Abstract: A method of surveying the condition of an underground enclosure including the steps of (a) positioning at least one transmitter/receiver unit (including an antenna) within an underground, substantially nonconductive enclosure, such that a substantial air gap exists between the antenna and the inner wall of the enclosure; (b) transmitting an ultra wideband (UWB) signal toward at least a portion of the inner wall; and (c) processing the return signal in order to identify the interface between the soil and a region of conductivity different from the soil.

Abstract: A magnetic field sensor includes a compensation loop coupled in series with normal circuit couplings in order to reduce a transient signal that would otherwise be generated when the magnetic field sensor experiences a high rate of change of magnetic field. In some embodiments, the magnetic field sensor is a current sensor responsive to a magnetic field generated by a current-carrying conductor.

Abstract: This method for detecting a magnetic disturber method comprises: the measurement (52) of the magnetic field emitted by the emitter by at least two triaxial sensors placed at different known positions, for each sensor, the determining, (54) from the magnetic field measured by this sensor, of the coordinates of a direction vector collinear with an axis passing through the geometrical center of the emitter and the geometrical center of this sensor, the geometrical center of the emitter being the point at which there is located a magnetic field point source which models this emitter and the sensor being capable of being modeled by a point transducer situated at a point where the magnetic field is measured and constituting the geometrical center of this sensor, verification (56;70) that the smallest distance between the axes, each collinear each with one of the direction vectors, is smaller than a predetermined limit, and if this is not the case, the reporting (64) of the presence of a magnetic disturber and, i

Abstract: A device (10) for the in-line detection of surface defects of a rolled product (30) in a rolling stand (11, 111) comprises an inspection unit (19) having one or more coils (20, 21) able to generate and detect magnetic fields. The rolling-stand (11, 111) is provided with a support structure (28) supporting rolling means (12, 112) that are provided for effecting a roll-mill process on said product (30), a guide element (13) having a guide hole (14) defining a nominal rolling axis (X) and a support unit (15, 115), assembled on the support structure (28) and which is provided as a structural element of the rolling stand (11, 111) that supports said guide element (13). The inspection unit (19) is assembled on said support unit (15, 115), in order to be directly housed and integrated in the structural element already present in the rolling stand (11, 111).

Abstract: A sensor arrangement for a shaft that is mounted in a magnetic bearing. The arrangement has magnetic shielding which shields the magnetic bearing by forming a magnetically shielded area, magnetic encoding that is situated on the shaft in the magnetically shielded area and at least one receiver that detects at least one alteration of the magnetic field of the magnetic encoding. The aforementioned sensor arrangement for a shaft that is mounted in a magnetic bearing permits the an arrangement of this type that uses magnetic encoding of the shaft to detect the position of the shaft in the closest proximity possible to the magnetic bearing.

Abstract: A magnetic field sensor includes a sensing structure having a ring-shaped well, a plurality of contacts of equal size disposed along the ring-shaped well, a circuit having a plurality of electronic switches associated with the contacts of the sensing structure, a logic block for controlling the electronic switches, at least one current source, a voltage measuring device, a timing circuit providing a control signal for controlling the logic and providing a reference signal, wherein the logic block is configured to switch the switches under the control of the control signal so that a predetermined number of contacts of the plurality of contacts form a vertical Hall element supplied with current from the at least one current source and having two contacts connected to the voltage measuring device and circuitry configured to measure a phase shift between the reference signal and an output signal of the voltage measuring device.

Abstract: In a measurement method, a plurality of magnetic field sensors (MS0-MS15) that are arranged along a circular periphery (CIR) and are each configured to emit a sensor signal (H0-H15) as a function of a magnetic field intensity is provided. A diametrically magnetized magnetic source (MAG) seated rotatably on the circular periphery (CIR) about an axis of rotation (RA) is further provided. A first set of sensor signals from the magnetic field sensors (MS0-MS15) is received and a first orientation (AL1) of an axis (AX) defined by a reference value transition (RFD) is determined as a function the first set. After a rotation of the magnetic source (MAG) about the axis of rotation (RA), a second set of sensor signals is received and a second orientation (AL2) of the axis (AX) is determined as a function of the second set of sensor signals. A position (X0, Y0) of the axis of rotation (RA) is acquired as a function of the first and the second orientation (AL1, AL2).

Abstract: A control module is included in a battery charger that is adapted to charge a plurality of battery packs of different types or a power tool that is adapted to be powered by at least one of the battery packs. The control module includes a remote sensing module that communicates remotely with one of the battery packs. The control module also includes a battery pack connection module that determines that the one of the battery packs is in electrical communication with at least one of the battery charger and the power tool. The control module also includes a battery pack identification (ID) module that determines a first type of the battery pack based on remote sensing module signals. The control module also includes a charge control module that determines at least one of a charge setting and a discharge setting for the battery pack based on the first type.

Abstract: A compact narrow band imaging system includes a vapor cell having a gas that receives and transmits light in accordance with the Faraday effect. A magnetic source is provided for applying a magnetic field to the vapor cell. Crossed polarizers are disposed before and after the vapor cell creating a Faraday optical filter. The only light that passes through the filter is light within a narrow band near the absorption peaks of the vapor. Other optical elements of the imaging system including filters, image detectors, electron multipliers, signal digitizers, and heat filters are co-located within the imaging system's common thermal isolation container to provide improved performance. The compact system is suitable for wide area surveillance, including daylight surveillance for combustion sources such as forest fires and missile exhaust.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic sensor circuit of low power consumption, in which a magnetic detection level less depends on a resistance value of an internal resistor of a power source. A comparator circuit compares a voltage which is based on a magnetic field and generated after sampling under a state in which power is supplied to mainly a Hall element and an amplifier circuit to drop a power supply voltage, with a reference voltage after sampling under the same state. Both the voltages are generated based on the power supply voltage dropped by an internal resistor. Therefore, the magnetic detection level less depends on a resistance value of the internal resistor. The comparator circuit may be disabled during a sample period, and the Hall element and the amplifier circuit may be disabled during a comparison period, and hence power consumption of the magnetic sensor circuit is reduced by corresponding power.

Abstract: In response to detection of connection between a power supply outside a vehicle and a charge plug, control device invalidates key verification performed for determining whether a key of a user is regular or not, when a shift position is parking and a parking brake is active. This satisfies system start conditions, and the control device turns on respective relays to start a system, and executes charge control for charging a power storage device from the power supply outside the vehicle.

Abstract: A rotary magnetic encoder assembly that has a freewheeling rotatable exciter magnet onboard that excites a magnetic field sensor region of an encoder chip when magnetic interaction between the exciter magnet and rotating encoder shaft causes the exciter magnet to rotate. In one embodiment, a drive magnet carried by the shaft magnetically couples with the exciter magnet because the medium therebetween has low magnetic permeability enabling rotation substantially in unison with the shaft. The exciter magnet is disposed in an onboard retainer pocket that accurately locates the magnet relative to the sensor region of the encoder chip. In one preferred embodiment, the exciter magnet retainer pocket is disposed onboard the encoder chip, such as by being formed as part of the package body of the chip that can be integrally formed or as part of a module that is mountable on the chip.

Abstract: Measuring a magnetic gradient according to the present invention includes generating a beam of like atoms with magnetic sublevels, applying a first pulse of electro-magnetic radiation to the beam of atoms to create a coherent superposition of the magnetic sublevels in the atoms in which the superposition results in a plurality of beams following separate paths and in which at least two of the paths are arms of an interferometer, applying a second pulse of electromagnetic radiation to both beams of atoms a time T later with characteristics substantially similar to the first pulse and in which the product of the Rabi frequency and T now must equal ? (versus ?/2 in the first pulse), whereby the states of the atoms in the two arms of the interferometer are coherently interchanged and are redirected towards each other.

Abstract: This disclosure concerns a speed detector sampling coordinates showing the position of a moving body and detecting the speed thereof includes a memory storing preset tentative angles and the values of a trigonometric function corresponding to the tentative angles; a first register storing the first coordinates of the moving body obtained by a first sampling; a second register storing the actual second coordinates of the moving body obtained by a second sampling subsequent to the first sampling; and an arithmetic operation unit calculating second coordinates in calculation, which are shown by multiplication, addition, or subtraction of the first coordinates and the values of the trigonometric function, to approximate the second coordinates in calculation to the actual second coordinates, the arithmetic operation unit calculating the speed of the moving body based on the tentative angle corresponding to the value of the trigonometric function used to the second coordinates in calculation.

Abstract: A sensor including a substrate and magnetic material. The substrate has a main major surface and includes at least two spaced apart ferromagnetic layers. The magnetic material encapsulates the substrate such that the magnetic material is adjacent the main major surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of analysing a magnetic material which includes the construction of a signature S(H) of the magnetic material formed from at least two points S(H)P, this construction including obtaining the value of each point S(H)P by measuring, over each period fraction, the amplitude and possibly the phase of a harmonic of the magnetic field induced in the magnetic material, said amplitude and phase being obtained in response only to an excitation during this period fraction, the harmonic having a frequency nfH, where n is a non-zero positive integer; and the identification and/or the determination of the mass of the magnetic material from several points of the constructed signature S(H).

Abstract: A magnetic field effect sensor system having giant magneto-impedance elements. The elements may be elongated strips, and in proximity to and parallel with one another, and connected in series with connections or electrodes. The elements may have a regular shape without turns. They may have a single- or multi-layer structure. Some of the layers in the elements may contain a soft magnetic material, for instance, which form a closed loop for magnetic flux around a non-magnetic conductor.

Abstract: A magnetoresistance sensor for use in a position and orientation tracking system includes an insulating substrate, a pattern of a metal material and/or a semiconductor material deposited on a surface of the insulating substrate, and a bias magnet material deposited over the alternating pattern of a metal material and a semiconductor material. The position and orientation tracking system includes at least one magnetoresistance reference sensor attached to a fixed object, at least one magnetoresistance sensor attached to an object being tracked, and a processor coupled to the at least one magnetoresistance reference sensor and the at least one magnetoresistance sensor.

Abstract: A rotational angle sensor includes: a magnet rotor in which multiple magnetic poles are formed along the circumferential direction of the magnet rotor; and three sensor devices that are arranged on a circle concentric with the magnet rotor at regular angle intervals. Each of the sensor devices includes three half-bridge circuits each of which has a pair of spin valve magnetic resistances that are connected in series in such a manner that the magnetization directions of spin fixed layers of the spin valve magnetic resistances are opposite to each other. Each of the sensor devices is formed in such a manner that phases of the sensor signals output from the respective half-bridge circuits based on a change in magnetic flux caused by the rotation of the magnet rotor are offset from each other by an electrical angle of 120°.

Abstract: A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device for sensing a magnetic field comprising: a base; a cantilever attached to the base structure at a first end and movable at a second end, the second end oscillating at a predetermined frequency upon application of a current; a magnetic sensor attached to the movable second end; at least one flux concentrator mounted on the base adapted to transfer magnetic flux to the sensor; whereby when the current is applied, the oscillation of the cantilever causes the sensor to oscillate between the lines of flux transferred from the at least one flux concentrator resulting in the shift of the frequency of the sensed magnetic field to the predetermined frequency. The invention further comprises a method of making the MEMS device.