Sensors having gap based sensing devices and methods of making and using the same

• US 8,159,347 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Potyrailo, Radislav Alexandrovich, Morris, William Guy, Surman, Cheryl Margaret, Dovidenko, Katharine, Paxon, Tracy Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Toan N
• Application Number:
  US12/237,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20100073135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5728, 340/10.1, 235/435, 235/439, 343/700.R, 343/701
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A sensor is provided. The sensor comprises at least one sensing device comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and a gap defined as a distance between one or more facing inner surfaces of the first and second electrodes, wherein the gap distance at least in part determines a threshold of one or more sensed parameters, and an antenna in operative association with the sensing device.

Claims

1. A sensor, comprising:

at least one sensing device comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and a gap defined as a distance between one or more facing inner surfaces of the first and second electrodes, wherein the gap distance at least in part determines a threshold of one or more sensed parameters; and

an antenna in operative association with the sensing device, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, or both, have one or more surfaces on which a dielectric material is provided that is adapted to prevent the electrode from shorting out when exposed to a conductive fluid.

2. A sensor, comprising:

at least one sensing device comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and a gap defined as a distance between one or more facing inner surfaces of the first and second electrodes, wherein the gap distance at least in part determines a threshold of one or more sensed parameters; and

an antenna in operative association with the sensing device, wherein the sensor is disposed on a silica surface that is free of any surface modifications to enable nonspecific binding of molecules, molecular assemblages, or both.

3. A radio frequency based sensor, comprising:

a sensing gap defined by two or more electrodes; and

an antenna in operative association with the sensing gap and the electrodes, wherein a sensing signal is identified by appearance or disappearance of a digital identification through a digital reader/writer.

4. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the gap between the inner surfaces of the first and second electrodes is in a range of about 5 nm to about 10000 nm.

5. The sensor of claim 3, wherein a portion of the antenna is configured to function as the sensing device.

6. The sensor of claim 5, wherein the gap is defined by the distance between windings of the antenna.

7. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the sensor is configured for detection of chemical species, or biological species, or physical properties, or combinations thereof.

8. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the first and second electrodes comprise a channel, or an interdigital electrode structure, or a three dimensional electrode structure, or combinations thereof.

9. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the gap comprises a zero-dimensional gap structure, a one-dimensional gap structure, a two-dimensional gap structure, a three-dimensional gap structure.

10. The sensor of claim 3, wherein a shape of the gap comprises a slot, an array of slots, a morphology-induced shape, a serpentine shape, a coil, a fractal, or combinations thereof.

11. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the gap is substantially free of an electrode material, or a sensing material, or both.

12. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the gap comprises air, a dielectric material, a metal, a semiconductive material, an organic electronic material, a biological sensing material, an organic sensing material, or an inorganic sensing material.

13. The sensor of claim 12, wherein the sensing material comprises nanowires, nanofibers, nanoparticles, formulated materials with functional additives, doped conjugated polymers, inorganic materials, organic materials, polymeric materials, biological materials, living cells, biological molecule receptors, antibodies, aptamers, nucleic acids, biological molecules functionalized with metal particles, biological molecules functionalized with polymer particles, biological molecules functionalized with silica particles and any other known sensing materials and their combinations that produce detectable change in resistance and/or capacitance upon chemical, biological, and/or physical changes around the sensing device.

14. The sensor of claim 3, wherein an electrode material comprises metal, copper, aluminum, gold, silver, alloys of copper, alloys of aluminum, alloys of gold, conducting polymer, doped polyacetylene, doped polyaniline, doped polythiophene, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, carbon particles, carbon paste, conducting inks, or combinations thereof.

15. The sensor of claim 3, wherein an electrical resistance of the electrode material is less than about 100 ohms.

16. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the sensing device is physically disposed on the antenna.

17. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the sensor is a wireless sensor, a wired sensor, an electronic sensor, an sensor, a radio frequency based sensor, or combinations thereof.

18. The sensor of claim 17, wherein the radio frequency based sensor comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

19. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the radio frequency based sensor is a radio frequency identification tag with an analog input into a memory chip.

20. The radio frequency based sensor of claim 3, wherein a complex impedance of the antenna changes as a function of frequency.

21. A radio frequency based sensor, comprising:

a sensing gap defined by two or more electrodes; and

an antenna in operative association with the sensing gap and the electrodes, wherein a sensing signal is identified by appearance or disappearance of a digital identification through a digital reader/writer and magnitude of the sensing signal is written onto the memory chip along with the time associated with this sensor magnitude.

22. A radio frequency based sensor, comprising:

a sensing gap defined by two or more electrodes; and

an antenna in operative association with the sensing gap and the electrodes, wherein a sensing signal from a sensor attached to the analog input of the memory chip is written onto the memory chip along with the time associated with this sensor signal.

23. A method of making a sensor, comprising:

providing an antenna having one or more turns;

forming a sensing gap comprising first and second electrodes and defined by a distance between one or more facing inner surfaces of the first and second electrodes, wherein the gap distance at least in part determines a threshold of one or more sensed parameters, and wherein the sensing gap is in operative association with the antenna, wherein forming the first electrode and the second electrode comprises self assembly, roll-to-roll process, lithography, liquid deposition, milling, or combinations thereof.

24. A sensor, comprising:

at least one sensing device comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and a gap defined as a distance between one or more facing inner surfaces of the first and second electrodes, wherein the gap distance at least in part determines a threshold of one or more sensed parameters, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, or both, have one or more surfaces on which a dielectric material is provided that is adapted to prevent the electrode from shorting out when exposed to a conductive fluid; and

an antenna in operative association with the sensing device.

25. A sensor, comprising:

at least one sensing device comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and a gap defined as a distance between one or more facing inner surfaces of the first and second electrodes, wherein the gap distance at least in part determines a threshold of one or more sensed parameters; and

an antenna in operative association with the sensing device,

wherein the sensor is disposed on a silica surface that is free of any surface modifications to enable nonspecific binding of molecules, molecular assemblages, or both.

26. A radio frequency based sensor, comprising:

a sensing gap defined by two or more electrodes; and

an antenna in operative association with the sensing gap and the electrodes,

wherein a sensing signal is identified by appearance or disappearance of a digital identification through a digital reader/writer.