Patent ID: 7994922

Claim:
A system for remotely sensing, using radio frequency signals comprising: an interrogator operable for transmitting radio frequency signals and for receiving radio frequency signals and for communicating with remotely located radio frequency identification (RFID) tags via radio frequency signals within range of the interrogator; and a plurality of articles remote from the interrogator, each article having associated with it an RFID tag, each tag comprising: one or more antennas, a single monolithic integrated circuit having a digital input and comprising: a radio frequency signal receiver configured to receive a radio frequency interrogation signal transmitted from the interrogator, a radio frequency signal transmitter, a microprocessor, and a memory for persistent storage of data, an analog to digital converter comprising an analog input and a digital output coupled to the digital input of the integrated circuit, a power source operable to supply power, and a measuring device coupled to the analog input of the analog to digital converter, wherein the measuring device is configured to sense a physical characteristic selected from the group of temperature, pressure, water level, voltage, magnetic field and combinations thereof, wherein a signal indicative of the sensed physical characteristic is provided to the analog input of the analog to digital converter for conversion to the digital signal; wherein the interrogator receives radio frequency signals from one or more of the RFID tags including data indicative of a sensed physical characteristic including the digital signal from the analog to digital converter, in response to the transmitted radio frequency interrogation signal transmitted from the interrogator.