Disclosed herein is a sensor commonality platform comprising a plurality of adaptable sensors for customizable applications. Each adaptable sensor comprises a displacement structure for reacting to changes in a measurable physical property and a core sensor electronics module for measuring displacement of the displacement structure in response to the changes in the measurable physical property. At least one sensor has a displacement structure different than that of another sensor, with the core electronics being the same.

A cerebrospinal-fluid-pressure-measuring device including a pressure gauge including a hollow cylindrical body for inserting through a skull and having a lower and upper end, and an inner surface, a membrane attached to the lower end and to move under a pressure of cerebrospinal fluid within the skull, and coils including a stationary coil disposed in the cylindrical body and connected to the inner surface so as to remain stationary, and a moving coil disposed in the cylindrical body and connected to the membrane so that the moving coil moves when the membrane moves under the pressure, one of the coils being configured as a transmitting coil and another of the coils being configured as a receiving coil, and a control unit to apply an input signal to the transmitting coil and receive an output signal from the receiving coil, and to generate an indication of the pressure.

Disclosed is a pressure gauge comprising a pressure sensor and a pressure transmitter connected upstream of the pressure sensor and having an isolation diaphragm enclosing a pressure receiving chamber. A hydraulic pressure transmission path is connected to the pressure receiving chamber and is filled with a pressure transmitting fluid that transmits the pressure acting on the outer side of the isolation diaphragm to the pressure sensor The pressure gauge allows functional impairments of the pressure gauge to be detected early without having to change the pressure acting on the outer side of the isolation diaphragm. The pressure transmitter comprises an electronically activatable deflection device which is designed in such a way that, when activated, it exerts a constant force deflecting the isolation diaphragm, on the isolation diaphragm, or on an element connected to the isolation diaphragm.

An industrial process differential pressure sensing device includes a housing having first and second isolation cavities that are respectively sealed by first and second diaphragms, a differential pressure sensor, a static pressure sensor, an eddy current displacement sensor, and a controller. The static pressure sensor is configured to output a static pressure signal that is based on a pressure of fill fluid in the first isolation cavity. The differential pressure sensor is configured to output a differential pressure signal that is indicative a pressure difference between the first and second isolation cavities. The eddy current displacement sensor is configured to output a position signal that is indicative of a position of the first isolation diaphragm relative to the housing. The controller is configured to detect a loss of a seal of the isolation cavity based on the position signal, the static pressure signal and the differential pressure signal.

The invention provides a pressure sensor (10) that can be produced at low cost, operates more accurately and resists to high burst pressures. The pressure sensor (10) comprises at least one membrane (12) and a magneto-elastic detection device (14) for magneto-elastically detecting mechanical stress caused by pressurization.

A pressure sensor comprises a deformable substrate, at least one coil supported by the substrate and responsive to a changing coil drive signal to produce a changing magnetic field, a fluid chamber having a first wall formed by the substrate and a second wall formed by a conductive material and positioned proximate to the at least one coil so that the changing magnetic field produces eddy currents within the conductive material that generate a reflected magnetic field, and at least one magnetic field sensing element configured to detect the reflected magnetic field and produce a signal responsive to a distance between the magnetic field sensing element and the second wall. The substrate is deformable by fluid pressure within the fluid chamber and the deformation of the substrate changes the distance between the magnetic field sensing element and the second wall.

A pneumatic-based tactile sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a tactile sense transmitting pneumatic unit for generating pneumatic pressure by an external load applied to a first side; and a tactile sense receiving sensor unit for measuring the load by transforming a magnitude of pneumatic pressure of the tactile sense transmitting pneumatic unit into a displacement.

A pressure sensor includes a conductive substrate having a cavity which forms a thin portion that can be deformed by a pressure differential. A magnetic field sensor has at least one coil responsive to a changing coil drive signal and positioned proximate to the thin portion of the substrate that induces eddy currents in the thin portion that generate a reflected magnetic field. Magnetic field sensing elements detect the reflected magnetic field and generate a magnetic field signal. The magnetic field sensor is positioned so that deformation of the thin portion of the substrate causes a distance between the thin portion of the substrate and the magnetic field sensor to change.

The invention relates to a passive pressure sensor (501) for being introduced into the circulatory system of a human being and for being wirelessly read out by an outside reading system. The pressure sensor comprises a casing (502) with a diffusion blocking layer for maintaining a predetermined pressure within the casing and a magneto-mechanical oscillator with a magnetic object (508) providing a permanent magnetic moment. The magneto-mechanical oscillator transduces an external magnetic or electromagnetic excitation field into a mechanical oscillation of the magnetic object, wherein at least a part of the casing is flexible for allowing to transduce external pressure changes into changes of the mechanical oscillation of the magnetic object. The pressure sensor can be very small and nevertheless provide high quality pressure sensing.

A tracking system for tracking a marker device for being attached to a medical device is provided, whereby the marker device includes a sensing unit comprising a magnetic object which may be excited by an external magnetic or electromagnetic excitation field into a mechanical oscillation of the magnetic object, and the tracking system comprises a field generator for generating a predetermined magnetic or electromagnetic excitation field for inducing mechanical oscillations of the magnetic object, a transducer for transducing a magnetic or electromagnetic field generated by the induced mechanical oscillations of the magnetic object into one or more electrical response signals, and a position determination unit for determining the position of the marker device on the basis of the one or more electrical response signals.