Electronic emulation of material impedance for standardization and calibration of electromagnetic measuring device

A method of standardizing a sensor device for measuring a characteristic of a calibration material, the method comprising:

• obtaining benchmark impedance response data for the calibration material;
• positioning the sensor device in communication with an emulator system, the emulator system including:
• an emulator device including an emulator circuit;
• and a set of electrodes coupled with the emulator circuit, the set of electrodes including:
• a receiving electrode, and a transmitting electrode;
• and
• at least one computing device coupled with the emulator device;
• selecting a type of the calibration material;
• initiating a sensing signal to the receiving electrode of the emulator device from the sensor device at a sensing frequency, the sensing frequency being one of a single frequency or a frequency range;
• receiving a return signal from the transmitting electrode of the emulator system, the return signal emulating an impedance response of the calibration material and being detectable by the sensor device, wherein the return signal is generated in response to determining the type of the calibration material, a type of the sensor device and the sensing signal from the sensor device, wherein the emulating includes synchronizing a frequency of the return signal with the frequency of the received signal from the sensor device;
• and
• calibrating the sensor device using the return signal and the benchmark impedance response data.

An electromagnetic emulator system for emulating an impedance response of a user-selected type of calibration material, the system comprising:

• an emulator device including an emulator circuit, and a set of electrodes coupled with the emulator circuit, the set of electrodes including:
• a receiving electrode, and a transmitting electrode;
• and
• at least one computing device coupled with the emulator device and programmed to perform actions including emulating the impedance response of the user-selected calibration material at a received frequency in response to determining the type of the user-selected calibration material and a frequency of a received signal from a sensor device,
• wherein the emulating includes generating a return signal that emulates the impedance response of the user-selected type of calibration material and is detectable by the sensor device, wherein the emulating includes synchronizing a frequency of the return signal with the frequency of the received signal from the sensor device, wherein the emulator circuit generates the return signal, the return signal having a difference in amplitude and phase from the signal received from the sensor device, the difference in amplitude and phase corresponding with an expected change in the signal received from the sensor device after traveling through the user-selected type of the calibration material.

A computer program product comprising program code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which when executed by the at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to emulate an impedance response of a calibration material by performing actions including:

• emulating an impedance response of a user-selected calibration material in response to determining a type of the user-selected calibration material and a test frequency of a received sensor signal from a sensor device,
• wherein the emulating further includes selecting an equivalent circuit type for an emulator circuit coupled with the at least one computing device to emulate the impedance response of the calibration material in response to determining the test frequency of the sensor signal;
• and
• instructing the emulator circuit coupled with the at least one computing device to generate a return signal, wherein the return signal is detectable by the sensor device, the return signal including the emulated impedance response at the test frequency of the sensor signal,
• wherein the return signal has a difference in amplitude and phase from the sensor signal, the difference in amplitude and phase corresponding with an expected change in the sensor signal after traveling through the calibration material.