Sensors Magazine articles from March 2004

Sensors Magazine archives from March 2004

Watch the auto industry.(sensors are topics in two upcoming conferences)
March 1, 2004... SAE, the Society of Automotive Engineers, holds its World Congress this time each year to address topics important to automakers. Sensor-based systems are all over this convention, and even if you're not an automotive engineer, what happens at...

Advances for networks.(Business Sense)(MACSEA Ltd.)(grant to improve information by sensor networks)
March 1, 2004... A new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant targets data from sensor networks. According to Christos Cassandras, he and a team of researchers hope to "take the right actions through effective management of the information being gathered."...

Calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... Understanding and Applying Machine Vision Sensors March through June 34 states and Canada www.cognex.com/seminar/ UCLA Extension's 67th Technical Management Program March 28-April 2 West Los Angeles, CA ...

Nano news.(National Science Board authorizes National Science Foundation to fund National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network)
March 1, 2004... Now for another kind of network--one that is expected to provide nationwide access to leading-edge tools and instruments, and contribute to a new workforce skilled in nanotechnology. The National Science Board, a 24-member policy advisory body...

Porphyrins and light help platinum have a ball.(Research & Developments)(manipulating the nanoscale structure of platinum)
March 1, 2004... Researchers at Sandia and the University of New Mexico led by John Shelnutt have developed a new way to manipulate the nanoscale structure of platinum that will afford control over the size, porosity, composition, surface species, solubility,...

Acoustic Emission puts a bug in your ear.(research and development)(finding insect pest infestation through sound monitoring)
March 1, 2004... We used to share a house with carpenter ants--shiny black creatures an inch long and equipped with steely mandibles. When those unwelcome tenants were in feeding mode we could hear crunching as they tunneled through rafter and joist. Little...

Short takes.(Mars rovers web site)(target practice video game)(testing the echo from duck quacks)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... "I am flabbergasted. I am astonished. I am blown away... Opportunity has touched down in a bizarre alien landscape... the coolest geological field trip in human history... this is exactly what it looked like in my wildest dreams... I keep...

Look, ma--no hands.(optical surface analyzers for the data storage industry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Application snapshots that show how handy a sensor can be. Candela Instruments (Fremont, CA, www.candela-inst.com) makes optical surface analyzers for the data storage industry. The equipment performs five types of measurement, both...

How now, happy cow?(automated milking system)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Remember "In the Big Rock Candy Mountains," Harry McLintock's musical description of a hobo's ideal world where, among other marvels, "the hens lay soft-boiled eggs"? Well, how about cows that milk themselves? Some do! Let's mosey on over to...

They're out to launch.(Lockheed Martin Space Systems)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... When Atlas V launch vehicles once again ferry their payloads into space, they will have already been given a shakedown cruise right here on Earth. Designed for domestic and international satellite markets, and U.S. civil and military satellite...

Next-generation proximity and position sensors: a new proximity sensor uses an RF field to sense near-field proximity with high precision.(Sensor Technology and Design)(Radio Frequency )
March 1, 2004... At the moment, inductive, capacitive, optical, and ultrasound sensors are used to measure distance to objects in the proximity range. Inductive sensors work only with metal objects, the material and size of which must be known so that...

Web-enabled vehicle data acquisition with remote real-time access: an integration of data acquisition, GPS, and the Internet allows automotive engineers working together--in various parts of the world--to conduct real-time road tests and adjust test parameters on the fly.(Intelligent Systems)(Global Positioning System )
March 1, 2004... Complex sensing and control systems are an integral part of transportation vehicle design, be it SUV, sedan, 16-wheeler, or farm tractor. In a typical vehicle, the chassis alone includes anti-lock braking, suspension, engine control modules,...

Spin-dependent tunneling: a new magnetic sensing technology.(Sensor Technology and Design)
March 1, 2004... Quantum mechanical tunneling, when combined with magnetic scattering due to the spin of electrons, results in an exciting new phenomenon called spin-dependent tunneling. Sensors based on this property will doubtless enter the commercial arena...

Same data, more value: multivariate sensor signal monitoring; Adding more sensors to your equipment can, by itself, provide good value. Adding multivariate analysis of the sensor data returns an even greater benefit--earlier warning of equipment faults.(Putting Sensors to Work)
March 1, 2004... When does one plus one equal three? When you add sensors and predictive condition monitoring (PCM) to better monitor machinery. A recent test conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) [1], examined the effects of combining...

Power considerations for wireless sensor networks: two ways to power remote, portable devices are tiny, long-life batteries and energy harvesting techniques. The choice depends on the demands of the particular application.(Intelligent Systems)
March 1, 2004... Power conservation is a critical component of the wireless sensor networks used in hundreds of commercial, industrial, medical, consumer, and military applications characterized by low power requirements and low data rates. Long battery life...

Battery power for remote wireless sensors: hybrid lithium batteries are a reliable way to power sensors that require high current pulses to transmit their data.(Intelligent Systems)
March 1, 2004... With the proliferation of sensors installed in remote or hard-to-access sites, providing the devices with operating and communication power has raised new challenges. These sensors, which require high current pulses, are at work in automatic...

Multichannel DA.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... Product News is but a sampling of the many, many products we've seen recently. The ones included this month reflect a trend, are different enough to make me sit up and take notice, or are nice implementations of current technology. At the...

Gravity-based inclinometer.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... The IT9420 from Celesco Transducer Products, Inc., Chatsworth, CA, provides a 4-20 mA feedback signal for incline positions over a 45[degrees]-270[degrees] angle measurement range and uses a magnetically damped pendulum coupled to a precision...

Hydrogen sulfide sensor.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... Designed for hydrogen sulfide monitoring applications, the Model S4000T from General Monitors, Lake Forest, CA, is available in 3 configurations: 0-20 ppm, 0-50 ppm, and 0-100 ppm gas ranges. The intelligent gas sensor features remote mounting,...

Humidity calibration.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... The Model 1200 Mini humidity calibration standard from Thunder Scientific Corp., Albuquerque, NM, is 24 by 14 by 12 in., weighs [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Sensor interface IC.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... The MSSPSI smart programmable sensor interface chip from Mixed Signal Integration Corp., San Jose, CA, interfaces voltage output sensors to a microprocessor. It takes small analog signals from a sensor or MEMS device; anti-aliases, filters, and...

Wind-flow-pressure mapping.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... The Tactilus surface airflow sensor from Sensor Products, Inc., East Hanover, NJ, contains a 1D array of 16 capacitive pressure sensing elements. F.S. measuring ranges are from 4-1500 mmHg, and system resolution is 0.008 mmHg. The TAF-1000...

Acceleration sensors.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... Servoflo Corp., Lexington, MA, offers the Star Micronics ACA302 and APA300 triaxial accelerometers. The ACA302 has an integrated amplifier circuit and can deliver a DC to 15 Hz frequency response across its entire [+ or -]2 G range. Typical...

Electromagnetic flowmeter.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... Available in SS, brass, and PVC, the EX80 from SeaMetrics, Inc., Kent, WA, is an insertion magmeter well suited to water and other conductive fluids in which particulates or debris pose a problem for moving parts. The EX80 is modular, allowing...

Luminescence sensor.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... Wenglor Sensoric GmbH, Tettnang, Germany, offers the A1 and A2 sensors that detect luminescent markings. The transmitter diode on both sensors emits UV light with a wavelength of 380 nm; if this emitted light strikes a luminescent marking, the...

Tiny wireless transceivers.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... The AC4490-1X1 mini 900 MHz FHSS transceiver from AeroComm Inc., Lenexa, KS, is a 1 by 1 in. module for creating local RF networks where tight space, low power, and limited resources are the OEM's biggest concerns. All components, including...

Digital color camera.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... Alternative Vision Corp., Los Altos, CA, offers HanVision's HVDUO-10M digital color camera, which features 30-bit digital color output, real-time color processing, and use of the Foveon X3 Pro 10M CMOS direct-image sensor. The camera supports...

Ultrasonic sensors.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... UA Series ultrasonic sensors from Carlo Gavazzi Automation Components, Buffalo Grove, IL, are for distance measurement and object detection in tough environments. Offered in both M18 and M30 housings, the sensors are available in discrete...

Tactical-grade fiber-optic gyro.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... A DSP-based, open-loop fiber-optic gryo approximately the size of a deck of cards, the DSP-3000 from KVH Industries, Inc., Middletown, RI, is suitable for use in military and commercial applications and has both analog and digital outputs....

Laser distance sensor.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... Available with either analog or digital outputs, the ODSL 30 from Leuze Lumiflex, Inc., Rockaway, NJ, has a max. range of up to 30 m while maintaining [+ or -]1 mm accuracy. The sensor operates without reflectors and features good black/white...

Digital, analog DA devices.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... National Instruments, Austin, TX, introduces 5 digital I/O and analog I/O boards: the PCI-6509, PCI-6514, and PCI-6515 digital I/O boards and the PCI-6722 and PCI-6723 voltage output boards. The PCI-6509 is an industrial 96-channel, 5 V/TTL,...

Temperature/humidity monitor.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... The DLP-TH1 from Saelig Co. Inc., Fairport, NY, is a USB-based sensor that lets you monitor temperature, humidity, and dew point from your PC's USB port. Temperature range is -40[degrees]C to 123.8[degrees]C with [+ or -]2% accuracy and 0%-100%...

Free-fall sensor.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... Merycon Corp., Novi, MI, offers UG-0 zero-gravity/free-fall sensors from Ubukata Industries Co., Ltd., Nagoya, Japan. The sensors detect objects in free fall from heights as low as 15 cm and in as little as 20 ms. The devices are 3.4 by 7 mm...

Plug-and-play sensors.(Product News)
March 1, 2004... INFOSENSE-P temperature sensors from Watlow Electric Mfg. Co., St. Louis, MO, use IEEE 1451.4 technology, so that when the sensor is wired or connected to compatible electronics, the controller accesses information from the sensor's EEPROM....

Wheel-speed sensor.(Honeywell Sensing and Control)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A 2-wire digital current output sensor for automotive manufacturers, the IX MR magnetoresistive wheel-speed sensor from Honeywell Sensing and Control, Freeport, IL, can sense multipole ring magnets found in smart bearings, offering a one pulse...

Web picks.(sensors developers information web sites)
March 1, 2004... Way back in the mists of time I heard mention of Virtual Bubble Wrap. For whatever reason I never followed up on the rumors--until now. And now, I share with you the wonder that is Virtual Bubble Wrap. Yup, just what it sounds like. A screen of...