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.

An electric measurement method and apparatus for detecting a mass by an electric capacity (permittivity) or a material's dielectric constant, or alternatively, electric inductance (permeability). The mass may be any phase or combination of phases. The mass may be stationary or flowing. It may comprise discrete particles such as grain, or manufactured products such as ball bearings or threaded fasteners, etc. The mass may be a flow element in a rotameter or similar flow measurement device. The sensor comprises a volume which may be completely full or only partially full of the material. The material may be discrete components or a continuum. Sensor signals may be received by existing planter monitoring systems. In some embodiments the flow sensors are positioned external to the application port. In some embodiments sensors may be utilized which are responsive to the refractive index variation of specific chemicals.

An electric measurement method and apparatus for detecting a mass by an electric capacity (permittivity) or a material's dielectric constant, or alternatively, electric inductance (permeability). The mass may be any phase or combination of phases. The mass may be stationary or flowing. It may comprise discrete particles such as grain, or manufactured products such as ball bearings or threaded fasteners, etc. The mass may be a flow element in a rotameter or similar flow measurement device. The sensor comprises a volume which may be completely full or only partially full of the material. The material may be discrete components or a continuum. Sensor signals may be received by existing planter monitoring systems. In some embodiments the flow sensors are positioned external to the application port. In some embodiments sensors may be utilized which are responsive to the refractive index variation of specific chemicals.

A specific conductivity measurement method includes: performing first measurement to obtain a resonance frequency f.sub.1 that is outputted to a measuring device when the first and second dielectric flat plates each have a thickness t.sub.1, and an unloaded Q.sub.u1 that corresponds to the resonance frequency f.sub.1; performing second measurement to obtain a resonance frequency f.sub.2 that is outputted to the measuring device when the first and second dielectric flat plates each have a thickness t.sub.2 that is different from the thickness t.sub.1, and an unloaded Q.sub.u2 that corresponds to the resonance frequency f.sub.2; and calculating a specific conductivity .sub.r of the copper foil and the first and second conductor flat plates based on an arithmetic equation that includes the resonance frequency the unloaded Q.sub.u1, the resonance frequency f.sub.2, and the unloaded Q.sub.u2.

The method comprises the steps of: first, providing a sensor, the sensor consisting of a group of PCB copper foils; second, providing a depth detection signal Ftest which can change the detection frequency along with the change in detection depth, and applying the depth detection signal Ftest to the big and small polar plates of the sensor in the step S01 to form an electromagnetic field between the big polar plate and the small polar plates; third, providing a self-calibration signal Fcal acting on the big polar plate, to adjust a phase difference between the big polar plate and the small polar plates, thereby improving the detection sensitivity; and finally, performing shaping and phase comparison on signals output from the big and small polar plates driven by the depth detection signal Ftest, and processing signals output after filtering the phase-compared signals to judge the condition of a medium at the current detection depth.

An electric measurement method and apparatus for detecting a mass by an electric capacity (permittivity) or a material's dielectric constant, or alternatively, electric inductance (permeability). The mass may be any phase or combination of phases. The mass may be stationary or flowing. It may comprise discrete particles such as grain, or manufactured products such as ball bearings or threaded fasteners, etc. The mass may be a flow element in a rotameter or similar flow measurement device. The sensor comprises a volume which may be completely full or only partially full of the material. The material may be discrete components or a continuum. Sensor signals may be received by existing planter monitoring systems. In some embodiments the flow sensors are positioned external to the application port. In some embodiments sensors may be utilized which are responsive to the refractive index variation of specific chemicals.

A near-field capacitive data communication system that uses a variable capacitive device such as a PIN diode to change the capacitance of a conductive plate in response to either a high or low data signal. A detector attached to a second conductive plate that is in proximity to the first conductive plate measures the capacitance of the first conductive plate and outputs a corresponding data signal. The technique is wireless, since the two conductive plates are not in electrical contact with one-another, but rather share their static electric fields. A microcontroller can act as a detector by baselining the capacitance of the first conductive plate when its capacitance is in the low capacitance state. The technique is ideal for communication between a pair of toys that can be brought in close proximity to one-another. Since no radio frequencies are used, no special testing or governmental electromagnetic compatibility rules apply.

The method comprises the steps of: first, providing a sensor, the sensor consisting of a group of PCB copper foils; second, providing a depth detection signal Ftest which can change the detection frequency along with the change in detection depth, and applying the depth detection signal Ftest to the big and small polar plates of the sensor in the step S01 to form an electromagnetic field between the big polar plate and the small polar plates; third, providing a self-calibration signal Fcal acting on the big polar plate, to adjust a phase difference between the big polar plate and the small polar plates, thereby improving the detection sensitivity; and finally, performing shaping and phase comparison on signals output from the big and small polar plates driven by the depth detection signal Ftest, and processing signals output after filtering the phase-compared signals to judge the condition of a medium at the current detection depth.

A device implementing antennas transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves for measuring the bulk dielectric properties of a material under test having over a pre-defined surface area. The sample of the material under test might be cylindrical in shape. The device includes a spacer of known dielectric properties and geometries, placed between the material under test and the transmitting and receiving antennas, as well as at least one plate of a material having known electromagnetic properties placed below the material under test.

A dielectric constant microscope to observe a shape of a micro organic specimen includes first and second insulating films that are disposed to oppose each other such that the organic specimen along with the solution is interposed therebetween, and application-side conductive films P1 to Pn (where n is an integer greater than 1). The application-side conductive films are separated from each other on an outward surface of the first insulating film. Additionally, the dielectric constant microscope includes measurement-side conductive films p1 to pm (where m is an integer greater than 1) that are separated from each other on an outward surface of the second insulating film. Input signals Sf1 to Sfn having potential change at different frequencies are applied to the application-side conductive films P1 to Pn, potential change is measured for each of the measurement-side conductive films p1 to pm, and the organic specimen is visualized from a dielectric constant distribution between the first and second insulating films obtained by separating the potential change depending on the frequencies.