RFID-based sensing of changed condition

• US 9,795,782 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2016
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: West Affum Holdings DAC
• Original Assignee: West Affum Holdings Corp
• Inventors: Krusor, Blaine, Banville, Isabelle, Sullivan, Joseph Leo, Finch, David Peter, Piha, Daniel Ralph, Gustavson, Laura Marie, Cowan, Kenneth Frederick, Nova, Richard C., Chacon, Carmen Ann, Kavounas, Gregory T.
• Primary Examiner(s): VOORHEES, CATHERINE M
• Application Number:
  US15/069,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20160193462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10405 the interrogation device including an arrangement for sensing environmental parameters, such as a temperature or acceleration sensor, e.g. used as an on/off trigger or as a warning means

Abstract

RFID-based sensors, RFID readers and software sense a changed condition. In one embodiment, an RFID-based sensor includes a base that may be placed at a location where a condition may change. The sensor includes an RFID tag that is coupled to the base. The sensor also includes a detector that can be electrically coupled to the RFID tag. If the condition changes, an electrical property of the detector also changes, impacting an operation of the RFID tag. The impacted operation can be detected by an RFID reader/interrogator so as to provide a notification. An advantage over the prior art is that the condition change can be sensed wirelessly over a domain that can be laborious or hazardous to access otherwise. Moreover, RFID based sensors can be made by modifying common RFID tags.

Claims

1. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based sensor configured to sense a change in a condition, comprising:

a sensing RFID tag that has a sensing antenna;

a detector having an electrical property that changes responsive to a change in the condition, the detector being electrically coupled to the sensing antenna of the sensing RFID tag so as to impact an operation of the sensing RFID tag responsive to the change in the condition;

a meshing circuit coupled between the detector and the sensing antenna;

a reference RFID tag that is not electrically coupled to the detector as is the sensing RFID tag; and

a base, and

in which the sensing RFID tag, the reference RFID tag and the detector are coupled to the base.

2. The sensor of claim 1, in which

the detector is one of a light detector, a temperature sensor, a capacitance sensor, a sound detector, a pressure sensor and a humidity detector.

3. The sensor of claim 1, in which

the electrical property includes at least one of a generated voltage, a generated current, and a changed impedance.

4. The sensor of claim 1, in which

the meshing circuit is coupled between the detector and the sensing antenna in parallel.

5. The sensor of claim 1, in which

the meshing circuit is coupled between the detector and the sensing antenna in series.

6. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based sensor configured to sense a change in a condition, comprising:

a base;

a sensing RFID tag coupled to the base and having a sensing antenna;

a detector coupled to the base, the detector having an electrical property that changes responsive to a change in the condition, the detector being electrically coupled to the sensing antenna of the sensing RFID tag so as to impact an operation of the sensing RFID tag responsive to the change in the condition;

a meshing circuit coupled between the detector and the sensing antenna;

a reference RFID tag that is not electrically coupled to the detector as is the sensing RFID tag; and

a shield configured to shield the reference RFID tag differently than the sensing RFID tag.

7. The sensor of claim 6, in which

the detector is one of a light detector, a temperature sensor, a capacitance sensor, a sound detector, a pressure sensor and a humidity detector.

8. The sensor of claim 6, in which

the electrical property includes at least one of a generated voltage, a generated current, and a changed impedance.

9. The sensor of claim 6, in which

the meshing circuit is coupled between the detector and the sensing antenna in parallel.

10. The sensor of claim 6, in which

the meshing circuit is coupled between the detector and the sensing antenna in series.