Industrial mobile process monitor system

Claim 1

A process condition detection system in which a carrier moves material along a path of said process, comprising: a mobile sensor unit associated with said carrier, said sensor adapted to move in association with said carrier to detect a measurable condition at various locations within or near said material; a signal transmitter in association with said mobile sensor unit liar transmitting signals characterizing said measurable condition detected by said mobile sensor unit, via an air core signal transformer including a primary winding along said path, and a secondary winding connected to said carrier, such that communication is established via magnetic energy linking said primary and said secondary windings, said transmitter adapted to enable transmitting from said mobile sensor unit at substantially all points along said path independent of any restriction of transmitting at set locations along said path, to a conductor which conveys said transmitted signals to a station spaced a distance apart from said path; and a communication circuit at said station for receiving said measurable condition transmitted signals, and generating output characterizing said condition.

Claim 8

A method for monitoring an industrial process during its operation, said method comprising the steps of: providing a carrier adapted to move a material along a predetermined industrial process path; placing a plurality of mobile sensor units at various locations within or near said material; causing said carrier, said material, and said plurality of mobile sensor units to move along said process path; sensing at least one condition with said plurality of mobile sensor units at said various locations within or near said material; quantifying said at least one condition into transmittable signals; transmitting said transmittable signals from substantially any of the points along said process path as said plurality of mobile sensor units move with said material through said process path, via magnetic coupling from each of said mobile sensor units to a receiving location spaced a distance apart from said process path; and processing said received signals to generate an output that characterizes said at least one condition.

Claim 9

A method for monitoring an industrial process during its operation, said method comprising the steps of: providing a carrier adapted to move a material along a predetermined industrial process path; placing a plurality of mobile sensor units at various locations within or near said material; causing said carrier, said material, and said plurality of mobile sensor units to move along said process path; sensing at least one condition with said plurality of mobile sensor units at said various locations within or near said material; quantifying said at least one condition into transmittable signals; transmitting said transmittable signals from substantially any of the points along said process path as said plurality of mobile sensor units move with said material through said process path, via magnetic coupling from each of said mobile sensor units to a receiving location spaced a distance apart from said process path; and processing said received signals to generate an output that characterizes said at least one condition.