ENVIRONMENT MONITORING AND RECORDING TAG WITH REMOTE SENSING CAPABILITY

• US 20100170352A1
• Filed: 03/12/2010
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced GPS Tracking, LLC
• Original Assignee: Advanced GPS Tracking, LLC
• Inventors: Wilson, Alan, Brotzel, Dean, Petersen, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,035,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/865.800
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/007 Data loggers attached to transport containers for perishable products, e.g. food or medicines
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure

Abstract

A tag includes an integrated circuit thereon, including memory, antenna means for RF transmission of data acquired by the integrated circuit, a sensor sensing environmental conditions to which the sensor is subjected, the sensor providing signals based on the environmental conditions to the integrated circuit, a thermistor device of increasing the accuracy of the tag by confining on-board calculation data to a resistance domain and leaving conversion of the data to a temperature domain for an external device once the data is retrieved from the tag'"'"'s memory.

Claims

1. A tag comprising an integrated circuit thereon, including memory, antenna means for RF transmission of data acquired by the integrated circuit, a sensor sensing environmental conditions to which the sensor is subjected, the sensor providing signals based on the environmental conditions to the integrated circuit, a thermistor device for increasing the accuracy of the tag by confining on-board calculation data to a resistance domain and leaving conversion of the data to a temperature domain for an external device once the data is retrieved from the tag'"'"'s memory.

2. The tag of claim 1, wherein the thermistor device is capable of generating resistance values including one of vibration, pressure, radiation, shock, light, position and atmospheric pressure.

3. The tag of claim 1, which enables retrieval of the data via an external RF, IR or direct contact reader.

4. The tag of claim 1, which includes a device for stopping manually the tag'"'"'s environmental data acquisition at a predetermined interim or end point.

5. The tag of claim 1, which includes a device for automatically stopping the data acquisition of the tag when sensing a predetermined condition has changed

6. The tag of claim 5, wherein the condition is exposure to light.

7. The tag of claim 1, which includes a conductor that allows a sensor to be placed at distance from the tag.

8. The tag of claim 1, wherein the tag and the sensor are encased in food or pharmaceutical grade heat shrink flexible plastic in a way that when heated under pressure the tag and the sensor form a single waterproof unit.

9. The tag of claim 8, wherein the sensor is contained in a rigid stainless steel stylus.

10. The tag of claim 8, wherein the stylus has a proximal end of which is encased in food or pharmaceutical grade heat shrink plastic tubing extending proximally to an internal processor of the tag in such a way that when heat and pressure are applied the plastic tubing is sealed to form a single waterproof unit.