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US 2014/0176507 A1Published application
Piezo-powered sensor card and method therefor
AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorJurgen H. Daniel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electronic sensor device, powered by a piezoelectric source and including an electronic element, is provided. The device may be used to test for the presence of substance such as a gas, a liquid, a chemical substance or a biological substance, etc. When the device is exposed to the substance, the electronic state (resistance/capacitance) of the electronic element (such as a transistor) changes (e.g. impacts the color of a connected display element) to allow for visual detection of the substance by a user.
Claims18
A sensor device comprising:
- a substrate;
- a piezoelectric power source on the substrate;
- a plurality of sensing elements on the substrate connected to the piezoelectric power source, the sensing elements being operative to change electronic state upon detection of a substance;
- and,
- a plurality of display elements on the substrate corresponding to the plurality of sensing elements on the substrate, the display elements being operative to display based on the electronic state of the corresponding sensing elements when the piezoelectric power source is activated.
2 more elements
A method for detecting a substance comprising:
- removing a protective sheet from a sensor device;
- exposing sensor areas of the sensor device to the substance to initiate a reaction between sensing elements in the sensor areas and the substance to change a state of the sensing elements;
- agitating a piezoelectric power source on the sensor device;
- and,
- changing a display on the device based on the change of the state of the sensing elements, the display being powered by the piezoelectric power source.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.