DETERMINING PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF STRUCTURAL MEMBERS IN MULTI-PATH CLUTTER ENVIRONMENTS
First Claim
1. A method for determining an unknown physical property of an object or a fluid in a multi-path clutter environment, the method comprising:
- transmitting an RF interrogation signal to a wireless sensor physically coupled to the object or the fluid in the multi-path clutter environment, wherein;
the wireless sensor is operable to receive the RF interrogation signal, produce a reference signal and a measurement signal, and transmit the reference signal and the measurement signal in the multi-path clutter environment,the reference signal and the measurement signal are derived from the RF interrogation signal,the reference signal is delayed by a first time delay,the measurement signal is delayed by a second time delay that is a function of the unknown physical property, andthe first and second time delays are associated by a known relationship defined by the wireless sensor;
receiving the transmitted reference signal and the transmitted measurement signal; and
comparing the transmitted reference signal and the transmitted measurement signal in the time domain and, using this comparison, determining the unknown physical property of the object or the fluid.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for determining a physical property of an object in a multi-path clutter environment comprises transmitting an RF interrogation signal to a wireless sensor physically coupled to the object or the fluid in the multi-path clutter environment, wherein the wireless sensor is operable to receive the RF interrogation signal, produce a reference signal and a measurement signal, and transmit the reference signal and the measurement signal in the multi-path clutter environment. The reference signal and measurement signal are delayed by the wireless sensor by an amount of time that may be a function of the unknown physical property. The method also comprises receiving the transmitted reference signal and the transmitted measurement signal and comparing them in the time domain in order to determine the unknown physical property of the object or the fluid.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for determining an unknown physical property of an object or a fluid in a multi-path clutter environment, the method comprising:
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transmitting an RF interrogation signal to a wireless sensor physically coupled to the object or the fluid in the multi-path clutter environment, wherein; the wireless sensor is operable to receive the RF interrogation signal, produce a reference signal and a measurement signal, and transmit the reference signal and the measurement signal in the multi-path clutter environment, the reference signal and the measurement signal are derived from the RF interrogation signal, the reference signal is delayed by a first time delay, the measurement signal is delayed by a second time delay that is a function of the unknown physical property, and the first and second time delays are associated by a known relationship defined by the wireless sensor; receiving the transmitted reference signal and the transmitted measurement signal; and comparing the transmitted reference signal and the transmitted measurement signal in the time domain and, using this comparison, determining the unknown physical property of the object or the fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for determining an unknown physical property of an object or a fluid in a multi-path clutter environment, the system comprising a transponder, a wireless sensor, and a signal processing unit, wherein:
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the transponder is operable to transmit a wireless RF interrogation signal to the wireless sensor in the multi-path clutter environment and receive wireless signals transmitted by the wireless sensor in the multi-path clutter environment, the wireless sensor is operable to receive the RF interrogation signal transmitted by the transponder, produce a reference signal and a measurement signal, and transmit the reference signal and the measurement signal in the multi-path clutter environment; the reference signal and measurement signal are derived from the RF interrogation signal; the reference signal is delayed by a first time delay; and the measurement signal is delayed by a second time delay that is a function of the unknown physical property; and the signal processing unit is electrically coupled to the transponder and is operable to compare the reference signal and the measurement signal in the time domain and, using this comparison, determine the unknown physical property of the object or the fluid.
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Specification