# US 2017/0284996 A1 · Embedded wireless monitoring sensors > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0284996 A1 - Document ID: US20170284996A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/474,175 - Filed: 2017-03-30 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30 - Assignees: Giatec Scientific Inc. - Inventors: POURIA GHODS; ROUHOLLAH ALIZADEH; MUSTAFA SALEHI; SARAH DE CARUFEL - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170284996A1 ## CPC - G01N 33/383: {Concrete or cement} - B28B 23/0031: {with product identification means, e.g. labels on test products or integrated circuit tags inside products RFID} - B28C 7/02: Controlling the operation of the mixing - C04B 40/0096: {Provisions for indicating condition of the compositions or the final products, e.g. degree of homogeneous mixing, degree of wear} - G01N 17/04: Corrosion probes - G01N 27/048: {for determining moisture content of the material} - G01N 2203/0092: Visco-elasticity, solidification, curing, cross-linking degree, vulcanisation or strength properties of semi-solid materials - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - B28B: SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER (foundry moulding B22C; working stone or stone-like material B28D; shaping of substances in a plastic state, in general B29C; making layered products not composed wholly of these substances B32B) - B28C: PREPARING CLAY; PRODUCING MIXTURES CONTAINING CLAY OR CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER (preparing material for foundry moulds B22C5/00) - C04B: LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE {(roofing granules E04D7/005)}; CERAMICS (devitrified glass-ceramics C03C10/00); REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE ## Abstract Concrete can be one of the most durable building materials where consumption is projected to reach approximately 40 billion tons in 2017 alone. Despite this the testing of concrete at all stages of its life cycle is still in its infancy although testing for corrosion is well established. Further many of the tests today are time consuming, expensive, and provide results only after it has been poured and set. Accordingly, by exploiting self-contained wireless sensor devices, which are deployed with the wet concrete, the in-situ curing and maturity measurement data can be established and employed together with batch specific concrete data to provide rapid initial tests and evolving performance data regarding the concrete cure, performance, corrosion of concrete at different points in its life cycle. Such sensors remove subjectivity, allow for rapid assessment, are integrable to the construction process, and provided full life cycle assessment. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: storing data relating to properties of a first material within which a self-contained sensor device is to be disposed within the self-contained sensor device; shipping the self-contained sensor device in association with either a second material for use in forming a mixture of the first material or the mixture of the first material; deploying the self-contained sensor device in association with the mixture of the first material; performing at least a measurement of a plurality of measurements upon the mixture of the first material with the self-contained sensor; and determining based upon at least the measurement obtained with the self-contained sensor device a characteristic of the first material. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein shipping the self-contained sensor device in association with a second material for use in forming a mixture of the first material is selected from the group comprising: shipping the self-contained sensor device within a package of the second material; shipping the self-contained sensor device as part of a package of the second material for addition to the mixture of the first material as it is mixed; and shipping the self-contained sensor device separately to the second material for addition to the mixture of the first material as it is mixed based upon an order for the second material; and the second material is selected from the group comprising cement, mortar, an admixture for concrete, aggregate, concrete, a slurry or paste employed in forming a construction material, and a construction material employed in infrastructure construction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein shipping the self-contained sensor device in association with the mixture of the first material is selected from the group comprising: shipping the self-contained sensor device within a delivery of the first material; shipping the self-contained sensor device as part of a delivery of the first material for addition to the mixture of the first material as it is deployed; and shipping the self-contained sensor device separately to the first material for addition to the mixture of the first material as it is deployed based upon an order for the first material; and the first material is selected from the group comprising wet concrete, wet mortar, gypsum slurry, a slurry or paste employed in forming a construction material, and a construction material employed in infrastructure construction. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first material is wet concrete the characteristic of the first material is at least one of: determination of the water to cement ratio of the concrete; estimation of in-situ compressive strength of the concrete after pouring; prediction of at least one of 7-day, 28-day and 56-day compressive strength of the concrete; detection of at least one of the initial and final setting time of the concrete; assessment of a transport properties of the concrete selected from the group comprising permeability, diffusivity and porosity; determination of a crack; determination of corrosion; determination of ionic penetration; and a change in the pore solution. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing in dependence upon the measurement data and material data relating to the first mixture construction data relating to at least one of structural stability, a durability property, and service life estimation of at least one of an element or structure formed from the first material. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement is an electrical impedance measurement that is either: adjusted in dependence upon a temperature at the time of the electrical impedance measurement, the adjustment comprising an activation energy; adjusted in dependence upon a temperature at the time of the electrical impedance measurement, the adjustment comprising an activation energy selected from a plurality of activation energies, each activation energy associated with the characteristic being determined; and adjusted in dependence upon correction factors applied for at least one of a temperature at the time of the electrical impedance measurement, a relative humidity at the time of the electrical impedance measurement, and a moisture content of the first material at the time of the electrical impedance measurement. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of: the self-contained sensor device comprises: a shell comprising an outer surface, an interior, and a pair of outer electrical contacts disposed on the outer surface and coupled to a pair of inner electrical contacts on the interior of the shell; an electrical circuit disposed within the shell and comprising a power source, a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a microprocessor; a measurement circuit coupled to the microprocessor disposed within the shell coupled to the pair of inner electrical contacts and providing a predetermined electrical measurement of a characteristic of the environment adjacent to the pair of outer electrical contacts; the self-contained sensor device receives at least one of calibration data and batch data relating to a batch of the first material either prior to or after being disposed within the first material; the self-contained sensor device comprises a wireless transceiver for receiving maturity calibration data relating to a batch of the first material and transmitting the determined characteristic of the first material; the self-contained sensor device continually measures and stores the determined characteristic of the first material once activated but only transmits the stored determined characteristic of the first material upon receipt of a predetermined signal from a wireless device; and the self-contained sensor device is activated to perform measurements based upon either determining closure of an electrical circuit comprising a pair of electrical contacts external to or externally disposed upon the self-contained sensor device; determining the presence of moisture; determining that externally applied pressure to the self-contained sensor device has exceeded a predetermined threshold, vibration, shock, and a wirelessly received command signal. ### Claim 8 A construction material system comprising: a first predetermined portion of the construction material system comprising a first predetermined portion of a first material; and a second predetermined portion of the construction material system comprising at least one self-contained sensor device of a plurality of self-contained sensor devices, each self-contained sensor device for performing at least one measurement of a plurality of measurements upon the first material; wherein the first predetermined portion of the construction material system and the second predetermined portion of the construction material system are intended to be shipped to a predetermined location for deployment as part of a construction project. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The construction material system according to claim 8, wherein the second predetermined portion of the construction material system further comprises a second material forming a second predetermined portion of the first material; wherein the second predetermined portion of the construction material system may be shipped by a method selected from the group comprising: shipping the self-contained sensor device within a package of the second material; shipping the self-contained sensor device as part of a package of the second material for addition to the mixture of the first material as it is mixed; and shipping the self-contained sensor device separately to the second material for addition to the mixture of the first material as it is mixed based upon an order for the second material; and the second material is selected from the group comprising cement, mortar, an admixture for concrete, aggregate, concrete, a slurry or paste employed in forming a construction material, and a construction material employed in infrastructure construction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The construction material system according to claim 8, wherein the second predetermined portion of the construction material system is shipped in association with the first predetermined portion of the construction material; wherein first predetermined portion of the construction material system and the second predetermined portion of the construction material system may be shipped by a method selected from the group comprising: shipping the second predetermined portion of the construction material system combined within a delivery of the first predetermined portion of the construction material system; shipping the second predetermined portion of the construction material system with a delivery of the first predetermined portion of the construction material system for addition to a mixture of the first predetermined portion of the construction material system and any remaining portion of the construction material system as it is mixed; shipping the second predetermined portion of the construction material system with a delivery of the first predetermined portion of the construction material system for addition to a mixture of the first predetermined portion of the construction material system and any remaining portion of the construction material system as it is deployed; and shipping the second predetermined portion of the construction material system separately to the first predetermined portion of the construction material system for addition to a mixture of the first predetermined portion of the construction material system and any remaining portion of the construction material system after it is deployed; and the first predetermined portion of the construction material system is selected from the group comprising cement, mortar, an admixture for concrete, aggregate, wet concrete, wet mortar, gypsum slurry, a slurry or paste employed in forming a construction material, and a construction material employed in infrastructure construction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The construction material system according to claim 8, wherein the first material is wet concrete the characteristic of the first material is at least one of: determination of the water to cement ratio of the concrete; estimation of in-situ compressive strength of the concrete after pouring; prediction of at least one of 7-day, 28-day and 56-day compressive strength of the concrete; detection of at least one of the initial and final setting time of the concrete; assessment of a transport properties of the concrete selected from the group comprising permeability, diffusivity and porosity; determination of a crack; determination of corrosion; determination of ionic penetration; and a change in the pore solution. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The construction material system according to claim 8, further comprising a software application for execution upon an electronic device comprising at least a microprocessor, the software application stored within a non-volatile non-transitory memory of the electronic device and for establishing in dependence upon the measurement data from the second predetermined portion of the construction material system and material data relating to the first mixture construction data relating to at least one of structural stability, a durability property, and service life estimation of at least one of an element or structure formed from the first material. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The construction material system according to claim 8, wherein the at least one measurement of a plurality of measurements upon the first material measurement is an electrical impedance measurement that is either: adjusted in dependence upon a temperature at the time of the electrical impedance measurement, the adjustment comprising an activation energy; adjusted in dependence upon a temperature at the time of the electrical impedance measurement, the adjustment comprising an activation energy selected from a plurality of activation energies, each activation energy associated with the characteristic being determined; and adjusted in dependence upon correction factors applied for at least one of a temperature at the time of the electrical impedance measurement, a relative humidity at the time of the electrical impedance measurement, and a moisture content of the first material at the time of the electrical impedance measurement. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The construction material system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of: the self-contained sensor device comprises: a shell comprising an outer surface, an interior, and a pair of outer electrical contacts disposed on the outer surface and coupled to a pair of inner electrical contacts on the interior of the shell; an electrical circuit disposed within the shell and comprising a power source, a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a microprocessor; a measurement circuit coupled to the microprocessor disposed within the shell coupled to the pair of inner electrical contacts and providing a predetermined electrical measurement of a characteristic of the environment adjacent to the pair of outer electrical contacts; the self-contained sensor device receives at least one of calibration data and batch data relating to a batch of the first material either prior to or after being disposed within the first material; the self-contained sensor device comprises a wireless transceiver for receiving maturity calibration data relating to a batch of the first material and transmitting the determined characteristic of the first material; the self-contained sensor device continually measures and stores the determined characteristic of the first material once activated but only transmits the stored determined characteristic of the first material upon receipt of a predetermined signal from a wireless device; and the self-contained sensor device is activated to perform measurements based upon either determining closure of an electrical circuit comprising a pair of electrical contacts external to or externally disposed upon the self-contained sensor device; determining the presence of moisture; determining that externally applied pressure to the self-contained sensor device has exceeded a predetermined threshold, vibration, shock, and a wirelessly received command signal. ### Claim 15 A method of establishing maturity data relating to a material being cured comprising: establishing the electrical resistivity (ρt) of the material at a plurality of specific times (t); establishing the in-situ compressive strength (St) of the material at the plurality of specific times; deriving c and d using St=c+d·log(ρt); substituting c and d into ( a - c ) d = X 1   and   b d = X 2 wherein X1 and X2 are coefficients obtained from regression analysis; and substituting into S=a+b·log(M) to derive a prediction of the mature compressive strength M of the material being cured.