Sensors Magazine articles from November 2003

Sensors Magazine archives from November 2003

News from Sensors Expo: more than at any other Sensors Expo, the buzz centered on wireless communications.(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... You didn't attend Sensors Expo & Conference Fall 2003 (held Sept 22-25 in Anaheim)? No problem. I'll share with you my perspective of the event if you'll answer the questions that I asked attendees who visited the Sensors booth. ...

Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.(Business Sense)(FPDP recognized as an approved protocol)(tire pressure monitoring systems regulations must be revised)
November 1, 2003... In August, a U.S. appeals court overturned the tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) rule and ordered the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to craft a new one. According to Schrader Electronics (Antrim, N. Ireland,...

GlobalSpec, Inc.(Market Trends)(survey of industries planning capital and/or research spending cuts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... In its second annual survey of industrial indicators, GlobalSpec, Inc. (Troy, NY, www.globalspec.com), provider of online technical product resources, finds that businesses in the industrial sector are generally optimistic about revenue...

In vivo drug delivery refined by a guiding light.(Research & Developments)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Researchers led by Dr. Antonio A. Garcia at Arizona State are doing some very interesting work with photocapillarity, the ability to pull a liquid up a nanotube by shining a light on the tube surface. It seems that certain molecules--the team...

Sewage treatment goes microfluidic.(Research & Developments)(lab-on-a-chip created that monitors the natural response of bacterial cells)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... NIST investigators, in a joint project with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Veridian Pacific-Sierra Research, have created a prototype lab-on-a-chip that monitors the natural response of bacterial cells bound within the...

Vehicles might be gentler on pedestrians they hit.(Research & Developments)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Automotive safety devices, directed primarily toward protecting the driver and passengers, have been given a new assignment: mitigating the damage to pedestrials and bicyclists unfortunate enough to be struck by a vehicle. In an effort to...

Snoop detector pokes hidden cameras in the eye.(Research & Developments)(wireless surveillance camera detector introduced)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Just when we ran out of things to worry about, we began to consider shopping for some winter clothes. Then we read something that changed our mind. We still needed the clothing, but not enough to entertain invisible company in the dressing...

Straighten up and fly right.(App Snaps)(Oryx Systems introduces a jet fan blade inspection sensor)
November 1, 2003... To optimize jet engine performance and ensure safety, operators of small aircraft rely on overhaul facilities to inspect, replace, or regrind the hundreds of small stainless steel and Inconel blades that generate thrust power in their jet...

Deep space mine.(App Snaps)(new astronomical camera introduced by Sarnoff Corp.)
November 1, 2003... The science of astronomy serves as both our window on the past and our doorway to the future. Yet scientists, cosmologists, and astronomers can uncover only as much of our history and our destiny as their tools allow. [ILLUSTRATION...

Get your dogs in a row.(App Snaps)(food processor uses Rexroth SR8 robots to handle awkward units in production line)
November 1, 2003... Hot dog eaters grill them, boil them, steam them, but rarely approach the sphinx-like riddle that accompanies them: Why do wieners come eight to a pack when their buns come in tens? But let's stick with mysteries we can solve. Sutter GmbH,...

BiSS, an open digital interface standard for smart sensors.(Intelligent Systems)(new computer serial interface)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2003... Various bus systems currently exist for networking intelligent sensors for measurement and automation systems, most of them capable of bidirectional controller communications (see Figure 1, page 16). Proprietary interfaces have the major market...

Danaher chooses BiSS.
November 1, 2003... When Danaher Controls started work on its new ACURO line of absolute encoders, it listened to its customers. ACURO would be made in two versions: one for machinery applications, providing mostly position information, and one for motor feedback...

Nanotechnology-enabled sensors: possibilities, realities, and applications: operating on the scale of atoms and molecules, emerging nanotechnologies promise dramatic changes in sensor designs and capabilities.(Intelligent Systems)
November 1, 2003... If you make or use sensors, your business will likely feel the impact of current and future developments in nanotechnology, a very promising new branch of small-scale technology named for the unit of measure at which it operates: the nanometer,...

Measuring current with IMC Hall effect technology: this Hall effect current sensor features an integrated magnetic concentrator (IMC) that allows it to measure current directly, without a ferrite core.(Sensor Technology and Design)
November 1, 2003... Hall effect sensors have been used to measure electric current for many years. Because of their relatively low sensitivity, conventional Hall sensors need magnetic circuits that serve to increase their cost, size, and weight. The Hall effect...

Using precision digital multimeters for quick checks on temperature transducers.(Putting Sensors to Work)
November 1, 2003... Does this thing work? How a digital multimeter can tell you if your temperature transducer is working, broken, or confused. ********** If your processes use temperature transducers, then the ability to quickly see if they're good or...

The ABCs of RTDs: this short tutorial will bring you up to speed on the operating principle of resistance temperature detectors.(Sensor Technology and Design)
November 1, 2003... Resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) are typically made of nickel, copper, or platinum. One of the most linear, stable, and reproducible RTDs is the 100 or 1000 [ohm] platinum type, sometimes referred to as a platinum resistance thermometer,...

Wireless wearables--where's the technology headed? The military's investing, industry's watching, and before long it could be what you put on in the morning.(Intelligent Systems)
November 1, 2003... About 20 years ago, computer science grad students began to stumble out of the lab and onto the streets and trade show floors--wearing their experiments. They looked like Robocop. Or the Borg. Now the rest of us are beginning to wake up to the...

Handheld temperature calibrator.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... 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. ...

High-shock accelerometers.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Colibrys, Neuchatel, Switzerland, and Cary, NC, offers the SMD MS 8000 Series of MEMS capacitive accelerometers, which resist high levels of shock and exhibit high stability for use in precision missile guidance and smart weapons applications,...

Machine vision software.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... FrameWork 2.6 from DVT Corp., Duluth, GA, is an enhanced version of the company's operating system for its machine vision products. FrameWork 2.6 features a common interface to all the company's SmartImage sensors; improved color learning...

Carbon monoxide monitor.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The Series 450 carbon monoxide monitor from Dwyer Instruments, Inc., Michigan City, IN, lets you monitor carbon monoxide in ambient air. A beacon of light flashes in correspondence with the concentration level of CO in air, and an audible alarm...

DA development software.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Data Translation, Inc., Marlborough, MA, offers DT Measure Foundry 4.0, which integrates live data acquisition capabilities with access to MathWorks' MATLAB and Microsoft's Excel for math processing and post-analysis. Panels receive data...

Machine vision systems.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... ipd, Intelligent Products Div. of Coreco Imaging, Inc., Billerica, MA, offers NetSight PCL, PCP, and PCV integrated machine vision systems that support a range of Camera Link-compatible digital, double-speed, progressive-scan, and variable-scan...

Fingerprint sensor.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The MBF310 from Fujitsu Microelectronics America (FMA), Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, is a capacitive-based fingerprint sensor with an advanced auto-finger detection circuit and onboard FIFO memory. The sensor incorporates 8 image-sensing rows and has...

High-temperature accelerometer.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The 8795A50M5 from Kistler Instrument Corp., Amherst, NY, measures simultaneous acceleration in 3 orthogonal axes and operates reliably at temperatures up to 165[degrees]C. Measuring range is [+ or -]50 g, frequency response is 1 Hz to 4 kHz,...

Temperature sensors.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Andigilog, Chandler, AZ, offers aTS20, aTS50, aTS51 analog, and aTS75 digital CMOS temperature sensors with [+ or -]1[degrees]C accuracy. Temperature range is -55[degrees]C to 130[degrees]C for the aTS20 and -40[degrees]C to 125[degrees]C for...

Carbon monoxide sensors.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Nemoto Environmental Technology Srl, Rayne, U.K., offers the 3-electrode NAP-505 that detects CO from 0-1000 ppm and is designed for use in domestic CO detectors, fire delectors, and indoor air quality monitors. The sensor features [+ or -]2%...

Transmitters, alarm trips.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Moore Industries-Intl., Inc., North Hills, CA, offers the Model CPA limit alarm trip and the Model CPT temperature transmitter and signal isolator/converter. Both are PC programmable and offer 20-bit input resolution, calibration that lasts 5...

Digital output temperature sensor.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Packaged in a SOT23 package, the Burr-Brown TMP122 from Texas Instruments Inc., Tucson, AZ, can measure temperatures from -25[degrees]C to 85[degrees]C with 0.5[degrees]C accuracy (1.5[degrees]C max.) and features an SPI-compatible interface....

Precision turbine flowmeter.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The EFR (Enhanced Floating Rotor) Series from Sponsler, Inc., a Unit of IDEX Corp., Westminster, SC, is designed to measure liquid and gas flows to custody transfer standards. The meter's axial design uses a rotor mounted on a shaft between...

Handheld humidity meters.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The HUMIPORT 10 and HUMIPORT 20 from E+E Elektronik GmbH, Engerwitzdorf, Austria, are portable devices designed to measure RH, temperature, and dew point. The HUMIPORT 10 has a fixed sensing probe while the HUMIPORT 20 has a remote probe....

Coriolis transmitter.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Emerson Process Management, Micro Motion Div., Boulder, CO, offers the Model 2500 MVD DIN-rail Coriolis transmitter, which provides output for mass and volume flow, density, temperature, and flow totals. Additional output options include 10 kHz...

Motion control chip set.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... International Rectifier, El Segundo, CA, offers a chip set consisting of the IR2175 linear current-sensing IC and the IR2136 3-phase inverter driver IC for the analog stage of the company's iMOTION integrated design platform for motion control....

Pressure transmitter.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... WIKA Instrument Corp., Atlanta, GA, offers the Type MH-2 with pressure ranges from 400 psi up to 8000 psi. The sensor resists shock and vibration to IEC 68-2 and is IP67 to IP69K rated. Features include a hermetically welded, SS, sputtered...

OEM filter module.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The AAF-2Fe module from Alligator Technologies, Costa Mesa, CA, provides 2 channels of Butterworth, Bessel, Cauer, or Linear Phase filters tunable to bandwidths from 0.1 Hz to 200 kHz. Compatible with 8-, 12-, and 16-bit A/D modules and boards,...

Vibrating level switch.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The Model SF50 from K-TEK Corp., Prairieville, LA, uses a single vibrating (125 Hz) fork to detect the absence/presence of dry bulk solids in bins, silos, and hoppers, and can detect levels of materials weighing as little as 1.3...

Tandem dynamometer setups.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Magtrol, Inc., Buffalo, NY, offers a tandem setup for its Eddy-Current (WB) and Powder Brake (PB) dynamometers, allowing you to use the features of each type for broad torque and speed range capabilities. Tandem dynamometers are available in a...

Reference thermometer.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The Model 5577 intrinsically safe handheld reference thermometer from Hart Scientific, American Fork, UT, can operate in specified hazardous environments and provides basic accuracy of [+ or -]0.05[degrees]C over its full range of...

Current output DACs.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The LTC1588 and LTC1589 from Linear Technology Corp., Milpitas, CA, are monotonic 12- and 14-bit current output DACs with a software programmable output range. SoftSpan DACs are programmed with a 3-wire serial interface to operate in 1 of 6...

Urea sensors.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Kavlico Corp., Moorpark, CA, offers a 2-sensor approach to reducing the formation of N[O.sub.x] compounds in on-highway vehicle applications by measuring urea fluid level. Urea/water-based selective catalytic reduction systems inject urea into...

Water quality meter.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The Multi 340i from WTW Measurement Systems Inc., Ft. Myers, FL, is a handheld meter designed to measure and record several important water quality parameters (pH, MV, ORP, DO, % saturation, conductivity, salinity, and temperature). You can...

Submersible pressure transmitter.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... Designed for wastewater applications involving chunky media, the WW517 from Viatran Corp., Grand Island, NY, is a 316L SS liquid level transmitter with a 3 in dia. open-faced Teflon-coated sensor available in ranges from 0-3 psi to 0-500 psi...

Bluetooth devices.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... CyberResearch, Inc., Branford, CT, offers the CYBT Series of five Bluetooth wireless communicators: a converter that attaches to any RS-232 port and needs no OS, an adapter that attaches to PC RS-232 ports, an adapter for USB ports, a card for...

Extreme environment sensor.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The 9850 Series from BEI Duncan Electronics, Tustin, CA, is a fully-sealed, harsh-environment rotary position sensor for use in position feedback and operator input applications. It is rated to IP66 and IP67, has a slim design, and can...

Laser position sensor.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... A high-power, laser diffuse reflection light scanner from Leuze Lumiflex, Inc., Rockaway, NJ, the HRT 96 Series sensor uses phase-shift evaluation and can reliably detect objects up to 5 m away. Used with a reflector foil, the sensor's scanning...

Vibration calibration system.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The Modal Shop, Cincinnati, OH, offers the K9100C, a portable system that calibrates vibration sensors and produces NIST-traceable reports in compliance with ISO 17025/A2LA requirements. Calibration bandwidth is from 10 Hz to 10 kHz over an...

Digital I/O card.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The RN1100 RabbitNet digital I/O card from Z-World, Davis, CA, is designed for use with the company's SBCs and operator interfaces and features RabbitNet, an I/O expansion mechanism that uses 3-wire, full-duplex technology and off-the-shelf...

Wireless sensor networking.(Product News)
November 1, 2003... The i-Bean 5000 from Millennial Net, Inc., Cambridge, MA, forms self-organizing wireless networks with other i-Bean-enabled sensors, providing communication between sensors or other control devices without human administration. Each i-Bean is a...

Thank you to Kurt Goszyk for creating DesignNotes.com, a site dedicated to helping design engineers and enthusiasts improve their designs, solve problems, and find whatever design tools or equipment they might need.(Web Picks)
November 1, 2003... Thank you to Kurt Goszyk for creating DesignNotes.com, a site dedicated to helping design engineers and enthusiasts improve their designs, solve problems, and find whatever design tools or equipment they might need. You can pose questions, buy...