Multiple-mode acoustic wave sensor

1. A multiple-mode acoustic wave sensor apparatus, comprising:

a wireless interrogation unit comprising a transmitter and a receiver capable of transmitting varying interrogation signals wherein said varying interrogation signals comprise one or more input signals with varying frequencies and power levels;

an acoustic wave device comprising a piezoelectric substrate and at least one electrode on said piezoelectric substrate; and

a plurality of antennas configured on said piezoelectric substrate in association with said acoustic wave device, wherein each antenna among said plurality of antennas is responsive to a different frequency and power level of said varying interrogation signals transmitted wirelessly to said plurality of antennas from said wireless interrogation unit in order to excite multiple frequency modes via at least one interdigital transducer on said piezoelectric substrate and thereby passively detect multiple and varying parameters of a sensed material utilizing said acoustic wave device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said varying interrogation signals transmitted wirelessly to said plurality of antennas comprise at least one input signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said varying interrogation signals transmitted wirelessly to said plurality of antennas comprise at least one power signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said multiple frequency modes comprise at least one of the following types of frequency modes: a surface acoustic wave (SAW) mode, shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) mode, a pseudo surface acoustic wave (PSAW) mode, and a leak surface acoustic wave (LSAW) mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said multiple frequency modes further comprise at least one of the following types of frequency modes: flexural plate wave (FPW), acoustic plate shear-horizontal acoustic plate mode (SH-APM), amplitude plate mode (APM), thickness shear mode (TSM), bulk acoustic wave (BAW) mode, transverse mode, surface skimming mode, surface transverse mode, harmonic mode and overtone mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said piezoelectric substrate is configured from at least one of the following types of piezoelectric materials: quartz, lithium niobate (LiNbO 3 ), lithium tantalite (LiTaO 3 ), Li 2 B 4 O 7 , AIPO 4 , GaPO 4 , langasite (La 3 Ga 5 Si) 14 ), ZnO, and epitaxially grown nitrides including Al, Ga, or In.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a reader unit for wirelessly transmitting said varying interrogation signals to said plurality of antennas in order to excite said multiple frequency modes.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said acoustic wave device is configured to suppress at least some predetermined frequency modes among said multiple frequency modes while permitting the excitation of other frequency modes thereof via said acoustic wave device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an excitation of said multiple frequency modes through said acoustic wave device permits a separation of temperature change effects from pressure change effects thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said piezoelectric substrate is configured from at least one of the following types of piezoelectric materials: quartz, lithium niobate (LiNbO 3 ), lithium taritalite (LiTaO 3 ), Li 2 B 4 O 7 , AIPO 4 , GaPO 4 , langasite (La 3 Ga 5 Si) 14 , ZnO, and epitaxially grown nitrides including Al, Ga, or In.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrode comprises a material formed from at least one of the following types of material groups: metals, alloys, or metal-nonmetal compounds.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a reader unit for wirelessly transmitting said varying interrogation signals to said plurality of antennas in order to excite said multiple frequency modes.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said excitation of said multiple frequency modes through said acoustic wave device permits a separation of temperature change effects from physical and chemical measurand change effects thereof including pressure, torque, viscosity, density, corrosivity, conductivity, pH, flow, a lubricity, a turbidity, a humidity, a particulate concentration, a total base number, and a total acid number.

14. A multiple-mode acoustic wave sensor method, comprising the steps of:

providing a wireless interrogation unit comprising a transmitter and a receiver capable of transmitting varying interrogation signals wherein said varying interrogation signals comprise one or more input signals with varying frequencies and power levels;

forming an acoustic wave device comprising a piezoelectric substrate and at least one interdigital transducer formed as an electrode on said piezoelectric substrate; and

configuring a plurality of antennas on said piezoelectric substrate in association with said acoustic wave device, wherein each antenna among said plurality of antennas is responsive to a different frequency and power level of said varying interrogation signals transmitted wirelessly to said plurality of antennas from said wireless interrogation unit in order to excite multiple frequency modes via at least one interdigital transducer on said piezoelectric substrate and thereby passively detect multiple and varying parameters of a sensed material utilizing said acoustic wave device.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of exciting said multiple frequency modes through said acoustic wave device in order to separate temperature change effects from pressure change effects thereof.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of exciting said multiple frequency modes through said acoustic wave device to separate temperature change effects from torque change effects thereof.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of exciting said multiple frequency modes through said acoustic wave device to separate temperature change effects from viscosity change effects thereof.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of exciting said multiple frequency modes through said acoustic wave device to separate temperature change effects from density change effects thereof.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of exciting said multiple frequency modes through said acoustic wave device to separate temperature change effects from corrosivity change effects thereof.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of exciting said multiple frequency modes through said acoustic wave device to permit a separation of temperature change effects from physical and chemical measurand change effects thereof including conductivity, pH, flow, a lubricity, a turbidity, a humidity, a particulate concentration, a total base number, and a total acid number.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising a reader unit for wirelessly transmitting said varying interrogation signals to said plurality of antennas in order to excite said multiple frequency modes.