Use of RFIDs to measure flow-rates of materials flowing through piping

• US 8,004,414 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kraemer, James R., Angell, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUSHING, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US12/049,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20090231149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 340/606, 340/609, 340/10.1, 738/610.5
• US Class Current: 340/606
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/708 Measuring the time taken to traverse a fixed distance
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/74 Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means

Abstract

Material passing through a piping is laced with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. As the RFID tags pass an RFID sensor, which is either adjacent to or within the piping, a flow-rate of the material is determined by counting the rate at which the RFID tags pass the RFID sensor.

Claims

1. A method of determining a flow-rate of material passing through a piping, the method comprising:

passing a first laced material through a piping, wherein the first laced material is a first material that is uniformly laced with a first set of multiple Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that are suspended, in a colloidal state, in the first material, and wherein the first set of RFID tags is distributed in a first known concentration in the first laced material;

detecting and counting first RFID tags, from the first set of multiple RFID tags, as the first RFID tags pass through the piping to generate a first RFID tag passage rate, wherein the first RFID tag passage rate is based on a first quantity of first RFID tags, from the first set of multiple RFID tags, that pass a specific location on the closed piping per a unit of time, and wherein the first RFID tags are detected and counted by positioning at least one RFID sensor adjacent to the piping, where the first RFID tags have a limited detection range that is less than a cross-sectional radius of a first section of the piping, and where a second section of the piping has a smaller cross-sectional radius in order to permit detection of the first RFID tags by positioning said at least one RFID sensor proximate to an exterior surface of the second section of the piping; and

determining a flow rate of the first laced material through the piping based on the first RFID tag passage rate and the first known concentration of first RFID tags in the first laced material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first laced material is composed of dry particulates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first laced material is an emulsion of two unblended substances.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first laced material is a liquid.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the piping is a closed piping, and wherein the first laced material remains within the closed piping while the first RFID tags are detected and counted.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first laced material is a hazardous material.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of RFID tags identify the first laced material.

8. A method of enabling a determination of a flow-rate of material passing through a piping, the method comprising:

lacing a material with multiple Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags in a uniform, suspended colloidal state to create a laced material, wherein the RFID tags are distributed throughout the laced material in a known concentration;

detecting and counting RFID tags, from the multiple RFID tags, as the laced material including the RFID tags pass through a closed piping to generate an RFID tag passage rate, wherein the RFID tag passage rate is based on a quantity of RFID tags, from the multiple RFID tags, that pass a specific location on the closed piping per a unit of time, and wherein the RFID tags are detected and counted by positioning at least one RFID sensor adjacent to the closed piping, where the RFID tags have a limited detection range that is less than a cross-sectional radius of a first section of the closed piping, and where a second section of the closed piping has a smaller cross-sectional radius in order to permit detection of the RFID tags by positioning said at least one RFID sensor proximate to an exterior surface of the second section of the closed piping; and

determining a flow rate of the material through the closed piping based on the RFID tag passage rate and the known concentration of RFID tags in the material.

9. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor coupled to processor, wherein the RFID sensor is enabled to detect multiple RFID tags that are suspended unadhered to a laced material, wherein the multiple RFID tags are distributed through the laced material in a known concentration;

wherein the processor and the RFID sensor detect and count multiple Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that pass a specific location in a piping per a unit of time,

wherein the processor is enabled to calculate an RFID tag passage rate based on a count of RFID tags that pass the specific location in the piping per the unit of time, and

wherein the process is enabled to calculate a flow rate of the laced material through the piping based on the RFID tag passage rate and the known concentration of RFID tags in the laced material, and wherein the RFID tags are detected and counted by positioning the RFID sensor adjacent to the piping, where the RFID tags have a limited detection range that is less than a cross-sectional radius of a first section of the piping, and where a second section of the piping has a smaller cross-sectional radius in order to permit detection of the RFID tags by positioning said RFID sensor proximate to an exterior surface of the second section of the piping.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the laced material is composed of dry particulates.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the laced material remains within the piping while the multiple RFID tags are detected and counted.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the laced material is a hazardous material.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the multiple RFID tags identify a composition of the laced material.