Sensor assembly and method of measuring the proximity of a machine component to an emitter
First Claim
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1. A microwave sensor assembly comprising:
- at least one probe comprising an emitter having at least one resonant frequency within a microwave frequency range, said emitter configured to;
generate an electromagnetic field from at least one microwave signal at said at least one resonant frequency;
change the at least one resonant frequency in response to a change in relative position of an object within said electromagnetic field; and
generate at least one loading signal representative of a loading induced within said emitter by said change in relative position of said object within the electromagnetic field; and
a signal processing device coupled to said at least one probe, said signal processing device comprising a linearizer including a feedback loop amplifier, said linearizer configured to generate a substantially linear output signal based on the at least one loading signal and an amplified feedback loop signal.
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Abstract
A microwave sensor assembly includes at least one probe including an emitter configured to generate an electromagnetic field from at least one microwave signal. The emitter is also configured to generate at least one loading signal representative of a loading induced within the emitter by an object positioned within the electromagnetic field. The microwave sensor assembly also includes a signal processing device coupled to the at least one probe. The signal processing device includes a linearizer configured to generate a substantially linear output signal based on the at least one loading signal.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A microwave sensor assembly comprising:
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at least one probe comprising an emitter having at least one resonant frequency within a microwave frequency range, said emitter configured to; generate an electromagnetic field from at least one microwave signal at said at least one resonant frequency; change the at least one resonant frequency in response to a change in relative position of an object within said electromagnetic field; and generate at least one loading signal representative of a loading induced within said emitter by said change in relative position of said object within the electromagnetic field; and a signal processing device coupled to said at least one probe, said signal processing device comprising a linearizer including a feedback loop amplifier, said linearizer configured to generate a substantially linear output signal based on the at least one loading signal and an amplified feedback loop signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A power system comprising:
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a machine; and a microwave sensor assembly positioned proximate said machine, said microwave sensor assembly comprising; at least one probe comprising an emitter having at least one resonant frequency within a microwave frequency range, said emitter configured to; generate an electromagnetic field from at least one microwave signal at said at least one resonant frequency, wherein a loading is induced within said emitter when at least one component of said machine changes its relative position within the electromagnetic field; and generate at least one loading signal representative of the induced loading; and a signal processing device coupled to said at least one probe, said signal processing device comprising a linearizer including a feedback loop amplifier, said linearizer configured to generate a substantially linear output signal based on the at least one loading signal and an amplified feedback loop signal. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for measuring a proximity of a machine component relative to an emitter having at least one resonant frequency within a microwave frequency range, said method comprising:
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generating an electromagnetic field based on at least one microwave signal transmitted to the emitter at said at least one resonant frequency; generating at least one loading signal representative of a loading induced within the emitter by an interaction of the machine component with the electromagnetic field; generating a substantially linear proximity measurement of the machine component to the emitter based on the at least one loading signal and an amplified feedback loop signal; and outputting the proximity measurement to a user. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification