Methods and systems for sensing upon radiation exposure

• US 8,207,827 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2009
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Life Sciences Solutions USA LLC (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Potyrailo, Radislav Alexandrovich, Morris, William Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US12/503,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20110012736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.41, 340/10.4, 340/572.4, 235/375, 324/633, 422/82.01
• US Class Current: 340/10.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs

Abstract

A method for sensing physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of an environment is provided. The method comprises using a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor component having a predetermined range of power initiation levels and having predetermined resonant circuit parameters comprising the steps of activating the RFID sensor component and determining whether a range of power levels, needed for activating the sensor component, is below the predetermined range of power initiation levels; sensing at least one of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the environment; quantifying the sensed characteristic of the environment using one or more selected resonant parameters, wherein the selection of parameters is based in part on the range of power levels needed to activate the sensor.

Claims

1. A method for sensing physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of an environment using a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor component having a predetermined range of power initiation levels and having resonant circuit parameters comprising the steps of:

activating the RFID sensor component and determining whether a range of power levels, needed for activating the sensor component, is more narrow than the predetermined range of power initiation levels;

sensing at least one of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the environment;

quantifying the sensed characteristics of the environment using one or more selected resonant parameters, wherein the selection of parameters is based in part on the range of power levels needed to activate the sensor, wherein a change in the range of power levels that is needed to activate the sensor, is caused by exposure of the sensor component to gamma radiation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected resonant parameters from the RFID sensor comprise parameters calculated from a complex impedance response of the RFID sensor, the real part of the complex impedance response of the RFID sensor, an imaginary part of the complex impedance response of the RFID sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected resonant parameters from the RFID sensor comprise paramaters calculated from a resonance response of the RFID sensor associated with an equivalent circuit of the RFID sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein quantifying the sensed physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the environment comprises relating the sensed characteristics to the selected resonant parameters from the RFID sensor through transfer functions with coefficients stored in a memory chip of the RFID sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, where an antenna of the RFID sensor is sensitive to the enviroment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein if the range of power levels is more narrow than a predetermined threshold, then the selected parameters consist of one or more of F_p, Z_p, F₁, F₂ parameters calculated from a complex impedance response.

7. The method of claim 1, if the range of power levels is not more narrow than a predetermined threshold, then the selected parameters consist of one or more of F₁, F₂, F_p, Z_p parameters calculated from a complex impedance response.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if the range of power levels is more narrow than a predetermined threshold, then the selected parameters consist of a group of parameters calculated from a complex impedance response and if the range of power levels is not more narrow than a predetermined threshold, then the selected parameters consist of another group of parameters calculated from a complex impedance response.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of quantifying the sensed characteristics comprises applying a correction scheme to adjust for one or more of a signal offset, a signal drift, a signal noise, and a slope of a sensor response.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing calibration parameters of one or more signals in a memory of an RFID device, and retrieving the calibration parameters when the correction scheme is to be applied.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing calibration parameters of one or more signals in a database, and retrieving the calibration parameters when the correction scheme is to be applied.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a memory chip of the RFID sensor comprises a ferro-electric memory device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a dose of gamma irradiation is determined from values of the respective signals before and after gamma irradiation.

14. A sensor system configured for sensing physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, using an RFID sensor component having a predetermined range of power initiation levels, and having resonant circuit parameters comprising:

an electronic sensor for sensing the characteristics, wherein the electronic sensor employs the RFID sensor component;

an interrogator unit for reading one or more signals from the sensor corresponding to the characteristics; and

a comparator unit for identifying whether a range of power levels, needed for activating the sensor component, is more narrow than the predetermined range of power initiation levels, for determining whether a change in the range of power levels, that is needed to activate the sensor, is caused by exposure of the sensor component to gamma radiation, and for quantifying the sensed characteristics using one or more selected resonant parameters, wherein the selection of parameters is based in part on the range of power levels needed to activate the sensor.

15. The sensor system of claim 14, further comprising a processing unit for adjusting for one or more of a signal offset, a signal drift, a signal noise, and a slope of a sensor response.

16. The sensor system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is coupled to a RFID tag to send the one or more signals from the sensor to a receiver unit.

17. The sensor system of claim 14, wherein the sensor comprises radiation-hardened components.

18. The sensor system of claim 14, wherein the sensor comprises a ferro-electric memory device.

19. The sensor system of claim 14, wherein the comparator unit is used to determine a dose of gamma irradiation.