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US 6,388,255 B1Granted
Temperature sensor and sensing apparatus
AssigneeEuropean Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
InventorsMarco Di Maio, Roger Reichle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sensing apparatus, a bolometer, and a bolometer sensor includes an inductor and capacitor connected as a resonant circuit. At least one of the capacitor or inductor has a temperature-dependent reactance, and the resonant frequency is dependent on the temperature of inductor or capacitor. The bolometer is suitable for fusion research and its resonant circuit includes a ferroelectric capacitor. The resonant frequency of the circuit may be tracked by means of a phase locked loop.
Claims17
Sensing apparatus comprising:
- a temperature sensor comprising an inductor and a capacitor connected as a resonant circuit, wherein at least one of said capacitor and said inductor has a temperature dependent reactance, whereby the resonant frequency of said resonant circuit is dependent on the temperature of at least one of said inductor and said capacitor;
- means for measuring the resonant frequency of said resonant circuit,
- wherein said measuring means includes signal generating means responsive to said resonant circuit to generate a signal at the resonant frequency thereof and indicating means to provide an indication of the frequency of the signal generated by said signal generating means, and said measuring means in combination with said resonant circuit comprises a phase-locked loop (PLL) operable to track said resonant frequency, and
- a transmission line connecting said sensor to said measuring means, and an impedance matching termination resistance across said transmission line.
1 more element
Sensing apparatus comprising:
- a temperature sensor comprising an inductor and a capacitor connected as a resonant circuit, wherein at least one of said capacitor and said inductor has a temperature-dependent reactance, whereby the resonant frequency of said
- resonant circuit is dependent on the temperature of at least one of said inductor and said capacitor;
- means for measuring the resonant frequency of said resonant circuit,
- wherein said measuring means includes signal generating means operable to generate a signal at a frequency lying within a frequency range and to scan said frequency across said range, said range including said resonant frequency, and
- a transmission line connecting said sensor to said measuring means, and an impedance matching termination resistance across said transmission line.
2 more elements
Sensing apparatus including:
- a plurality of temperature sensors, each temperature sensor comprising an inductor and a capacitor connected as a resonant circuit, wherein at least one of said capacitor and said inductor has a temperature-dependent reactance, whereby the resonant frequency of said resonant circuit is dependent on the temperature of at least one of said inductor and said capacitor, each temperature sensor providing a respective different range of resonant frequencies;
- means for measuring the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit of each of said sensors;
- and
- a common transmission line,
- said sensors being connected to said measuring means by said common transmission line.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.