Identification and/or sensor system

• US 5,691,698 A
• Filed: 04/17/1995
• Issued: 11/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Scholl, Gerd, Ruile, Werner, Reindl, Leonhard, Ostertag, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/422,452
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572, 342/51, 342/44, 333/154, 333/195, 333/142, 333/153, 310/313 R, 310/313 D, 310/313 B
• US Class Current: 340/572.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/753 using frequency selective elements, e.g. resonator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/755 using delay lines, e.g. acoustic delay lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0675 the resonating marks being of the surface acoustic wave [SAW] kind SAW devices per se H03H9/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves

Abstract

An identification and/or sensor system includes an identification and/or sensor configuration having resonators for determining at least one parameter to be interrogated. The resonators have a quality being good enough to effect a storage of energy in the resonators. A transmitting and receiving apparatus transmits interrogation signals by radio to the identification and/or sensor configuration and receives and evaluates reply signals transmitted back from the identification and/or sensor configuration. The transmitting and receiving apparatus is a broadband device.

Claims

1. A system for at least one of identification and sensing, comprising:

a transmitting and receiving apparatus transmitting broadband interrogation signals by radio;

a configuration for at least one of identification and sensing having resonators for determining at least one parameter to be interrogated, said resonators having a figure of merit enabling said resonators to store energy from a broadband radio signal received from said transmitting and receiving apparatus, whereby the stored energy decays according to a time function and is transmitted back to said transmitting and receiving apparatus as a reply signal; and

said transmitting and receiving apparatus transmitting interrogation signals by radio to said configuration for at least one of identification and sensing and receiving and evaluating reply signals transmitted back form said configuration for at least one of identification and sensing, said transmitting and receiving apparatus being a broadband device;

wherein said resonators are SAW resonators forming an encoding of said configuration;

wherein said configuration further has a receiving/transmitting antenna and said resonators are activated/deactivated by switching-on/switching-off said resonators to/from said configuration receiving/transmitting antenna by selective operation of switching means by a user to selectively program the code of said configuration.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said resonators have different phase positions.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said configuration for at least one of identification and sensing is a sensor configuration to be interrogated, and said resonators include at least one SAW resonator for detecting at least one variable.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said resonators include a plurality of resonators having different mid-frequencies.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting and receiving apparatus includes a transmitting device for transmitting an interrogation pulse and a receiving device containing a Fourier transformation configuration for transforming a signal being transmitted back by said configuration for at least one of identification and sensing and being present in an amplitude/time spectrum, into an amplitude/frequency spectrum.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said configuration for at least one of identification and sensing is an identification mark ID tag to be interrogated, and said resonators are frequency-shifted SAW resonators forming an encoding of said ID tag.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein a given number of said SAW resonators are encoded by activating/deactivating individual resonators.

8. A system for at least one of identification and sensing, comprising:

a configuration for at least one of identification and sensing having resonators for determining at least one parameter to be interrogated, said resonators storing energy from a broadband radio signal received thereby, which energy decreases in accordance with a time function; and

a transmitting and receiving apparatus transmitting interrogation signals by radio to said configuration for at least one of identification and sensing and receiving and evaluating reply signals transmitted back from said configuration for at least one of identification and sensing, said transmitting and receiving apparatus being a broadband device;

wherein said resonators are SAW resonators forming an encoding of said configuration;

wherein said configuration further has a receiving/transmitting antenna and said resonators are activated/deactivated by switching-on/switching-off said resonators to/from said configuration receiving/transmitting antenna by selective operation of switching means by a user to selectively program the code of said configuration.