A method is described for determining the resistance temperature characteristic of a ceramic glow plug, wherein the glow plug is heated at a specified power, wherein before the heating it is first determined whether the glow plug is an aged glow plug, and then, if the glow plug has not been detected as an aged glow plug, the glow plug is heated at a first specified power and the resistance value thereby achieved is assigned to a temperature that is anticipated to be the final temperature when heating a factory-outlet glow plug at this first power, or if the glow plug has been detected as an aged glow plug, the glow plug is heated at a reduced power which is smaller than the first power, and the resistance value achieved thereby is assigned to the same temperature that is also anticipated when heating a factory-outlet glow plug at the first power.

According to one embodiment, an electronic circuit includes: a current supply circuit, a detection circuit, a timing generation circuit, a sample hold circuit and a calculation circuit. The current supply circuit supplies a sine wave current for measurement to a gate terminal of a semiconductor switching device. The detection circuit detects a sine wave voltage generated in response to supply of the sine wave current to generate a detection signal. The timing generation circuit counts cycles of the sine wave voltage. The sample hold circuit samples the detection signal at a timing depending on a count value of the timing generation circuit. The calculation circuit calculates a gate resistance of the semiconductor switching device based on the sampled voltage.

A level sensing controller includes a signal generator circuit to generate an excitation signal. The controller also includes a connection to route an inverse of the excitation signal to a first polar electrode of a first capacitor. The first polar electrode is coupled to a container to hold liquid. The controller also includes a connection to route the excitation signal to a second polar electrode of a second capacitor. The second positive polar electrode is coupled to the container. The controller also includes a connection to a sense electrode to form the first capacitor with the first polar electrode and to form the second capacitor with the second polar electrode. The controller also includes a measurement circuit configured to measure charge at sensing electrode and determine, based on the measured charge, whether a liquid in the container has reached a level of the second polar electrode.

A method of determining stress within a composite structure is provided which includes coupling a sensor to a composite structure under load having embedded therein a plurality of particles, wherein the particles at room temperature are paraelectric or ferroelectric, transmitting an electromagnetic radiation to the sensor, thereby generating an electromagnetic field into the composite structure, sweeping frequency from a first frequency to a second frequency in a pulsed manner, receiving reflected power from the composite structure, determining the resonance frequency of the sensor, and translating the resonance frequency of the sensor to stress within the composite structure.

A supply tube assembly for measuring a liquid agricultural product application rate. An upstream portion of a supply tube has an upstream portion outlet end. A downstream portion has a downstream portion inlet end. The sensor body assembly includes a sensor body, a first sensing plate, and a second sensing plate. The sensor body has a sensor inlet end positioned to receive an inlet flow of the liquid agricultural product from the upstream portion and a sensor outlet end positioned to receive an outlet flow of the liquid agricultural product. The sensor body is an enclosure having a cross sectional area larger than the cross sectional area of the upstream portion of the supply tube and the downstream portion of the supply tube. Electronic components are configured to measure the liquid agricultural product application rate between the first sensing plate and the second sensing plate.

A high-frequency-based measuring device for determining a dielectric constant of a medium comprises a signal-generating unit for coupling an electrical high-frequency signal into a transmitting electrode located in the medium, the transmitting electrode having a depth of at most one quarter of the wavelength of the high-frequency signal; a receiving electrode likewise located in the medium and located a distance from the transmitting electrode of at most one quarter of the wavelength of the high-frequency signal, for receiving the high-frequency signal after the same has passed through the medium; and an evaluation unit designed to determine the dielectric constant on the basis of the received high-frequency signal.

A supply tube assembly for measuring a liquid agricultural product application rate. An upstream portion of a supply tube has an upstream portion outlet end. A downstream portion has a downstream portion inlet end. The sensor body assembly includes a sensor body, a first sensing plate, and a second sensing plate. The sensor body has a sensor inlet end positioned to receive an inlet flow of the liquid agricultural product from the upstream portion and a sensor outlet end positioned to receive an outlet flow of the liquid agricultural product. The sensor body is an enclosure having a cross sectional area larger than the cross sectional area of the upstream portion of the supply tube and the downstream portion of the supply tube. Electronic components are configured to measure the liquid agricultural product application rate between the first sensing plate and the second sensing plate.

The invention provides a semiconductor testkey pattern, the semiconductor testkey pattern includes a high density device region and a plurality of resistor pairs surrounding the high density device region, wherein each resistor pair includes two mutually symmetrical resistor patterns.

A flow sensor apparatus for monitoring a directed stream of an agricultural product from an application port of a supply tube. The directed stream has a target directed portion and an off-target portion. A sensor housing includes a conical flow receiving element and a sensor body. The receiving element has an inlet orifice at a first end and a receiving element outlet at a second end. The first end is smaller than the second end. The sensor body has a sensor inlet end positioned to receive a target directed portion of the directed stream from the receiving element outlet of the conical flow receiving element wherein an off-target portion of the directed stream is not sensed. The sensor housing and sensor element are positioned external to the application port and thus positioned to provide measurement, targeting, and timing of the agricultural product.

A sensor assembly for use in synchronizing seed placement and the dispensing of liquid agricultural product during planting. The sensor assembly includes a signal conditioning circuit configured to provide an output signal representing an indication of the presence of liquid agricultural product and seed for use in determining the synchronization of the seed placement with the dispensing of the liquid agricultural product. The presence of both a seed mass component and a liquid mass component of the output signal defines a package mass. The output signal has a pre-defined value and is transmitted to a controller to determine whether there is an error. The controller is configured to generate an error signal that is capable of being displayable on a remote display/user interface system that can be monitored by the system operator.