Sensing system using a marginal oscillator
US10041895B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 19, 2014 |
| Grant date | Aug 7, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 19, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R27/26
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A sensor system comprises a marginal oscillator. A tank circuit comprises inductive and capacitive elements including a probe arranged to generate an electromagnetic field in a sensing region. A non-linear drive circuit drives oscillation of the tank circuit by supplying a differential signal pair of complementary signals across the tank circuit, sustaining the oscillation on the basis of at least one of the complementary signals. A detection circuit detects a characteristic of the oscillation of the tank circuit that is dependent on the electromagnetic properties of the contents of the sensing region and to derive a signal representing the at least one characteristic. The differential signaling provides numerous advantages, including improved accuracy and signal-to-noise.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.