Passive absolute age and temperature history sensor
| DWPI Title: Gauge for indicating age and/or thermal history of piece of equipment e.g. battery has additional sensor pair that exhibits visually perceptible response to at least second thermal history different from first thermal history |
| Abstract: A passive sensor for historic age and temperature sensing, including a first member formed of a first material, the first material being either a metal or a semiconductor material and a second member formed of a second material, the second material being either a metal or a semiconductor material. A surface of the second member is in contact with a surface of the first member such that, over time, the second material of the second member diffuses into the first material of the first member. The rate of diffusion for the second material to diffuse into the first material depends on a temperature of the passive sensor. One of the electrical conductance, the electrical capacitance, the electrical inductance, the optical transmission, the optical reflectance, or the crystalline structure of the passive sensor depends on the amount of the second material that has diffused into the first member. |
| Use: Gauge for indicating age and/or thermal history of piece of equipment e.g. battery, cell phone, military system. |
| Advantage: Allows for determination of more precise age and temperature history of the passive sensor due to differing temperature dependent rates of diffusion. |
| Novelty: The gauge has at least one structure that facilitates visual, optical, and/or electrical detection of diffusion across the diffusive interface (30), and semiconductor base and metal source members (10,20) that form a sensor pair that exhibits visually perceptible response to at least a first thermal history. The additional sensor pair exhibits a visually perceptible response to at least a second thermal history different from first thermal history. The facilitative structure is a visual guide for determining whether any sensor pairs exhibit a visually perceptible response. |
| Filed: 12/11/2012 |
| Application Number: US13711457A |
| Tech ID: SD 11622.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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