Device for monitoring at least a physical characteristic of a building material

• US 8,860,399 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Girlando, Giovanni, Finocchiaro, Alessandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Huy Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPLIT, JAMES G
• Application Number:
  US13/242,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20120161789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 324/600, 324/649, 324/654, 324/655, 324/663, 324/693, 324/699, 324/700, 324/702, 324/715, 324/718, 324/722, 324/71.1, 324/71.2, 324/656, 324/657, 73/86, 737/86, 702/81, 702 33- 35, 455/41.1, 455/67.11, 340/540, 340/665, 340/505, 340/539.26, 340/538, 340/538.16, 340/870.31, 340/572.1, 307/104
• US Class Current: 324/71.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/38 Concrete; ceramics; glass; bricks
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/10 Power supply of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/88 Providing power supply at the sub-station
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A monitoring device is for monitoring physical characteristics of a building material. The monitoring device is buried inside a block of the building material, and has a sensor to sense physical characteristics thereof. The sensor transmits a signal representative of the physical characteristics.

Claims

1. A monitoring device for at least one physical characteristic of a building material, the monitoring device buried inside a block of the building material and comprising:

a sensor buried inside the block of the building material and configured to sense the at least one physical characteristic and comprising a secondary inductor and a circuit coupled thereto, said circuit configured to generate an internal supply voltage for said sensor when immersed in a variable electromagnetic field and to transmit a signal representative of the physical characteristic; and

a wireless power supplier buried inside the block of the building material and configured to generate the variable electromagnetic field for said sensor and comprising a dielectric layer and a resonant L-C circuit therein, said resonant L-C circuit comprising a primary inductor configured to be magnetically coupled to said secondary inductor of said sensor, said wireless power supplier further comprising two current terminals extending from said dielectric layer to external the block of the building material so as to be coupleable to an external reading circuit for the signal;

said sensor being adjacent said dielectric layer so as to magnetically couple said primary inductor and said secondary inductor.

2. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein said wireless power supplier further comprises electromagnetic shielding metallic layers on said dielectric layer;

and further comprising adjacent electric connection lines coupling said resonant L-C circuit and said two current terminals of said wireless power supplier.

3. The monitoring device of claim 2, wherein the electromagnetic shielding metallic layers on said dielectric layer are adjacent said resonant L-C circuit except said primary inductor.

4. The monitoring device of claim 2, further comprising additional dielectric layers on opposing sides of said electromagnetic shielding metallic layers on said dielectric layer;

and an opened bifilar line and a shorted bifilar line buried in respective additional dielectric layers, having respective shielding metallic layers, and forming a sandwich structure with said dielectric layer in which said electric connection lines are buried.

5. The monitoring device of claim 2, wherein said secondary inductor and said circuit are integrated together in an integrated circuit.

6. A monitoring device for a physical characteristic of a building material comprising:

a sensor buried inside the building material and configured to sense the physical characteristic and comprising a circuit configured to generate an internal supply voltage based upon a variable field and to transmit a signal representative of the physical characteristic; and

a wireless power supplier buried inside the building material and configured to generate the variable field for said sensor and comprising a resonant L-C circuit, and external terminals that extend external the building material so as to be coupleable to an external reading circuit for the signal.

7. The monitoring device of claim 6, wherein said wireless power supplier further comprises electromagnetic shielding metallic layers;

and further comprising adjacent electric connection lines coupling said resonant L-C circuit and said external terminals of the wireless power supplier.

8. The monitoring device of claim 7, wherein the electromagnetic shielding metallic layers are adjacent said resonant L-C circuit except said primary inductor.

9. The monitoring device of claim 7, further comprising additional dielectric layers on opposing sides of said electromagnetic shielding metallic layers on said dielectric layer;

and an opened bifilar line and a shorted bifilar line buried in respective additional dielectric layers and having respective shielding metallic layers.

10. A method of making a monitoring device for at least one physical characteristic of a building material, the monitoring device buried inside a block of the building material and comprising:

configuring a sensor buried inside the block of the building material to sense the at least one physical characteristic, the sensor comprising a secondary inductor and a circuit coupled thereto, and configuring the circuit to generate an internal supply voltage for the sensor when immersed in a variable electromagnetic field and to transmit a signal representative of the physical characteristic; and

configuring a wireless power supplier buried inside the block of the building material to generate a variable electromagnetic field for the sensor, the wireless power supplier comprising a resonant L-C circuit in a dielectric layer, the resonant L-C circuit having a primary inductor configured to be magnetically coupled to the secondary inductor of the sensor, the wireless power supplier further comprising two current terminals extending from the dielectric layer to external the block of the building material so as to be coupleable to an external reading circuit for the signal, the sensor being adjacent the dielectric layer so as to magnetically couple the primary inductor and the secondary inductor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless power supplier further comprises electromagnetic shielding metallic layers deposited on the dielectric layer and adjacent electric connection lines coupling the resonant L-C circuit and the two current terminals of the wireless power supplier.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the electromagnetic shielding metallic layers on the dielectric layer are adjacent the resonant L-C circuit except the primary inductor.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising additional dielectric layers on opposing sides of the electromagnetic shielding metallic layers on the dielectric layer;

and burying an opened bifilar line and a shorted bifilar line in respective additional dielectric layers, the opened bifilar line and the shorted bifilar line having respective shielding metallic layers, and forming a sandwich structure with the dielectric layer in which the electric connection lines are buried.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the secondary inductor and the circuit are integrated together in an integrated circuit.

15. A method of making a monitoring device for at least one physical characteristic of a building material comprising:

configuring a sensor buried inside the building material and configured to sense the physical characteristic, the sensor comprising a circuit, and configuring the circuit to generate an internal supply voltage when immersed in a variable field and to transmit a signal representative of the physical characteristic; and

configuring a wireless power supplier buried inside the building material to generate the variable field, the wireless power supplier comprising a resonant L-C circuit for the sensor, and external terminals that extend external the building material so as to be coupleable to an external reading circuit for the signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless power supplier further comprises electromagnetic shielding metallic layers deposited on the dielectric layer and adjacent electric connection lines coupling the resonant L-C circuit and the two current terminals of the wireless power supplier;

and further comprising additional dielectric layers on opposing sides of the electromagnetic shielding metallic layers on the dielectric layer; and

burying an opened bifilar line and a shorted bifilar line in respective additional dielectric layers, the opened bifilar line and the shorted bifilar line having respective shielding metallic layers.