This invention presents a new packaging technique that allows for the use of a wider range of isolating materials for inductive conductivity sensors, thereby significantly reducing the cost of producing the sensors, improving their precision and accuracy, and increasing their sensitivity.

Soil moisture monitoring systems and methods for measuring mutual inductance of area of influence using radio frequency stimulus are disclosed herein. An example device includes a master element stacked vertically on top of one or more slave elements. The master element and slave elements can communicate through a 1-wire bus configuration. The master element can determine the presence and location of each of the one or more slave elements using an auto-discovery process. The master element can issue commands to the one or more slave elements to obtain moisture readings and/or temperature readings.

A flexural-rigidity measuring apparatus includes an ultrasonic device including an oscillating unit that oscillates an ultrasonic wave toward a sheet and a receiving unit that receives the ultrasonic wave that has passed through the sheet, an electromagnetic induction device including an electromagnetic induction unit that generates electromagnetic induction with respect to a sheet, and a near-infrared spectroscopic device including a light-emitting unit that emits near-infrared light toward a sheet and a light-receiving unit that receives the near-infrared light that has passed through the sheet.

Systems, device and methods are provided for measuring parameters of a medium such as the dielectric properties of a medium including a plurality of layers, using an array of sensors. The array includes at least two transducers and at least one transceiver attached to the at least two transducers, the at least one transceiver being configured to transmit at least one signal toward the medium and receive a plurality of signals affected by the medium; a data acquisition unit and at least one processor unit, configured to: process the affected plurality of signals to yield a plurality of transfer functions wherein each of the plurality of transfer functions including the medium response between two transducers of the at least two transducers as function of frequency or time; process the plurality of transfer functions to yield a plurality of statistical measures, and process the statistical measures to calculate the medium parameters.

A method is disclosed for determining a mechanical-technological characteristic variable of ferromagnetic metals, preferably ferromagnetic steels, and in particular fine-grained steels, which are used in pipelines. A magnetization apparatus, which has at least one permanent magnet or solenoid, magnetizes the metal which is to be determined, and a sensor apparatus comprising a transmission coil generates a magnetic field which interacts with the magnetic field which is generated by the magnetization apparatus in the metal, and which generates an eddy current. The eddy current is generated in the magnetically at least substantially saturated metal, and the eddy current is measured by an eddy current sensor of the sensor apparatus. A magnetic field strength sensor measures the magnetic field of the metal at least close to the surface, and the electrical conductivity or the specific electrical resistance of the metal is ascertained from the data from the eddy current sensor on the basis of reference data by means of an evaluation apparatus. The characteristic variable of the metal is derived from the conductivity or the resistance, and also an inspection gauge for carrying out a method of this kind.

An inductive-capacitive resonant sensor architecture includes an inductively-coupled extender (ICE) that can both increase read range and lessen the effects of reader/sensor misalignment. The ICE can include a first coil configured with respect to a resonant sensor and a second coil separated from the first coil and coupled to the first coil by electrical wires. An external reader can be arranged with respect to the second coil. This architecture can nearly eliminate misalignment issues between the external reader and the resonant sensor. The ICE can be implemented with a closed circuit design. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

A method of analyzing minerals received within a mining shovel bucket includes collecting data associated with ore received in the bucket, where the bucket includes at least one active sensor, where the ore includes one or more mineral, and where the ore is within a field of the active sensor. The method further includes determining a content of the minerals using the data, transmitting information relating to the content of the minerals to a decision support system, and sorting or processing the ore based on an output of the decision support system. Collecting data associated with the ores may include generating source signals, applying the source signals to the active sensor, collecting a response from the active sensor, and comparing the response with a reference or threshold. Other features are disclosed.

An inspection system for in situ evaluation of an additive manufacturing (AM) build part is provided. The inspection system comprises a build plane induction coil sensor configured and positionable so that during construction of the build part, the sensor's magnetization and sensor coils surround at least the last-produced layer of the AM build part in the build plane. The inspection system further comprises an energization circuit and a central processing system. The central processing system comprises a communication processor configured for sending command signals to the energization circuit and receiving impedance data from the build plane induction coil sensor, and energization controller configured for determining energization commands for transmission to the energization circuit, and an induction data analyzer configured for processing build part impedance data using complex impedance plane analysis and for identifying anomalies in the AM build part.

Disclosed is a wireless monitoring system for a coal-gangue mixing ratio based on a non-Hermite technology, including a signal generation monitoring device, an excitation coil, a receiving coil and a parallel plate capacitor. The signal generation monitoring device is connected with the excitation coil; the receiving coil is connected with the parallel plate capacitor to form an LC resonance system; the receiving coil is placed in parallel with the excitation coil, and the axis of the receiving coil and the axis of the excitation coil are on a same horizontal line; the signal generation monitoring device is used to generate a pulse current and collect reflected signals; the excitation coil excites an initial magnetic field based on the generated pulse current, and the LC resonance circuit performs an electromagnetic field induction to generate an induced magnetic field, and feeds back the reflected signals to the signal generation monitoring device.

An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a support for a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and an electromagnetic induction monitoring system to generate a magnetic field to monitor a substrate being polished by the polishing pad. The electromagnetic induction monitoring system includes a core and a coil wound around a portion of the core. The core includes a back portion, a center post extending from the back portion in a first direction normal to the polishing surface, and an annular rim extending from the back portion in parallel with the center post and surrounding and spaced apart from the center post by a gap. A width of the gap is less than a width of the center post, and a surface area of a top surface of the annular rim is at least two times greater than a surface area of a top surface of the center post.