Sensors Magazine articles from June 2001

Sensors Magazine archives from June 2001

Of Robots and Reader Service.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Who doesn't love a robot? Whether it's an android with eerily human characteristics (I read recently about a wiley charmer that responds to various cues by batting its eyelashes to win your heart) or an industrial automation capable of great...

Venture Development Corp.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The worldwide market for industrial electronic temperature controllers reached $821.2 million in 1999, according to a report from Venture Development Corp. (Natick, MA). In "The Worldwide Market for Industrial Electronic Temperature...

Venture Development Corp.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A report from Venture Development Corp., "MicroStructures Technology (MST) and MEMS: An Applications and Market Evaluation," shows data on the cumulative compound annual growth rates which indicate that Germany and France may be devoting a...

Frost & Sullivan.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... According to an industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan, as European distributors rise to meet the challenges of selling sensor-related products online, they may need to offer consultancies to provide full service pre- and post-sales support....

ARC Advisory Group.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Moderate revenue growth is predicted globally in the programmable logic controller (PLC) market, with significant unit volume growth expected in nano- and micro-type PLCs. According to a study published by the ARC Advisory Group (Dedham, MA),...

[0] Venture Development Corp.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Venture Development Corp. (Natick, MA) reports annual growth in power supply and power management integrated circuits will exceed 18% through 2005 including new design needs. According to VDC's "The Global Market for Power Supply and Power...

Vision Components.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Basler Vision Technologies--Machine Vision Components (Exton, PA) has won a contract in which it will custom configure line scan cameras with image processing software to increase inspection speed and decrease costs. The Basler-MVC intelligent...

KVH Industries, Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... KVH Industries, Inc. (Middletown, RI) announces that a contract manufacturer has placed a $1.75 million order for its C80 compass sensors, which will be integrated with the ProLink System. The GPS-based navigational and tracking system will be...

Microsoft.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Microsoft (Redmond, WA) will not include Bluetooth in its initial offering of Windows XP due to production delays. Bluetooth, a short-range radio technology designed to support wireless connections within the field of its receptor, has...

Microsoft Corp.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... eTrue (Southborough, MA), makers of a biometric authentication service that is outsourced over the Internet, is partnering with Microsoft Corp. (Redmond, WA) to provide biometric log-on service for secure Web and network access for Microsoft's...

DENSO Corp.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... DENSO Corp. (Detroit, MI) is the first Japan-based automotive supplier to establish a charitable foundation, the DENSO North America Foundation, to support engineering, technology, and business education. Originally established in 2001 with $5...

GD California, Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... GD California, Inc. (San Francisco, CA) has acquired STD bus systems and circuit card assemblies from Motorola Computer Group (Tempe, AZ), a business unit of Motorola, Inc. (Schaumburg, IL). The transfer, which will support GD California (GDC)...

InHand Electronics, Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... InHand Electronics, Inc., (Rockville, MD) creators of portable handheld devices for OEMs, and Conversay (Redmond, WA), developer of speech technology for mobile and Internet access devices, announced a partnership to offer voice recognition...

Robertshaw Industrial Products.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... To facilitate transactions of refined petroleum products, Robertshaw Industrial Products (Maryville, TN) has announced a partnership with FuelSpot (Denver, CO), an Internet portal. Centeron, Robertshaw's wireless fuel tank level monitoring...

B & D International.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... B & D International (Milton, MA) is launching SensorRepSource.com, an online "matchmaking" service that helps global sensor manufacturers locate sales representatives/distributors in the U.S. and Europe. It also helps sales reps acquire new...

Nordic Sensor Technologies.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The merging of Nordic Sensor Technologies (Scandinavia) and MoTech Sensorik GmbH (Germany) into AppliedSensor Group (Parsippany, NJ) combines the sensor system known as the "Electronic Nose" for the food processing industry with sensors used...

Brooks Automation, Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Brooks Automation, Inc. (Chelmsford, MA), a supplier of tool and factory hardware and software for the semiconductor industry, has acquired SEMY Engineering, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ). SEMY Engineering, a division of Semitool, Inc., is a provider of...

C-MAC Industries Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... C-MAC Industries Inc. (Montreal, Canada), designers and manufacturers of fully integrated electronic systems and engineering solutions, announces the acquisition of Kavlico Corp. to strengthen its position in the transportation and industrial...

Pro-face America, Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Pro-face America, Inc. (Glendale Heights, IL), a majority-owned subsidiary of Digital Electronics Corp. (Osaka, Japan), announces the acquisition of Xycom Automation, Inc. (Saline, MI). Xycom will continue both to operate from Michigan and to...

SKY Computers, Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... SKY Computers, Inc. (Chelmsford, MA), a subsidiary of Analogic Corp., announces that Sencom Inc. (Annapolis, MD), a newly formed system integrator, will exclusively use SKY Computers' multiprocessor sub-systems as the signal processing engine...

XEMICS.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... XEMICS, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in ultra low-power, short-range wireless connectivity solutions, announces a licensing deal with NewLogic Technologies, supplier of Bluetooth intellectual property cores that will encompass...

Symbol Technologies.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The TrueFace two-dimensional facial recognition technology from eTrue (Southborough, MA) will be integrated with Bio4's (U.K.) 3D facial recognition and barcode system. Bio4 will use Symbol Technologies' PPT2740 pocket-sized computer to. verify...

ChemIndustry.com.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ChemIndustry.com (Monrovia, CA), provider of Web-based specialized search services for the $3 trillion worldwide chemical and closely related industries globally, has been selected by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to provide Web-based...

OROS.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... OROS (Meylan, France), makers of noise and vibration analyzers, has joined other companies in The Alliance, a group whose goal is to accelerate acoustic and vibration analysis by driving technology development across disciplines to better serve...

Endress+Hauser.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Endress+Hauser (Greenwood, IN) is one of 10 companies to receive Environmental Technology Verification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its online turbidity meter, consisting of the Liquisys CUM 223/253 turbidity transmitter...

Krohne.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Krohne (Peabody, MA) and Drexelbrook have joined forces to provide radar and TDR level measurement solutions to the process industries. Due to their accuracy, reliability, and ability to withstand demanding process conditions, Drexelbrook will...

Microchip Technology.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Microchip Technology (Chandler, AZ) is reducing its wafer capacity at its two fabs to match operations with demand. Startup is delayed for the company's wafer fab in Puyallup, WA, until the end of 2002, and its test facility in Hong Kong will...

Found: Humanitarian Engineers--More Sought.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... As we go to press, seven engineers from as many states have responded to Mary Blundell's letter (Sensors, May 2001, page 14). We are gratified--and encouraged--beyond the telling of it. Here is a precis of the mail so far. Doug Turnbow,...

Zn + [O.sub.2] = Clean Energy.(Metallic Power Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A portable power supply based on a zinc/oxygen fuel cell has been successfully demonstrated by Metallic Power. During testing, a single, sealed, quick-change fuel cartridge containing zinc and a potassium hydroxide electrolyte provided [greater...

Portable Digital Clinometer Achieves 360[degrees] Measurement Range.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A portable digital inclinometer created by a research team led by Steve Carter and Rob Mathis at the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) is expected to increase calibration accuracy by a factor of 10 and reduce...

Robots & Vision Show.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... As you may know (if you've been paying attention), Sensors Expo is happening this month and will be co-located with the International Robots & Vision Show. So, if you're interested in any of this stuff, you should go. OK Shameless plug over....

All the Web.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Since declaring Google as the One True Search Engine, I've been getting lots of e-mail about other candidates. Jeff DeTray (our Web guru) champions All the Web.

Squirrel Net.com.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... And George Normandy suggested Squirrel Net.com, which evaluates and reports on search engines.

A User-Friendly, High-Sensitivity Strain Gauge.
June 1, 2001... A single-crystal silicon strain gauge with a flexible polyimide backing combines the best properties of silicon and metal foil strain gauges. Its features include a gauge factor as high as 110, nickel or gold solder pads, and a 60 mil bend...

A Comprehensive Guide to Industrial Networks Part 1: Why use an embedded network or fieldbus, and what are the most popular standards?
June 1, 2001... Silicon and software now make it possible to put network capability on a chip small enough to drop into a sensor. This guide explains why you'd want to do that and demystifies the confusing array of network protocols from which to choose. ...

Vision FUNDA.
June 1, 2001... Tempted by vision systems, but daunted by the hardware and programming skills required? Give in to temptation. Hardware and software advances make implementing a system easier and more intuitive. Making measurements with image acquisition...

New Directions in Eddy Current Sensing.
June 1, 2001... Nondestructive testing needs an effective, inexpensive way of detecting deeply buried or small cracks at the edges of metallic parts and structures. One solution comes in the form of solid-state magnetic sensors based on giant magnetoresistance...

Hall Effect Sensors, Theory and Application.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... It has been my pleasure to read an excellent new text on a topic that may be obscure to many engineers and technologists, even those who find themselves needing to apply this technology. The Hall effect has become a building block sensing...

Advances in Machine Vision For Robot Control.(DVT Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A new generation of vision sensors is changing robotic automation and inline process monitoring. The limiting factors in vision-based robotic control have until recently been both price and machine vision's inability to perceive and react...

Linear Motors in a Rotary World.
June 1, 2001... The degree of acceptance of linear electric motors is directly tied to how well their design engineers are able to make them perform with established control systems. As technology evolves, so do our options in motion control. One recently...

Energy Coupling and Efficiency.
June 1, 2001... A properly designed and operated transducer can be seen as a part of a larger dynamic system that converts one form of energy to another. Using the relationships developed here, the power source can be minimized to only that size required to...

4-Axis Motion Controller.(Adlink Technology America Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ADLink Technology America, Inc., Irvine, CA, offers its PCI-8134 stepper and servo motion control card for the PCI bus. The card provides pulse train with pulse rates up to 2.4 Mbps, trajectory planning, programmable acceleration and...

Fluid-Protected Motors.(Animatics Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The 2300 and 3400 Series IP65 SmartMotors from Animatics Corp., Santa Clara, CA, are fluid-protected true brushless DC servomotors with the controller, amplifier, and encoder built in. Input voltage can range from 18-48 VDC with continuous...

Brushless DC Motor Controls.(Dart Controls Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The 701-BDC from Dart Controls, Indianapolis, IN, is a redesigned version of its predecessor that allows OEM customers to request a variety of customizations during manufacturing. Options include a range of connector styles, including pluggable...

Microstepping Motor Driver.(Advanced Micro Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Designed for low-cost OEM applications, the DCB-261 from Advanced Micro Systems, Inc., Nashua, NH, is a bipolar chopper driver with intelligent control for operating small stepping motors. Chopping rate is 20 kHz, voltage range is 24-40 VDC,...

Digital-to-Synchro Converters.(Computer Conversions Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... STB/DSC Series single-slot standard bus converters from Computer Conversions Corp., East Northport, NY, accept up to 16-bit natural binary information and convert it to 11.8 or 90 V synchro or 50 Hz to 5 kHz resolver information. Data are...

Linear Motors.(California Linear Devices)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Featuring a single moving part and integral bearings, the 5000 Series of linear servo motors from California Linear Devices, Carlsbad, CA, is available in 3 standard models, with peak forces ranging from 200-1200 lb. and stroke lengths of 2, 4,...

DeviceNet Programming Module.(Emerson Motion Control)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The FM-3DN from Emerson Motion Control, Eden Prairie, MN, supports up to 100 motion programs and is designed to be a DeviceNet Group 2 slave device, allowing all parameters to be accessed from the DeviceNet master. The module supports polled,...

OEM Stepper Motor Driver.(Cyberpak Co.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The CY-45 is a 2.5 A bipolar chopper-type drive from Cyberpak Co., Downers Grove, IL, that has module dimensions of 3.25 by 2.125 by 1.15 in. and works with all 2-and 4-phase step motors in the full/half step mode. Motor drive current is...

Bidirectional Linear Actuator.(BEI Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Model LA08-10-000A from BEI Kimco Magnetics Div., BEI Technologies, Inc., San Marcos, CA, is a 0.750 in. dia. linear voice coil actuator that provides 6.5 oz. force continuous and 24 oz. force for 10 s with a total stroke of 0.16 in. for...

Piezoelectric Motor.(EDO Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... EDO Corp., Electro-Ceramic Products Div., Salt Lake City, UT, offers a modular, low-profile ([less than]0.20 in.), low-inertia piezoelcetrie motor for precision micropositioning applications. The motor features repeatable linear motion with 6...

Soft Start for Motors.(MagneTek Electric Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... For use where a less sophisticated, more cost-efficient motor control is required, the MAC-2000 from Electromotive Systems by MagneTek, Milwaukee, WI, is a single unit suitable for 1- or 2-speed operations that can be applied through 17 A (full...

Motion Controller.(Galil Motion Control Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The DMC-3425 motion controller from Galil Motion Control, Inc., Rocklin, CA, is part of its E-Series, designed for Ethernet distributed control networks. Each DMC-3425 controls 2 servomotors and provides ECAM, gearing, and linear and circular...

Miniature Motors, Gearheads.(MicroMo Electronics Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... MicroMo Electronics, Inc., Clearwater, FL, offers its 12 mm DC coreless Series 1224 motors, available in 6, 12, or 15 VDC versions. The motors feature low inertia and can deliver up to 1.3 W and stall torques up to 0.52 oz.-in. Motors are...

Single-Axis Motion Processor.(Performance Motion Devices (PMD) Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Developed to control motion of a single axis in brushless servo applications, the Pilot MC3310 from Performance Motion Devices (PMD), Inc., Lexington, MA, is a 132-pin, surfacemount CMOS device that provides user-selectable profiling modes,...

Stepping Motor Drive.(Whedco Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The 12.5 [in..sup.3] PowerCube from Whedco Inc., Ann Arbor, MI, a subsidiary of GE Fanuc Automation, is a 250 W drive in a rugged, potted enclosure that mounts on machines in demanding industrial environments. The 4A drive operates from 24-48...

Digital Brushless Servo Drives.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... DSD and DSI drives from MCG, Eden Prairie, MN, carry UL, CUL, and CE approvals and are available in 650 and 1100 W packages. DSD drives offer flexibility, operating as an analog input velocity servo, a variable speed drive, a step drive...

The Changing Character of Machine Vision.
June 1, 2001... Technical evolution and dramatically dropping prices have yielded machine vision systems that can improve quality in nearly any application. Machine vision technology has been evolving since the late 1970s. Today, it represents a major...

Virtual Chemical Sensor Arrays and High-Resolution Olfactory Images: The zNose.
June 1, 2001... The zNose, based on gas chromatography and surface acoustic wave technology, can simulate hundreds of virtual chemical sensors derived from a chemical spectrum produced in just 10 s. Modern process control systems require accurate and...

A Micromachined Thermal Accelerometer for Motion, Inclination, and Vibration Measurement.
June 1, 2001... Thermal-based accelerometers offer designers a way to reduce system cost, size, and complexity. A novel accelerometer based on thermal convection has only one moving element--a tiny bubble of heated air hermetically sealed inside the...

Looking Under the (Wheatstone) Bridge.
June 1, 2001... Looking at each individual element of a Wheatstone bridge during normal operation makes it possible to understand the details of what, exactly, is going on electrically in a transducer during normal operation. The measurement circuit...

Magnetic Wire for Monitoring Strain in Composites.
June 1, 2001... A new strain sensor is based on a small-diameter wire coated with a magnetic film that dominates the impedance of the wire and has a significant loss component. This loss component is highly strain sensitive, permitting effective measurement of...

Light-to-Voltage Converter.(Texas Advanced Optoelectronics Solutions (TAOS), Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The TSL257 optical converter from Texas Advanced Optoelectronics Solutions (TAOS), Inc., Plano, TX, integrates a photodiode, op amp, and feedback components onto a single monolithic IC, providing 320 M[omega] of transimpedance gain with a 160...

Combined Pressure-Temperature Sensor.(Texas Instruments Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Texas Instruments Sensors & Controls, Attleborough, MA, offers the 1.5 oz. combined pressure-temperature (P-T) sensor that reads media temperature using an NTC thermistor placed directly in the fluid stream. The ceramic pressure transducer is...

True RMS Current Transducers.(CR Magnetics Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... CR Magnetics, Inc., Fenton, MO, introduces the CR4100 Series of transducers that arc designed to monitor nonlinear electrical loads. Response time is 250 ms and MTBF is [greater than]100,000 hr. Different styles are available to measure single...

Multifunction Calibrator.(Extech Instruments Corp.,)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Model 422123 from Extech Instruments Corp., Waltham, MA, calibrates thermocouple, mA, mV, V, and frequency devices. The unit sources 4-20,0-20, or 0-24 mA with 0.001 mA resolution. Thermocouple types K, J, T, or E can be selected for...

Energy Management Chips.(Cirrus Logic Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Cirrus Logic, Inc., Austin, TX, introduces 3 energy-to-digital converters that can detect power surges and other power fluctuations and communicate via a built-in serial interface to alert and dispatch repair technicians. The CS5460A can...

Data Radio.(Adcon Telemetry, Inc.,)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The 4-20 mA Radio Link from Adcon Telemetry, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, consists of a matched pair of license-free spread-spectrum radio transmitters and receivers that can be positioned up to 1500 m apart using directional antennas; it transmits...

Speed and Direction Sensor.(Cherry Electrical Products)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The SD Series solid-state sensors from Cherry Electrical Products, Pleasant Prairie, WI, provide separate digital outputs to indicate speed and direction of a ferrous geartooth target detection speeds are from several kHz to near zero. Each...

Force/Torque Sensor.(ATI Industrial Automation)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ATI Industrial Automation, Garner NC, introduces the the Nanol7 small 6-axis force/torque sensor. Made of hardened SS, the sensor features integrated interface plates made from aircraft aluminum and max, allowable single-axis overload values...

Convergent Beam Laser Sensor.(Automatic Timing and Controls)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Model 7700 from Automatic Timing & Controls, Lancaster, PA, features pnp and npn dual output, background suppression beyond 4 1/2 in., status LEDs, and switch-selectable light-on and dark-on operation. The unit has a small object...

Wide-Angle Tilt Sensor.(Fredericks Co.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The MCL sensor from The Fredericks Co., Huntingdon Valley, PA, is a wide-angle dual-axis electrolytic tilt sensor for general-purpose applications that offers metal containment construction and is adaptable to tape and reel automated placement....

Plastic Connector.(Fischer Connectors)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Model 4032 plastic connectors from Fischer Connectors, Atlanta, GA, are available in an impact-resistant 1/2 in. dia. Sure Grip plastic housing sealed to IP68, with 2-19 gold-plated contacts. Tested to [greater than]5000 mating cycles, the...

European EMC Testing Service.(D.L.S. Electronic Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... D.L.S. Electronic Systems, Inc., Wheeling IL, offers 12 accredited test labs including 3 OATS sites, the ability to meet individual product testing requirements, experienced test engineers, and facilities stocked with EMC suppression and...

Piezoelectric Accelerometers.(ENDEVCO Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Designed for cryogenic applications, Models 7722 and 7724 from Endevco Corp., San Juan Capistrano, CA, are lightweight (29 g) SS sensors that exhibit stable outputs during multiple cycles of thermal shock down to -269[degrees]C. No thermal...

Microcontroller with DSP.(Goal Semiconductor Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Versal from Goal Semiconductor, Inc., Montreal, PQ, Canada is an integrated microcontroller-based DA system-on-chip with an innovative architecture. In addition to a 4-channel, 12-bit ADC, the unit also features an 8051-compatible...

Flow Instruments.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Products from Cox Instrument, a div. of Schutte & Koerting, Bensalem, PA, include state-of-the art electronic instruments for automated and computer-controlled flow measurement systems, turbine flowmeters, weight-time flowmeter calibrators,...

Strain Measurement Device.(Ettemeyer LLC)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Microstar from Ettemeyer LLC, Vernon, CT, can be attached to the component under test provide simultaneous 3D strain information from 10,000 points on a 2.5 by 3.5 cm area. The unit features a laser optical, 3D, full field measuring...

Pressure Switch.(Fredericks Co.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Hobbs Corp., Springfield, IL, offers the compact Invensys-brand pressure switch (2.25 in max. from terminal to base). Benefits include a 500,000 cycle life and ease of installation due to a hex fitting. Specifications include direction action...

Industrial I/O System.(Intelligent Instrumentation Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The EDAS CE from Intelligent Instrumentation, Inc., Tucson, AZ, provides 8-128 channels of isolated analog and digital I/O with built-in 10/100Base-T, Etbernet and a CPU running Windows CE 3.0 Stand-alone, networked, and distributed monitoring...

Multichannel Measurement System.(Hi-Techniques Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Hi-Techniques, Inc., Madison, WI, introduces the Spartan compact measuring system for potentialisolated measurement of voltage and temperature that allows direct connection of voltages ([+ or -] 50 V max), Pt100s, and all common thermocouples....

Precision Barometer.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Designed for instrument builders, the HPB from Honeywell, Minneapolis, MN, is small, weighs 142 g, and can operate in severe humidity, vibration, thermal, and mechanical shock environments. Pressure range is 500--1200 hPa max. with [+ or -]0.4...

Digital Panel Meter.(Lascar Electronics Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The SP Scries from Lascar Electronics, Inc., Palo Alto, CA, combines a low-profile finish with a miniature snap-in body style. Fitted with a silicone seal, the unit provides splash-proof protection to IP65 standards when fitted into a panel....

Ultrasonic Sensors for OEMs.(Polaroid Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Polaroid Corp., Wayland, MA, offers piezo transducers for challenging environments as well as ultrasensitive electrostatic transducers. Applications include proximity sensing, positioning, distance, and/or level measurement and automotive...