Sensor and method for detecting a superstrate
First Claim
1. An instrument for detecting one or more superstrates, comprising:
- a transmission line;
a substrate mounted on an opposite side of said transmission line from said one or more superstrates;
a plurality of measurement cells formed within said transmission line, wherein at least one of said plurality of measurement cells is integrally formed within said transmission line;
a microwave source for applying a microwave signal to said transmission line and each of said plurality of measurement cells formed within said transmission line; and
a detector for detecting said one or more superstrates with respect to said plurality of measurement cells;
wherein said at least one of said plurality of measurement cells must necessarily be present forcontinuity of said transmission line and for transmission of said microwave signal duringoperation of said instrument, andwherein said instrument is not based on the condition of resonance.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus are provided for determining a superstrate on or near a sensor, e.g., for detecting the presence of an ice superstrate on an airplane wing or a road. In one preferred embodiment, multiple measurement cells are disposed along a transmission line. While the present invention is operable with different types of transmission lines, construction details for a presently preferred coplanar waveguide and a microstrip waveguide are disclosed. A computer simulation is provided as part of the invention for predicting results of a simulated superstrate detector system. The measurement cells may be physically partitioned, non-physically partitioned with software or firmware, or include a combination of different types of partitions. In one embodiment, a plurality of transmission lines are utilized wherein each transmission line includes a plurality of measurement cells. The plurality of transmission lines may be multiplexed with the signal from each transmission line being applied to the same phase detector. In one embodiment, an inverse problem method is applied to determine the superstrate dielectric for a transmission line with multiple measurement cells.
37 Citations
53 Claims
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1. An instrument for detecting one or more superstrates, comprising:
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a transmission line; a substrate mounted on an opposite side of said transmission line from said one or more superstrates; a plurality of measurement cells formed within said transmission line, wherein at least one of said plurality of measurement cells is integrally formed within said transmission line; a microwave source for applying a microwave signal to said transmission line and each of said plurality of measurement cells formed within said transmission line; and a detector for detecting said one or more superstrates with respect to said plurality of measurement cells; wherein said at least one of said plurality of measurement cells must necessarily be present for continuity of said transmission line and for transmission of said microwave signal during operation of said instrument, and wherein said instrument is not based on the condition of resonance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A waveguide sensor for detecting one or more superstrates, comprising:
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a center conductor; two outer conductors mounted such that said center conductor is disposed between said two outer conductors such that a respective spacing is formed on either side said center conductor separating said center conductor from said two outer conductors, each said respective spacing being selected for controlling a measurement depth of said superstrate, said center conductor and said two outer conductors being oriented parallel with respect to each other; and a substrate mounted on an opposite side of said waveguide sensor from said superstrate, wherein said waveguide sensor is not based on the condition of resonance for detecting said one or more superstrates. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A waveguide sensor for detecting one or more superstrates, comprising:
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a single elongate conductive strip; a conductive ground plane; a substrate mounted on an opposite side of said one or more superstrates, said substrate separating said single elongate conductive strip and said conductive ground plane; a detector being operable for measuring a phase angle associated with energy applied to said transmission line and utilizing said phase angle for at least one of either determining a thickness of said one or more superstrates or for distinguishing between predetermined superstrates; and a plurality of measurement cells disposed along said single conductive strip. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of detecting one or more superstrates on a transmission line, comprising:
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providing a plurality of measurement cells integrally formed within said transmission line wherein at least one of said plurality of measurement cells must necessarily be present for continuity of said transmission line; applying a signal to said transmission line such that said signal is applied to through each of said measurement cells; and measuring an output signal from said transmission line for said detection of said one or more superstrates, wherein said at least one of said plurality of measurement cells must be necessarily present for application of said signal to said transmission line when detecting said one or more superstrates on said transmission line, and wherein said method is not based on the condition of resonance. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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Specification