Inductive temperature sensing reaches the unreachable

Researchers at TTP have applied the principle that applying an alternating current to a coil will induce eddy currents in nearby metallic objects; an effect commonly used in proximity sensors and non-destructive testing. But TTP has exploited the fact that the flow of eddy currents is also dependent on the material’s temperature and can be used to provide a completely new approach to non-contact temperature sensing.

Using a special coil arrangement, sensing methodology and algorithm to detect and measure the induced eddy currents, TTP researchers have been able to implement inductive temperature sensing of targets in a wide range of challenging environments, through metal barriers and even in applications where the geometry of the target material is unknown.

“Inductive temperature sensing is suitable for applications where contact methods are not reliable and where lack of line-of-sight access, variable emissivity or high cost limit the use of infrared techniques,” said Dr. David Pooley, Senior Consultant, TTP. “And because of the simplicity of applying the technology in practical environments, it could also be used in low-cost consumer applications.”

“It’s very exciting to take a 165 year old principle and discover a completely new range of applications for it,” added Pooley. “We are continuing our practical trials to refine the process and explore new applications and we are already getting a lot of interest from potential partners to commercialise the technology and take it to market.”