Container with sensor

• US 6,538,569 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Dunn, William Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US09/786,513
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.06, 340/540, 340/870.17, 340/572.1, 340/568.1, 340/572.7, 340/572.8, 340/572.9, 340/603, 340/572.4
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/73 for taking measurements, e.g. using sensing coils

Abstract

A sealed container is provided with a sensor capable of monitoring the physical and/or chemical condition of materials stored in the container. The sensor may or may not have its own power source. In the embodiment where the sensor does not have a power source, a communicator induces a signal in the sensor and receives a return signal with the desired data. The container may be a metal or a nonmetal.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring physical parameters of a composition (17) enclosed in a container (10,10a,10b,10c) comprising the steps of

a. embedding in a composition (17) a sensor (12,26,36) capable of measuring physical parameters of said composition

b. enclosing said composition (17) in a container (10, 10a,10b,10c)

c. winding an antenna (14,14a,16,16a,22,22a,24) around said container 910,10a,10b,10c) in the proximity of said sensor (12,26,36)

d. bringing a communication means into proximity with said antenna (14,14a,16, 16a, 22, 22a ) and

e. activating said sensor (12,26,36) through said antenna (14,14a,16,16a,22,22a) (using said communication means and receiving and recording a response from said sensor (12,26,36) using said communication means.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising the further step of associating a ferrite core with said antenna for amplifying signals to and from said sensor.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising the further step of selecting said physical parameters from the group comprising pressure data, chemical data, temperature data, moisture content data and mixtures thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising the further steps of enclosing said sensor (26) in a loop of wire (27), wherein said sensor (26) is electrically coupled with said wire (27) to form a coupled sensor, placing a second wire (22,22a) adjacent to said coupled sensor, and placing an antenna (24) adjacent said second wire (22,22a).

5. The method of claim 1 comprising the further steps of sandwiching said sensor (36) between an upper electrode (15) and a lower electrode (30).

6. A method of monitoring physical parameters of a chemical composition (17) enclosed in a container (10) comprising the steps of

(a) embedding in a chemical composition (17) an electric field (E-field) sensor (36) capable of measuring physical parameters of said chemical composition (17)

(b) enclosing said composition in a container (10b,10c)

(c) placing E-field plates (44,46) at opposed sides of said container (10b,10c)

(d) creating an E-field in said plate (44,46) using an E-field driver (48) to induce a signal in and receive a signal from said sensor (36)

(e) bringing an E-field reader into proximity to said plate (44,46), and

(f) receiving and recording a response from said sensor (36).

7. A container (10,10a,10b,10c) for containing a chemical composition (17), said container being made of impenetrable materials (18,18a,18b,18c) said impenetrable materials completely enclosing an interior space and having an inside and an outside, said container having an id-tag/sensor (12,26,36) disposed inside said container (10,10a,10b,10c), said id-tag/sensor being capable of retaining identification information and measuring physical or chemical parameters of said interior space, and at least one antenna (14,14a,16,16a,22,22a,24) being associated with said id-tag/sensor, wherein said antenna comprises at least two loops of wire (14,14a,16,16a), a first said wire (16,16a) being disposed on said inside in the proximity of the impenetrable material (18) of said container (10) and said id-tag/sensor(12), and a second said wire (14,14a) being disposed on said outside around said container (10).

8. The container of claim 7 wherein said first wire (16a) is inside said container (10).

9. The container of claim 7 wherein said first wire (16) is outside said container (10).

10. The container of claim 7 wherein said first wire (16,16a) is used as a receiving antenna and said second wire (14,14a) is used as a transmitting antenna for said id-tag/sensor (12), and said id-tag/sensor (12) is activated by communication means associated with said transmitting antenna.

11. The container of claim 7 wherein said sensor (26) is in proximity to and coupled to a loop of wire (22) disposed in the proximity of said impenetrable material (18a) of said container (10a), and said loop of wire (22) is inductively associated with an antenna (24) outside said container (10a).

12. The container of claim 11 wherein said impenetrable material (18a) of said container (10a) is a nonmetal.

13. The container of claim 7 wherein said id-tag/sensor (36) comprises a chip sandwiched between an upper electrode (15) and a ground electrode (30) wherein said id-tag/sensor (36) is activated by at least two electric field (E-field) plates (44,46) at opposed sides of said id-tag/sensor (36), wherein a first E-field plate comprises a metal core (54) in the interior of said container (10c), and a second E-field plate comprises the impenetrable material (18c) of said container (10c).