Event-recording devices with identification codes

• US 6,617,963 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2000
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yasumi Capital, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: SRI International, Inc.
• Inventors: Watters, David G., Huestis, David L., Bahr, Alfred J., Vidmar, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shimizu, Matsuichiro
• Application Number:
  US09/513,327
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.41, 340/665, 340/686, 360/60, 360/69, 360/75
• US Class Current: 340/10.41
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/48 using wave or particle radiation means G01D5/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/04 in respect of time
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 5/483 using materials with a configuration memory, e.g. Ni-Ti alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A recording device allows wireless interrogation to determine its identity and its state. The state indicates whether one or more physical or chemical events have taken place. In effect, the one or more physical or chemical events are recorded by the device. The identity of the device allows it to be distinguished from a number of similar devices. The recording device may be used in an array of devices that allows wireless probing by an interrogation unit. When probed, each device tells the interrogator who it is and what state it is in. The devices allow multiple use and the interrogator may use a logical reset to determine the state of each device. The interrogator can thus easily identify particular items in an array that have reached a particular condition. The device may record the status of each device in a database to maintain a history for each.

Claims

1. A system for reporting a physical or chemical state or event, the system comprising:

(a) a device having at least two device states, one of the two device states corresponding corresponding to the physical or chemical state or event, the device comprising;

a sensor for detecting the physical or chemical state or event wherein the sensor includes a first portion for latching onto one of a plurality of stops during an expansion of the sensor,

a recording mechanism coupled to the sensor and recording the device state such that the device state changes upon occurrence of the physical or chemical event or a change in the physical or chemical state, and

a transponder configured to transmit a signal indicating the device state when triggered by a wireless interrogation signal; and

(b) an interrogator for externally probing the state of the device to determine whether the device state has changed, wherein the interrogator is designed or configured to (i) read the device state by providing the wireless interrogation signal to the transponder, (ii) compare the device state that it has read against a stored device state to determine whether the device state has changed and thereby indicate the physical or chemical event or the change in the physical or chemical state, and (iii) update the stored device state with the device state that it has just read.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the recording mechanism cannot spontaneously return from the second state to the first state when the physical or chemical event ceases or the change in the physical or chemical state reverses.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor, an accelerometer, a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, a chemical concentration sensor or a position sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor and the recording mechanism are provided in a single electrical, electromechanical or latching device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the recording mechanism is a resonating electrical circuit having a resonance frequency that changes with the device state.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the recording mechanism and the transponder are provided as a single structure.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the single structure includes a resonating electrical circuit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transponder includes a modulator and an antenna.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogator powers the transponder and receives the signal indicating the physical or chemical state or event.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a database including the stored device state.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein database further comprises records identifying the locations and device states of multiple wireless devices.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the multiple wireless devices includes a tag that contains identification information that can distinguish each wireless device from the other wireless devices.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the signal transmitted by the transponder includes the identification information.

14. A method for reporting a physical or chemical state or event by using a device that changes a device state when exposed to the physical or chemical state or event, the method comprising:

exposing the device to a first environment wherein the device comprises;

a sensor for detecting the physical or chemical state or event wherein the sensor includes a first portion for latching onto one of a plurality of stops during an expansion of the sensor,

a recording mechanism coupled to the sensor and recording the device state such that the device state changes upon occurrence of the physical or chemical event or a change in the physical or chemical state, and

a transponder configured to transmit a signal indicating the device state when triggered by a wireless interrogation signal;

probing the device with an interrogator to determine its current device state and thereby determine whether the first environment provided the physical or chemical state or event;

saving the current device state as a saved device state;

without physically resetting the device state, exposing the device to a second environment which potentially could provide the physical or chemical state or event to cause the device state to change; and

probing the device with the interrogator to determine if its current device state is different from the saved device state and thereby determine whether the second environment provided the physical or chemical state or event.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the saving the current device state stores the current device state in a database.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein database further comprises records identifying the locations and device states of multiple devices.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the multiple devices includes a tag that contains identification information that can distinguish each device from the other devices, and wherein the database includes said identification information.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein probing the device with the interrogator comprises transmitting a wireless probe signal to the device and receiving a wireless device signal from the device, wherein the wireless device signal from the device specifies the current device state.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the wireless device signal from the device is a different frequency than the wireless probe signal to the device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the wireless device signal from the device contains information to be used in specifying the current device state.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the event signals device operability.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein probing the device includes using a swept or stepped frequency interrogation signal.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein probing the device includes using an anticollision algorithm.

24. A device for reporting a physical or chemical state or event, the device comprising:

a sensor for detecting the physical or chemical state or event without using a power source wherein the sensor includes a first portion for latching onto one of a plurality of stops during an expansion of the sensor;

a recording mechanism coupled to the sensor for recording that the physical or chemical state or event has occurred, wherein the recording mechanism allows recording of multiple physical or chemical events or state changes, each associated with a distinct device state;

a tag that contains identification information that can distinguish said device from a plurality of similar devices; and

a transponder, coupled to the recording mechanism and the tag, configured to transmit a signal indicating (i) the device state and thereby indicating the physical or chemical state or event and (ii) the identification information when triggered by a wireless interrogation signal.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein the recording mechanism cannot spontaneously return from the second state to the first state when the physical or chemical event ceases or the change in the physical or chemical state reverses.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, a chemical concentration sensor or a position sensor.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the sensor and the recording mechanism are provided in a single electrical, electromechanical or latching device.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the single device includes three or more device states, each indicating a distinct physical or chemical event or state change.

29. The device of claim 24, wherein the states are recycled.

30. The device of claim 24, wherein the first portion includes a hook for latching onto at least one of the stops.

31. The device of claim 24, wherein the sensor includes a second portion for latching onto at least one stop during a contraction of the sensor.

32. The device of claim 24, further including a transduction mechanism for converting the distinct device state into electrical representation.

33. The device of claim 24, further including a disturbance resistance mechanism which is resistant to one of vibration, shock, acceleration and magnetization.

34. The device of claim 31, wherein the second portion includes a hook for latching onto the at least one stop.

35. The device of claim 24, wherein the expansion of the sensor is provided by a dimensional change resulting from a thermal input to a material.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the material is comprised of a solid, liquid, gas or combinations thereof.

37. The device of claim 35, wherein the dimensional change is induced by a phase-change in the material.

38. The device of claim 24, wherein the expansion of the sensor is provided by a thermal expansion of a material.

39. The device of claim 38, wherein the material is a metal.

40. The device of claim 38, wherein the material comprises a first material joined to a second material wherein a portion of the expansion results from a difference in thermal expansion rates between the first material and the second material.

41. The device of claim 40, wherein the material is a bi-metal.

42. The device of claim 24, wherein the recording mechanism is a resonating electrical circuit having a resonance frequency that changes with the device state.

43. The device of claim 24, wherein the sensor includes a bi-metal ratchet.

44. The device of claim 24, wherein the plurality of stops are arranged along a closed path.

45. The device of claim 44, wherein the closed path is a circle.

46. The device of claim 24, wherein the plurality of stops are arranged along an open path.

47. The device of claim 46, wherein the open path is a line.

48. The device of claim 24, wherein the sensor is re-settable.

49. The device of claim 48, wherein a reset of the sensor is a logical reset.

50. The device of claim 48, wherein a reset of the sensor is a physical reset comprising an adjustment of at least one physical element of the sensor.

51. The device of claim 24, wherein one or more latching states of the first portion relative to one or more of the stops is stored on the device.

52. The device of claim 51, wherein the sensor further comprises circuitry for monitoring the latching states of the first portion relative to one or more of the stops.

53. The device of claim 51, wherein the sensor further comprises a memory device for storing one or more of the latching states of the sensor.

54. The device of claim 53, wherein the memory devices stores a plurality of latching states that have occurred between a first interrogation and a second interrogation of the device.

55. The device of claim 51, wherein the sensor further comprises circuitry for comparing a first latching state with a second latching state.

56. The device of claim 55, wherein differences between the first latching state and the second latching state are used to determine whether one of the events has occurred.

57. The device of claim 24, wherein a distance between adjacent stops in the plurality of stops is increased or decreased to record events of different magnitudes.

58. The device of claim 24, wherein the expansion of the sensor is induced by a change in magnetic properties of a material in the sensor.

59. The device of claim 24, wherein the device further comprises a second sensor.

60. The device of claim 24, wherein the device is a microelectromechanical system.