Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for detecting and locating a selected non-metallic material in a detection region

US5177445A · kind A · utility

64Cited by
5References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 19, 1991
Grant dateJan 5, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 19, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S13/885
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Particular non-metallic materials are detected by a recognition of the way in which their electrical properties vary with the frequency of an applied alternating electric field. In one method a body being tested is subjected to electromagnetic radiation at each of a plurality of different frequencies, the pattern of variation of the body's reflectivity is evaluated and compared with stored information on the conductivity/frequency characteristic of the non-metallic material to be deleted. In another method a body being tested is subjected to a burst of electromagnetic energy and a measurement is made of the time taken for the body to retransmit energy absorbed from the burst.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.