A novel sensor array for field based ocular ultraviolet radiation measurements

The intensification of terrestrial solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) due to the diminution of the ozone layer has promoted a variety of research into establishing the impact of this elevated potential dose of UVR on biological tissues. Certain anterior ocular tissues have been found to be susceptible to damage by incident UVR and potentially blinding diseases such as pterygium are thought to be a direct result of absorbed UVR at the nasal limbus. There is a need for more accurate quantification and localisation of incident UVR at the anterior ocular surface. A novel solar blind photodiode sensor array system has been designed, constructed and tested for this purpose. Initial measurements to quantify the irradiance across the anterior ocular surface within the latitudes known as the 'pterygium belt' provide us with a set of core data for different head orientations and tilt angles and indicate the accuracy and stability of the system.     

矢量线阵二维波达方位估计的方法

声矢量传感器南声压传感器和质点振速传感器组成,它可以空间共点、时间同步测量声场的声压标量和振速矢量信息。钏对声压线阵无法同时分辨目标的方位角和俯仰角,而三维矢量传感器线阵会带来成本的增加和工程应用上的困难．利用二维矢量传感器组成的直线阵对目标的二维波达方位进行联合估计,详细推导了矢量阵MUSIC算法的数学表达式,并着重对矢量线阵在三维坐标不同轴上时对方位估计的影响进行了研究。仿真结果表明二维矢量线阵布放在水平的X轴或Y轴上时存在方位模糊．而布放在垂直的Z轴上时可以实现全空间无模糊定向,且对双目标也有较高的分辨率。     

A carbon-nanotube-based sensor array for formaldehyde detection

We have fabricated a sensor array consisting of 32 sensor elements with pristine, doped and metal-loaded single-wall carbon nanotubes as sensing materials. The sensor elements consist of interdigitated electrodes with varying finger widths and gaps. The chemiresistor-type sensors provide a significant response to formaldehyde at concentrations down to 10 ppb in air with rapid response and recovery times.     

通过模态滤波实现阵列式传感器系统的故障诊断

基于结构振动响应特性利用改进的模态滤波方法对阵列式传感器系统进行故障诊断。在梁结构表面均匀布置一组加速度计,利用模态振型对该系统的输出信号进行重构,将重构信号与实际信号之间的曲率误差作为敏感参数,对系统中的模拟故障传感器进行检测与识别,并加以实验验证。数值计算和实验结果表明:改进的模态滤波方法不仅可以直接有效地对传感器系统进行实时故障监测,而且该方法与外界激励力位置无关,具有良好的工程应用前景。     

A novel method of reducing iron losses in power transformer cores

A method is described in which the iron loss of single phase transformer cores constructed from grain-oriented silicon-iron can be reduced. It is shown in two different sized cores that by assembling the limbs with laminations cut at small angles to the rolling direction (RD) of the steel, and stacked in a certain way, the loss can be reduced. Reductions of up to 6 percent were achieved in cores assembled from high permeability steel.     

基于阵列传感器的复合材料结构损伤MUSIC成像方法

提出了一种基于传感器线阵的多重信号分类(Multiple Signal Classification,MUSIC)损伤成像方法用于航空复合材料的损伤监测。该方法采用MUSIC阵列信号处理方法,通过对传感器阵列信号进行协方差特征值分解,在结构上进行方向扫描并构建监测区域的空间谱,从而实现对结构损伤的成像,具有一维传感器阵列易于布置的优点。所提出的方法在变厚度航空复合材料油箱结构上进行了验证,结果表明,该方法能够准确实现航空复合材料结构上的损伤成像,定位误差小于2cm。     

A method of reducing grating lobes associated with an ultrasoundlinear phased array intended for transrectal thermotherapy

Some practical aspects of planar linear ultrasound phased arrays for transrectal thermotherapy of prostate diseases are discussed. Several regimens for driving the array are investigated and spatial distributions of ultrasound intensities are measured in water and compared with computer simulations. Practical recommendations for suppressing grating lobes based on the use of subsets of elements and de-activation of several elements in the array are given. Treatment safety could be increased by adopting these measures since the relative intensities and power in grating lobes and other secondary intensity peaks are decreased, as is the overall ultrasound energy introduced into the body without significant reduction in the maximum power at the focus     

测量多阶磁梯度张量的磁传感器阵列

为实现多阶磁梯度张量的准确测量,提出一种磁传感器阵列。阵列由9个三轴磁传感器组成,在平面呈菱形排列。根据张量对称性,提出一阶及二阶磁梯度张量计算方法。采用Floater-Hormann有理插值完成测量盲点的修正。根据磁偶极子原理建立仿真模型,研究阵列在地磁场和噪声背景下的一阶及二阶磁梯度张量测量精度。仿真结果表明,提出阵列在磁梯度张量测量精度、完整性方面优于十字形阵列和六面体阵列。基于一阶和二阶磁梯度张量的定位应用也可证明所提出阵列的有效性。     

Hazardous industrial gases identified using a novel polymer/MWNT composite resistance sensor array

Hazardous industrial chemical gases pose a significant threat to the environment and human life. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a reliable sensor for identifying these hazardous gases. In this work, a silicon wafer microelectrode substrate for a resistance sensor was fabricated using the semiconductor manufacturing process. Conductive carbon nanotubes were then mixed with six different polymers with different chemical adsorption properties to produce a composite thin film for the fabrication of a chemical sensor array. This array was then utilized to identify three hazardous gases at different temperatures. Experimental results for six polymers for chemical gases, such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), chloroform (CHCl₃) and methanol (MeOH) at different temperatures, indicate that the variation in sensitivity resistance increased when the sensing temperature increased. The poly(ethylene adipate)/MWNT sensing film had high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, and good reproducibility in detecting all chemical agent vapors. Additionally, this study utilized a bar chart and statistical methods in principal component analysis to identify gases with the polymer/MWNT sensor.     

A practical vacuum sensor based on a ZnO nanowire array

We report a practical vacuum pressure sensor based on a ZnO nanowire array (NWA). An oriented single-crystal ZnO NWA was synthesized by electrodeposition. The device consists of two ITO glass plates coated with a ZnO NWA. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern show that the as-grown ZnO NWAs are single-crystal and roughly oriented with the ZnO(002) plane parallel to the substrate. Through measuring the pressure dependent resistance of the sensor at different gas species and temperatures, we discovered that the resistance increases monotonically with vacuum pressure. This demonstrates that a practical vacuum sensor could be fabricated since measurements were carried out with a normal multimeter, with no need for the high sensitivity and costly equipment as routinely required in nanotechnology for extremely weak signals. Measurement at elevated temperature (300?°C) showed that the vacuum sensor is much stabler and more sensitive to O(2) pressure. The principle of the device relates to the adsorbed oxygen species on the large surface area of a ZnO NWA to form a resistive depletion layer at the nanowire (NW) surface.     

A novel method of reducing melting temperatures in SnAg and SnCu solder alloys

With the increasing use of lead-free solder alloys in modern electronics, low melting materials are often required to protect the heat-sensitive parts during soldering operation. Alloy systems based on Sn/Cu/Ag offer more reliable solutions and address the current problems involved with soldering process. Nanoparticles melt relatively at low temperatures compared to their bulk counter parts and we introduce a robust method of synthesizing nanoscale solder pastes for wave soldering applications. Nanoparticles of Sn-3.5Ag and Sn-0.7Cu alloys were prepared with stir casting followed by mechanical attrition. The size dependent melting properties of the eutectic alloys were studied by differential scanning calorimetry technique and the results showed a reduction of 4.7 and 5.0 °C melting temperatures in the alloys when reduced from bulk to 92 nm and 96 nm sizes respectively. The nanosize effects were also theoretically calculated and compared with experimental data.     

A novel sensor for X-ray imaging applications

In this study, a novel direct X-ray conversion electronic sensor for X-ray imaging, aimed at the enhancement of the signal characteristics of a cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) detector substrate, is proposed. CdZnTe substrates are promising candidates in detector technology since they have a high stopping power. The novelty of the sensor lies in the material of use as well as in the signal collector design, which exhibits “Frisch-grid” capabilities. As a result, the proposed technology provides an effective mode to shield the electron-collecting electrode from the charge induced on it from moving positive ions and trapped charge. Overall, this technology would allow for a decreased sensor thickness, accompanied with a high collector efficiency, and consequently improved signal characteristics. Therefore, the signal quality of an imaging sensor as applied to medical detector technology, radio astronomy, aviation security, surveillance and nondestructive inspection, and other industrial areas will be significantly improved     

Fiber-optic sensor system for rapid positioning of a microelectrode array

A fiber-optic intensity sensor has been developed for vertically positioning microelectrode arrays above the retina of a live frog. Closely spaced fibers illuminate and collect reflections from the retinal surface, and the output is electronically processed to drive an automated positioning circuit. Experimental and theoretical evaluations of fiber types and separation for both specular and diffuse reflectors, in vitro and in vivo, are presented, and multimode fibers on 125-mum centers are chosen for retinal experimentation. The sensor has applications in assessing spatial selectivity of stimulation of a multielectrode array and may be adaptable for lateral positioning.     

Adaptive K-NN for the detection of air pollutants with a sensor array

The field of air-quality monitoring is gaining increasing interest, with regard to both indoor environment and air-pollution control in open space. This work introduces a pattern recognition technique based on adaptive K-nn applied to a multisensor system, optimized for the recognition of some relevant tracers for air pollution in outdoor environment, namely benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX), NO/sub 2/, and CO. The pattern-recognition technique employed aims at recognizing the target gases within an air sample of unknown composition and at estimating their concentrations. It is based on PCA and K-nn classification with an adaptive vote technique based on the gas concentrations of the training samples associated to the K-neighbors. The system is tested in a controlled environment composed of synthetic air with a fixed humidity rate (30%) at concentrations in the ppm range for BTX and NO/sub 2/, in the range of 10 ppm for CO. The pattern recognition technique is experimented on a knowledge base composed of a limited number of samples (130), with the adoption of a leave-one-out procedure in order to estimate the classification probability. In these conditions, the system demonstrates the capability to recognize the presence of the target gases in controlled conditions with a high hit-rate. Moreover, the concentrations of the individual components of the test samples are successfully estimated for BTX and NO/sub 2/ in more than 80% of the considered cases, while a lower hit-rate (69%) is reached for CO.     

A point-matching method for array pattern synthesis

In this paper, a newly developed point-matching method is presented to obtain a set of excitation coefficients of a linear array that generates a desired radiation pattern with arbitrarily suppressed sidelobe levels. This method can be used for linear arrays with nonuniform spacing and nonisotropic elements. The design examples presented show that the point-matching method is both effective and efficient     

一种基于矢量拖曳阵的拖船干扰抵消算法

拖曳阵中的拖船干扰常常是限制目标的观测范围和检测性能的重要因素之一。在浅海环境中,由于拖船干扰存在严重的多途效应,采用传统的自适应干扰抵消方法,效果并不理想。为了抵消矢量拖曳阵的拖船干扰,利用矢量拖曳阵中振速通道正交于阵艏的分量对拖船干扰不敏感的特点,提出一种基于矢量阵的拖船干扰抵消算法。该算法抗多途干扰效果好,可以有效地抑制拖船干扰,实验数据处理结果验证了该算法的有效性,可望在实际的声纳工程中得到应用。     

用于磁传感器的新结构磁电复合材料

研究了可用于磁场传感器的磁电复合材料, 对传统的磁电复合材料进行了结构创新, 采用条状PZT和 Terfenol-D 的材料体系, 用热固树脂进行粘合, Terfenol-D 沿长度方向磁化且PZT条沿厚度方向极化。与传统的1-3型复合不同的是: 每根PZT的输出极被串联起来。在同样的磁场激励下, 新型复合材料的输出电压为相同体积的同种结构复合材料的2.2倍, 增强了材料对磁场的灵敏度和抗噪声性能。      

Unambiguous phase retrieval as a cophasing sensor for phased array telescopes

Cophasing a multiple-aperture optical telescope (MAOT) or optical interferometer requires the knowledge of the tips/tilts and of the differential pistons on its subapertures. In this paper we demonstrate in the case of a point source object that a single focal-plane image is sufficient for MAOT cophasing. Adopting a least-square approach allows us to derive an analytic estimator of the subaperture aberrations, provided that these are small enough (typically for closed-loop operation) and that the pupil is diluted noncentrosymmetric. We then provide the validation of this estimator by simulations as well as a performance comparison with a more conventional iterative algorithm of phase retrieval. Finally, we present the experimental validation of both estimators on a laboratory test bench; our results, especially subnanometric repeatability, demonstrate that focal-plane sensors are appropriate for the cophasing of phased array telescopes.