Sensor assembly, device and method for determining vibrations of a measurement object, and measurement object having at least one such sensor assembly

• US 9,589,163 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro-Sensys GmbH
• Original Assignee: Micro-Sensys GmbH
• Inventors: Jurisch, Reinhard, Peitsch, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Alunkal, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/379,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/856.4, 340/683, 340/7.6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/003 of rotating machines G01H1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/12 of longitudinal or not specified vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10158 methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10415 the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM banking machines in general G07F19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/20 for measuring, monitoring, testing, protecting or switching rectifiers H02K11/04; power electronics H02K11/33

Abstract

A sensor assembly for determining vibrations of a measurement object, which sensor assembly is or can be fastened to the measurement object in a bonded, form-closed, and/or force-closed manner, an RFID transponder and an acceleration sensor unit coupled to the RFID transponder, wherein sensor data of the acceleration sensor unit are to be sent by means of the RFID transponder. Also disclosed is a device for determining vibrations of a measurement object, to a measurement object having at least one sensor assembly, and to a method for determining vibrations of a measurement object.

Claims

1. A sensor assembly for determining vibrations of a measurement object, the sensor assembly comprising:

an RFID transponder,

an acceleration sensor unit connected to the RFID transponder, and

a storage capacitor connected between the RFID transponder and the acceleration sensor unit, for capacitively storing electrical energy for a short, temporary period,

a surge capacitor, isolated from the storage capacitor, connected between the RFID transponder and the acceleration sensor unit, for isolating the RFID transponder from the acceleration sensor unit,

wherein sensor data of the acceleration sensor unit are to be transmitted via the RFID transponder, and

wherein the acceleration sensor unit is supplied with electrical energy via the storage capacitor.

2. The sensor assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor unit is supplied with electrical energy via the RFID transponder.

3. The sensor assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RFID transponder is designed as a passive RFID transponder.

4. The sensor assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor unit is designed in such a way that accelerations in one dimension or in a plurality of dimensions of the spatial coordinate system is measured with it.

5. The sensor assembly as claimed in claim 1, comprising a shield in relation to the measurement object made from a magnetically permeable material.

8. A measurement object having at least one sensor assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly is attached to the measurement object in a manner of at least one of firmly bonded, from-fitted and force-fitted.

10. The sensor assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor and a memory connected to the RFID transponder and the acceleration sensor, wherein the sensor data is temporarily stored.

11. The sensor assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein a capacitance of the storage capacitor is greater than a capacitance of the surge capacitor.

12. The sensor assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an isolation circuit connected between the storage capacitor and the surge capacitor.

13. The sensor assembly as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a voltage comparator connected to the isolation circuit.

6. A device for determining vibrations of a measurement object, comprising:

at least one sensor assembly including;

an RFID transponder,

an acceleration sensor unit connected to the RFID transponder, and

a storage capacitor connected between the RFID transponder and the acceleration sensor unit, for capacitively storing electrical energy for a short, temporary period,

a surge capacitor, isolated from the storage capacitor, connected between the RFID transponder and the acceleration sensor unit, for isolating the RFID transponder from the acceleration sensor unit,

wherein sensor data of the acceleration sensor unit are to be transmitted via the RFID transponder, and

wherein the acceleration sensor unit is supplied with electrical energy via the storage capacitor; and

at least one evaluation unit configured to read out sensor data of the sensor assembly when the evaluation unit is connected to an RFID reading device.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the evaluation unit has at least one input unit, at least one output unit and at least one processing unit to process and evaluate received sensor data of the sensor assembly.

15. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one evaluation unit is further configured to control the sensor assembly.

16. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one evaluation unit is further configured to regulate the sensor assembly.

9. A method for determining vibrations of a measurement object using a device having a sensor assembly including:

an RFID transponder, an acceleration sensor unit connected to the RFID transponder, and a storage capacitor connected between the RFID transponder and the acceleration sensor unit, for capacitively storing electrical energy for a short, temporary period, a surge capacitor, isolated from the storage capacitor, connected between the RFID transponder and the acceleration sensor unit, for isolating the RFID transponder from the acceleration sensor unit, and an evaluation unit configured to read out sensor data of the sensor assembly when the evaluation unit is connected to an RFID reading device, the method comprising;

touchlessly reading out by means of an RFID reading device a sensor data of the sensor assembly attached to the measurement object;

touchlessly communicating with an RFID transponder of the sensor assembly using an RFID reading device of the evaluation unit;

supplying the RFID transponder by the RFID reading device with electrical energy;

storing the electrical energy in the RFID transponder;

interrupting the communication between the RFID reading device and the RFID transponder;

carrying out a vibration determination by the sensor assembly;

supplying the acceleration sensor unit of the sensor assembly with electrical energy via the RFID transponder; and

re-establishing the communication between the RFID reading device and the RFID transponder following the vibration determination, in order to transmit the sensor data determined by the sensor assembly by means of the RFID transponder to the RFID reading device of the evaluation unit.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein communication is established touchlessly with the RFID transponder of the sensor assembly by means of the RFID reading device of the evaluation unit, wherein the RFID transponder is supplied by the RFID reading device with electrical energy which is stored in the RFID transponder, the communication between the RFID reading device and the RFID transponder is then interrupted and a vibration determination is carried out by means of the sensor assembly, wherein the acceleration sensor unit of the sensor assembly is supplied with electrical energy via the RFID transponder and, following the vibration determination, the communication between the RFID reading device and the RFID transponder is re-established in order to transmit the sensor data determined by the sensor assembly by means of the RFID transponder to the RFID reading device of the evaluation unit.