Special issue  

In the field of pharmacy using diagnostic techniques like liquid chromatography a correct data acquisition process has to be guaranteed. So it is necessary to verify provided data of the device using two software instances collecting the generated raw data synchronously as we have done by a self-written instance. That way we found modifications on incoming raw data like time shifts and not expected interpolations during the storage procedure of one of two tested chromatography software packages.

Reverberation chambers are well-proven test environments for RF measurements. Typically, mean values are taken from the measurements to characterize the equipment under test. In the novel approach presented in this paper, the correlation of measured sample sequences is utilized to detect deviations, in particular of the radiation characteristics, from reference equipment.

The measurement of humidity in industrial applications is still an important research issue. Especially under rough operation conditions the current humidity sensor comes to its limitations. To this end, we are developing an integrated sensor system using a metal oxide sensor with impedance spectroscopy as multi-signal generation allowing the discrimination of humidity and reducing gases. The submitted paper focuses on the modeling of the humidity-dependent aspects of impedance.

To determine the efficiency of multi-MW wind turbines, the torque measurement in wind turbine test benches has to be performed with a high accuracy. To this end, the torque measurement has to be traced to national standards. This can be done by using a novel torque transfer standard in combination with a newly developed torque calibration procedure under constant rotation. The calibration procedure was performed on a wind turbine test bench.

We present in our paper two types of optical sensors that are capable of measuring the environmentally significant gases such as carbon oxide and dioxide as well as methane and water through absorption of light even in harsh environments of high temperature and pressure. Thus the sensors render it possible to measure inside combustion engines or in civilian fireplaces, which is necessary to meet the increasing demands of environmental protection regulations.

In this contribution a multi-sensor measuring system is presented. With this measurement system comparative measurements using five different surface measurement sensors are performed under identical conditions in a single set-up. The presented measurement results show different transfer behaviour of each sensor and indicate unique advantages for tactile and optical sensors. Comparative measuring enables the investigation of measurement deviations and helps to improve appropriate techniques.

Virtual experiments have become an indispensable tool for the design and the accuracy assessment of novel measurement procedures and instruments. In this paper, we present SimOptDevice, a library for opto-mechanical virtual experiments. We describe the mathematical tools used for solving the related numerical tasks and give examples of application scenarios.

Soft pressure sensors fabricated by means of carbon-based material and polymers have the potential to sense pressure starting from 2 g to 18 kg. Such pressure sensors also exhibit high sensitivity, high durability, easy integration and long-term stability. These sensors can be integrated into robotic parts like fingers and feet to monitor the grasping force and the gait of the robot respectively.

The basis of our work presented in this paper stems from the research on new materials, especially temperature-stable thin films that transform strain into a resistance change very effectively, allowing higher sensitivity and higher operating temperatures. Different sensor concepts for time-resolved cylinder pressure monitoring of combustion engines are realized and evaluated. Reliable sensors with a minimum of internal components are provided.

Reliable detection of hydrocarbons can be achieved with a flame ionization detector (FID). However, these devices have not been implemented as true field devices yet. Miniaturization by using ceramic multilayer technology leads to a strong reduction of gas consumption and allows autonomous operation of the FID with gas supply by electrolysis. Thus, this research enables the use of the FID in the field. Characterization of this new FID reveals a performance comparable to conventional FIDs.

This paper presents a novel approach to detect road surface wetness, which can prospectively contribute to increase the safety of vehicle passengers and traffic participants in times of highly or fully automated driving. In an experimental study, the feasibility of the approach is shown by simulating realistic road wetness scenarios on a test bench. Furthermore, a sensor system is proposed and integrated into a vehicle. The potential of the presented approach is demonstrated in a field test.

A planar resonant radio-frequency gas sensor was equipped with an integrated heater. By simulative geometry optimization it now can be operated up to 700 °C. Sensitive materials with gas-dependent dielectric properties at higher temperatures can now be used. By coating the sensor with zeolite, ammonia could be detected. Depending on the working temperature, the sensor returns either a dosimeter signal (low temperatures) or a gas-concentration-dependent radio-frequency signal (high temperatures).

In this work, methods to reveal a symmetrical amplitude shape from the asymmetric behavior in thermally actuated piezoresistive cantilever sensors are proposed. The symmetrical amplitude shape should then be accompanied by a monotonic phase response. With the monotonic phase response, real-time frequency tracking can be easier to implement using a phase-locked-loop (PLL) system.

Future vehicle safety systems based on forward-looking sensors require a very robust validation system. This study describes such a validation sensor system and an algorithm to trigger safety systems in a crash. The presented sensor concept can detect the first contact and estimate the position of impact and the overlap in the initial few milliseconds of crash. The results highlight the temporal advantage of such a sensor over the present systems.

Traceable wind velocity measurements with high resolution play a critical role in the field of wind energy. In this article we present a novel bistatic wind lidar system that has a high spatial and temporal resolution and a reduced measurement uncertainty compared to conventional systems as evidenced by comparison measurements. A first validation measurement in a wind tunnel with a laser Doppler anemometer as a flow velocity reference confirms the high accuracy of the bistatic lidar system.

For the understanding of new materials, especially oxides, oxygen exchange of such materials and its consequences for their properties are of high interest. For this purpose a new setup for oxygen solid electrolyte coulometry with electrochemical cells made of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is presented. It could be shown that this setup enables the measurement of exchanged oxygen from the picomol up to the higher nanomol range with a precision which was not achieved so far.

The study describes how distributed optical strain measurement can be applied to steel surfaces. With the method presented, strain transfers from the substrate to the fiber core can be achieved that are almost identical to those of the reference measurement, especially with Ormocer^® and polyimide coating. The research results are to be used in the future for strain measurement in concrete construction on reinforcing steel.

The availability of datasets providing information on the spatial and temporal evolution of greenhouse gas concentrations is of high relevance for the development of reliable climate simulations. Here we present a novel, non-dispersive infrared absorption spectroscopy (NDIR) device that can possibly act as a central building block of a sensor node to provide high-quality data of carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations under field conditions at a high measurement rate.