Abstract:
A method of tracking a status of a catalytic process in a mixture incorporates the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that have corrosive-sensitive coatings. The coatings are removable, by a corrosive in the mixture, at a rate that tracks with the rate at which a catalytic-driven process progresses. As coatings on the RFID tags are removed by the corrosive in the mixture, the digital signatures returned by the RFID tags change, in response to the corrosive damaging the RFID tags. By quantifying the number of damaged RFID tags, a determination can be made as to the progress status of the catalytic process.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of chemical processing, and specifically to catalyst-driven processes. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to electronically tracking a catalyst-driven process. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Chemical processes are often driven by catalysts. A catalyst is a material that promotes a chemical reaction, transformation or other physical event to occur between two or more reactants. A catalyst may be one of the reactants, or more typically, is a different chemical or compound than the reactants. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A method of tracking a status of a catalytic process in a mixture incorporates the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that have corrosive-sensitive coatings. The coatings are removable, by a corrosive in the mixture, at a rate that tracks with the rate at which a catalytic-driven process progresses. As coatings on the RFID tags are removed by the corrosive in the mixture, the digital signatures returned by the RFID tags change, in response to the corrosive damaging the RFID tags. By quantifying the number of damaged RFID tags, a determination can be made as to the progress status of the catalytic process. 
     The above, as well as additional purposes, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further purposes and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where: 
         FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary computer which may be utilized by the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary chip-enabled Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag; 
         FIG. 3  depicts a corrosive-sensitive coating for the chip-enabled RFID tag shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary chipless RFID tag with a corrosive-sensitive coating; 
         FIGS. 5   a - b  illustrate the coated RFID tag, shown in  FIG. 3 , with an additional slough-able Faraday shield; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a mixture that is laced with multiple RFID tags in an unbound colloidal manner; 
         FIG. 7  depicts a mixture having RFID tags that are being monitored with an RFID probe; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates additional detail of a RFID sensors in the RFID probe shown in  FIG. 7 ; and 
         FIG. 9  is a high-level flow-chart of exemplary steps taken to tract a catalyst-driven chemical process using specially coated RFID tags. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the figures, and in particular to  FIG. 1 , there is depicted a block diagram of an exemplary computer  102 , which the present invention may utilize. Note that some or all of the exemplary architecture shown for computer  102  may be utilized by software deploying server  150 . 
     Computer  102  includes a processor unit  104 , which may utilize one or more processors each having one or more processor cores, that is coupled to a system bus  106 . A video adapter  108 , which drives/supports a display  110 , is also coupled to system bus  106 . System bus  106  is coupled via a bus bridge  112  to an Input/Output (I/O) bus  114 . An I/O interface  116  is coupled to I/O bus  114 . I/O interface  116  affords communication with various I/O devices, including a keyboard  118 , a mouse  120 , a Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter  122 , a Hard Disk Drive (HDD)  124 , and a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor  126 . It is recognized that RF transmitter  122  and RFID sensor  126  should be protected from one another, by distance or a shield (not shown), in order to enable proper functionality of the RFID sensor  126 . The format of the ports connected to I/O interface  116  may be any known to those skilled in the art of computer architecture, including but not limited to Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. 
     Computer  102  is able to communicate with a software deploying server  150  via a network  128  using a network interface  130 , which is coupled to system bus  106 . Network  128  may be an external network such as the Internet, or an internal network such as an Ethernet or a Virtual Private Network (VPN). 
     A hard drive interface  132  is also coupled to system bus  106 . Hard drive interface  132  interfaces with a hard drive  134 . In a preferred embodiment, hard drive  134  populates a system memory  136 , which is also coupled to system bus  106 . System memory is defined as a lowest level of volatile memory in computer  102 . This volatile memory includes additional higher levels of volatile memory (not shown), including, but not limited to, cache memory, registers and buffers. Data that populates system memory  136  includes computer  102 &#39;s operating system (OS)  138  and application programs  144 . 
     OS  138  includes a shell  140 , for providing transparent user access to resources such as application programs  144 . Generally, shell  140  is a program that provides an interpreter and an interface between the user and the operating system. More specifically, shell  140  executes commands that are entered into a command line user interface or from a file. Thus, shell  140 , also called a command processor, is generally the highest level of the operating system software hierarchy and serves as a command interpreter. The shell provides a system prompt, interprets commands entered by keyboard, mouse, or other user input media, and sends the interpreted command(s) to the appropriate lower levels of the operating system (e.g., a kernel  142 ) for processing. Note that while shell  140  is a text-based, line-oriented user interface, the present invention will equally well support other user interface modes, such as graphical, voice, gestural, etc. 
     As depicted, OS  138  also includes kernel  142 , which includes lower levels of functionality for OS  138 , including providing essential services required by other parts of OS  138  and application programs  144 , including memory management, process and task management, disk management, and mouse and keyboard management. 
     Application programs  144  include a renderer, shown in exemplary manner as a browser  146 . Browser  146  includes program modules and instructions enabling a World Wide Web (WWW) client (i.e., computer  102 ) to send and receive network messages to the Internet using HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) messaging, thus enabling communication with software deploying server  150  and other described computer systems. 
     Application programs  144  in computer  102 &#39;s system memory (as well as software deploying server  150 &#39;s system memory) also include a RFID Interrogation Logic (RFIDIL)  148 . RFIDIL  148  includes code for implementing the processes described below, and particularly as described in  FIGS. 6-9 . In one embodiment, computer  102  is able to download RFIDIL  148  from software deploying server  150 , including in an on-demand basis. Note further that, in one embodiment of the present invention, software deploying server  150  performs all of the functions associated with the present invention (including execution of RFIDIL  148 ), thus freeing computer  102  from having to use its own internal computing resources to execute RFIDIL  148 . 
     The hardware elements depicted in computer  102  are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather are representative to highlight essential components required by the present invention. For instance, computer  102  may include alternate memory storage devices such as magnetic cassettes, Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs), Bernoulli cartridges, and the like. These and other variations are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention utilizes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to track a progress of a catalyst-driven chemical process. As known to those skilled in the art, an RFID tag may be active (i.e., battery powered), semi-passive (i.e., powered by a battery and a capacitor that is charged by an RF interrogation signal), or purely passive (i.e., either have a capacitor that is charged by an RF interrogation signal or are geometrically shaped to reflect back specific portions of the RF interrogation signal). Passive RFID tags may contain an on-board Integrated Circuit (IC) chip, or they may be chipless. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an exemplary RFID tag  202  having an on-board IC chip is made up of two components: the IC chip  204  and a coupled antenna  206 . The IC chip  204  stores and processes information, including Electronic Product Code (EPC) information that describes the RFID tag (e.g., gives the RFID&#39;s name, description of a coating on the RFID, including what corrosives will remove the coating and at what rate, how the corrosive removal temporally tracks with catalyst-driven processes, etc.). The IC chip  204  may contain a low-power source (e.g., a capacitor, not shown, that is charged by an interrogation signal received by the coupled antenna). Upon the capacitor being charged, the IC chip  204  then generates a radio signal, which includes the EPC information, to be broadcast by the coupled antenna  206 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the RFID tag  202  shown in  FIG. 2  is shown with a coating  302  to form a coated RFID tag  304 . The coating  302  is engineered to corrode away at a specific rate when exposed to a particular corrosive. Thus, by adjusting the thickness of the coating  302 , and by matching the corrosion properties of the coating with a catalytic process, a status of the catalytic process can be tracked. For example, first assume that the coating  302  has a composition and thinness such that a corrosive (e.g., a caustic, an acid, etc.) will eat through the coating  302 , and thus reach and damage/alter/destroy the RFID tag  202 , at a same rate that it takes a catalytic process to initialize (e.g., for a catalyst to become active). Thus, when the coated RFID tag  304  becomes inoperable (such that the digital signature signal is lost when interrogated by an RF interrogation signal), it can be assumed that the catalytic process has begun. Second, assume that the catalyst in the catalytic process has a limited lifetime, based on time, exposure to reactants, heat, and other variables, and that the coating  302  is of a greater thickness (or a different material) than that just described in the first scenario. Also assume that the greater thickness of the coating  302  corrodes at a same rate as a catalyst in the material becomes deactivated. Thus, in this second scenario, when the coating  302  is corroded away, the loss of a digital signature signal from the RFID tag  202  (having a different signature than that of the RFID tag  202  described in the first scenario) indicates that the catalyst has also become inactive, and thus no additional catalyst-driven processes will occur in the material. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 4 , the same principles described above for coated RFID tag  304  may also be applied to a coated chipless RFID tag  400 . Coated chipless RFID tag  400  uses a chipless RFID tag  402  that is coated with a coating  404 , which is similar to the coating  302  described above in  FIG. 3 . As the name implies, chipless RFID tag  402  does not have an IC chip, but is only an antenna that is shaped to reflect back a portion of an interrogation RF signal. That is, the chipless RFID tag  402  (also known as a Radio Frequency (RF) fiber) is physically shaped to reflect back select portions of a radio interrogation signal from an RF transmission source. Chipless RFID tag  402  typically has a much shorter range than an RFID chip that includes an on-board IC chip, such as RFID tag  202 . Furthermore, the amount of information that chipless RFID tag  402  can store and return is much smaller than that of RFID tag  202  with its on-board IC chip. 
     An RFID screened tag  502  depicted in  FIGS. 5   a - b  illustrates an alternative RFID tag that may be used to determine the status of a catalyst-driven process. The coated RFID tag  304  and coated chipless RFID tag  400  described above work on the principal that an absence of a digital signature from the tag indicates a certain progress in the catalyst-driven process. The RFID coated tag  502 , however, operates in an opposite manner, such that the presence of a digital signature, rather than the absence of a digital signature, provides an indication of the progress of the catalyst-driven process. As shown in a side cutaway view in  FIG. 5   a , RFID screened tag  502  initially has a RFID tag  504  (e.g., the RFID tag  202  or chipless RFID tag  402  described above) that is surrounded by a corrosive-sensitive coating  506 , which binds a Faraday shield coating  508 . Optionally, RFID screened tag  502  also may have a corrosive-resistant shield  510 , which protects the RFID tag  504  from corrosives. Initially, the RFID tag  504  cannot be interrogated by an RF interrogation signal, since the Faraday shield coating  508  blocks such signals. However, when the corrosive-sensitive coating  506  is corroded away by a corrosive, the Faraday shield  508  sloughs off, allowing RF signals to reach the inner RFID tag  504 . 
     With reference now to  FIG. 6 , an exemplary use of RFID tags to track a status (or progress) of a catalyst-driven process is depicted. Assume that mixture  602 , contained in a container  604 , includes reactants and a catalyst that experience a catalyst-driven process when allowed to interact. As depicted, the mixture  602  is laced with a first set of RFID tags  606   a -n, where “n” is an integer, and a second set of RFID tags  608   a -n. Each of the RFID tags  606   a -n and/or  608   a -n may be IC chip-enabled (e.g., RFID tag  202 ) or chipless (e.g., chipless RFID tag  402 ). 
     Note 1) that the first and second set of RFID tags ( 606   a -n and  608   a -n) have different coatings (respectively labeled as coatings  610  and coatings  612 ). Coatings  610  and  612  have different levels of resistance to a corrosive found in the mixture  602 . This difference may be due to different thicknesses, or the coatings may be composed of different types of material. Assume, for exemplary purposes, that the coatings are composed of a same material, but that coatings  610  are thinner than coatings  612 . Thus, RFID tags  606   a -n will be exposed to the mixture  602  (and any catalyst, reactants and corrosives therein) before RFID tags  608   a -n. It is this feature that will result in the first set of RFID tags  606   a -n having their coatings  610  removed before the second set of RFID tags  608   a -n have their coatings  612  removed. 
     Assume now that the thickness of coatings  610  is engineered to allow the coatings  610  to be corroded off (removed from) the RFID tags  606   a -n at the same time that the catalyst in the material  602  becomes activated. Thus, when the RFID tags  606   a -n (i.e., the inner RFID chips themselves) are exposed to corrosives (or other damaging substances in the mixture  602 ), they lose their ability to respond with an RFID signature when interrogated by an RF interrogation signal. (Alternatively, the RFID tags  606   a -n gain the ability to respond to an RF interrogation signal, if they have a Faraday shield such as that shown in  FIGS. 5   a - b ). By detecting a change in the presence of RFID signature signals from (preferably a pre-determined number or percentage of) the RFID tags  606   a -n, a first conclusion is reached that the catalyst in the material  602  has become activated, and the catalyst-driven process in the mixture  602  has commenced. This detection may be performed by an RF interrogator  614 , which includes an RF interrogation signal transmitter  616  (analogous to the RF transmitter  122  described in  FIG. 1 ) and one or more RFID sensors  618   a -n (each being analogous to the RFID sensor  126  described in  FIG. 1 ). The RF interrogator  614  is coupled to logic (not shown, but analogous to computer  102  described in  FIG. 1 ) for detecting and counting RFID signals. 
     Consider now the coatings  612 , which have a thickness such that the coatings  612  are corroded away from (and off of) the RFID tags  608   a -n at the same time that the catalyst in the material  604  becomes deactivated (inert), thus stopping the catalyst-driven process in the material  602 . By detecting a change in the presence of RFID signature signals from the RFID tags  608   a -n, a second conclusion is drawn that the catalyst has become inert, and that the catalyst-driven process in material  602  has ended. Again, these changes in the RFID signatures are detected by the RF interrogator  614 , which may be drawn across a face of container  604 . Note also that the first set of RFID tags  606   a -n and the second set of RFID tags  608   a -n are not adhered to the material  602 , but rather are suspended within the bulk material  602  in a colloidal state. 
     The RFID tags  606   a -n and  608   a -n depicted in  FIG. 6  are not shown to scale. That is, the RFID tags  606   a -n and  608   a -n are preferably small (i.e., less than 0.5 mm×0.5 mm), in order to allow them to flow freely and without clogging piping. In one embodiment, the RFID tags  606   a -n and  608   a -n remain uniformly mixed throughout the material  602 . If the material  602  is a dry particulate matter (e.g., dry chemicals), then the RFID tags  606   a -n and  608   a -n will naturally remain in a dispersed orientation. However, if the material  602  is a liquid (e.g., an emulsion or liquid), then a buoyancy coating (e.g., as a physical feature of the coatings  610  and/or  612 , or by another coating that is not depicted) around the RFID tags  606   a -n and  608   a -n may be needed to give the RFID tags a same specific gravity as the material  602 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , note that an RFID detector wand  702 , having an RFID interrogator  704  (e.g., a computer  102  depicted in  FIG. 1 ) coupled to an RFID detector paddle  706 , which is supported by a shaft  708  and electrically coupled to the RFID interrogator  704  via a cable  710 .  FIG. 8  provides additional detail of the inner structure of the RFID detector paddle  706 , showing one or more RFID sensors  802   a -n (analogous to RFID sensor  126  described in  FIG. 1 ) mounted on a non-interfering grid. RFID detector wand  702  can be manually or robotically inserted into the mixture  602  to detect activity (or lack thereof) in the various RFID tags described and depicted. Note that paddle  706  is preferably thin (e.g., like a paddle head), in order to allow the RFID sensors  802   a -n to be proximate to the RFID tags in the mixture  602 . 
     RFID detector wand  702  utilizes an architecture that is substantially similar to computer  102  described in  FIG. 1 . That is, RFID detector wand  702  includes an RF transmitter  122  (e.g., within the shaft  708 ) and at least one RFID sensor  126  (within the RFID detector paddle  706 ), which interrogates the RFID tags  606   a -n and  608   a -n. This interrogation is accomplished by transmitting an RF interrogation signal from an RF transmitter (e.g., RF transmitter  122  shown in  FIG. 1 ) in the shaft  708  to the RFID tags  606   a -n and  608   a -n, which then respond (to RFID sensor  126  shown in  FIG. 1 ) with ID data for the RFID tags  606   a -n and  608   a -n. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 9 , a high-level flow-chart of exemplary steps taken to track a status of a catalyst-driven process in a mixture is presented. After initiator block  902 , a first set of RFID tags is coated with a first type of coating (block  904 ). A second set of RFID tags is coated with a second type of coating (block  906 ). The differences in the coatings may simply be due to a different thickness of a same type of material, or the materials in the coatings may themselves be different. Both types of coatings, however, are susceptible to being stripped away from RFID tags at a time or event that corresponds to a catalyst-driven process. As described above, in one embodiment this means that thin coated RFID tags lose their coats at the same time that a catalyst becomes active, while the thick coated RFID tags lose their coats at the same time that the catalyst becomes deactivated. Note that “time” may actually mean a temporal event (i.e., the thin coats are removed in five minutes, which is the same amount of time that is takes to activate the catalyst), or “time” may mean a corresponding event (i.e., the thin coats are removed contemporaneously with the catalyst becoming activated, but this contemporaneousness is not time-dependent, but rather event-dependent). That is, in the second scenario (“event-dependent”), the removal of the thin coats does not merely act as a time-keeper, but rather describes a same progress state (e.g., in progress, complete) for stripping off the coating as the progress state (e.g., in progress, complete) of the catalyst activation. Thus, removal of the coatings on the RFID tags can either be a way to measure time (e.g., five minutes have passed since the catalyst was introduced into the material), or a way to measure an activity or condition (e.g., the catalyst is now activated). 
     Returning now to  FIG. 9 , the first and second set of RFID tags are blended into a mixture containing reactants (block  908 ), and a catalyst is added to the mixture (block  910 ). If the RFID signature from the first set of RFID tags changes (stops or starts, depending on the structure of the coating as described above), as queried in query block  912 , then a conclusion is reached that the catalyst has become active (block  914 ), and the catalyst-driven processing of the material has begun (block  916 ). Subsequently, if the RFID signature from the second set of RFID tags changes, as queried in query block  918 , then an assumption is made that the catalyst has become deactivated (block  920 ), and a conclusion is reached that the catalyst-driven process has terminated. The process ends at terminator block  922 . 
     Note that while RFID tags  606   a -n and  608   a -n are depicted as RFID tags, it is understood that the concept of coating an electronic device with a corrosive-sensitive coating, in order to track a progress of a corresponding catalyst-driven process, may be applied to any electronic device whose functionality is altered if a protective corrosive-sensitive coating is removed. 
     It should be understood that at least some aspects of the present invention may alternatively be implemented in a computer-readable medium that contains a program product. Programs defining functions of the present invention can be delivered to a data storage system or a computer system via a variety of tangible signal-bearing media, which include, without limitation, non-writable storage media (e.g., CD-ROM), writable storage media (e.g., hard disk drive, read/write CD ROM, optical media), as well as non-tangible communication media, such as computer and telephone networks including Ethernet, the Internet, wireless networks, and like network systems. It should be understood, therefore, that such signal-bearing media when carrying or encoding computer readable instructions that direct method functions in the present invention, represent alternative embodiments of the present invention. Further, it is understood that the present invention may be implemented by a system having means in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware as described herein or their equivalent. 
     While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while the present description has been directed to a preferred embodiment in which custom software applications are developed, the invention disclosed herein is equally applicable to the development and modification of application software. Furthermore, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the term “computer” or “system” or “computer system” or “computing device” includes any data processing system including, but not limited to, personal computers, servers, workstations, network computers, main frame computers, routers, switches, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA&#39;s), telephones, and any other system capable of processing, transmitting, receiving, capturing and/or storing data.