Data acquisition device using radio frequency identification (RFID) system

• US 6,923,572 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2001
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamatake Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamatake Corporation
• Inventors: Kano, Shiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Andrew Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/276,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20030153987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 374/143, 374/183, 374/184, 374/185, 374/129, 374/121, 374/120, 374/133, 365/191, 365/192, 365/195, 365/211, 365/212, 365/213
• US Class Current: 374/129
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers

Abstract

A sensor 2 of a data collection system 2 is designed to make, in a predetermined environment, an operation of writing output data of a sensing circuit 24 into a non-volatile memory 22 as reference-value data, and, in a measurement environment, an operation of transmitting output data of the sensing circuit and reference-value data stored in the non-volatile memory, under the control of a memory control section 25, thereby selectively performing by itself the data-writing or data-transmitting operation without receiving instructions from a readout device.

Claims

1. A data collection system comprising a readout device and a sensor, wherein

said data collection system comprises radiation means for radiating electromagnetic energy,

said readout device comprises collection means for collecting data from said sensor,

said sensor comprises a sensing circuit including a sensing element, a coil for introducing the electromagnetic energy radiated from said radiation means, a power source section, connected with said coil, for generating internal electric power, a non-volatile memory, a memory control section for controlling data-writing into said non-volatile memory, and a transmitter section for transmitting an output of said sensing circuit and data stored in said non-volatile memory,

said memory control section includes determination means for determining the number of times that the data-writing into said non-volatile memory has been made, and said memory control section restricts the number of times of the data-writing into said non-volatile memory to a predetermined number of times and renders said transmitter section operative, on the basis of a result of determination effected by said determination means.

2. The data collection system according to claim 1, wherein said non-volatile memory stores data peculiar to said sensor or data indicating a kind of said sensing circuit.

3. The data collection system according to claim 2, wherein said radiation means is provided in said readout device, and said readout device does not superimpose information on said electromagnetic energy.

4. The data collection system according to claim 3, wherein said memory control section allows an output of said sensing circuit to be written into said non-volatile memory only when the output of said sensing circuit is within a predetermined range.

5. The data collection system according to claim 4, wherein said sensing element in said sensing circuit is comprised of a thermosensitive element or a pressure-sensitive element.

6. The data collection system according to claim 3, wherein said sensing element in said sensing circuit is comprised of a thermosensitive element or a pressure-sensitive element.

7. The data collection system according to claim 2, wherein said memory control section allows an output of said sensing circuit to be written into said non-volatile memory only when the output of said sensing circuit is within a predetermined range.

8. The data collection system according to claim 7, wherein said sensing element in said sensing circuit is comprised of a thermosensitive element or a pressure-sensitive element.

9. The data collection system according to claim 2, wherein said sensing element in said sensing circuit is comprised of a thermosensitive element or a pressure-sensitive element.

10. The data collection system according to claim 1, wherein said radiation means is provided in said readout device, and said readout device does not superimpose information on said electromagnetic energy.

11. The data collection system according to claim 10, wherein said memory control section allows an output of said sensing circuit to be written into said non-volatile memory only when the output of said sensing circuit is within a predetermined range.

12. The data collection system according to claim 11, wherein said sensing element in said sensing circuit is comprised of a thermosensitive element or a pressure-sensitive element.

13. The data collection system according to claim 10, wherein said sensing element in said sensing circuit is comprised of a thermosensitive element or a pressure-sensitive element.

14. The data collection system according to claim 1, wherein said memory control section allows an output of said sensing circuit to be written into said non-volatile memory only when the output of said sensing circuit is within a predetermined range.

15. The data collection system according to claim 14, wherein said sensing element in said sensing circuit is comprised of a thermosensitive element or a pressure-sensitive element.

16. The data collection system according to claim 1, wherein said sensing element in said sensing circuit is comprised of a thermosensitive element or a pressuresensitive element.