member comprises at least two of the indicator threads and the two indicator threads extend along a common segment of the fibrous tension member, the two are electrically insulated from each other along a length of said segment, the two indicator threads are electrically connected together at one end of the segment, and the two indicator threads are configured to connect to a sensing-processing interface device at the other end of the segment to form a circuit.