System and Method for RFID-Based Remote Material Analysis

• US 20140102198A1
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: FORSTER, Ian James
• Granted Patent: US 9,494,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/573
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02475 Tissue characterisation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/04 Analysing solids using acoustic emission techniques G01N29/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/12 by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves measuring frequency or resonant frequency of mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in general G01H1/06, G01H3/04, G01H13/00; acoustic resonators G10K11/04; vibration or shock testing of structures G01M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2437 Piezoelectric probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2481 Wireless probes, e.g. with transponders or radio links
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link

Abstract

This application generally relates to systems and methods of using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices to remotely analyze objects and structures, and more particularly, this application relates to systems and methods of using RFID devices to remotely analyze properties and conditions of a surface of objects and structures.

Claims

1. A method of determining a physical quality of a material, comprising:

receiving an acoustic waveform at an RFID-monitored resonator that is in communication with the material, wherein the acoustic waveform perturbs an oscillation in the RFID-monitored resonator, and wherein the material affects the oscillation in the RFID-monitored resonator in a manner that correlates to the physical quality of the material;

monitoring an electric characteristic of the oscillation in the RFID-monitored resonator;

generating a signal that includes information about the electric characteristic; and

transmitting a modulated RF signal that includes the information from the signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID-monitored resonator includes an inductor and a piezoelectric capacitor that are in electrical communication and configured as an oscillator circuit, wherein the operation of securing further comprises:

securing an intermediate structure to a surface of the material using an adhesive, wherein the intermediate structure is in physical communication with the piezoelectric capacitor.

3. An RFID-monitor resonator for determining a property of a material, comprising:

a piezoelectric capacitor configured to be in physical communication with the material;

an inductor in electrical communication with the piezoelectric capacitor to form an oscillator circuit; and

an RFID chip in electrical communication with the oscillator circuit;

wherein the piezoelectric capacitor is configured to receive an acoustic waveform that perturbs an oscillation in the oscillator circuit; and

wherein the oscillation is affected by the material in a manner that correlates to the physical quality of the material; and

wherein the RFID chip is configured to monitor an electrical property of the oscillator circuit and transmit a modulated RF signal with information relating to the electrical property.

4. A method for operation of a system for monitoring a physical property of a structure using an RFID-monitored resonator, comprising the steps of:

providing a RFID monitored resonator, the RFID monitored resonator has a RFID chip;

attaching the RFID-monitored resonator to a surface of a material to be analyzed;

turning on a RF transceiver that sends an interrogation RF signal to a RFID chip

generating an oscillation in a resonator or oscillator of the RFID-monitored resonator

collecting power from the interrogation RF signal to generate an initial oscillation in the RFID monitored resonator or oscillator;

turning on an ultrasonic transducer to generate an acoustic sound wave that impinges on the RFID-monitored resonator mounted to the surface of the material, the acoustic sound wave perturbs or modulates a piezoelectric capacitive element, such that the modulation generates or otherwise alters an oscillation in the RFID monitored resonator or oscillator circuit;

sampling the resonator or oscillator circuit to determine an electrical characteristics of the oscillation or signal present in the resonator or oscillator circuit; and

generating a signal by encoding within the signal information about an electrical signal in the RFID monitor resonator or oscillator circuit and wherein the signal information can be a value indicative of a hardness of the surface of the material under analysis. The RFID chip can encode additional information such as information about the temperature, an identification tag, and other such information.

5. The method of claim 4, including a further step of modulating the RF signal by the RFID chip and the RF transceiver receives the modulated RF signal from the RFID chip and demodulates the RF signal to recover the information encoded in the signal after the step of generating.

6. The method of claim 5, including a further step of transmitting the information recovered from the signal to a controller after the step of modulating.

7. The method of claim 6, including a further step of processing information from the RFID-monitored resonator to make a determination about properties or conditions of the material after the step of transmitting.

8. The method of claim 7, including a further step of presenting the processed information to a user by displaying an indication of a hardness of the material.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the indication relates to a fruit.