The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to technology that provides a method for the assessment of the polymerization of a sample, e.g., whole blood or blood plasma coagulation, by a non-contact acoustic tweezing device via the application of a sweeping frequency to the levitating sample and the corresponding assessment of extracted sample parameters.

An ultrasonic gas flow meter based on FPGA and DSP consists of ultrasonic gas transducers and sensor components, transmitting/receiving signal channel switch circuits, a driving signal generation and amplification circuit, an echo signal conditioning and collection circuit, a time sequential controlling and signal processing circuit, a man-machine interface, a serial communication module and a power management module, propagation time of ultrasonic echo waves is calculated by adopting a variable ratio threshold and zero-crossing detection method of tracking maximum peak of the echo signal to obtain gas flow rates.

An ultrasonic gas flow meter based on FPGA and DSP consists of ultrasonic gas transducers and sensor components, transmitting/receiving signal channel switch circuits, a driving signal generation and amplification circuit, an echo signal conditioning and collection circuit, a time sequential controlling and signal processing circuit, a man-machine interface, a serial communication module and a power management module, propagation time of ultrasonic echo waves is calculated by adopting a variable ratio threshold and zero-crossing detection method of tracking maximum peak of the echo signal to obtain gas flow rates.

Described are an apparatus, computer program product, and associated methods for shaped waveform acoustic interrogation of substances and materials to determine one or more properties of the materials or substances. In some embodiments, a shaped waveform is formed by summing two or more different waveforms and an acoustic wave is generated according to the shaped waveform. The acoustic wave is transmitted by one or more transmitting transducers through the substance or material and received by one or more receiving transducers. The shaped waveform acoustic wave can have a duration or a period that is less than about 20 μs and can comprise predetermined frequency content. Characteristics of the shaped waveform acoustic wave, as received at the receiving transducer(s), including characteristics such as amplitude, frequency, time of flight, etc., can be associated with said one or more properties of the substance or material to provide for real-time monitoring of these properties.

Systems and techniques for measuring process characteristics including electrolyte distribution in a battery cell. A non-destructive method for analyzing a battery cell includes determining acoustic features at two or more locations of the battery cell, the acoustic features based on one or more of acoustic signals travelling through at least one or more portions of the battery cell during one or more points in time or responses to the acoustic signals obtained during one or more points in time, wherein the one or more points in time correspond to one or more stages of electrolyte distribution in the battery cell. One or more characteristics of the battery cell are determined based on the acoustic features at the two or more locations of the battery cell.

The present invention relates to a liquid information sensor comprises at least more than one electrode set including a first electrode, and a second electrode which is disposed spaced apart from the first electrode and to which an alternating current signal is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a ferroelectric layer including a first side in contact with the first electrode and the second electrode and a second side facing the first side and defining a receiving area for receiving the target liquid, and generating sound waves by physical vibration when the AC signal is applied.

An apparatus and method for detecting an initial lubrication of a moving component including an ultrasonic sensor for detecting an ultrasonic output signal from the moving component and a processor for operating on the output signal. The processor determines if there has been an initiation of a lubrication operation. After identifying the initiation of the lubrication operation, the processor monitors the ultrasonic output signal received from the ultrasonic sensor to detect a momentary increase in the amplitude of the ultrasonic output signal above a level that indicates a need for lubrication, and which is indicative of an initial interaction between a lubricant and the moving component. Upon detecting the momentary increase in the amplitude, the processor tracks a progress of the lubrication operation by detecting for a sustained decrease in the amplitude of the ultrasonic output signal received from the ultrasonic sensor.

An apparatus and method for detecting an initial lubrication of a moving component including an ultrasonic sensor for detecting an ultrasonic output signal from the moving component and a processor for operating on the output signal. The processor determines if there has been an initiation of a lubrication operation. After identifying the initiation of the lubrication operation, the processor monitors the ultrasonic output signal received from the ultrasonic sensor to detect a momentary increase in the amplitude of the ultrasonic output signal above a level that indicates a need for lubrication, and which is indicative of an initial interaction between a lubricant and the moving component. Upon detecting the momentary increase in the amplitude, the processor tracks a progress of the lubrication operation by detecting for a sustained decrease in the amplitude of the ultrasonic output signal received from the ultrasonic sensor.

A fluid flow system and a method for detecting air bubble and liquid are provided. The fluid flow system comprises a force sensor configured to monitor at least one of an air bubble or an occlusion in a flow tube. The fluid flow system comprises a controller to execute the method. The controller is configured to monitor an output signal of a force sensor of the fluid flow system, and the output signal comprises an Alternating Current (AC) component and a Direct Current (DC) component, and detect a change in the output signal to a new output signal based on a number of transitions to the new output signal, and a time duration of the new output signal. The controller compares the change in the output signal with one of a predefined number of transitions or a predefined time and determines a new threshold when the change in the output signal exceeds one of the predefined number of transitions or the predefined time.

A fluid flow system and a method for detecting air bubble and liquid are provided. The fluid flow system comprises a force sensor configured to monitor at least one of an air bubble or an occlusion in a flow tube. The fluid flow system comprises a controller to execute the method. The controller is configured to monitor an output signal of a force sensor of the fluid flow system, and the output signal comprises an Alternating Current (AC) component and a Direct Current (DC) component, and detect a change in the output signal to a new output signal based on a number of transitions to the new output signal, and a time duration of the new output signal. The controller compares the change in the output signal with one of a predefined number of transitions or a predefined time and determines a new threshold when the change in the output signal exceeds one of the predefined number of transitions or the predefined time.