Portable Impedance Analyzer for Resonant Sensor Monitoring
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Portable resonant sensors face challenges in maintaining data-acquisition quality comparable to desktop laboratory systems and suffer from high power consumption, making them unsuitable for long-term use.
Innovation Solution
A multivariable sensor node with an impedance analyzer that includes a programmable digital to analog converter, a low noise amplifier, and an analog to digital converter, powered by an on-board electrical energy source, allowing for efficient monitoring of resonance properties with reduced power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If portable resonant sensors are used for field measurements, then mobility and portability are improved, but power consumption increases and data-acquisition quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The impedance analyzer employs periodic sweeping of excitation frequency across the resonant frequency range, rather than continuous operation. The system activates the excitation signal generator and signal generator only when measurements are required, allowing the portable sensor to enter low-power states between measurements, thus reducing overall power consumption while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the excitation signal parameters (frequency, amplitude) based on the resonant characteristics of the sensor being measured. By optimizing these parameters for each specific sensor type and measurement condition, the system achieves accurate data acquisition with minimal power expenditure, resolving the contradiction between portability and power consumption
2Ease of operation
If portable resonant sensors are used for field measurements, then mobility is improved, but data-acquisition quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The impedance analyzer incorporates feedback mechanisms where the measured impedance magnitude and phase information are used to adjust subsequent measurements. The system sweeps through frequency ranges, identifies resonant peaks, and uses this feedback to refine measurements, ensuring high data-acquisition quality comparable to laboratory systems while maintaining portability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical signal generation and detection systems with electronic/digital implementations. The excitation signal generator, signal generator, and impedance calculator are implemented as electronic circuits and software algorithms, reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining or improving measurement precision in portable devices
3Measurement precision
If complex impedance measurement systems are implemented in portable devices, then measurement capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into integrated circuits and modules: the excitation signal generator, signal generator, signal processor, and impedance calculator are merged into a single portable impedance analyzer device. This integration reduces the number of separate components, simplifies the system architecture, and makes the complex measurement capabilities portable while maintaining measurement precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables high-quality, long-term monitoring of resonance properties in portable devices with low power consumption, facilitating reliable field measurements.
Implementation Method 1
The programmable digital to analog transfer function is implemented by a direct digital synthesizer (DDS)
Implementation Method 2
Resonant sensors, such as passive radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors, inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) sensors, thickness shear mode (TSM) resonator sensors, acoustic wave (AW) sensors, surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors
Implementation Method 3
a receiver comprising a low noise amplifier (LNA) and an analog to digital converter (ADC), where the LNA is a current to voltage converter
Data Source
AI summary
An impedance analyzer is provided. The analyzer includes a signal excitation generator comprising a digital to analog converter, where a transfer function of the digital to analog converter from digital to analog is programmable. The impedance analyzer further includes a receiver comprising a low noise amplifier (LNA) and an analog to digital converter (ADC), where the LNA is a current to voltage converter; where the programmable digital to analog transfer function is implemented by a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) and a voltage mode digital to analog converter, or a digital phase locked loop (PLL), or both. Further, a multivariable sensor node having an impedance analyzer is provided. Furthermore, a multivariable sensor network having a plurality of multivariable sensor nodes is provided.