Wireless sensing using oscillator circuits locked to remote high-Q SAW resonators

This paper introduces a method of wireless read out of high Q surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator sensors. The resonator is excited by a short RF pulse and decays after switching off the interrogating signal. In the measurement system, a gated phase locked loop (GPLL) locks to the resonance frequency of the SAW resonator within a few bursts. Then the frequency of the GPLL oscillator is synchronized to the resonance of the sensor and can be measured easily. The concept is intended to yield an alternative to interrogators with expensive signal processing. Considering the inherent limitations, the proposed system presents a low cost solution for temperature, force, torque, etc. measurements. We describe the sensors, the signals, and the implemented system. Results of temperature measurements using quartz resonators are presented, and merits and disadvantages are discussed.