Sensors Magazine articles from March 2005

Sensors Magazine archives from March 2005

Toward a safer, more humane world.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... "We feel helpless when we face [a] natural disaster," says Sensors reader Zhang Kun. By 2024, he says, new sensor systems will help us save lives by predicting earthquakes and other phenomena that devastate. For many years, sensors have...

Free legal advice; Reduced FPAAs.(Business Sense)(field-programmable analog array)(Franklin Pierce Law Center)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Franklin Pierce Law Center recently opened its Intellectual Property (IP) and Transaction Clinic. Housed at The Law Center's Concord, NH, campus, the IP and Transaction Clinic offers no-charge legal advice regarding IP and commercial...

Accelerometer pricing challenges; Life sciences instrumentation increases.(Business Sense)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Frost & Sullivan's (www.sensors.frost.com) new report, "Accelerometers in North American Automotive, Aerospace, and Industrial Markets," reveals that holding prices at profitable levels has become a real challenge for suppliers of...

New executives, new directions.(Business Sense)(Flexpoint Sensor Systems Inc)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Flexpoint Sensor Systems, Inc. (www.flexpoint.com), developer of "bend sensor" technology, has appointed a new president and CEO, Clark M. Mower. Mower says he joined Flexpoint because he was "impressed with the current status of Flexpoint and...

Calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... Cognex's Understanding and Applying Machine Vision Sensors Seminar Now through June in 40 states, plus Canada, Mexico, and PR www.cognex.com/news/seminars.asp Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Technology and Yield Control April...

Tiny radio broadcasts from your insides.(Research & Developments)
March 1, 2005... Medical implants (and ingestibles) have escaped the Star Trek TNG set and entered the real world to the tune of a projected annual increase of nearly 11% in the U.S. A 2003 report from the Freedonia Group (www.freedoniagroup.com) puts the 2007...

Rubidium vapor key to mini magnetometer.(Research & Developments)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... NIST researchers have built and demonstrated a magnetometer about the size of a rice grain and capable of detecting magnetic field changes down to 50 pT. When packaged with its associated electronics, the sensor, which can run off a battery, is...

Now hear this! GMR film improves hearing aids.(Research & Developments)(giant magnetoresistance)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The hearing-impaired need two sets of ears, one for face-to-face conversations and another for use with cell phones and certain other electronic equipment. The reason is that hearing aids must switch input modes, either by manual intervention...

Short takes.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... We are beating the largest drum we could find while we chant: SAVE THE HUBBLE. Despite past reassurances from NASA, the current plan is to ditch that magnificent observatory rather than repair it. The official line is that a repair mission...

Building a better bolt.(AppSnaps)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... AERCO Intl., Inc., is a manufacturer of commercial water heaters and boiler systems. One of its products, a self-descaling water heater, uses vertical stacks of helical coils coupled with common steam riser and condensate return pipes. Because...

Look, ma! No hands!(AppSnaps)(SMI Intl)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... By analyzing high-resolution digital photos, GM ensures that its automobile tooling equipment is operating correctly. The tooling equipment positions automobile components together during the manufacturing process, so it's critically important...

Drip, drip, drip ...(AppSnaps)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... For apartment dwellers or others living in multifamily buildings, keeping track of how much water you use and spotting when things are going awry in the plumbing is an insidious and difficult problem. Letting a leaky tap or a wonky toilet valve...

Mesh radio network performance in cargo containers: wireless sensors installed inside a cargo container? Aren't they metal? Then the radio signal can't get out ... or can it? Here's how mesh-networked 2.4 GHz, 802.15.4-compliant RF transceivers performed when placed within cargo containers.(PUTTING SENSORS TO WORK)
March 1, 2005... Each year $12.5 trillion of merchandise is traded worldwide using more than 20 million intermodal containers; 90% of these shipments are between seaports. As has been reported and documented in numerous studies and observations, such unsecured...

This solid-state recorder rides in a bullet: how do you evaluate the performance of ammunition inside the barrel of a gun? By squeezing a little data recorder and its associated electronics into the round itself.(INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2005... The development and proof testing of many types of medium-caliber ammunition entails measuring the round's performance while it is moving inside the gun barrel. These in-barrel events--propagation of the propellant pressure wave, acceleration,...

A whole new value equation for industrial designs: a series on engineering better performance and lower costs in new designs, by Analog Devices.(iCMOS[TM])(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... State-of-the-art analog and mixed signal ICs, particularly those manufactured on submicron CMOS, have brought significant size, cost, and power advantages to a wide variety of applications, with one notable exception--industrial. The high...

Cleared for travel? Using a gaussmeter to check magnetic materials before shipment: increasingly strict regulations present a challenge to those shipping magnetized materials. Here's how a Hall effect gaussmeter can help.
March 1, 2005... Sypris Test & Measurement, Inc., manufactures high-precision, high-resolution gaussmeters. Magnet and magnetized manufacturers and shippers can use these devices to test packages for compliance with FAA and International Civil Automation...

A fluorescent long-line fiber-optic position sensor: a fluorescent long-line fiber-optic position sensor has been devised for measurement ranges varying from centimeters to many meters where extremely high resolution is not required. The sensor can also measure the position of several objects simultaneously.(SENSOR TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN)
March 1, 2005... The device described in this article is intended to satisfy an industrial need for continuous position sensing over a measurement range varying from centimeters to many meters. As a fiber-optic sensor, it has the well-known advantages of...

CMOS voltage comparator.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... The ALD2321 EPAD (electrically programmable analog device) from Advanced Linear Devices (ALD), Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, is an analog voltage comparator designed to reduce input loading effects that cause linearity errors and limit the resolution...

Presence sensor.(Product News)(Checker 101 )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Checker 101 from Cognex Corp., Natick, MA, is the first in a line of vision sensors designed to do a single task fast and well. The Checker 101 checks for the presence or absence of multiple items and is designed to be simpler to use than...

Mesh network rapid prototyping kit.(Product News)(MeshNetics Cube developer kit )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The MeshNetics Cube developer kit from Luxoft Labs, Bellevue, WA, lets you develop, prototype, and test a mesh network node and contains all necessary tools (microcontroller boards, data communication boards, interface and wireless boards,...

Ruggedized vibration analysis.(Product News)(VSA-1227 and VSA-1247 )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Datastick Systems, Inc., Campbell, CA, offers the VSA-1227 and VSA-1247 rugged PDA-based instruments that let you display FFT from ICP accelerometers for vibration analysis. The VSA-1227 provides 2 analog inputs and the VSA-1247 provides 4...

PLC on a Chip.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... The PLC on a Chip from Divelbiss Corp., Fredericktown, OH, is a single-chip PLC that can be embedded into OEM products such as sensors, drives, custom controls, and valve assemblies to let you perform ladder diagram and function block...

Flow transmitter.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... The DVF-320 depth velocity flow transmitter from Scientific Technologies, Inc., Automation Products Group, Logan, UT, uses a 4-20 mA signal to provide long-term monitoring and flow rate transmission, and its 4 programmable outputs provide...

IEEE 802.15.4 development platform.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... OnEarth Solutions Corp., Rockville, MD, offers the OES-ZUSB-1000 IEEE 802.15.4-compliant development platform that lets you design, develop, and test scalable low-data-rate and low-power wireless networks. The platform includes a USB-based...

Optical range sensor.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... The LaserRanger LRl from Aculux, Bellevue, WA, is an analog optical range sensor with a 5 in. measurement range, [+ or -]0.01 in. accuracy, and a standard 0-5 V output. The sensor samples 1000 times/s and features automatic laser power control...

Air bubble detection unit.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... Designed to detect air bubbles or breaks in the flow of fluids or blood through different types of flexible and rigid capillary tubing, the ultrasonic Model AD-101 from Cosense Inc., Hauppauge, NY, can detect air bubbles 250 [micro]m and...

Distributed I/O.(Product News)(KL3356 bus terminal )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The KL3356 bus terminal from Beckhoff Automation LLC, Burnsville, MN, provides direct connection for resistor bridges, strain-gauge sensors, and all common analog input signals and is for measurement applications in high-precision control...

Multichannel ADCs.(Product News)(Product introduction)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Analog Devices, Inc., Norwood, MA, offers six 12- to 16-bit true bipolar multichannel ADCs manufactured on the company's iCMOS technology and designed for industrial and instrumentation applications that use high-voltage ([+ or -]10 V) signals....

Submersible transmitter.(Product News)(HYD hydrostatic level transmitter )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The HYD hydrostatic level transmitter from Sensortechnics, Inc., Walpole, MA, is offered in pressure ranges from 3.3 ft.w.c. (1.5 psi) and has a rugged SS housing, a flush-mounted laser-welded diaphragm, and long-term stability of

802.15.4 network analyzer.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... The 802.15.4 network analyzer from Daintree Networks, Inc., San Jose, CA, is a test and measurement system intended to help developers of wireless sensor and control networks and associated devices develop and perform standards-compliance...

Oxygen sensor controller.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... Designed for automotive tuners, PLX Devices Inc., Los Altos, CA, offers the M-250 wideband oxygen sensor controller and display gauge for gas engines. The controller works with stand-alone engine management systems and provides air/fuel ratio...

Fieldbus interface cards.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... The AD-CIF Series of dedicated Fieldbus communication interface cards from Advantech Corp., Industrial Automation Group, Cincinnati, OH, support Profibus, DeviceNet, and CANopen protocols as well as PCI, PC/104, and PC/104-Plus fast PC...

Explosionproof level/interface sensor.(Product News)
March 1, 2005... Intended for machinery installed in hazardous or potentially explosive atmospheres, the compact M180 from Fluid Components Intl. LLC, San Marcos, CA, is a 2-wire, loop-powered, thermal mass flow sensor for OEMS. The sensor has a wetted SS probe...

Image acquisition board.(Product News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... For high-speed multiple-view machine vision applications, the X64-AN Quad from Coreco Imaging, St-Laurent, QC, Canada, interfaces with up to 4 independent standard or progressive-scan analog cameras. Features include support for multiple...

Noncontacting torque sensor.(Product News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Magne Torque torque sensor from TT electronics BI Technologies, Electronic Components Div., Fullerton, CA, is a programmable Hall effect device that provides two complementary analog output signals and lets you adjust offset, gain, and...

24-bit [DELTA][SIGMA] ADC.(Product News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A variable-speed/resolution 24-bit [DELTA][SIGMA] ADC, the LTC2447 from Linear Technology Corp. (LTC), Milpitas, CA, uses a multiplexing architecture to directly digitize multiple ratiometric sensors. Four differential inputs coupled with four...

Wireless data collection platform.(Product News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Thompson Environmental Monitoring and Control (TEMC), LLC, Melbourne, FL, offers the SWIMS simple wireless information management system, which accepts multiple 12-bit analog, digital, RS-232, pulse, frequency, and SDI-12 sensor inputs. The...

Explosives detection system.(Product News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The EGIS Defender from Thermo Electron Corp., Franklin, MA, detects trace amounts of explosives by combining the company's high-speed gas chromatography (HSGC) with Sionex's micro differential ion mobility spectrometry (microDMx). The...

Laser sensor head.(Product News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Selcom SLS 2401 from LMI Technologies (USA), Inc., Southfield, MI, is a single-point gauging sensor head for quality inspection and production control, inline thickness measurement and profiling, width measurement, production line behavior...

Laser distance sensor.(Readers' Choice)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Universal Laser Sensor from Laser Technology, Inc., Centennial, CO, is a pulse-laser measuring device capable of centimeter accuracy and millimeter resolution and of ranging to distances of several hundred meters. Update pulse rates are...

New--S17BNCSYS.(Literature SHOWCASE)
March 1, 2005... Simple Intensity[TM] ICP[TM][.sup.(PCB)] powered Acoustic Intensity Survey probe. Utilizing two 7052SYS Type 1.5[TM] Titanium diaphragm microphone systems, the S17BNC probe is fully adjustable from 12.5 mm to 100 mm, permitting optimum...

2004 full-line signal conditioning catalog.(Literature SHOWCASE)
March 1, 2005... New 240 page catalog of Instrument Class[R] industrial signal conditioning, data acqusitition and data communication products that protect and condition critical signals from RTDs Thermocouples, Load Cells and other sensor devices. Includes DIN...

Pressure sensors & transduscers.(Literature SHOWCASE)
March 1, 2005... Kavlico's 4-color, quad-fold capability brochure has just been re-issued detailing the latest information about their standard and custom sensors and transducers. Included are typical performance specifications and features, a company profile,...

New 100-page temperature sensor catalog.(Literature SHOWCASE)
March 1, 2005... The new 100-page RTD & Thermocouple Sensor Assemblies Handbook from Conax Buffalo Technologies provides detailed technical information in an easy-to-use format to help specifiers select the correct sensor assembly for an application. An...

Precision Inductosyn[R] Position Transducers.(Literature SHOWCASE)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Farrand Controls--manufacturers of precision Inductosyn[R] and Electrosyn[R] transducers used for accurate measurement of angular or linear position displacements. Rotary transducers provide absolute and incremental position information...

Non-contact rotary torque sensor.(Literature SHOWCASE)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Based on a revolutionary new technology using SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) strain sensing elements, TorqSense offers a superior solution to non-contact rotary torque or viscosity measurement in industrial applications. Optional RPM Pickoff...

Mel's picks.
March 1, 2005... If you visit the site for AIM, the global trade association for automatic identification, you'll find news and links about various automatic identification technologies, including RFID, bar codes, card technologies, and their related standards....