Systems and methods for determining an operating state using RFID

• US 8,400,270 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Brand, John William
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, MIRZA F
• Application Number:
  US12/048,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20090231097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/572.8, 340/572.4, 340/572.7, 340/573.1, 340/539.13, 340/571, 340/686.1, 340/3.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.92, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 235/492, 235/494, 235/488, 235/375, 235/487, 235/462.43, 428/32.1, 428/448, 400/611, 400/613
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2066/003 Position, angle or speed
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 66/00 Arrangements for monitoring working conditions, e.g. wear, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10019 resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers. collision between the communication channels used by wireless communication devices, where the solution is not particularly adapted for RFIDs or the like, H04W74/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13003 Constructional details of switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining a binary status of a device are provided. A method for detecting an operating status of a device using a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is provided. The method includes coupling a first portion of the RFID tag to a first portion of the device and coupling a second portion of the RFID tag to a second portion of the device, wherein the first portion of the device is moveable with respect to the second portion of the device, changing a position of the first portion of the device with respect to a position of the second portion of the device, detecting the change in position of the first device portion based on the movement of the first RFID tag portion, wherein the movement causes a change in a status of an RFID signal emitted by the RFID tag, and determining the status of the device based on the change in the RFID signal status.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

coupling a first antenna portion of an antenna of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to a first device portion of a device;

coupling a second antenna portion of the antenna of the RFID tag to a second device portion of the device, wherein the first device portion is moveable with respect to the second device portion;

changing a position of the first device portion with respect to a position of the second device portion to close the conductive antenna by engaging the first antenna portion with the second antenna portion;

detecting a change in the position of the first device portion based on engaging of the first antenna portion with the second antenna portion, wherein engaging of the first antenna portion with the second antenna portion causes a change in a status of an RFID signal emitted by the RFID tag; and

determining a status of the device based on the change in the status of the RFID signal.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein changing a position of the first device portion with respect to the second device portion comprises moving at least one of the first device portion or the second device portion using at least one of a mechanical force, a hydraulic force, or a pneumatic force.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein detecting the change in the position of the first device portion comprises detecting an interruption in the RFID signal using an RFID reader, wherein the interruption in the RFID signal is caused by an opening of the antenna of the RFID tag when the first antenna portion of the antenna of the RFID tag is separated from the second antenna portion of the RFID tag.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 further comprising interrupting the RFID signal by shielding the antenna loop from the RFID reader such that the RFID reader is unable to read the RFID signal.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein changing the position of the first device portion with respect to the position of the second device portion comprises joining the first device portion and the second device portion using at least one of a mechanical force, a hydraulic force, or a pneumatic force.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein detecting the change in the position of the first device portion comprises detecting an induced RFID signal from the antenna of the RFID tag using an RFID reader when the first antenna portion of the antenna of the RFID tag is joined with the second antenna portion of the antenna of the RFID tag to close an antenna loop within the RFID tag.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 further comprising inducing the induced RFID signal by removing a shielding device from the antenna loop such that an RFID reader reads the induced RFID signal.

26. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein changing the position of the first device portion includes moving both the first device portion and the first antenna portion relative to the second device portion and the second antenna portion.

8. A system comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising an antenna divided into a first antenna portion and a second antenna portion, the first antenna portion configured to be coupled to a first device portion of a device and the second antenna portion configured to be coupled to a second device portion of the device;

an RFID reader configured to read an RFID signal emitted by said RFID tag; and

a controller configured to be communicatively coupled to said RFID reader, said controller configured to;

detect a change in a position of the first device portion with respect to a position of the second device portion, wherein the change in the position of the first device portion causes the first antenna portion to engage the second antenna portion to close the antenna and produce a change in a status of the RFID signal emitted by the antenna; and

determine a status of the device based on the change in the status of the RFID signal.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8 further comprising a separator configured to separate the first device portion from the second device portion, said separator using at least one of mechanical power, hydraulic power, or pneumatic power.

10. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said controller is further configured to detect the change in the position of the first device portion by detecting an interruption in the RFID signal, wherein the interruption is caused by separation of the first antenna portion from the second antenna portion when the first device portion is moved from the second device portion.

11. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein the first antenna portion and the second antenna portion define an antenna loop when the first antenna portion is engaged with the second antenna portion, and the antenna loop is broken when the first antenna portion is separated from the second antenna portion.

12. A system in accordance with claim 8 further comprising a joining component for joining the first device portion to the second device portion using at least one of mechanical power, hydraulic power, or pneumatic power.

13. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said controller is further configured to detect the change in the position of at least one of the first device portion or the second device portion by detecting an induced RFID signal that is created by joining the first antenna portion to the second antenna portion.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13 wherein the first antenna portion and the second antenna portion define an antenna loop that is closed when the first antenna portion is joined with the second antenna portion.

27. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein the RFID tag includes the first antenna portion configured to be coupled to the first device portion and separate from the second device portion such that movement of the first device portion causes both the first device portion and the first antenna portion to move relative to the second device portion and the second antenna portion.

15. A method comprising:

coupling a first antenna portion of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to a first device portion of a device;

coupling a second antenna portion of an RFID tag to a second device portion of the device, wherein the first device portion is moveable with respect to the second device portion;

changing a position of the first device portion with respect to the second device portion;

detecting a change in the position of the first device portion based on movement of the first antenna portion of the RFID tag, wherein the movement couples the first antenna portion and the second antenna portion to cause a change in a status of an RFID signal emitted by the RFID tag; and

determining a status of the device based on the change in the status of the RFID signal.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein changing the position of the first device portion includes applying a force to the first device portion that causes one of a separation of the first antenna portion from the second antenna portion or a joining of the first antenna portion to the second antenna portion.

17. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein detecting the change in the position of the first device portion also comprises detecting an interruption in the RFID signal using an RFID reader, wherein the interruption in the RFID signal is caused by breaking an antenna loop formed by engaging the first antenna portion with the second antenna portion within the RFID tag by separating the first antenna portion from the second antenna portion.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17 further comprising interrupting the RFID signal by shielding the antenna loop from the RFID reader such that the RFID reader is unable to read the RFID signal.

19. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein detecting the change in the position of the first device portion comprises detecting an induced RFID signal using an RFID reader, wherein the RFID signal is induced by joining the first antenna portion to the second antenna portion to close an antenna loop within the RFID tag.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19 further comprising inducing the RFID signal by removing a shielding device from the antenna loop such that the RFID reader reads the RFID signal.

28. A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein changing the position of the first device portion includes moving both the first device portion and the first antenna portion relative to both the second device portion and the second antenna portion.

21. A system comprising:

a first portion of an antenna in a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that is configured to be coupled to a first device; and

a second portion of the antenna in the RFID tag that is configured to be coupled to a second device;

wherein the first portion of the antenna is configured to couple with the second portion of the antenna to close the antenna when the first device moves relative to the second device in a first direction, and the first portion of the antenna is configured to separate from the second portion of the antenna to open the antenna when the first device moves relative to the second device in a different, second direction; and

wherein the antenna that is closed by the first portion of the antenna and the second portion of the antenna emits an RFID signal when interrogated by an RFID reader.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the antenna does not emit the RFID signal when interrogated by the RFID reader and the first portion of the antenna is separated from the second portion of the antenna.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the antenna formed by the first portion and the second portion of the antenna is an antenna loop that is closed when the first portion of the antenna couples with the second portion of the antenna and that is opened when the first portion of the antenna separates from the second portion of the antenna.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the first portion of the antenna is configured to be coupled to a piston of a braking system in a vehicle and the second portion of the antenna is configured to be coupled to an enclosure through which the piston moves relative to the enclosure to apply or release a brake of the braking system.

25. The system of claim 21, further comprising a shielding device configured to move between the antenna and the RFID reader when the first device moves in the second direction in order to prevent at least one of the RFID reader from interrogating the antenna or the RFID reader from receiving the RFID signal from the antenna.