Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for changing the sensitivity of a transducer

US5287748A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
11References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMay 1, 1992
Grant dateFeb 22, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 1, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01L9/04
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method of changing the sensitivity of a transducer includes applying to the transducer a cyclic excitation signal. The excitation signal has a number of recurring phases of different amplitudes. The transducer's output signal has a like number of recurring phases, each of which corresponds to a phase of the excitation signal. One of the phases of the output signal is selected for data acquisition. Selection of a different phase changes the effective measuring range of the transducer. Preferably, the excitation signal is an a.c. signal, and the output signal is partially demodulated as part of the selection of a phase for data acquisition.

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