A sensor includes a first sensing element configured to sense a parameter and generate a first sensing element output signal indicative of the parameter, a first front end element configured to receive the first sensing element output signal and to generate a first front end signal, a second sensing element configured to sense the parameter and generate a second sensing element output signal indicative of the parameter, a second front end element configured to receive the second sensing element output signal and to generate a second front end signal, a difference block configured to receive the first and second front end signals and generate a difference signal indicative of a difference between the first and second front end signals, an absolute value block configured to receive the difference signal and generate an absolute difference signal indicative of an absolute value of the difference signal, and an offset comparator configured to compare the absolute difference signal to an offset threshold to detect whether a difference between an offset associated with the first front end signal and an offset associated with the second front end signal is within a predetermined tolerance.

A signal processing circuit includes a correction function determination section for performing correction function determination processing, and a correction processing section for performing correction processing. The correction processing is to correct first and second detection signals by using a correction function to thereby generate first and second corrected signals. The correction function is expressed as a coefficient matrix for converting a first column vector containing the first and second detection signals as elements into a second column vector containing the first and second corrected signals as elements. The correction function determination processing includes performing arithmetic processing using a plurality of pairs of values of the first and second detection signals to determine one or two provisional correction coefficients as the correction coefficients of the correction function.

A kitchen device (100) having: a base (110) with a coupling (120) for receiving an accessory (130), the accessory (130) comprising a magnet and being configured for performing an operation when operated by the kitchen device (100); a controller configured to operate the kitchen device (100), and thereby the accessory (130), to perform the operation; and a magnetometer located in the base (110) and configured to interact with the magnet when the accessory (130) is coupled to the base (110) to provide an accessory signal indicative of a presence of the accessory (130) to the controller, wherein the magnetometer comprises a magnetoresistor.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a magnetic sensor includes a first element part. The first element part includes a first magnetic element, first and s second structures, a first magnetic member, and a second magnetic member. A direction from the first magnetic layer toward the first counter magnetic layer is along a first direction. The first structure includes a first side magnetic layer. The second structure includes a second side magnetic layer. The first magnetic element is between the first structure and the second structure in a second direction crossing the first direction. The first magnetic element is separated from the first side magnetic layer and the second side magnetic layer. A direction from the first side magnetic layer toward the first magnetic member is along the first direction. A direction from the second side magnetic layer toward the second magnetic member is along the first direction.

A signal separating apparatus includes circuitry to separate a signal of interest and other signal other than the signal of interest from each other in accordance with spatial information on a plurality of sensors installed at locations different from each other. The circuitry sets a parameter based on a spread of a subspace of the signal of interest, determines a degree of separation that serves as an index indicative of whether the set parameter is appropriate, and separates the signal of interest and the other signal from each other using the degree of separation.

A system and method that can automatically select a frequency of a magnetic field in a magnetic tracking system. A magnetic tracking system emits an alternating magnetic field using a set of three frequencies. In the present approach, a transmitter is capable of generating multiple sets of three frequencies. A processor selects a first set of frequencies to use and causes the receiver to measure the amplitude of the magnetic field at those frequencies. In one embodiment, the frequency set having the lowest energy is selected. The processor then compares an estimated jitter at those frequencies to the actual jitter experienced using the frequencies. If the actual jitter exceeds the estimated jitter by a predetermined amount, the processor switches to a different set of frequencies and causes the receiver to measure the magnetic field at the new set of frequencies. The process may repeat using the additional sets of frequencies.

A radio frequency coil apparatus according to an embodiment is a radio frequency coil apparatus to be disposed in a bore of a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and including processing circuitry. The processing circuitry acquires a nuclear magnetic resonance signal generated from a subject placed in the bore. The processing circuitry supplies voltage to a constituent component of the radio frequency coil apparatus by using a switching regulator and a linear regulator. The processing circuitry selectively drives the switching regulator and the linear regulator based on an imaging sequence of the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus. The processing circuitry drives the linear regulator in a first duration including a duration in which the nuclear magnetic resonance signal is acquired, and drives the switching regulator in a second duration other than the first duration.

A surgical locator circuit identifies a surgical target such as a kidney stone by disposing an emitter such as a magnetic source behind or adjacent the surgical target, and employing the circuit to identify an axis to the emitter, thus defining an axis or path to the surgical target. An array of sensors arranged in an equidistant, coplanar arrangement each senses a signal indicative of a distance to the emitter. A magneto resistor sensor generates a variable resistance is responsive to the distance to a magnetic coil emitting a magnetic field. An equal signal from each of the coplanar sensors indicates positioning on an axis passing through a point central to the sensors and orthogonal to the plane. A fixed element and signal conditioner augments and normalizes the signal received from each of the sensors to accommodate subtle differences in magneto resistive response among the plurality of sensors.

A metal detection apparatus that can accurately and automatically determine whether a metal passing through the inspection area is a magnetic or non-magnetic metal comprises a detection unit quadrature-detecting a differential detection signal of magnetic field fluctuation in the inspection area due to the passage of a workpiece, and a determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a mixed metal based on both fluctuation components after the detection. The determination unit compares sample signal phase data obtained beforehand from the detection signal of the magnetic field fluctuation in the inspection area due to the passage of various metal samples, with the signal phase data obtained from the detection signal of the magnetic field fluctuation in the inspection area due to the passage of the workpiece mixed with metal, and determines the type of metal passing through the inspection area based on the phase determination result.

Adjusting of calibration parameters for a sensor. The adjusted calibration parameters may be used to correct the raw data of the sensor. It is provided to calculate new calibration parameters only when accuracy of the calibration parameters currently available is no longer adequate, and suitable measurement data are available for a recalibration of the sensor. Otherwise, the components necessary for calibrating the sensor data may be deactivated in order to reduce energy consumption.