Non-contact conductivity measurement
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorOki Gunawan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for measuring the conductivity of a material-under-test includes a support structure, an upper magnet mounted to the support structure and a free-floating magnet below the fixed magnet. The system includes a diamagnet positioned between the fixed magnet and the free-floating magnet such that the free-floating magnet floats in the air beneath the diamagnet and a rotation detection assembly configured to detect a rotation rate of the free-floating magnet, where the rotation rate is based on a drag torque effect of a material-under-test on the free-floating magnet. The system also includes a conductivity calculation unit configured to calculate at least one of a conductivity or a resistivity of the material-under-test based on the detected rotation rate of the free-floating magnet.
Claims13
A system for analyzing a material-under-test, comprising:
- a support structure;
- a mounted magnet mounted to the support structure;
- a free-floating magnet disposed below the mounted magnet;
- a diamagnet mounted to the support structure and positioned between the mounted magnet and the free-floating magnet such that the free-floating magnet floats in the air beneath the diamagnet;
- a rotation detection assembly configured to project a laser beam to the free-floating magnet to detect a rotation rate of the free-floating magnet, the rotation rate increasing or decreasing based on a drag torque effect of a material-under-test on the free-floating magnet;
- and
- a conductivity calculation unit in electrical communication with the rotation detection assembly, the conductivity calculation unit configured to calculate at least one of a conductivity and a resistivity of the material-under-test based on the detected rotation rate of the free-floating magnet,
- wherein the free-floating magnet physically is not connected to the material-under-test and rotates independently with respect to the material-under-test.
A computer program product for analyzing a material-under-test, comprising:
- a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer code which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
- initiating rotation of a free-floating magnet, the free-floating magnet suspended in physical non-contact between a diamagnet and a material-under-test, the diamagnet mounted to the support structure and located between the free-floating magnet and a mounted magnet to cause the free-floating magnet to float and rotate independently with respect to the material-under-test;
- measuring a rotation rate of the free-floating magnet over time based on a reflection of a laser beam from the free-floating magnet, the rotation rate increasing or decreasing based on a drag torque effect of a material-under-test on the free-floating magnet;
- and
- calculating at least one of a conductivity and a resistivity of the material-under-test based on the rotation rate of the free-floating magnet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.