Sensor apparatus and water amount measurement apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12306115-B2
Application number	US-202017770692-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2020
Priority date	Oct 28, 2019
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A sensor apparatus includes a sensor head and a measurement unit. The sensor head includes a first probe and a second probe. The first probe includes a first tiny antenna section for transmission and a second tiny antenna section for transmission. The second probe is arranged at a predetermined distance from the first probe, and includes a first tiny antenna section for reception and a second tiny antenna section for reception. The measurement unit generates a measurement signal that includes information regarding characteristics of a propagation of an electromagnetic wave in a medium between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, and information regarding characteristics of the propagation of the electromagnetic wave in the medium between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception. The first probe and the second probe have different probe lengths, or a distance between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, and a distance between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception are different from each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor apparatus, comprising:
a sensor head that includes a first probe and a second probe, the first probe including a first tiny antenna section for transmission and a second tiny antenna section for transmission, the second probe including a first tiny antenna section for reception and a second tiny antenna section for reception, the second probe being arranged at a predetermined distance from the first probe; and
a measurement unit that includes a controller that generates a measurement signal that includes information regarding characteristics of a propagation of an electromagnetic wave in a medium between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, and information regarding characteristics of the propagation of the electromagnetic wave in the medium between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception, wherein
a distance between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, and a distance between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception are different from each other,
the second probe includes a bent portion that is provided between the first tiny antenna section for reception and the second tiny antenna section for reception.

2. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first and second probes each include a coaxial cable that includes a core wire portion and a shield portion, and
the first tiny antenna section for transmission, the second tiny antenna section for transmission, the first tiny antenna section for reception, and the second tiny antenna section for reception each include an opening that is provided to a portion of the shield portion.

3. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the sensor head further includes a support that supports the first probe and the second probe, and
the first probe is supported by the support in a state in which the first probe is not parallel to the second probe.

4. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first probe includes a third tiny antenna section for transmission,
the second probe includes a third tiny antenna section for transmission, and
the measurement unit generates the measurement signal further including information regarding characteristics of the propagation of the electromagnetic wave in the medium between the third tiny antenna section for transmission and the third tiny antenna section for reception.

5. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein arrangement of the first and second tiny antenna sections for transmission, and arrangement of the first and second tiny antenna sections for reception are asymmetric with respect to each other.

6. A water amount measurement apparatus, comprising:
sensor apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
a signal processing unit that measures a water amount in the medium on a basis of the measurement signal.

7. The water amount measurement apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the signal processing unit includes
a delay time calculator that calculates, on a basis of the measurement signal, a delay time of the propagation of the electromagnetic wave between the first and second probes,
a relative permittivity calculator that calculates relative permittivity of the medium on a basis of the propagation delay time, and
a water amount calculator that calculates a water amount in the medium on a basis of the relative permittivity.

8. A sensor apparatus, comprising:
a sensor head that includes a first probe and a second probe, the first probe including a first tiny antenna section for transmission and a second tiny antenna section for transmission, the second probe including a first tiny antenna section for reception and a second tiny antenna section for reception, the second probe being arranged at a predetermined distance from the first probe; and
a measurement unit that includes a controller that generates a measurement signal that includes information regarding characteristics of a propagation of an electromagnetic wave in a medium between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, and information regarding characteristics of the propagation of the electromagnetic wave in the medium between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception, wherein
a distance between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, and a distance between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception are different from each other,
the first probe includes a fold portion,
the first tiny antenna section for transmission is provided to the fold portion, and
the second tiny antenna section for transmission is provided to a tip of the first probe.

9. A water amount measurement apparatus, comprising:
the sensor apparatus according to claim 8 ; and
a signal processing unit that measures a water amount in the medium on a basis of the measurement signal.

10. The water amount measurement apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the signal processing unit includes
a delay time calculator that calculates, on a basis of the measurement signal, a delay time of the propagation of the electromagnetic wave between the first and second probes,
a relative permittivity calculator that calculates relative permittivity of the medium on a basis of the propagation delay time, and
a water amount calculator that calculates a water amount in the medium on a basis of the relative permittivity.

11. A sensor apparatus, comprising:
a sensor head that includes a first probe and a second probe, the first probe including a first tiny antenna section for transmission and a second tiny antenna section for transmission, the second probe including a first tiny antenna section for reception and a second tiny antenna section for reception, the second probe being arranged at a predetermined distance from the first probe; and
a measurement unit that includes a controller that generates a measurement signal that includes information regarding characteristics of a propagation of an electromagnetic wave in a medium between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, and information regarding characteristics of the propagation of the electromagnetic wave in the medium between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception, wherein
a distance between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, and a distance between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception are different from each other,
the sensor head includes a first signal-transmission path and a second signal-transmission path, the first signal-transmission path passing between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, or between the first tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception, the second signal-transmission path passing between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the first tiny antenna section for reception, or between the second tiny antenna section for transmission and the second tiny antenna section for reception, and
each of a difference in path length between the first signal-transmission paths, a difference in path length between the seco

Assignees

• Sony Group Corp
• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Yamada Atsushi
• Iida Sachio
• Ichihara Takuya
• Hiroi Toshiyuki

Classifications

• G01R27/267

  Coils or antennae arrangements, e.g. coils surrounding the sample or transmitter/receiver antennae · CPC title

• G01N2223/616

  earth materials · CPC title

• G01R27/22

  Measuring resistance of fluids · CPC title

• G01N2223/652

  impurities, foreign matter, trace amounts · CPC title

• G01N2223/635

  fluids, granulates · CPC title