The invention includes a device for determining the moisture or conductivity of a medium in a container. A measurement probe is plunged into the medium and consists of a conductive material, a conductive rod, and a first feed-through component designed such that the conductive rod can be fastened to an electrically conductive wall or holder. A rod of a non-conductive material and a second feed-through component are provided, where the non-conductive rod can be fastened to the wall, the conductive rod and the non-conductive rod are dimensioned and oriented that the measurement probe is oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container and a signal-processing unit designed such that high-frequency measurement signals are conducted via the measurement line to the measurement probe and that the moisture or the conductivity of the medium is determined by means of a TDR method.

The invention relates to the field of soil analysis, in particular the technical analysis of agricultural or horticultural soils. In particular, the invention relates to a sensor device for in situ soil analysis, to a method for in situ soil analysis, and to a device set up for carrying out the soil analysis method, wherein said device, together and in interaction with one or more of said sensor devices, represents a system for in situ soil analysis. The sensor device has a sensor assembly comprising one or more sensors which are configured individually or cumulatively for the simultaneous in situ measurement of at least two of the following soil properties of a soil to be analyzed and for providing corresponding respective measurement data: (a) impedance spectrum, (b) temperature, (c) absorption spectrum NIR-VIS-UV in a spectral range from NIR (near infrared spectral range) to UV (ultraviolet spectral range), and (d) acidic or basic character, in particular pH value. In this case, the distance between in each case two of the sensors of the sensor assembly, which is defined with respect to the respective measurement variable sensors, does not exceed a value of 10 cm.

Embodiments of an invention disclosed herein relate to methods for performing formation evaluation of a formation or formation's surrounding to identify and characterize the abundance and morphology of non-ionic conductor grains, “c-grains”, within the formations that are evaluated by formation evaluation (FE) tools. The methods and related systems as disclosed herein are directed to correcting any existing FE logs that can be adversely affected by the presence of c-grains in the detection volume of FE tools, and/or obtaining new FE information that is unavailable by the application of existing FE methods.

Sensor systems, sensors, and methods for detecting a presence and a phase of a medium on a surface are described. The sensor system has a power source providing a voltage; a sensing element in electrical communication with the power source, the sensing element including: two electrodes, wherein a gap is defined between the two electrodes, and a temperature measurement device disposed between the two electrodes; a fixed resistor in electrical communication with the power source and the sensing element; and a data acquisition system in electrical communication with the power source, the sensing element, and the fixed resistor. The sensor system measures the electrical resistance of the medium, and the temperature of the surface, and identifies the phase of the medium.

Arrangement for detecting water in a material flow during drilling, wherein the arrangement includes a control unit, a data acquisition unit and a sensor, wherein the sensor includes at least two probes, wherein the at least two probes are to be arranged in contact with the material flow and are connected to a programmable voltage source and a programmable voltage receiver. The arrangement is configured tomeasure a ratio between a received voltage waveform and an applied voltage waveform for a set of pre-determined frequencies; determine a complex impedance between the at least two probes for each of the pre-determined frequencies, based on the measured ratio; and determine a set of time mean values of the determined complex impedance for each of the pre-determined frequencies, using a time window.

A sensor for detecting electrically conductive and/or polarizable particles, in particular for detecting soot particles, includes a substrate and at least two electrode layers, a first electrode layer and at least one second electrode layer, which is arranged between the substrate and the first electrode layer. At least one insulation layer is formed between the first electrode layer and the at least one second electrode layer and at least one opening is formed in both the first electrode layer and the at least one insulation layer. At least some sections of the opening in the first electrode layer and of the opening in the insulation layer are arranged one above the other, such that at least one passage is formed to the second electrode layer.

A sensor system and process that utilizes impedance/conductivity measurements to track the movement of hardness in an ion exchange media. The impedance/conductivity sensor is a vertical, longitudinally directed, axially lengthwise electrode system having electrodes placed within a bed of ion exchange material and separated by water and the ion exchange material. The electrodes generally run parallel to one another. Hard water is introduced to the water softener and softened by the ion exchange material. A hardness gradient is tracked by the sensor, and regeneration is initiated when it is determined that the ion exchange material is depleted or exhausted.

One aspect relates to a soot sensor for detecting electrically conductive and/or polarizable particles, including a substrate, an electrode layer that is formed on the substrate and that includes at least two spatially separated electrodes that engage into each other. At least one cover layer is formed on the side of the electrode layer facing away from the substrate. Multiple openings are formed in the cover layer, the openings at least partially exposing a surface of one electrode of the at least two electrodes.

A mobile platform structured and operable to perform: in-field phenotype and/or genotype data acquisition; image data acquisition; tissue sampling; selection and/or counting of plants growing in a plot; plant height measurement; product and treatment application to plants growing in the plot (e.g., prescriptive and localized insecticide products); sampling of soil where such plants are growing; removal of weeds in such plots; and real-time analysis of all such data and/or samples acquired/collected. Additionally, when combined with location positioning technology and path planning, such a vehicle is further structured and operable to re-enter a field numerous times throughout a season to accurately and repeatably monitor growing conditions, plant response or prescriptive application of a product.

A device (1), for measuring an amount of dirt (50), comprising: a receiver (2) for receiving a sample collector (40), with a dirt sample attached to the front surface (42); a first (11) and second (12) contact; an electrically conductive surface (14); an aligner (20) for positioning the electrically conductive surface (14) in contact with the back surface (44) of the received sample collector (40); and a resistance meter (30) configured to measure an electrical resistance between the first (11) and second contact (12), wherein, when the first (11) and second contact (12) are placed in contact with the front surface (42) and the electrically conductive surface (14) is placed in contact with the back surface (44), the measured electrical resistance between the first (11) and second contact (12) represents the amount of dirt (50) of the dirt sample between the first (11) and second contact (12).