There is disclosed a surface acoustic wave sensor. An interdigital transducer (IDT) and a first reflector are formed on a surface of a piezoelectric substrate. The first reflector is displaced from the IDT in a direction of acoustic wave propagation. The first reflector includes a plurality of elongate reflective elements including a first reflective element and N additional reflective elements, where N is a positive integer. A long axis of each of the reflective elements is perpendicular to the direction of acoustic wave propagation, and a distance between adjacent reflective elements along the direction of acoustic wave propagation is a linear function of distance from the first reflective element along the direction of acoustic wave propagation.

A sensor including an integrated circuit and a piezoelectric substrate is described. The piezoelectric substrate is adapted as an antenna of an integrated circuit. The antenna may be an RFID antenna and the integrated circuit may be and RFID integrated circuit.

Data is encoded for identification and labeling using a multitude of nano-electro-mechanical structures formed on a substrate. The number of such structures, their shapes, choice of materials, the spacing therebetween and the overall distribution of the structures result in a vibrational pattern or an acoustic signature that uniquely corresponds to the encoded data. A first group of the structures is formed in conformity with the design rules of a fabrication process used to manufacture the device that includes the structures. A second group of the structures is formed so as not to conform to the design rules and thereby to undergo variability as a result of the statistical variations that is inherent in the fabrication process.

Methods include receiving a request from a user device to download an application and providing access to the application in response to the request. The application is configured to transmit a first electromagnetic radiation and receive, from an electromagnetic state sensing device (EMSSD) that is affixed to product packaging, a first electromagnetic radiation return signal. The first electromagnetic radiation return signal is transduced by the EMSSD to produce an electromagnetic radiation signal that encodes first information comprising a product identification code. The application is also configured to apply a rule that is selected based on the product identification code; transmit a second electromagnetic radiation ping that is tuned based on the rule; receive, from the EMSSD, a second electromagnetic radiation return signal that encodes second information pertaining to contents within the product packaging; and send, from the user device, a portion of the second information to an upstream computing device.

A container includes a surface defining a volume of the container, a first resonance portion disposed on a first portion of the surface of the container using one or more first carbon-based inks, and a second resonance portion disposed on a second portion of the surface of the container using one or more second carbon-based inks different than the one or more first carbon-based inks. The first resonance portion can resonate within a first range of frequencies in response to one or more electromagnetic pings received from a user device, and the second resonance portion can resonate within a second range of frequencies in response to the one or more electromagnetic pings, the second range of frequencies being different than the first range of frequencies. In some instances, the user device may be a smartphone, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, or a near-field communication (NFC) device.

A container includes a surface defining a volume of the container, a first resonance portion disposed on a first portion of the surface of the container using one or more first carbon-based inks, and a second resonance portion disposed on a second portion of the surface of the container using one or more second carbon-based inks different than the one or more first carbon-based inks. The first resonance portion can resonate within a first range of frequencies in response to one or more electromagnetic pings received from a user device, and the second resonance portion can resonate within a second range of frequencies in response to the one or more electromagnetic pings, the second range of frequencies being different than the first range of frequencies. In some instances, the user device may be a smartphone, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, or a near-field communication (NFC) device.

Data is encoded for identification and labeling using a multitude of nano-electro-mechanical structures formed on a substrate. The number of such structures, their shapes, choice of materials, the spacing therebetween and the overall distribution of the structures result in a vibrational pattern or an acoustic signature that uniquely corresponds to the encoded data. A first group of the structures is formed in conformity with the design rules of a fabrication process used to manufacture the device that includes the structures. A second group of the structures is formed so as not to conform to the design rules and thereby to undergo variability as a result of the statistical variations that is inherent in the fabrication process.

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and devices for wireless communication that support backscatter-based positioning. In a first aspect, a method of wireless communication includes receiving multiple measurement reports associated with a surface acoustic wave (SAW) tag device. The multiple measurement reports include, for each transmission/reception point (TRP) of multiple TRPs, a measurement report of the TRP. The method also includes determining, based on the multiple measurement reports, a position of the SAW tag device. Other aspects and features are also claimed and described.

A computer system is communicably coupled to one or more sensor devices. The computer system obtains a database of stored acoustic signatures characterizing predefined acoustic signals generated by passive tags in response to physical motion of the passive tags. The passive tags are associated with non-provisioned devices, and the acoustic signatures are associated with sets of executable instructions for provisioning the non-provisioned devices. A first acoustic signal characterized by a respective acoustic signature and generated by a first passive tag is detected. In response, and based on the respective acoustic signature and information in the database, a first non-provisioned device associated with the respective acoustic signature is identified, and a first set of executable instructions for provisioning the first non-provisioned device is identified. After, the computer system causes execution of the first set of executable instructions, thereby causing to commence a software process for provisioning the first non-provisioned device.

A container includes a surface defining a volume of the container, a first resonance portion disposed on a first portion of the surface of the container using one or more first carbon-based inks, and a second resonance portion disposed on a second portion of the surface of the container using one or more second carbon-based inks different than the one or more first carbon-based inks. The first resonance portion can resonate within a first range of frequencies in response to one or more electromagnetic pings received from a user device, and the second resonance portion can resonate within a second range of frequencies in response to the one or more electromagnetic pings, the second range of frequencies being different than the first range of frequencies. In some instances, the user device may be a smartphone, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, or a near-field communication (NFC) device.