Spatial distribution of electric field measurement system: straight characterization of one or more original electric field sources in association with a new triaxial sensor

Abstract

Several original point charge like electric field sources and a new tri-axial capacitive based electric field sensor
have been designed to be associated together to build a new instrument able to characterize the electrical properties of the
environment. The paper presents two fundamental features of the target electric imaging instrument: the characterization of
the constituent parts of the system and the validation of the low-level data processing functions. The original electric field
sources are composed of several conductive spheres with conical support so that they can be assimilated to point charges. The
various arrangements of the sources can generate monopolar or multipolar electric fields. The sensor is
integrated in a 2D scanning setup and used to map simultaneously the three components of the electric field generated by original
electric field sources composed of several conductive spheres. The measured electric field images are compared to images
calculated with an analytical model using the method of image charges. The agreement between measured electric field images
and model validates both the original design of the sources and the geometrical features of the sensor which opens the door to
application such as the detection of non-conductive buried object and smart detection with autoconfiguration.

An anti-charge-interference three-dimensional electric field sensor

“…Formula (12) shows that the interfering electric fields E 1A , E 1B , E 1C , and E 1F are eliminated. E 0A , E 0B , E 0C , and E 0F can be expressed in the Cartesian coordinate system as: (13) where k xi , k yi , and k zi are the coupling sensitivity coefficients of element i (i = A, B, C, F) to the electric field in the orthogonal directions of X, Y and Z respectively.…”

“…The main types of 3D EFSs include probe types [12], rotary vane types [13][14][15][16], and microelectromechanical system (MEMS) 3D EFSs [17][18][19][20][21][22]. MEMS 3D EFSs have gained prominence due to their small size, low power consumption, and cost-effectiveness.…”