A method for monitoring the condition of a coil, wherein the coil is part of a device for determining at least one process variable of a medium in a container, includes applying an electrical excitation signal to the coil and receiving an electrical reception signal from the coil, determining a first value for the reception signal at a first predefinable measurement time, comparing the first value for the reception signal at the first measurement time with a reference value, and determining a condition indicator for the coil on the basis of the comparison. Disclosed also is a device that is designed for carrying out the disclosed method.

A method for monitoring the condition of a coil, wherein the coil is part of a device for determining at least one process variable of a medium in a container, includes applying an electrical excitation signal to the coil and receiving an electrical reception signal from the coil, determining a first value for the reception signal at a first predefinable measurement time, comparing the first value for the reception signal at the first measurement time with a reference value, and determining a condition indicator for the coil on the basis of the comparison. Disclosed also is a device that is designed for carrying out the disclosed method.

A demarcating system for indicating the boundary of an area to an object (for example a robot, such as a robotic lawnmower), which has a receiver for receiving electromagnetic signals. The system includes a control system, a wire loop, a signal generator, and current sensing circuitry. The wire loop can be arranged by a user along a path, so as to indicate the path to the object as part of a boundary of the area. The signal generator is electrically connected to the wire loop in order to apply voltage signals thereto, such signals causing the emission of corresponding electromagnetic boundary indicating signals from the wire loop that may be received by the receiver of the object. The signal generator is under the control of the control system with the voltage signals applied by the signal generator to the wire loop being controlled by the control system. The current sensing circuitry senses current signals present within the wire loop and the processors of the control system analyse such current signals. The processors of the control system are programmed to operate in a calibration mode whereby they: cause the signal generator to apply a series of test voltage waveforms to the wire loop, each of the test voltage waveforms generating a corresponding current waveform within the wire loop; and analyse the series of corresponding current waveforms, as sensed by the current sensing circuitry, so as to determine an operating voltage waveform that, when applied to the wire loop, generates a corresponding operating current waveform that is substantially the same shape as a predetermined current waveform.

A localization and attitude estimation method using magnetic fields includes the following steps. First, in three-dimensional coordinates, at least three magnetic landmarks arbitrarily disposed around a moving carrier are selected, wherein any two of the at least three magnetic landmarks have different magnetic directions. One set of at least five tri-axes magnetic sensors is used to sense the magnetic fields of the at least three magnetic landmarks. Three magnetic components on three axes of a current position of each of the tri-axes magnetic sensors are respectively generated by a demagnetization method. Five non-linear magnetic equations are solved to obtain position information and magnetic moment information of the at least three magnetic landmarks in the three-dimensional coordinates. Position vectors and attitude vectors of the set of at least five tri-axes magnetic sensors in a three-dimensional space are estimated based on tri-axes magnetic moment vectors of the magnetic landmarks.

A device includes a first electronic component and a case, wherein the case includes a first charging compartment configured to accommodate and charge the first electronic component. The device further includes a first magnet included in the first electronic component and a 3D magnetic field sensor included in the case. The device further includes a detection unit configured to detect a position of the first electronic component relative to the first charging compartment based on a magnetic field sensed by the 3D magnetic field sensor.

The present invention relates to a dose control system adapted for an injectable drug delivery device, the drug delivery device comprising a substantially elongate drug delivery body, at least one injectable drug held by the body, the body having a distal and proximal extremity, wherein the dose control system comprises three-dimensional magnetic field producing means for producing a magnetic field along three axes (x,y,z); magnetic field detection means configured to detect changes in at least the magnetic field produced by the three-dimensional magnetic field producing means; displacement detection means configured to measure a relative displacement or relative movement of the drug delivery device, and an integrated control unit, wherein the integrated control unit is connected to the magnetic field detection means, and to the displacement detection means, for processing information received from both the magnetic field detection means and the displacement detection means; wherein the three-dimensional magnetic field producing means is configured to effect a rotating coaxial displacement around, and along, a longitudinal axis of the drug delivery system; the magnetic field detection means are located along said longitudinal axis; and the three-dimensional magnetic field producing means is located at, or near, a proximal extremity of the body of the drug delivery device.

An apparatus for magnetic annealing one or more workpieces, and a method of operating the apparatus, are described. The apparatus includes: a workpiece holder configured to support one or more workpieces, wherein the one or more workpieces having at least one substantially planar surface; an optional workpiece heating system configured to elevate the one or more workpieces to an anneal temperature; and a magnet assembly having a first magnet and a second magnet, the first and second magnets defining a gap between opposing poles of each magnet, wherein the magnet assembly is arranged to generate a magnetic field substantially perpendicular to the planar surface of the one or more workpieces.

An apparatus for magnetic annealing one or more workpieces, and a method of operating the apparatus, are described. The apparatus includes: a workpiece holder configured to support one or more workpieces, wherein the one or more workpieces having at least one substantially planar surface; an optional workpiece heating system configured to elevate the one or more workpieces to an anneal temperature; and a magnet assembly having a first magnet and a second magnet, the first and second magnets defining a gap between opposing poles of each magnet, wherein the magnet assembly is arranged to generate a magnetic field substantially perpendicular to the planar surface of the one or more workpieces.

An embodiment of the invention relates to a sensor comprising a sensor element (10) for measuring a magnetic field, the sensor element (10) comprising a set of at least two first input ports (I1), a set of at least two exit ports (E) each of which is connected to one of the first input ports (I1) via a corresponding first beam path (B1), a set of at least two second input ports (I2) each of which is connected to a second beam path (B2), wherein the first beam paths (B1) extend through a common plane (CP) located inside the sensor element (10), said plane (CP) comprising a plurality of magneto-optically responsive defect centers, wherein the second beam paths (B2) also extend through said common plane (CP), but are angled with respect to the first beam paths (B1) such that a plurality of intersections between the first and second beam paths (B2) is defined, and wherein each intersection forms a sensor pixel (P) located at at least one of said magneto-optically responsive defect centers.

The short-circuit detection device according to the present disclosure includes: a signal acquisition unit configured to acquire, from a magnetic flux detector configured to detect a magnetic flux generated in a gap between a rotor and a stator of a rotary electric machine, one detected signal based on the magnetic flux and set the one detected signal as a first detected signal and a second detected signal; a signal processing unit configured to perform frequency analysis on the first detected signal, and generate and decode a voltage signal simulating a voltage state assumed in a normal case; and a signal comparison unit configured to perform comparison between a decoded signal obtained through the decoding by the signal processing unit and the second detected signal transmitted from the signal acquisition unit, to detect a short-circuit in a field winding of the rotary electric machine.