| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080209911 | Combination engines for aircraft - An engine combination for generating forces with a gas turbine engine generating force, and an internal combustion engine provided in the combination as an intermittent combustion engine generating force having an air intake, there being an air transfer duct connected from a compressor in the gas turbine engine to the air intake to transfer compressed air thereto. | 09-04-2008 |
| 20080277533 | Aircraft combination engines inlet airflow control system - A power generation system for propelling, and generating electrical power in, an aircraft, having a gas turbine engine in an engine compartment in the aircraft with an air inlet in the aircraft that is curved along its extent in leading to an air compressor in the gas turbine engine having a compressor air transfer duct extending therefrom to an internal combustion engine provided as an intermittent combustion engine at an air intake thereof. An inlet duct manifold is positioned against the duct wall of the inlet duct to cover a perforated portion thereof on the air compressor side of a curve therein with the inlet duct manifold having an inlet air transfer duct extending therefrom that is coupled to the intermittent combustion engine air intake. | 11-13-2008 |
| 20080277944 | Aircraft combination engines complemental connection and operation - A power generation system for propelling, and generating electrical power in, an aircraft, using a gas turbine engine coupled to a turbine starter/generator unit having therein an electrical machine capable of being selected to be alternatively a motor and an electrical power generator and having a coupling shaft extending therefrom to be engaged with the air compressor in the gas turbine engine and further having an interconnection conductor for electrical energization. An internal combustion engine provided as an intermittent combustion engine in the aircraft has an air intake coupled through an air transfer duct connected to the air compressor to allow the transfer of compressed air thereto, and has in connection therewith a supply starter/generator unit with a coupling shaft extending therefrom to be engaged with the intermittent combustion engine power shaft. An interconnection conductor therein for electrical energization is electrically interconnected with the turbine starter/generator unit interconnection conductor. | 11-13-2008 |
| 20080304958 | GAS TURBINE ENGINE WITH AIR AND FUEL COOLING SYSTEM - A gas turbine engine is provided with a first heat exchanger associated with a cooling air flow to deliver cooling air to a turbine section. A second heat exchanger is associated with a fuel supply line for delivering fuel into a combustion section. An intermediate fluid cools air at the first heat exchanger and heats fuel at the second heat exchanger. | 12-11-2008 |
| 20100003121 | VARIABLE AREA FAN NOZZLE FOR ACCOMMODATING A FOREIGN OBJECT STRIKE EVENT - A gas turbine engine system includes a fan ( | 01-07-2010 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080295952 | AUTOMATIC LABELING AND PACKAGING SYSTEM LABEL FOLDING AND APPLICATION - A method of labeling of a container including a medication includes, in at least one embodiment, reducing the size of the label using a label apparatus and reducing the label size using the label apparatus, applying a surface securing adhesive to at least one surface securing section of the label using an adhesive application apparatus, and attaching the at least one surface securing section of the label to the container with the securing adhesive. The method also includes applying a label securing adhesive to the label to maintain the label in the reduced orientation. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20080312767 | AUTOMATED PRESCRIPTION FILLING SYSTEM/METHOD WITH AUTOMATED LABELING AND PACKAGING SYSTEM/METHOD AND AUTOMATED ORDER CONSOLIDATION SYSTEM/METHOD - Computer assisted systems, methods and mediums for filling one or more orders. One embodiment of the present invention is a system that includes an order consolidation station configured to receive at least one bottle containing pills individually counted and/or at least one package containing pharmaceutical products without having been designated for any of the orders when the package was created and/or at least one literature pack optionally including patient specific information. The order consolidation station is further configured to combine automatically the received bottle and/or package and/or literature pack into a container to be sent to a recipient including, for example, mail order pharmacies, wholesalers and/or central fill dealers for subsequent distribution or sale including retailer distribution or sale. The bottle is specifically designated for the order, and the order generally includes at least one prescription for the package. | 12-18-2008 |
| 20090132083 | AUTOMATED PRESCRIPTION FILLING SYSTEM/METHOD WITH AUTOMATED LABELING AND PACKAGING SYSTEM/METHOD AND AUTOMATED ORDER CONSOLIDATION SYSTEM/METHOD - Computer assisted systems, methods and mediums for filling one or more orders. One embodiment of the present invention is a system that includes an order consolidation station configured to receive at least one bottle containing pills individually counted and/or at least one package containing pharmaceutical products without having been designated for any of the orders when the package was created and/or at least one literature pack optionally including patient specific information. The order consolidation station is further configured to combine automatically the received bottle and/or package and/or literature pack into a container to be sent to a recipient including, for example, mail order pharmacies, wholesalers and/or central fill dealers for subsequent distribution or sale including retailer distribution or sale. The bottle is specifically designated for the order, and the order generally includes at least one prescription for the package. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20100152884 | AUTOMATED PRESCRIPTION FILLING SYSTEM/METHOD WITH AUTOMATED LABELING AND PACKAGING SYSTEM/METHOD AND AUTOMATED ORDER CONSOLIDATION SYSTEM/METHOD - Computer assisted systems, methods and mediums for filling one or more orders. One embodiment of the present invention is a system that includes an order consolidation station configured to receive at least one bottle containing pills individually counted and/or at least one package containing pharmaceutical products without having been designated for any of the orders when the package was created and/or at least one literature pack optionally including patient specific information. The order consolidation station is further configured to combine automatically the received bottle and/or package and/or literature pack into a container to be sent to a recipient including, for example, mail order pharmacies, wholesalers and/or central fill dealers for subsequent distribution or sale including retailer distribution or sale. The bottle is specifically designated for the order, and the order generally includes at least one prescription for the package. | 06-17-2010 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20110052657 | Implants for administering substances and methods of producing implants - A porous silicon implant impregnated with a beneficial substance, such as a micromineral required for healthy physiology, is implanted subcutaneously and is entirely corroded away over the following months/year to release the micromineral in a controlled manner. In a second embodiment the implant may have a large number of holes which contain beneficial substance and which are closed by bio-errordable doors of different thickness so as to stagger the release of the beneficial substance over time as the doors are breached. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110052659 | Implants for administering substances and methods of producing implants - A porous silicon implant impregnated with a beneficial substance, such as a micromineral required for healthy physiology, is implanted subcutaneously and is entirely corroded away over the following months/year to release the micromineral in a controlled manner. In a second embodiment the implant may have a large number of holes which contain beneficial substance and which are closed by bio-errordable doors of different thickness so as to stagger the release of the beneficial substance over time as the doors are breached. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110182967 | IMPLANTS FOR ADMINISTERING SUBSTANCES AND METHODS OF PRODUCING IMPLANTS - A porous silicon implant impregnated with a beneficial substance, such as a micromineral required for healthy physiology, is implanted subcutaneously and is entirely corroded away over the following months/year to release the micromineral in a controlled manner. In a second embodiment the implant may have a large number of holes which contain beneficial substance and which are closed by bio-errordable doors of different thickness so as to stagger the release of the beneficial substance over time as the doors are breached. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110217353 | IMPLANTS FOR ADMINISTERING SUBSTANCES AND METHODS OF PRODUCING IMPLANTS - A porous silicon implant impregnated with a beneficial substance, such as a micromineral required for healthy physiology, is implanted subcutaneously and is entirely corroded away over the following months/year to release the micromineral in a controlled manner. In a second embodiment the implant may have a large number of holes which contain beneficial substance and which are closed by bio-errordable doors of different thickness so as to stagger the release of the beneficial substance over time as the doors are breached. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110217354 | IMPLANTS FOR ADMINISTERING SUBSTANCES AND METHODS OF PRODUCING IMPLANTS - A porous silicon implant impregnated with a beneficial substance, such as a micromineral required for healthy physiology, is implanted subcutaneously and is entirely corroded away over the following months/year to release the micromineral in a controlled manner. In a second embodiment the implant may have a large number of holes which contain beneficial substance and which are closed by bio-errordable doors of different thickness so as to stagger the release of the beneficial substance over time as the doors are breached. | 09-08-2011 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20100088212 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MATCHING ONE OR MORE INCOMING ORDER TO A STANDING ORDER AS A FUNCTION OF AN INNER MARKET PARAMETER - A method of order allocation is disclosed. The method includes receiving an incoming order, establishing an inner market representing a first portion of an order book which may be defined as a function of an inner market parameter, designating the first portion of the order book as a priority and allocating the first portion of the received incoming order based on the priority, establishing an outer market that represents a second portion of the order book that includes the remainder of the order book not represented by the inner market of the order book, assigning the received incoming order to one of the inner or outer markets as a function of the inner market parameter, allocating a first portion of the incoming order to the inner market utilizing a first-in, first-out (FIFO) algorithm, and allocating a second portion, in excess of the first portion, of the incoming order to the outer market using a pro-rata algorithm. | 04-08-2010 |
| 20100088213 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MATCHING ONE OR MORE INCOMING ORDER TO A STANDING ORDER BASED ON MULTIPLE ORDER PRIORITY - A method of order allocation is disclosed. The method includes receiving an incoming order, establishing an inner market representing a first portion of an order book which may be defined as a function of an inner market parameter, designating the first portion of the order book as a priority and allocating the first portion of the received incoming order based on the priority, establishing an outer market that represents a second portion of the order book that includes the remainder of the order book not represented by the inner market of the order book, assigning the received incoming order to one of the inner or outer markets as a function of the inner market parameter, allocating a first portion of the incoming order to the inner market utilizing a first-in, first-out (FIFO) algorithm, and allocating a second portion, in excess of the first portion, of the incoming order to the outer market using a pro-rata algorithm. | 04-08-2010 |
| 20100088214 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MATCHING ONE OR MORE INCOMING ORDER TO A STANDING ORDER BASED ON MULTI-LEVEL ALLOCATION - A method of order allocation is disclosed. The method includes receiving an incoming order, establishing an inner market representing a first portion of an order book which may be defined as a function of an inner market parameter, designating the first portion of the order book as a priority and allocating the first portion of the received incoming order based on the priority, establishing an outer market that represents a second portion of the order book that includes the remainder of the order book not represented by the inner market of the order book, assigning the received incoming order to one of the inner or outer markets as a function of the inner market parameter, allocating a first portion of the incoming order to the inner market utilizing a first-in, first-out (FIFO) algorithm, and allocating a second portion, in excess of the first portion, of the incoming order to the outer market using a pro-rata algorithm. | 04-08-2010 |
| 20100088215 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MATCHING ONE OR MORE INCOMING ORDER TO A STANDING ORDER BASED ON MULTIPLE ORDER PRIORITY ALLOCATION - A method of order allocation is disclosed. The method includes receiving an incoming order, establishing an inner market representing a first portion of an order book which may be defined as a function of an inner market parameter, designating the first portion of the order book as a priority and allocating the first portion of the received incoming order based on the priority, establishing an outer market that represents a second portion of the order book that includes the remainder of the order book not represented by the inner market of the order book, assigning the received incoming order to one of the inner or outer markets as a function of the inner market parameter, allocating a first portion of the incoming order to the inner market utilizing a first-in, first-out (FIFO) algorithm, and allocating a second portion, in excess of the first portion, of the incoming order to the outer market using a pro-rata algorithm. | 04-08-2010 |
| 20100088216 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MATCHING ONE OR MORE INCOMING ORDER TO A STANDING ORDER BASED ON TIME ORDER PRIORITY ALLOCATION - A method of order allocation is disclosed. The method includes receiving an incoming order, establishing an inner market representing a first portion of an order book which may be defined as a function of an inner market parameter, designating the first portion of the order book as a priority and allocating the first portion of the received incoming order based on the priority, establishing an outer market that represents a second portion of the order book that includes the remainder of the order book not represented by the inner market of the order book, assigning the received incoming order to one of the inner or outer markets as a function of the inner market parameter, allocating a first portion of the incoming order to the inner market utilizing a first-in, first-out (FIFO) algorithm, and allocating a second portion, in excess of the first portion, of the incoming order to the outer market using a pro-rata algorithm. | 04-08-2010 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20100073584 | Apparatus for illuminating a vehicle occupant with infrared light - A vehicle occupant is illuminated with infrared light by an apparatus including a display apparatus illuminated with visible light for displaying information to the occupant and an infrared illuminator hidden behind the display apparatus for illuminating the occupant through the display apparatus. In a preferred embodiment, the display apparatus is a liquid crystal display (LCD) mounted in the vehicle instrument panel for displaying images and data to the driver, and infrared light emitted by the infrared illuminator is transmitted through the LCD to illuminate the occupant. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20110032266 | GLARE DETECTION AND MITIGATION METHOD FOR A PHOTO-SENSITIVE DISPLAY DEVICE - A display device having integral photo-sensors for touch sensing is used to detect and mitigate the effects of veiling glare that obscures information being conveyed by the display device. The photo-sensors are periodically sampled to identify optically saturated regions of the display device. If the saturated regions of the display device are being used to convey relevant information, one or more counter-measures are initiated to mitigate the effects of the glare. The counter-measures may include: increasing the display brightness at least in the identified glare region, tilting the display or its cover lens away from estimated direction of the glare source, re-sizing or re-formatting the displayed information, using an alternate display device to convey the information, and presenting the information with a different layer of a multi-layer display. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110133957 | VEHICLE PARKING LOCATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD USING CONNECTED VEHICLES - A vehicle parking locator system and method are provided. The system includes a database storing data pertaining to the vehicle parking locations including available parking locations, and a communication link for communicating with vehicles and other sources. The communication link receives parking location information including information pertaining to availability of parking locations and further provides vehicles with parking location information to assist in locating a parking location. The system further includes a processor for processing the stored data in the database and providing parking location information to vehicles. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110241853 | HIGH-MOUNT PROJECTION DISPLAY APPARATUS FOR A VEHICLE - A projection display apparatus that presents a high-mount image to the driver of a vehicle includes an LCD or OLED display device and a set of projection minors embedded in an instrument panel forward of the driver. The display includes a first display portion facing away from the driver, on which a first image for high-mount presentation is formed. The projection minors project the first image back into the driver compartment for presentation to the driver in a high-mount location. Preferably, the display further includes a second display portion facing toward the driver, on which a second image for cluster presentation is formed. In the preferred arrangement, the driver directly views the second image in a cluster location disposed below the high mount location. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20120019434 | DUAL VIEW DISPLAY SYSTEM USING A TRANSPARENT DISPLAY - A dual view display system to display two different images in substantially opposite direction using a single transparent display to time-multiplex the images and shutter devices to alternately block each side from being viewed according to the image being displayed. | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120019781 | MULTIPLE VIEW DISPLAY SYSTEM USING A SINGLE PROJECTOR AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME - A system and method to display a plurality of different images at multiple distinct locations using a single image projector and an image propagation control means to control a propagation pathway from the projector to a display at each location. | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120032872 | DUAL VIEW DISPLAY SYSTEM - A dual view display system that displays two different images in different directions using a single display device to alternately time-multiplex the images and two shutter devices operated in coordination with the time-multiplexing to alternately allow or block viewing of the alternating images. | 02-09-2012 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20110183176 | BATTERY CELL MODULE - A battery cell module includes an enclosure having an electrically non-conductive perimeter and at least one cover formed from a thermally conductive material. The cover has a substantially flat inner surface and sealingly engages the electrically non-conductive perimeter. A plurality of series-interconnected battery cells are placed together into facing contact with each other, an exterior one of the battery cells in facing contact with the inner surface of the cover to facilitate heat transfer therethrough and to provide a desired compression against the series-interconnected battery cells. A first end of the series-interconnected battery cells includes a positive terminal end, and a second end of the series-interconnected battery cells including a negative terminal end, the series-interconnected battery cells the positive and negative terminal ends extending through the electrically non-conductive perimeter. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110293983 | STACKABLE REPEATING FRAME WITH INTEGRATED CELL SENSING CONNECTION - A module for a battery pack includes a cooling frame and a spacer frame. At least one of the first and second surfaces of the cooling frame is adapted to transfer heat to a coolant flow. A first battery cell having first and second electrically conductive tabs abuts a cooling frame member first surface. A second end of the cooling frame member includes a connection terminal for electrically connecting to the first electrically conductive tab. A spacer frame member first surface abuts the first battery cell, and a second surface abuts a second battery cell. A first end of the spacer frame member includes a connection terminal for electrically connecting to the second electrically conductive tab of the first battery cell and the first electrically conductive tab of the second battery cell. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20120028097 | REPEATING FRAME BATTERY WITH JOINING OF CELL TABS VIA WELDED-ON MALE AND FEMALE SLIP-FIT CONNECTORS - A repeating cell frame for a battery pack assembly is disclosed having a cooling module and a spacer module. The cooling module includes a frame having a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector disposed thereon, wherein a first battery cell includes a first electrically conductive tab in electrical communication with the first electrical connector and a second electrically conductive tab in electrical communication with the second electrical connector. The spacer module includes a frame having a third electrical connector and a fourth electrical connector disposed thereon, wherein a second battery cell includes a first electrically conductive tab in electrical communication with the third electrical connector and a second electrically conductive tab in electrical communication with the fourth electrical connector. The third electrical connector of the spacer module is releasably joined to the second electrical connector of the cooling module to form the repeating cell frame. | 02-02-2012 |
| 20120045682 | REPEATING FRAME BATTERY WITH COMPRESSION JOINING OF CELL TABS TO WELDED CONNECTION TERMINALS - A repeating frame assembly for a battery pack includes a first cooling frame member having a first electrically conductive connection terminal adjacent a first end of the first cooling frame member. The connection terminal includes a top leg forming at least a portion of the first surface of the first cooling frame member and a bottom leg forming at least a portion of the second surface of the first cooling frame member. A first electrically conductive tab of a first battery cell is attached to the top leg of the first electrically conductive connection terminal. A second battery cell may be contained within a second cooling frame member or a first spacer frame member having a second electrically conductive connection terminal adjacent a first end thereof for providing a compression joint having a low resistance electrical connection to the second tab of the first battery cell. | 02-23-2012 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080258720 | Hybrid wound/etched winding constructs for scanning and monitoring - Combined wound and micro-fabricated winding constructs are described for the inspection of materials and the detection and characterization of hidden features or flaws. These constructs can be configured as sensors or sensor arrays that are surface mounted or scanned over conducting and/or magnetizable test materials. The well-defined geometry obtained micro-fabricated windings and from carefully wound coils with known winding positions permits the use of model based inversions of sensed responses into material properties. In a preferred embodiment, the primary winding is a wound coil and the sense elements are etched or printed. The drive or sense windings can also be mounted under fasteners to improve sensitivity to hidden flaws. Ferrites and other means may be used to guide the magnetic flux and enhance the magnetic field in the test material. | 10-23-2008 |
| 20090001974 | Torque and load monitoring using magnetic sensor arrays - An apparatus for the nondestructive measurement of materials that includes at least two layers of electrical conductors. Within each layer, a meandering primary winding is used to create a magnetic field for interrogating a test material while sense elements or conducting loops within each meander provide a directional measurement of the test material condition. In successive layers extended portions of the meanders are rotated so that the sense elements provide material condition in different orientations without requiring movement of the test circuit or apparatus. In a bidirectional implementation the angle is 90° while in a quadridirectional implementation the relative angles are −45, 0, 45, and 90°. Multidirectional permeability measurements are used to assess the stress or torque on a component. These measurements are combined in a manner that removes temperature effects and hysteresis on the property measurements. This can be accomplished through a correction factor that accounts for the temperature dependence. After the corrections, the permeability measurement is then used to assess the local stresses and strains in the material of interest. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090315540 | PRIMARY WINDINGS HAVING MULTIPLE PARALLEL EXTENDED PORTIONS - Reference standards or articles having prescribed levels of damage are fabricated by monitoring an electrical property of the article material, mechanically loading the article, and removing the load when a change in electrical properties indicates a prescribed level of damage. The electrical property is measured with an electromagnetic sensor, such as a flexible eddy current sensor, attached to a material surface, which may be between layers of the article material. The damage may be in the form of a fatigue crack or a change in the mechanical stress underneath the sensor. The shape of the article material may be adjusted to concentrate the stress so that the damage initiates under the sensor. Examples adjustments to the article shape include the use of dogbone geometries with thin center sections, reinforcement ribs on the edges of the article, and radius cut-outs in the vicinity of the thin section. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20100026285 | Material Condition Assessment with Eddy Current Sensors - Eddy current sensors and sensor arrays are used for process quality and material condition assessment of conducting materials. In an embodiment, changes in spatially registered high resolution images taken before and after cold work processing reflect the quality of the process, such as intensity and coverage. These images also permit the suppression or removal of local outlier variations. Anisotropy in a material property, such as magnetic permeability or electrical conductivity, can be intentionally introduced and used to assess material condition resulting from an operation, such as a cold work or heat treatment. The anisotropy is determined by sensors that provide directional property measurements. The sensor directionality arises from constructs that use a linear conducting drive segment to impose the magnetic field in a test material. Maintaining the orientation of this drive segment, and associated sense elements, relative to a material edge provides enhanced sensitivity for crack detection at edges. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100045277 | Magnetic field characterization of stresses and properties in materials - Described are methods for monitoring of stresses and other material properties. These methods use measurements of effective electrical properties, such as magnetic permeability and electrical conductivity, to infer the state of the test material, such as the stress, temperature, or overload condition. The sensors, which can be single element sensors or sensor arrays, can be used to periodically inspect selected locations, mounted to the test material, or scanned over the test material to generate two-dimensional images of the material properties. Magnetic field or eddy current based inductive and giant magnetoresistive sensors may be used on magnetizable and/or conducting materials, while capacitive sensors can be used for dielectric materials. Methods are also described for the use of state-sensitive layers to determine the state of materials of interest. These methods allow the weight of articles, such as aircraft, to be determined. | 02-25-2010 |
| 20110054806 | Component Adaptive Life Management - A framework for adaptively managing the life of components. A sensor provides non-destructive test data obtained from inspecting a component. The inspection data may be filtered using reference signatures and by subtracting a baseline. The filtered inspection data and other inspection data for the component is analyzed to locate flaws and estimate the current condition of the component. The current condition may then be used to predict the component's condition at a future time or to predict a future time at which the component's condition will have deteriorated to a certain level. A current condition may be input to a precomputed database to look up the future condition or time. The future condition or time is described by a probability distribution which may be used to assess the risk of component failure. The assessed risk may be used to determine whether the part should continue in service, be replaced or repaired. A hyperlattice database is used with a rapid searching method to estimate at least one material condition and one usage parameter, such as stress level for the component. The hyperlattice is also used to rapidly predict future condition, associated uncertainty and risk of failure. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110163742 | Magnetic Field Characterization of Stresses and Properties in Materials - Described are methods for monitoring of stresses and other material properties. These methods use measurements of effective electrical properties, such as magnetic permeability and electrical conductivity, to infer the state of the test material, such as the stress, temperature, or overload condition. The sensors, which can be single element sensors or sensor arrays, can be used to periodically inspect selected locations, mounted to the test material, or scanned over the test material to generate two-dimensional images of the material properties. Magnetic field or eddy current based inductive and giant magnetoresistive sensors may be used on magnetizable and/or conducting materials, while capacitive sensors can be used for dielectric materials. Methods are also described for the use of state-sensitive layers to determine the state of materials of interest. These methods allow the weight of articles, such as aircraft, to be determined. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20110210724 | Durability Enhanced and Redundant Embedded Sensors - A substantially planar eddy-current sensor having durability enhancing pillars in an active region is provided. The pillars are distributed and sized so as to have limited effect on the sensor's performance. When the sensor is mounted on a component such that the sensor experiences forces on a top and bottom surface, the pillars bear the load reducing the load bore by the active elements (e.g., drive winding, sense elements). A sensor with redundant drive windings and/or redundant sense elements is disclosed. The redundant elements may be connected to separate electronics. Another aspect relates to providing a reference transformer for calibration of a sensor. The secondary windings of the reference transformer are connected in series with the sense elements of the sensor to be calibrated. Transimpedance measurements are made when the drive winding of the reference transformer is excited. The measurements are used to correct transimpedance measurements made when the drive winding of the sensor is excited. A system having an impedance analyzer and a plurality of multiplexing units is disclosed for monitoring a plurality of sensor. Each multiplexing units directs an excitation signal to the drive winding of a respective sensor and returns, serially, the sense element responses back to the impedance analyzer. The system coordinates the excitation of each sensor and return of the sensor response to share a serial network. The multiplexing units may have a reference transformer for calibration of their respective sensors. Optical communication may be used. | 09-01-2011 |
| 20120013334 | Material Property Estimation Using Inverse Interpolation - Magnetic field sensor probes are disclosed which comprise primary or drive windings having a plurality of current carrying segments. The relative magnitude and direction of current in each segment are adjusted so that the resulting interrogating magnetic field follows a desired spatial distribution. By changing the current in each segment, more than one spatial distribution for the magnetic field can be imposed within the same sensor footprint. Example envelopes for the current distributions approximate a sinusoid in Cartesian coordinates or a first-order Bessel function in polar coordinates. One or more sensing elements are used to determine the response of a test material to the magnetic field. These sense elements can be configured into linear or circumferential arrays. | 01-19-2012 |