A sensor system for determining a condition associated with a piston rod of a reciprocating system includes an interrogator system having a first antenna. The sensor system further includes a second antenna separated from the first antenna by an air gap distance. The second antenna is configured to be coupled to the piston rod of the reciprocating system. The second antenna is a patch antenna and is configured to communicate with the first antenna through a range of translational movement relative to the first antenna. The sensor system further includes a radio frequency sensor coupled to the second antenna. The radio frequency sensor is configured to be coupled to the piston rod of the reciprocating system, measure a characteristic associated with the piston rod of the reciprocating system, and transmit data associated with the characteristic to the first antenna of the interrogator system through the second antenna.

A pump including one or more pumping chambers, one or more drive mechanisms for driving the one or more pumping chambers and a logic arrangement. The first pumping chamber of the one or more pumping chambers has a first inlet check valve, a first outlet check valve and a first temperature sensor. The logic arrangement is configured to identify a leak by applying logic to at least resistance-data indicative of a resistance of the first pumping chamber to the driving and temperature-data at least based on output from the first temperature sensor.

An electrical pressure control load sense system having a pump connected inline to an operator control spool valve and a compensation circuit. The system also has a plurality of sensors, at least one pressure transducer, a micro-processor, a fixed orifice, a proportional pressure relief valve, and a swashplate angle sensor.

A pump including one or more pumping chambers, one or more drive mechanisms for driving the one or more pumping chambers and a logic arrangement. The first pumping chamber of the one or more pumping chambers has a first inlet check valve, a first outlet check valve and a first temperature sensor. The logic arrangement is configured to identify a leak by applying logic to at least resistance-data indicative of a resistance of the first pumping chamber to the driving and temperature-data at least based on output from the first temperature sensor.

A linear peristaltic pump can include an anvil, a first piston and a second piston. The anvil supports a flexible conduit having a first cavity and a second cavity. The first piston pumps a fluid through the first cavity by repeatedly moving through a first sequence that includes a first cavity filling phase and a first cavity emptying phase. The second piston pumps the fluid through the second cavity by repeatedly moving through a second sequence that includes a second cavity full phase, a second cavity emptying phase that pushes the fluid into the first cavity, a second cavity empty phase that prevents the fluid from flowing into the second cavity, and a second cavity filling phase. The first piston and the second piston may compress the flexible conduit by pressing the flexible conduit against the anvil. The first sequence is a two phase sequence.

The invention relates to a metering pump, for example, for a pipetting apparatus in an automated analysis machine, and to a method for checking the functionality thereof.

A sensor system for determining a condition associated with a piston rod of a reciprocating system includes an interrogator system having a first antenna. The sensor system further includes a second antenna separated from the first antenna by an air gap distance. The second antenna is configured to be coupled to the piston rod of the reciprocating system. The second antenna is a patch antenna and is configured to communicate with the first antenna through a range of translational movement relative to the first antenna. The sensor system further includes a radio frequency sensor coupled to the second antenna. The radio frequency sensor is configured to be coupled to the piston rod of the reciprocating system, measure a characteristic associated with the piston rod of the reciprocating system, and transmit data associated with the characteristic to the first antenna of the interrogator system through the second antenna.

Disclosed is, inter alia, a thick matter distributor mast (18) for distributing a thick matter to be conveyed by means of a thick matter pump (16), having a slewing gear (19) which can be rotated around a vertical axis at a maximum rotating speed; a mast assembly (40) having at least a first mast arm (41) and a second mast arm (42), wherein the first mast arm (41) is connected to the slewing gear (19) at a proximal end of the mast assembly (40), and wherein the mast arms (41, 42) each have a maximum operating range; a conveying line (17) which extends across the mast assembly (40) and comprises a proximal end, which is connectable to an outlet (28) of a thick matter pump, and a distal end, wherein the distal end of the conveying line (17) transitions to an end hose (45) at a distal end of the mast assembly (40); a receiver unit (11) for receiving at least one item of operational information; a processing unit (12) for determining a currently permissible operating range of the first mast arm (41) and the second mast arm (42) respectively and/or for determining a currently permissible slewing gear speed, each depending on the at least one received item of operational information; and a control unit (13) for limiting the operating range of the corresponding mast arm (41, 42) to the respective currently permissible operating range if one of the determined currently permissible operating ranges of the first mast arm (41) and the second mast arm (42) is smaller than or equal to the respective maximum operating range, and/or to limit the rotating speed of the slewing gear (19) if the determined currently permissible rotating speed is less than or equal to the maximum rotating speed.

The invention relates to a metering pump, for example, for a pipetting apparatus in an automated analysis machine, and to a method for checking the functionality thereof.

A pumping unit for a machine to distribute concrete includes a pair of cylinders provided with a relative pumping piston movable linearly for a determinate travel to feed the concrete to a determinate circuit to distribute the concrete; and a hydraulic command circuit operatively connected to both the cylinders, to determine an alternate pumping movement of the relative pumping pistons. The pumping unit includes at least a sensor member operatively associated to at least one of the cylinders in order to detect point-by-point one or more data relating to the operating condition of the pumping piston during its movement for the whole travel. The data includes at least one of position, speed, stress and direction of movement of the relative piston.