A detection system 1 contains a sensing device 10 including a vibration unit 11 for applying vibration to the inspection target 100, the vibration unit 11 attached to the inspection target 100, a driving circuit 12 for supplying an electric signal to the vibration unit 11 for driving the vibration unit 11 and a sensor 13 for detecting vibration of the inspection target 100 caused by the vibration applied from the vibration unit 11; and a detection processing device 20 for receiving vibration information related to the vibration of the inspection target 100 detected by the sensor 13 from the sensing device 10 and detecting the state change of the inspection target 100 based on the vibration information. The vibration unit 11 includes a coil 112, a spring 113, and a magnet 114b.

A method and an apparatus for detecting a modification of a compound, the modification occurring during a transient period. The method may include: coupling at least one substance portion comprising ferro elastic material to a compound, the substance portion being configured to change a polarization level thereof continuously in response to a strain gradient applied thereto over the a transient period which results in said modification; sensing a physical property of said substance portion affected by the polarization level of the substance portion, due to the modification; and determining, using a computer processor, the modification, based on the sensed physical property of the substance portion.

Systems and methods of determining physical conditions of a battery, such as state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), quality of construction, defect, or failure state include driving two or more acoustic signals of two or more amplitudes, each acoustic signal having two or more frequencies, into the battery and detecting vibrations generated in the battery based on the two or more acoustic signals. Nonlinear response characteristics of the battery for the two or more acoustic signals are determined from the detected vibrations. The physical conditions of the battery are determined based at least in part on the nonlinear response characteristics, using nonlinear acoustic resonance spectroscopy (NARS) or nonlinear resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (NRUS).

A device for estimating a mechanical property of a sample is disclosed herein. The device may include a chamber configured to hold the sample; a transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of waveforms, including at least one forcing waveform; and a transducer assembly operatively connected to the transmitter and configured to transform the transmit waveforms into ultrasound waveforms. The transducer assembly can also transmit and receive ultrasound waveforms into and out of the chamber, as well as transform at least two received ultrasound waveforms into received electrical waveforms. The device also includes a data processor that can receive the received electrical waveforms; estimate a difference in the received electrical waveforms that results at least partially from movement of the sample; and estimate a mechanical property of the sample by comparing at least one feature of the estimated difference to at least one predicted feature, wherein the at least one predicted feature is based on a model of an effect of the chamber wall. Finally, the device can also include a controller configured to control the timing of the ultrasound transmitter and data processor.

There is provided a method that includes (a) controlling a vibrator to produce an acoustic wave in accordance with a signal that includes (i) an on-time during which a packet of pulses is generated, followed by (ii) an off-time during which no pulses are generated, and thus includes (iii) a frequency component, (b) receiving an electrical representation of the acoustic wave that has been detected from a body of water that is being frozen on a structure, (c) extracting, from the electrical representation, (i) the frequency component, and (ii) a magnitude of the frequency component, (d) recognizing that the magnitude of the frequency component exceeds a threshold value, thus yielding a recognition, and (e) issuing a command to remove the body of water from the structure, in response to the recognition. There is also provided a system that employs the method, and a storage device containing instructions for the method.

There is provided a method that includes (a) controlling a vibrator to produce an acoustic wave in accordance with a signal that includes (i) an on-time during which a packet of pulses is generated, followed by (ii) an off-time during which no pulses are generated, and thus includes (iii) a frequency component, (b) receiving an electrical representation of the acoustic wave that has been detected from a body of water that is being frozen on a structure, (c) extracting, from the electrical representation, (i) the frequency component, and (ii) a magnitude of the frequency component, (d) recognizing that the magnitude of the frequency component exceeds a threshold value, thus yielding a recognition, and (e) issuing a command to remove the body of water from the structure, in response to the recognition. There is also provided a system that employs the method, and a storage device containing instructions for the method.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a transport belt, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and a controller. The transport belt transports the recording sheet. The optical sensor emits light to the transport belt, and receives the light reflected by the transport belt. The ultrasonic sensor transmits ultrasonic wave to the transport belt, and receives the ultrasonic wave transmitted through the transport belt. The controller decides whether an output from each of the optical sensor and the ultrasonic sensor represents a normal value or an abnormal value, and executes predetermined control, depending on a combination of decision results about the respective outputs from the optical sensor and the ultrasonic sensor.

The present invention relates to a device for continuous monitoring and improved automatic control of temperature, and of aeration-oxygenation, of the process of alcoholic fermentation in wine by means of acoustic emission techniques (D1), of the type of devices that incorporate means for tracking and controlling alcoholic fermentation in a self-emptying fermentation tank (0), and that mainly consists of: a. an instrumentation subsystem (1); b. an acoustic emission instrumentation subsystem (2); c. a gas processing and storage subsystem for the gases of air, CO.sub.2, N.sub.2 or O.sub.2 (3); d. a control subsystem (4); and a method (P1) that uses the system (D1).

A device for measuring at least one parameter of a treatment fluid in a surface treatment system, having an acoustic surface wave measurement device, which has a measurement chamber, which delimits a measurement volume for the treatment fluid, and converters for acoustic surface waves, which are arranged on the measurement chamber, and is designed to provide at least one measurement output signal, which is dependent on the current state of the treatment fluid in the measurement volume, using the converters. The device has an evaluation unit having a time progression recording device which is designed to record the temporal progression of the at least one measurement output signal of the acoustic surface wave measurement device, and a parameter determination device, which is designed to determine the value of the at least one parameter to be measured from the recorded temporal progression of the measurement output signal of the acoustic surface wave measurement device.

There are provided an analyte sensor and an analyte sensing method which provide measurements in a wide phase range, a reduction in size, and lowering of current consumption. That is, in an analyte sensor and an analyte sensing method, a detection element (110) which outputs a detection signal in accordance with a change in mass in a detection portion (111) and a reference element (120) which outputs a reference signal in accordance with a change in mass in a reference portion (121) are provided, a phase change value is determined from the detection signal and the reference signal by heterodyne system, and an amount of detection of a target is calculated.