Acoustic wave sensor assembly utilizing a multi-element structure

1. An acoustic wave sensor assembly including:

piezoelectric material;

a first acoustic wave resonator element structure mounted on the piezoelectric material for interacting with an electrical signal;

said acoustic wave resonator element structure being operable to interact with an acoustic wave propagating within the piezoelectric material to produce a first frequency response;

further acoustic wave resonator element structures mounted on the piezoelectric material for interacting with electrical signals;

said further acoustic wave resonator element structures being operable to interact with further acoustic waves propagating within the piezoelectric material to produce subsequent frequency responses;

said first acoustic wave resonator element structure and further acoustic element structure and further acoustic wave resonator element structures being combined to form a ladder or lattice filter network to produce an overall frequency response; and

sensitive areas mounted on the piezoelectric material and associated with the acoustic wave resonator element structures which, if predetermined effects to be sensed or detected are present, are modified thereby to control the nature of the frequency response and thereby provide information with respect to the predetermined effects to be sensed or detected.

2. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the piezoelectric material and acoustic wave resonator element structures form a ladder filter network.

3. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the piezoelectric material and acoustic wave resonator element structures form a lattice filter network.

4. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the acoustic wave resonator element structures are placed on the same body of piezoelectric material.

5. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the acoustic wave resonator element structures are placed on separate bodies of piezoelectric material.

6. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the acoustic wave resonator element structures have subsets devoid of sensitive areas, said subsets of acoustic wave element structures being combined with other acoustic wave resonator element structures.

7. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the acoustic wave resonator element structures can be interrogated by a frequency stimulus.

8. A sensor assembly according to claim 7 wherein interrogation is effected wirelessly.

9. A sensor assembly according to claim 8 wherein interrogation is effected by sets of interdigital transducers (IDTs), said interdigital transducers being located on remote piezoelectric material.

10. A sensor assembly according claim 9 wherein the acoustic wave resonator element structures are located within the sets of interdigital transducers.

11. A sensor assembly according to claim 10 wherein the acoustic wave resonator element structures are spaced from the piezoelectric material.

12. A sensor assembly according to claim 11 wherein the acoustic wave resonator element structures are electronically connected to the inner set of interdigital transducers.

13. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 where at least one sensitive area comprises molecular recognition elements (MREs).

14. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 where at least one sensitive area comprises antibodies.

15. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 where at least one sensitive area comprises endothelin-1 (ET-1) receptors.

16. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 where at least one sensitive area comprises erythropoietin (EPO) receptors.

17. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 where at least one sensitive area comprises tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) receptors.

18. A sensor assembly according to claim 1 where at least one sensitive area comprises lipopolysaccharide (LPA) receptors.