Sensors Magazine articles from February 2006

Sensors Magazine archives from February 2006

Nano and news.(goode sense)
February 1, 2006... C'mon, admit it... nanotechnology is fascinating: The chemical and physical properties of nano materials differ from those of their bulk counterparts--and therefore nanotech products behave differently, as you'll read in this month's cover...

Unprecedented safety, courtesy of sensors.(AUTOMOTIVE)
February 1, 2006... Savvy sensor buyers watch the automotive market. That's because this cost- and reliability-conscious industry makes tough demands of sensor developers--demands that ultimately benefit other applications. And this is car show season, so it's...

TI sells sensor business; MSI acquires ATEX.(M & A)(Texas Instruments, Bain Capital Inc, Measurement Specialties, Atex Inc)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... This month's biggest M & A news: Texas Instruments will sell its Sensors & Controls business (but not its RFID systems operations) to affiliates of Bain Capital, LLC, an investment firm, for $3.0 billion in cash. The Massachusetts-based Sensors...

Funding Enables UAV capabilities.(AEROSPACE)(unmanned aerial vehicle)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... According to Forecast International analyst Larry Dickerson, the market for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) reconnaissance systems, including air vehicles and payloads, is expected to be worth $13.6 billion through 2014. "Thanks to their...

The Dirt determinant.(CONSUMER/WHITE GOODS)
February 1, 2006... Using optical sensors to gauge dirt particles in the water, Smart Wash technology in Sears' Kenmore Elite dishwashers calculates water, time, and energy necessary for each load. The result: clean dishes and optimized energy use.

Mark your Calendar.(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... Successful Measurement of Dynamic Force, Pressure and Acceleration May 16-18, Buffalo, NY; www.pcb.com/events Sensors Expo & Conference, June 5-7, Chicago, IL; www.sensorsexpo.com See more sensor-focused event listings at...

Time Spotlights EnOcean.(MEDIA WATCH)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... A story called "Smart Sensors, No Batteries" in the December 12, 2005 issue of Time recounts the story of Markus Brehler, founder and CEO of EnOcean. Brehler launched the Siemens spin-off to provide low-power wireless sensors that scavenge...

U.S. News: sensor data on TV.(MEDIA WATCH)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... U.S. News and World Reports Best of the Web feature (December 5, 2005) speculates on the Internet's future, saying that it will "melt into our surroundings. We won't speak of accessing the Web any more than we speak of accessing... the...

Quick poll.(MEDIA WATCH)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... How will your 2006 sensor purchasing compare to that of 2005? 3.7% Plan to install fewer sensors this year than last 7.4% Plan to install 26-50% more 7.4% Plan to install more than double 11.1% Plan to install 51-100% more...

MEMS rotational rate sensor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)(micro electro mechanical sensor )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The GG1178 angular rate sensor from Honeywell SSEC, Minneapolis, MN, combines a MEMS sensing element and a CMOS ASIC in a ceramic package and is designed for low-cost inertial measurement units for advanced GPS-assisted navigation systems. The...

Compact inclinometers.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... LSR Series inclinometers from Jewell Instruments, LLC, Manchester, NH, are suited for use in heavy construction, grading, ship and barge leveling, deviation surveys, and weapons platform leveling. The compact, cylindrical devices can be stacked...

Micro web server module.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The PRODIGIO WSC31-CB from Computer Aided Solutions (CAS), Chesterland, OH, is a 3 X 4 X 1 in. box that can deliver HTML pages, collect data, and take actions based on information gathered from a Web page; transfer files via FTP; and send email...

Servo inclinometers.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Series ES261 servo inclinometers from DS Europe S.r.L, Milan, Italy, are single-axis devices with 0[degrees] to [+ or -]5.75[degrees], 14.5[degrees], 30[degrees], 45[degrees], 90[degrees] measuring ranges; a 0 to [+ or -]5 V output signal; and...

USB DA modules.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Data Translation, Inc., Marlboro, MA, offers the DT9813-10V and DT9814-10V DA modules as part of its ECONseries for USB 2.0. The modules offer 16 and 24 analog inputs, respectively, with 12-bit resolution, 50 Ksps throughput rate, bipolar input...

Reliable mesh networking.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... SmartMesh-XR wireless mesh networking systems from Dust Networks, Hayward, CA, deliver at least 99.9% end-to-end data reliability in real-world industrial and commercial building environments. Nodes consume as little as 25 [micro]A of current...

Triaxial accelerometers.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Series 354B triaxial ICP ceramic shear accelerometers from Vibration Div., PCB Piezotronics, Inc., Depew, NY, measure vibration in 3 orthogonal directions. The Model 354B20 has 2.5 mV/g sensitivity with a 2000 g measurement range, the Model...

Seismic IC.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The CS5373A from Cirrus Logic, Inc., Austin, TX, integrates the company's CS4373A seismic test DAC and its CS5371 [DELTA][SIGMA] modulator, allowing designers to implement smaller and lighter seismic acquisition systems. The on-chip modulator...

Vision sensor software.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Intellect release 1.2 for DVT vision sensors from Cognex Corp., Natick, MA, offers an improved user interface to make inspection, counting, precision measurement, and object location easier. The user interface incorporates the Windows look and...

Control, networking platform.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The Pyxos embedded control networking platform from Echelon Corp., San Jose, CA, is designed to be built into sensors and actuators embedded inside a machine, where it extracts information from the devices and relays control commands between...

3-Axis MEMS accelerometer.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Analog Devices, Inc., Norwood, MA, introduces its ADXL330 3-axis accelerometer that integrates the sensor structure with signal conditioning on the same die and is housed in a 4 X 4 X 1.45 mm plastic surface-mount package. The sensor has a [+...

Miniature accelerometer.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The Model 1101 from VIP Sensors, San Juan Capistrano, CA, is a 1.2 g miniature piezoelectric accelerometer that has a 50 kHz resonance frequency, exhibits a frequency response range to 15 kHz, and requires no external power. The sensor's...

Controller for HALT, HASS.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Tidal Engineering Corp., Randolph, NJ, offers the Synergy controller with a HALT and HASS testing configuration. The controller offers programming of temperature, humidity, altitude, and vibration vs. time as well as 6 event outputs....

Small 18-bit ADC.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The AD7690 18-bit SAR ADC from Analog Devices, Inc., Norwood, MA, has a 400 Ksps data rate and is supplied in 3 X 5 mm MSOP and 3 X 3 mm LFCSP packages. The device targets applications where board space is at a premium but speed and accuracy...

Capacitive level sensors.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)(Automation Systems Interconnect Inc)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Automation Systems Interconnect (ASI), Inc., Carlisle, PA, introduces the SC and SCD Series of capacitive level sensors for control of liquid and solid substances in silos for cereals, foodstuffs, seeds, biscuit plants, and other food industry...

Extreme distance option.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... AeroComm Inc., Lenexa, KS, offers a Long Range Mode for its family of 900 MHz spread-spectrum transceivers that increases the receiver sensitivity of the transceiver by as much as 10 dB. Long range mode will be standard on 900 MHz AC4490 and...

MicroChemLab will give us cool, clear water.(ADVANCEMENTS AFFECTING SENSORS)(Sandia National Laboratories)
February 1, 2006... A couple of months ago, the water supply for the Town of Peterborough, NH, was found to contain unacceptable levels of E. coli bacteria. This unhappy discovery was made during a routine test; the word went out to boil all drinking and cooking...

TES sensors for astro, nano scales.(ADVANCEMENTS AFFECTING SENSORS)(transition-edge sensors)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The addition of five copper ridges to existing superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES) could prove of great value to astronomers and materials scientists. These enhanced experimental X-ray sensors will help determine the temperature and...

Nanoscale materials: what they could do for sensing technology; Here's where nanomaterials could find work in the real world--sooner than you might think.(SENSOR DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2006... What has a surface area the size of a football field, structural features smaller than a pinpoint, and can be custom designed to detect specific chemicals for integration into a superior sensor? If you guessed functional multiscale...

ZigBee's big steps: certification, buy-in from electronics giants.(signals)
February 1, 2006... Industry scuttlebutt includes speculation that ZigBee will eventually be rendered irrelevant by the adaptation of other standards (WiFi, for instance) to effectively handle sensor data. But that possibility seems especially distant in light of...

Interest group Forms.(signals)
February 1, 2006... A new wireless sensor networking special interest group (SIG) in Silicon Valley brings together a growing group of professionals. The group meets monthly. (www.melanetworks.com/events.htm.)

On par for golf analysis.(signals)(Bentley Kinetics and Intersense Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... I InterSense, Inc.'s inertial motion tracking technology is at the root of Bentley Kinetics' K-System golf swing-analysis and training system. "We have combined our extensive professional golf training experience with our expertise in...

Home automation protocols compete.(signals)
February 1, 2006... The stalwart X10 PowerLine Carrier protocol, created in the late 1970s, "continues to be the de facto industry standard for home remote control of lights and appliances," according to its creator, X10 Wireless Technology Inc. But the...

Tower of babel solution.(signals)(Invensys and Apprion team up to develop multiplexer)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Invensys points out that industrial operations typically introduce wireless networking by experimenting with a point solution for one application, then another point solution--often based on a different protocol--to solve another problem, and...

PDA-based radiation detector.(signals)(personal digital assistant)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Structured Materials Industries Inc. (SMI) has received additional funding to enhance a Department of Homeland Security project. The goal is to integrate enhanced radiation detection with GPS into a PDA for use by public safety and homeland...

Wireless monitors for bird flu.(signals)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Digital Angel Corp. plans to introduce its patented Bio-Thermo (temperature-sensing) system to poultry/bird markets with initial emphasis in Asia. The system includes the implantable RFID chip and related identity and temperature-sensing...

Shipboard machine monitoring for predictive maintenance.(WIRELESS)
February 1, 2006... In 2004, BP became aware of a wireless networking technology called motes, 2 X 2 in. devices that combine a processor, solid-state memory, a radio, and an I/O board that can interface with sensors. These motes could potentially be used to tie...

Portable chemical profiling: electronic noses can play a major role in preventing unwelcome--or dangerous--cargo from entering our ports. The same technology could make buildings, subways, airports, and other public spaces safer as well.(SENSOR DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY)(zNose)
February 1, 2006... The U.S. now inspects 4% of the 6 million shipments arriving at more than 100 ports; before the September 11, 2001, attacks that figure was 2%. About 20% of the cargo passes through overseas ports such as Hong Kong, where U.S. inspectors are...

Tracking wafers with RFID: linking RFID with production tools in one of its semiconductor wafer fabrication plants allows IBM to track the production of each wafer, for more efficient fabrication and improved factory scheduling.(SENSORS AT WORK)(radio frequency identification device)
February 1, 2006... For almost three years IBM has been using RFID technology to track thousands of chip orders at its state-of-the-art, automated semiconductor wafer fabrication facility in East Fishkill, NY. The 140,000 sq. ft., multibillion dollar facility,...

The next generation: wireless sensor networking software; As this genre of software evolves, new functionality is required before broader adoption can take place.(INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS)
February 1, 2006... While wireless sensor networks have been a hot topic for years, the technology is just beginning to leave the laboratory and appear in real-life implementations in the industrial sector. The software provided by today's wireless sensor vendors...

Those pesky picoamps ...(HANDS-ON SENSOR ENGINEERING)(Column)
February 1, 2006... A few weeks ago I received an ad in the mail for a high-end current meter that promised resolution down to 10 atto-amperes, [10.sup.-17] A. This is a really impressive spec--especially when you consider that it corresponds to detecting the...

Why integration?(ENTERPRISE INTELLIGENCE FROM YOUR SENSORS)
February 1, 2006... Last month, I defined integration as the blending of data, applications, and processes into a functioning, unified whole. While some may view this concept as just another fad or a new buzzword, it's not. It's part of the continuum of digital...

SNR, atmospheric water.(MESH, MOBILE, M2M-WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?)(signal-to-noise ratios)(effect of water on signal propagation)
February 1, 2006... Receiver Sensitivity and Signal Levels I keep hearing that I need a more sensitive receiver for my wireless system to work optimally. I understand this is related to decibels (dB) and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), but I'm not sure how....

RFID.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)
February 1, 2006... If you want to brush up on your asset tracking know-how, check out RFID Journal's Getting Started section. Here you'll find RFID basics, such as what's involved, what standards exist, and why people would want to use RFID anyway. It's worth...

Paul English.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)(for automatic telephone systems)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... I'll admit to a love-hate relationship with automated telephone systems, otherwise known as interactive voice response (IVR). On the one hand, I don't have to talk to someone (which is nice, because I don't particularly like talking on the...

BEI Technologies.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)(websites)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... While I typically highlight Web sites in this column, I'm always on the lookout for good e-newsletters, and by good I mean ones that aren't all products and marketing speak all the time. One newsletter I enjoy is put out once a month by Scott...

To the Vanishing Point.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)
February 1, 2006... Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting. --Alan Dean Foster, To the Vanishing Point

A Minimal-Mathematics Introduction to the Fundamentals of Random Vibration and Shock Testing Measurement, Analysis and Calibration.(NEW TO BOOKSHELVES)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... A Minimal-Mathematics Introduction to the Fundamentals of Random Vibration & Shock Testing Measurement, Analysis & Calibration Author: Wayne Tustin Publisher: Equipment Reliability Institute ISBN: 0-9741466-0-9 As the preface...