| 摘要 |
An Apparatus, Method and System for sensing Chemical and Biological information and converting said information into the electronic digital domain for relay in a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag embedded in a dielectric medium. The apparatus consists of two parts; 1) a single coordinator apparatus providing power, control, signal processing and communications functions wirelessly to 2) a large number of chemical and temperature sensor tags embedded in a lossy dielectric medium that do not contain batteries and cannot function without the coordinator apparatus. The coordinator apparatus further acts as a digital information bridge to outside systems with the data obtained from the large number of sensor tags to the system. A First Method using said apparatus whereby the single coordinator apparatus synchronizes and provides clocking for and commands a large number of sensor tags and further queries the large number of sensor tags simultaneously and the digital representation of a concentration of a chemical or biological analyte acting on each sensor or temperature of the sensor apparatus are collectively obtained. A Second Method utilizes a plurality of sensor apparatus containing analog to digital converters in conjunction with said chemical and biological reversible chemoresistive sensors to transmit encoded chemical and biological information to a single signal processing function over radio frequency electromagnetic waves utilizing code division multiple access whereby only the ID number of those sensor apparatus measuring a higher value than a variable reference value transmit simultaneously. An arithmetic despreading operation is performed so that a probability that a given set of sensor tags is measuring a value higher value than a variable reference value is obtained. The variable reference value for the set is assigned a bit weight competing the chemical, or temperature to digital conversion process. In succeeding operations, the Second Method may vary the variable reference value at each of the sensor apparatus to form a successive approximation of the chemical, or temperature to digital conversion information. A Third Method for optimally adjusting the electrical characteristics to match the physical characteristics of the dielectric medium is provided. A System whereby organizes said plurality of sensor tags each reporting chemical, biological and temperature information into a colony whereby said system obtains data from thousands of Colony Member tags thereby harvested by the Colony Coordinators and further the data from thousands of Colony whereby the System organizes groups of these Colonies each reporting chemical, biological and temperature information into Groups of Colony whereby the System decodes the temperature chemical and biological information and processes the information from each of the Colony Member sensor tags in a time correlated database to form an electronic digital domain representation of said chemical, biological and temperature information for further analysis. Said System formats the time series database based on the interpreted chemical and biological information for relay back to a decision point thus creating actionable intelligence of decay at the carton and item level. Thereby using the above, Apparatus, Method and System collecting data from inside an electrical dielectric medium of interest for the temperature, concentration of a chemical or biological analyte located physically inside each carton or item and relaying this data to external information processes the object of the invention is thus fulfilled. |
| 主权项 |
1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) apparatus made up of two parts, wherein a plurality of first named Part A incorporate temperature and chemical sensors immersed in a liquid analytes, gaseous analytes or combination thereof in a first electrical dielectric medium of interest communicate to and harvest electrical energy from at least one second named Part B located at a dielectric boundary of said first electrical dielectric medium of interest and second electrical dielectric medium of interest providing communications to external systems and electrical energy for said chemical and temperature sensors using radio waves said apparatus comprising:
A) said apparatus first part comprising;
a liquid analytes, gaseous analytes or combination thereof in a first electrical dielectric medium of interest;a second electrical dielectric medium of interest;at least one electrically small antenna in the form of a magnetic dipole;a removable label;a fixed label;at least one first sensor comprising an area of a reversible chemoresistive surface coupled to a potentiostatic measurement circuit;at least one second sensor similar to the above coupled in order to sense temperature;a mechanism for delivering gaseous or a liquid analytes to the said area;a set of connections providing for the formation in the structure of layers of conducting material comprising a circuit;a housing providing a known dielectric medium around the antenna said housing designed with features maintaining alignment under mechanical vibration;additional structures acting as at least one analog to digital converter s;additional structures acting as a clock recovery mechanism;additional structures acting as an electrical energy harvesting mechanism from rectified RF energy;a circuit structure for biasing said reversible chemoresistive surface;a circuit structure acting as a modulator for RF modulation;a circuit structure acting as an envelope detector demodulator suitable for off-on-keying, (OOK) or amplitude shift keying, (ASK) modulation acting as a receiver for a reference value, commands and other signals as required;a circuit structure temporally holding digital data were said data is a reference value, commands and other signals as required;a circuit structure permanently holding digital data were said data is an identification value encoded with a code value references said label;a circuit structure acting as a digital magnitude comparator;wherein said first electrical dielectric medium of interest has an electromagnetic wave number greater than or equal to three times said second dielectric medium of interest, andwherein the circuit structures may, possibly contain silicon microchips, andwherein the said chemoresistive surface is configured to sense a specific analytes concentration or other such data deemed appropriate, andwherein the antenna is configured to receive RF energy and to transmit the energy simultaneously, andwherein the signal is an electromagnetic radio frequency signal, andwherein the clock recovery mechanism recovers clock information modulated on a RF signal, andwherein the clock recovery mechanism recovers commands modulated on a RF signal, andwherein the circuit structure acts on the combination of recovered clock information and commands to perform analog to digital conversion from a signal generated from said potentiostatic measurement circuit sensing a specific analytes concentration, temperature or other such data deemed appropriate, andwherein the value obtained from the analog to digital converters is digitally magnitude compared to a reference value temporarily stored in said temporary memory structure, andwherein if the output of the digital magnitude comparator is TRUE the data from the circuit structure permanently holding digital data were said data is an identification code value encoded with code value references said label is read out in a bitwise manner to said RF modulator structure or if FALSE no digital data is read out, andwherein said output drives a modulator thus converting the RF modulation to an amplitude-shift keying or off-on-keying using load modulation signal representing the encoded digital representation of the identification code value said identification code value references said label and to transmit said modulated signal to said antenna, andwherein the antenna is configured to combine the RF modulation with a plurality of other similarly encoded RF modulation in supposition or summing as a response signal in space of the amplitude-shift keyed signal or off-on-keying representing the encoded digital value of the identification code value said identification code value references said label only if the sensed magnitude of the chemical or temperature is greater that the received reference value: B) said apparatus second part comprising;
a liquid analytes, gaseous analytes or combination thereof in a first electrical dielectric medium of interest;a second electrical dielectric medium of interest;a first electrically small antenna tuned to radio frequencies of said apparatus first part A in the form of a feed suitable for exciting an electrically dielectric resonant structure of said first electrical dielectric medium of interest;a second antenna tuned to a second radio frequency s;an external radio system tuned to a second radio frequency s;an electrical battery;a fixed label;a set of connections providing for the formation in the structure of conducting material comprising a circuit;a circuit structure for power management from said battery;a circuit structure comprising permanent digital memory;a circuit structure comprising alterable digital memory;a circuit structure comprising a digital processor;a circuit structure comprising a radio frequency power amplifier connected to said first antenna tuned to radio frequencies of said apparatus first part connected to said feed suitable for exciting an electrically dielectric resonant structure;a circuit structure comprising a circuit to alter the impedance of the antenna tuned to radio frequencies of said apparatus first part connected to said feed suitable for exciting an electrically dielectric resonant structure;a circuit structure acting as a modulator for off-on-keying, (OOK) or amplitude shift keying, (ASK) modulation acting as a transmitter for a reference value, command and clock;a circuit structure acting as an envelope detector demodulator for off-on-keying, (OOK) or amplitude shift keying, (ASK) modulation acting as a receiver for encoded RF modulation in supposition or summing as a response signal from a plurality of said apparatus first part A;a structure comprising a RF transmitter and receiver at a second radio frequency s;a visual indicator;wherein said circuit structure comprising a radio frequency power amplifier connected to said first antenna tuned to radio frequencies of said apparatus first part excites an electrically dielectric resonant structure in an electrical dielectric medium of interest,wherein said first electrical dielectric medium of interest has an electromagnetic wave number greater than or equal to three times said second dielectric medium of interest, andwherein said part B apparatus is located at a boundary of first electrical dielectric medium of interest having an electromagnetic wave number greater than or equal to three times said second dielectric medium of interest and second dielectric medium of interest, andwherein said circuit structure comprising a radio frequency power amplifier connected to said first antenna tuned to radio frequencies of said apparatus first part provides electrical energy to the plurality of said apparatus first part A,wherein said circuit structure comprising a radio frequency transmitter acts as a modulator for off-on-keying, (OOK) or amplitude shift keying, (ASK) modulation acting as a transmitter for a reference value, commands, clock and other signals deemed necessary connected to said radio frequency power amplifier connected to said first antenna tuned to radio frequencies of said apparatus first part A provides a reference value, control signals, clock signal and other signals deemed necessary to the plurality of said apparatus first part A,wherein said circuit structure comprising a radio frequency receiver alternatively acts as an envelope detector demodulator for off-on-keying, (OOK) or amplitude shift keying, (ASK) modulation acting as a receiver encoded RF modulation in supposition or summing as a response signal from a plurality of said apparatus first part A,wherein said circuit structure comprising said permanent digital memory, alterable digital memory and digital processor is configured to perform a despreading operation on said received encoded RF modulation in supposition or summing as a response signal from a plurality of said apparatus first part A using both a priori stored identification values and encoding values,wherein said circuit structure comprising said permanent digital memory, alterable digital memory and digital processor is configured to place the results of the despreading operation combined with a bit weight established by the transmitted reference value into memory corresponding to address locations corresponding to priori stored identification values of said apparatus first part A,wherein said individual said information in said memory is filtered and decimated using said digital processor whereby the digital representation of said concentration of a chemical or biological analyte acting on said functionalized surface or temperature of each of said apparatus first part A is obtained in the manner of a successive approximation converter wherein said information is stored said in said memory,wherein said circuit structure comprising said second antenna tuned to second radio frequency s receives signals from said external radio system and said structure comprising a radio transmitter and receiver said circuit structure comprising said permanent digital memory, alterable digital memory and digital processor receives an external command to transmit the set of information from memory corresponding to address locations corresponding to priori stored identification values of said apparatus first part A,wherein said visual indicator can be triggered by either second radio frequency s receiver circuit structure or digital processor upon external or internal command,wherein said information in said memory of said apparatus second part B is transmitted to said external radio system upon demand over said second radio frequency s radio link whereby each set of information concentration of a chemical or biological analyte information, temperature or other information deemed necessary combined with said identification value to uniquely identify said information from each of the plurality of said apparatus first part A, thereby collecting and providing temperature, concentration of a chemical or biological analyte and ID value to external information processes inside an electrical dielectric medium of interest. |
