Ultrasonic transmitter and receiver systems and products using the same
First Claim
1. An ultrasonic tag, comprising:
- a power source, for providing power;
at least one piezoelectric transducer capable of converting between ultrasonic signals and electrical signals;
at least one transformer, for conditioning power from the power source and conditioning said electrical signals;
at least one memory storage device, for storing information; and
, a recognition circuit, for determining when the converted electrical signals are addressing the tag.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A transceiver preferably embedded within a wearable security watch, PDA, or other device which achieves a variety of wireless ultrasonic and/or radio-frequency based functions, including digital identification and proximity and sensation monitoring of assets, individuals, pets, and the like. The portable or wearable device realizes these functions by periodically polling and receiving information tags within the transmitting distance of the device. The invention can help reduce the likelihood of the theft, loss, or misplacement by detecting that a tag associated with or attached to an entity has left an individual'"'"'s proximity and sounding an alarm. The device can also assist individuals with sensory impairments, including persons who are deaf, diabetic, and the like, by detecting a tagged entity as it enters the space around an individual, or by detecting environmental stimuli, such as excessive heat in an individual'"'"'s proximity or vital sign changes, and sounding an alarm.
55 Citations
56 Claims
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1. An ultrasonic tag, comprising:
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a power source, for providing power;
at least one piezoelectric transducer capable of converting between ultrasonic signals and electrical signals;
at least one transformer, for conditioning power from the power source and conditioning said electrical signals;
at least one memory storage device, for storing information; and
,a recognition circuit, for determining when the converted electrical signals are addressing the tag. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An ultrasonic tag, comprising:
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a power source, for providing power, comprised of an inductively charged battery;
two Polyvinylidene flouride film transducers capable of converting between ultrasonic signals and electrical signals;
a first transformer, for conditioning power from the power source and conditioning electrical signals as the electrical signals are received by the transducers;
a recognition circuit, for responding to electrical signals received by the transducers when appropriate;
a second transformer, for conditioning power from the power source and conditioning electrical signals as the electrical signals are sent to the transducers from the recognition circuit;
at least one memory storage device, capable of storing at least four bytes of information;
a switch, for controlling electrical signal flow into and out of the transducers;
a low noise amplifier, for receiving electrical signals from the switch and amplifying weak signals;
a wake circuit for determining when the received electrical signals are addressing the tag; and
,a crystal for regulating the received electrical signal frequency monitored by the wake circuit and the transmitted electrical signal frequency used by the recognition circuit.
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- 23. An ultrasound transducer, comprising at least one thin film having longitudinal, latitudinal, and z axes, wherein the at least one thin film is prestressed along the longitudinal axis by bending the at least one thin film around a given radius.
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29. A wireless ultrasonic controller, consisting of:
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at least one piezoelectric transducer, capable of converting between ultrasonic signals and electrical signals;
a power source, for providing power;
a data storage device, for storing information; and
,a microprocessor, for performing functions associated with the controller and directing information to the display. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. An asset monitoring system, comprising:
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an asset;
at least one ultrasonic wireless controller; and
at least one ultrasonic wireless tag, attached to the asset and capable of ultrasonic communication with the wireless controller.
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47. An asset monitoring method comprising:
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registering at least one ultrasonic tag with at least one ultrasonic wireless controller;
affixing the at least one ultrasonic tag to an asset;
polling the at least one ultrasonic tag periodically by at least one controller;
monitoring ultrasonic tag replies to the periodic polling; and
,sounding an alarm if the at least one ultrasonic tag does not reply. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. An asset monitoring method comprising:
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registering at least one ultrasonic tag with at least one ultrasonic wireless controller;
affixing the at least one ultrasonic tag to an asset;
polling the at least one ultrasonic tag periodically by at least one controller;
monitoring ultrasonic tag replies to the periodic polling; and
,sounding an alarm if the at least one ultrasonic tag replies after a period of not replying. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55)
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56. An asset monitoring method comprising:
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registering at least one ultrasonic tag with at least one ultrasonic wireless controller;
affixing the at least one ultrasonic tag to an asset;
polling the at least one ultrasonic tag periodically by at least one controller;
monitoring ultrasonic tag replies to the periodic polling;
sounding an alarm if the at least one ultrasonic tag does not reply; and
sounding an alarm if the at least one ultrasonic tag replies after a period of not replying.
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Specification