GB2626723A

GB2626723A - Label for attachment to a container

Info

Publication number: GB2626723A
Application number: GB2218299.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Fielder Nick
Original assignee: Vodafone Group Services Ltd
Current assignee: Vodafone Group Services Ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-06
Filing date: 2022-12-06
Publication date: 2024-08-07
Also published as: GB202218299D0; WO2024121532A1

Abstract

A label 102 for attachment to the outside of a container 101 comprises at least one capacitive sensor 105 configured to vary in capacitance in response to a change in an amount 107 of dielectric material stored in the container. The label further comprises a communication module and control logic configured to detect the variation in capacitance of the capacitive sensor and control the communication module to send a signal when the variation is detected. Change in orientation of the container is detected from a variation in capacitance of one or more of the sensors. Reference capacitive sensors 106 may be provided, and the control logic may detect the container has been placed in proximity to another container based on variation in the reference capacitance. The container may be a flexible pouch containing blood. The label may be attached such that capacitive plates of the sensor are placed on opposing parts of the container, fig. 6.

Description

Intellectual Property Office Application No GI322182992 RTM Date:28 April 2023 The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: Bluetooth, Zigbee, Unix, Linux.

Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.gov.uk/ipo

I

Label for Attachment to a Container

FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to labels for attachment to the outside of a container, more specifically smart labels for measuring a fill level of the container.

BACKGROUND

To manage stock inventory, consumers and suppliers need to know when the contents of a container have been consumed to enable distribution of critical supplies.

Stock inventory checks and updates are currently performed manually, which creates a substantial risk of error. Furthermore, the stock inventory is usually only updated when the contents have been consumed, which may mean that it is not known that critical supplies are running low or have already run out until too late.

EP 3,244,175 describes a level sensor system including a level sensor label configured to be associated with a container containing a material whose level is to be sensed. The level sensor label has a capacitor comprised of two conductive strips connected to an inductive element. The system further includes a reader, which may be a near-field or a far-field reader, configured to receive signals from the level sensor label. Inductive coupling between the LC circuit and the near-field reader can be used to measure the level of material in the container. Otherwise, the far field reader sends an RF signal to an antenna included in the label to receive the backscatter output signals in order to measure the level of material.

This system requires a reader in order to be able to measure the fluid level, which means that measurements of the label depend on either the label being close to the reader or manual scanning to obtain a measurement. Furthermore, the measurements of the label are also sensitive to the placement of the reader.

WO 99/33037 describes an apparatus including a resonant circuit that is contained in a container. The characteristics of the resonant circuit are changed upon contact with the fluid. Alternatively, there is an apparatus including a resonant circuit that is attached to the outside of the container. The capacitance changes as the fluid level sinks below the level of the capacitor and the container sides collapse against each other. In both cases, an oscillator circuit transmits electromagnetic energy to the resonant circuit to measure the fluid level in the container.

This system requires manual scanning to monitor the fluid level, as the oscillator circuit provides output power to the resonant circuit. It also requires that the oscillator circuit is placed near to the resonant circuit on the container to be able to check the inventory. Therefore, an apparatus and system that aims to overcome these issues is desirable.

SUMMARY

Against this background, there is provided a label for attachment to a container, a container having the label attached and a capacitive sensing system. Additional aspects of the invention appear in the description and claims.

In accordance with a first aspect, there is a label for attachment to the outside of a container, the label comprising: at least one capacitive sensor configured to vary in capacitance in response to a change in an amount of dielectric material stored in the container; a communication module; and control logic configured to: detect the variation in capacitance of the capacitive sensor; and control the communication module to send a signal when the variation is detected.

Thus, an amount of dielectric material stored in a container / a fill level of the container can be determined without the need for a reader or manual scanning. In other words, the label can be used to provide an automatic fill detection system that does not require any specific placement. This may reduce the risk that fill level information is incorrect or not up to date. Furthermore, the label and system are not sensitive to the positioning of a sensor or a reader-sensor pair. This may mean that the label provides more reliable fill level readings. This may also mean that the container can be relocated and still be tracked without requiring existing infrastructure to also be moved or building new infrastructure. Moving the existing infrastructure! building new infrastructure may be difficult, time consuming, and expensive (for example, if the reader is embedded or built into an object, such as a shelf).

More than one capacitive sensor may be used. Using multiple capacitive sensors may ensure integrity of data. Furthermore, use of more than one sensor may not require calibration of capacitance values of a container when full and/or empty.

Preferably, the at least one capacitive sensor may comprise two capacitive sensors and the control logic may be further configured to detect a change in orientation of the container by detecting a variation in capacitance of one or both of the capacitive sensors.

The ability to detect a change in orientation may improve the reliability of the label to detect a change in an amount of dielectric material stored in the container. For instance, the change in orientation may indicate that the material is being poured from the container or that the container is otherwise in use. This may lend further credibility to a prior or subsequent detection that the amount of material in the container has changed.

Optionally, the control logic may be configured to detect the change in orientation by detecting a magnitude of a change in the difference between the capacitances of the two capacitive sensors greater than a first threshold value. Thus, the change in orientation may be determined in a simple manner without requiring complex manufacture of the label. Preferably, the signal may comprise a notification of the change in orientation. Thus, a user can be informed that the container is, or shortly will be, in use.

Optionally, the control logic may be configured to detect the variation when the capacitance falls below a second threshold value. Thus, the label may be configured to detect the change in the amount of material in a straightforward manner, which may simplify the manufacturing of the label and/or label circuitry.

Optionally, the at least one capacitive sensor may comprise two capacitive sensors and the control logic may be configured to detect the variation by detecting a difference (or a magnitude of a difference) between the capacitances of the two capacitive sensors greater than a third threshold value for detecting a fill level of the container. For example, the two capacitive sensors may both be placed along a particular axis of the label (so may be positioned at the same height or width along the label). The two capacitive sensors may thus be configured to have substantially the same capacitance. One capacitive sensor may be placed on one part or side of the container and the other capacitive sensor may be placed on an opposing part or side of the container. Detecting a difference between the two capacitive sensors may therefore indicate that the fill level of the container has dropped below one of the capacitive sensors. This can be used to determine that the level to which the container is filled with material is between the levels at which the two capacitive sensors are placed.

In one example, a first one of the two capacitive sensors may be placed on a top or lid of the container and a second one of the two capacitive sensor may be placed on a base of the container. The third threshold value may be predetermined based on a calibration of fill levels of a particular container. In other words, it may be predetermined that a certain magnitude of the difference indicates a certain fill level for the particular container when the two capacitive sensors are on the top and bottom of the container. This may provide a simple arrangement of capacitive sensors capable of detecting the fill level of the container.

Optionally, the at least one capacitive sensor may comprise two capacitive sensors and the control logic may be configured to detect the variation by detecting that the capacitances of the two capacitive sensors are equal to within a threshold tolerance / differ by less than a predetermined threshold value. For example, a first one of the two capacitive sensors may be placed on a top or lid of the container and a second one of the two capacitive sensor may be placed on a base of the container. The two capacitive sensors may thus be configured to have substantially the same capacitance value only when the container is full or empty. The capacitance value of one or both of the two capacitive sensors when the container is full or empty may be determined for calibration of the threshold tolerance / predetermined threshold value. This may be useful when the stored material is filled to a maximum fill level that does not take up the full volume of the container. In this case, the two capacitive sensors may not have exactly equal capacitance values.

Preferably, the label may further comprise a reference capacitive sensor configured to use air as a dielectric material when the label is attached to the container. The reference sensor may be used as a reference signal for the at least one capacitive sensor. This may provide a straightforward manner of determining that the change in capacitance of the at least one capacitive sensor indicates that the fill level of the container has dropped below a certain level. The control logic may thus be simplified, which may in turn simplify manufacture of the label.

Preferably, the control logic may be configured to detect the variation by detecting that the capacitances of the reference capacitive sensor and the capacitive sensor differ by less than a fourth threshold value. Thus, the variation in capacitance may be determined in a simple manner without pre-determining the capacitance values of the capacitive sensor when the container is full and/or empty.

Preferably, the control logic may be configured to detect a variation in capacitance of the reference capacitor sensor and, in response to the detection, control the communication module to send a second signal when the variation in the capacitance of the reference capacitor sensor is detected, the signal including a notification that the container has been placed in proximity to another container. The reference sensor can thus be used to detect if the container has been stacked next to or is otherwise near to another container. Thus, even if the nearby container does not have its own label, the label can be used to indicate an amount of stock. That is, it may be possible to determine that there is more stock than is indicated by the fill level of the container to which the label is attached alone. Thus, unrequired stock replacement, which may waste time and resources unnecessarily, can be avoided.

Preferably, the at least one capacitive sensor may comprise: a first two capacitive sensors arranged along a first axis of the label; and a second two capacitive sensors arranged along a second axis of the label different to the first axis. The first axis may be parallel to the second axis. The first and second axes may be parallel to an edge of the label. This may be an arrangement that is easy to manufacture whilst also enabling both fill level and orientation detection.

Preferably, each of the capacitive sensors may be positioned at or near a respective edge of the label Preferably, each of the capacitive sensors may be positioned at or near a respective corner of the label. This arrangement may provide a coarse indication of fill level (such as only indicating that the container is full or empty), whilst also being capable of indicating the orientation of the container. Furthermore, the provision of two capacitive sensors at the same height at each end of the label may mean that, although the fill level indication is limited, it is nevertheless more reliable than other arrangements.

Optionally, the signal may comprise a notification that the container is empty. Thus, a user can be informed when resources have been depleted in a timely fashion.

Preferably, the communication module may be configured to send signals over a communications network. The label can therefore send real-time fill level updates in a convenient manner.

Preferably, the communications network may be a mobile telecommunications network. Thus, the label may be a thin, cellular connected device which is capable of providing real-time tracking of inventory / items to which the label is attached.

Preferably, the communication module may comprise a UICC (universal integrated circuit card). A UICC may ensure the security of any data received by the UICC, which may be important when tracking critical resources. The UICC may comprise a SIM card. As each SIM card may have a unique identity, this may enable individual containers (for example, containers storing rarer blood types) to be tracked more easily. The unique identity may be an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI). The UICC or SIM card may also enable two-way communications between the label and a server or client device. In other words, the label may be able to automatically send communications when the amount of material stored in the container has changed, but a user may still be able to check the fill level of the container at any time.

In accordance with a second aspect, there is a container having any of the labels described above attached to the outside of the container. Thus, the fill level of the container can be determined for resource tracking.

Preferably, the container may be a flexible pouch.

Preferably, the container may be configured to store a non-zero amount of dielectric material.

Preferably, the dielectric material may comprise a fluid or a solid material. In other words, various resources can be tracked.

Preferably, the fluid may be blood. Some blood types are rarer than others and/or are in higher demand. Knowing how much of the blood has been used (or is remaining) and/or where the rare bloods can be obtained from is important. Attaching the label to a container (preferably a flexible pouch) configured to store blood may allow blood bags of rare / high demand blood types to be tracked. The blood may not be whole blood, but may be a component of blood. For instance, the container may store red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, clotting factors or platelets.

Optionally, the label may be attached such that capacitive plates of the capacitive sensor are placed on opposing parts of the container. Placing the capacitive plates on side of the container facing each other may ensure that the dielectric between the capacitive plates is the stored material. This may improve the reliability of detecting a change in capacitance and/or determining a fill level.

In accordance with a third aspect, there is a capacitive sensing system comprising any of the labels described above and one or more servers, the one or more servers configured to receive the signal from the communication module.

Any of the labels described above may be implemented in a method. In one example, there may be use of any of the labels described above to measure an amount of dielectric material stored in a container. In other words, there may be a method of measuring an amount of dielectric material stored in a container, the method comprising attaching the label to the outside of the container and receiving a signal from the communication module of the label.

The methods described above may be implemented as a computer program comprising instructions to operate a computer or computer system. The computer program may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

The computer system may include a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU). The processor may execute logic in the form of a software program. The computer system may include a memory including volatile and non-volatile storage medium. The different parts of the system may be connected using a network (e.g. wireless networks and wired networks). The computer system may include one or more interfaces. The computer system may contain a suitable operating system such as UNIX (including Linux), Windows (RTM), for example.

It should be noted that any feature described herein may be used with any particular aspect or embodiment of the invention. Moreover, the combination of any specific apparatus, structural or method features is also provided, even if that combination is not explicitly disclosed.

The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings depicting different embodiments thereof, the drawings being provided purely by way of example and not limitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention may be put into practice in a number of ways, and preferred embodiments will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a label attached to a container storing an amount of dielectric material; Figure 2 shows a side-view of the label of Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates an example of determining that a change in orientation has occurred when the container is tilted; Figure 4 depicts another example of determining that a change in orientation has occurred when the container is turned on its side; Figure 5A-5D illustrate exemplary capacitive sensor arrangements in accordance with

the present disclosure;

Figure 6 shows an example of label attached to a container in which capacitive plates of the capacitive sensor are positioned on opposing sides of the container; and Figure 7 shows a capacitive sensing system in accordance with the present

disclosure.

It should be noted that the Figures are illustrated in schematic form for simplicity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. Like features are provided with the same (or similar) reference numerals.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As noted above, the level sensor systems described above require a reader to be close to the label and/or manual scanning to obtain fluid level readings. The inventor has recognised that having to rely on the label being close to the reader or manual updates creates a substantial risk that the fluid level information is not correct or up to date.

Moreover, moving or knocking the reader can result in inaccurate measurements, especially as the reader may not even be close enough to measure the fluid level at all if moved too far.

The present disclosure provides a label (or stamp, sticker or tag) that aims to overcome these issues. The label may be attachable to a container, vessel, storage item, or another object capable of storing material / a consumable resource. The label may be attachable in one of a number of manners but preferably the label comprises an adhesive, which may be pressure-sensitive, on one surface of the label. The label is preferably flexible so that it can be attached or adhered to containers of various shapes and sizes.

The label comprises at least one capacitive sensor configured to vary in capacitance in response to a change in an amount of material stored in the container. For example, the at least one capacitive sensor may be positioned on the label such that, when the label is attached to the outside of a container, capacitive plates of the at least one capacitive sensor are in contact with the outside of the container. However, the capacitive plates need not be in direct contact with the outside of the container.

The capacitance of the capacitive sensor depends on the dielectric (or non-conductive region) that is near the capacitive plates. The capacitive sensor may operate similarly to capacitive sensors used in touch screens and may comprise a pair of capacitive plates: a conductive electrode and a ground electrode. When the capacitive plates are placed side-by-side (rather than facing each other, as in a parallel plate capacitor), there may be a fringing capacitance between the conductive plate and the ground plate. This fringing capacitance is a function of the dielectric constant (also known as the relative permittivity) of the dielectric near the plates. Therefore, when the container is filled with a dielectric material, which may be a dielectric other than air, the capacitance is different to that of an empty container (which may still contain air as a dielectric). As the stored material is consumed, the dielectric material next to the sensor will change, causing a measurable difference that can be used to infer a change in fill level of the container.

That is, the capacitance of the capacitive sensor is a function of the dielectric constant, which will change as the dielectric near the capacitor plates changes. The capacitance is also a function of the potential difference across the capacitor plates. Therefore, a change in the potential difference across the plates or the current in the capacitive sensor circuit indicates a change in the dielectric constant, which in turn can be used to infer a change in the capacitance of the capacitor.

The size, shape and arrangement of the capacitive plates may be varied as required.

For example, the capacitive plates may be square, circular or, more preferably, rectangular. The width of the capacitive plates and spacing between the plates when placed side-byside may be determined such that, when a potential is applied between the plates, electric field lines pass through at least a portion of the interior of the container. Larger capacitor plates may increase the sensitivity and dynamic range of the measurements. The spacing between the plates may be varied to increase the sensitivity and dynamic range of the capacitive sensor. Preferably, the spacing or gap between the plates is in the range of 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

The capacitive sensors may include a shield or barrier. The barrier may prevent the container surroundings (usually air) from acting as a dielectric between the ground plate and the conductive plate. The shield may therefore prevent the capacitance of the capacitive sensor varying when the container is handled or when the container is placed nearby other containers that might affect the capacitive sensor readings.

The shield may be an insulator, which is not capable of acting as a dielectric, so that no electric field is generated on the shield side of the capacitive sensors. Alternatively, the shield may be an electrode driven by the same signal as the capacitive plates. Since the shield will then be charged to the same potential as the capacitive plates, no electric field will be generated on the shield side of the capacitive sensors. Thus, there may only an active field generated in the direction of the dielectric material that is within the container when the label is attached.

The label also comprises a communication module and control logic. The control logic may be provided by one or more logic gates or a processor, which may be a central processing unit (CPU). The control logic is configured to detect a variation in capacitance of the capacitive sensor and control the communication module to send a signal when the variation is detected. In other words, in contrast to passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, the signal is not sent only when an interrogating signal is received from a reader, but can be sent directly in response to the detected variation. The label may thus provide an automatic way of indicating an up-to-date / dynamic fill status of a container to which the label is attached. In other words, the label may allow automatic detection of when material contained in the container has been partially or fully depleted. The fill level / fill status can further be transmitted to a server (for example, a cloud server) so that a user can remotely monitor inventory.

The label may any shape and size suitable for attachment to the container. For example, the label may be square, rectangular, circular, etc. The label may include a battery for powering components within / on the label. As the label may only send low volume data (for example, chirping data), the requirement of a battery to power the components may not greatly impact the lifetime of the label.

Furthermore, the battery may be rechargeable. For example, the label may include an antenna capable of receiving RF signals for charging the battery. Thus, the lifetime of the label can be extended such that it may not be necessary to replace the label when the battery is drained. The control logic may be further configured to control the communication module to send a signal when the battery needs to be replaced (for example, if a number of charge cycles is greater than a predetermined threshold value or the battery capacity is below another predetermined threshold value) or has been drained below a certain threshold level.

The battery may be a printed battery. For example, the battery may be printed on a flexible substrate, which may improve the ability of the label to be applied to one of many different shapes of container. A printed battery may be thin and lightweight, which is useful for incorporation in a label.

The label circuitry may be activated by cutting the label. For example, the label may be triggered to activate when the label is cut (for example, when a corner of the label is cut off). Battery power can thus be conserved until the label is about to be applied to the container. Components of the label other than at least one capacitive sensor and the control logic may be disabled until a variation in capacitance is detected to maintain battery life. The control logic may thus be further configured to switch on the other components when the variation is detected.

Additionally or alternatively, the label may be activated when it is peeled or otherwise removed from a substrate or backing paper, which may only occur when the label is about to be applied to a container.

The label may be attached to a container of any size and shape suitable for storing material. The container may be cylindrical or box-like (cuboid or rectangular cuboid, for example). For instance, the container may be a can, tin or box. Preferably though, the container is a sealable bag or flexible pouch, which may be suitable for storing medical or bodily fluids. The container may be, for example, a drain bag, a drip bag, a blood bag, an infusion bag, etc. Most preferably, the fluid is blood and the container is a flexible pouch. The label may thus allow blood bags of rare blood types to be tracked -for instance, how much of the blood has been used / is remaining and where the rare bloods can be obtained from. The blood may not be whole blood, but may be a component of blood. For instance, the container may store red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, clotting factors or platelets.

Preferably, the outside of the container is relatively thin so that the gap between the capacitive plates and the stored material is minimized, which may increase the sensitivity of the capacitive sensors. For example, the thickness of the container walls may be less than 5 mm, and may preferably be in the range of 1 to 5 mm. Other thicknesses are possible (and may depend on the size and spacing of the capacitive plates), as long as the capacitive plates are capable of detecting a material stored within the container.

The label may comprise one or more markings / indications / writings on a surface of the label. The marking may indicate an orientation in which the label should be applied to the container. This may mean that the capacitive sensor can be assumed to have a particular orientation relative to the container, which may be used to infer particular fill levels of the container. For example, the marking on the label may be such that, when the label is applied as suggested, the capacitive sensor should be at or near the top of the container. A change in capacitance of the capacitive sensor can thus be used to infer that the container is in use and/or is no longer completely full. In another example, when the label is applied as indicated by the marking, the capacitive sensor may be at or near the bottom of the container. A change in capacitance of the capacitive sensor can then be used to infer that the container is, or is nearly, empty. This may allow straightforward use of a label having only one capacitor, which may in turn simplify the manufacture of the label. The indication may be an arrow, which may indicate a top or bottom edge of the label. Additionally or alternatively, the indication may be writing stating which way up the label should be placed.

The label may form part of a capacitive sensing system. The capacitive sensing system may also comprise one or more servers that are configured to receive the signal from the communication module. The one or more servers may be network servers (for example, cellular network servers), cloud servers and/or application servers.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is illustrated an example schematic layout for a label attached to a container in accordance with the present disclosure. The label 102 may have a height / length defined along a z-axis and a width defined along a y-axis and may comprise four capacitive sensors 105 positioned along the length of the label 102. A first two of the four capacitive sensors 105 may be provided at a first height of the label 102 and a second two of the capacitive sensors may be provided at a second height. For example, each of the capacitive sensors 105 may be positioned at a respective corner 122 of the label 102, as is depicted in Figure 1. Using an array of capacitive sensors 105 may enable a reliable indication of fill level and orientation, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The reliability may be enhanced by providing each sensor 105 at a corner 122 of the label 102 The label 102 may further comprise one or more optional reference capacitive sensors 106. Figure 1 illustrates two optional reference sensors 106, but it will be appreciated that one or more reference sensors 106 may be used. The one or more reference sensors 106 may be positioned towards the centre of the label. For example, the one or more reference sensors 106 may be arranged along a central axis of the label 102, which may be an axis halfway along the width or height of the label 102. Alternatively, the one or more reference sensors 106 may be placed along one or more edges 112 of the label 102. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more reference sensors 106 may be placed at the same height along the label 102 as one or more of the capacitive sensors 105. Where there is a plurality of capacitive sensors 105, there may be a corresponding plurality of reference sensors 106 and each reference sensor 106 may be placed at the same height as a respective capacitive sensor 105. It will be appreciated, however, that the one or more reference sensors 106 may be positioned anywhere on the label 102.

The one or more reference sensors 106 may provide a reference measurement which may, for example, be used for detecting a variation in capacitance of one or more of the capacitive sensors 105. Most preferably, the one or more reference sensors 106 are configured to use air as a dielectric. Since the remaining volume 104 may be filled with air, such that as the container 101 is emptied, the dielectric next to the one or more capacitive sensors 105 may be air. In this case, there may be no need to calibrate the reference signal provided by the one or more reference sensors 106. However, it will be appreciated that any dielectric may be used.

The one or more reference sensors 106 may configured to use air as a dielectric by being positioned on the label 102 such that capacitive plates of the one or more reference sensors 106 are at a sufficient distance from the stored material that the stored material cannot act as a dielectric when the label 102 is attached to the container 101. For example, the capacitive plates may not be in contact with the container 101.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more reference sensors 106 may include a shield or barrier. The shield may prevent the material 103 within the container 101 from acting as a dielectric between the ground plate and the conductive plate. The shield may be an insulator, which is not capable of acting as a dielectric. Alternatively, the shield may be an electrode driven by the same signal as the capacitive plates. Since it will then be charged to the same potential as the capacitive plates, there will be no electric field on the shield side of the reference sensors 106. Thus, there is only an active field directed away from the contents 103 of the container 101.

The container 101 may be filed with a material to be stored 103, which may preferably be a fluid or a solid material. The fill level 107 shown in Figure 1 is exemplary, and the container 101 may be more or less filled than is depicted in Figure 1. For example, the container 101 may be completely filled with the material 103.

If the container 101 is not completely filled with the material 103, a remaining volume 104 of the container 101 may be filed with another substance. The another substance may comprise air or another gas (for example, nitrogen).

One or more benchmark capacitive sensors may be arranged on the label 102 such that, when the label 102 is attached to the container 101, the one or more benchmark capacitive sensors are above a maximum fill level of the material 103. Thus, the one or more benchmark capacitive sensors may account for properties of the container 101. For example, the capacitive sensors 105 at the top of the label 102 in Figure 1 may act as benchmark sensors.

In another example, there may be substantially no remaining volume 104. The container 101 may be vacuum-packed, for instance, or the container 101 may be substantially completely filled.

Although the container 101 illustrated in Figure 1 is rectangular, the container 101 may be any size and shape suitable for storing material, as described above. Likewise, although the label 102 is shown as being rectangular, the label may be any shape and size for attachment to a container. Furthermore, the height of the label need not be greater than the width.

The label 102 further comprises a communication module (not shown) and control logic (not shown). One or more of the capacitive sensors 105 may comprise the control logic. In other embodiments, the logic may be electrically connected to, but not part of, the capacitive sensor 105.

As the stored material 103 is drained or otherwise removed from the container 101, the stored material 103 may no longer be the only dielectric between the capacitive plates of one or more of the capacitive sensors 105, or may no longer act as a dielectric for the one or more capacitive sensors 105 at all (for example, because the material 103 has been depleted beyond the sensing region of the capacitive sensors 105). The capacitance of the one or more capacitive sensors 105 will therefore change as the stored material 103 is depleted. As the stored material 103 is removed, the volume that was occupied by the stored material 103 may instead be taken up by the substance in the previous remaining volume 104 (for example, air). In another example, the volume that was occupied may not be filled after the stored material 103 is removed. For instance, the container sides may collapse against each other such that the remaining volume 104 remains the same. The control logic is configured to detect the variation in capacitance as the stored material 103 is removed from the container 101. Detecting the variation may comprise determining the fill level 107 of the container 101 based on the detected variation. For example, the magnitude of the variation or the changed capacitance value may indicate the fill level 107.

The indicated fill level 107 may be inferred from a pre-determined/pre-measured capacitance-fill level relationship. In another example, the control logic may be configured to detect the indicated fill level 107 based on the particular capacitive sensor 105 that varies in capacitance. For instance, if the particular capacitive sensor 105 is at the centre of the label, it may be inferred that the container 101 is about half-full. Other methods of determining the fill level 107 based on the detected variation may be used.

The control logic may be configured to detect the variation in one of a number of ways, which may depend on the number of capacitive sensors 105 in the label 102.

Various manners in which the control logic may be configured will be discussed below. However, it will be appreciated that any configuration of the control logic that is able to detect a variation in capacitance of one or more of the capacitive sensors 105 may be used.

In one example, the control logic may be configured to detect the variation based on one capacitive sensor 105 (although more capacitive sensors 105 may still be included in the label 102). For example, the control logic may receive a reference magnitude from a reference signal. The reference signal may be a current and/or voltage. When an operating magnitude of a corresponding signal received from the capacitive sensor 105 deviates from the reference magnitude, the control logic may detect the variation in capacitance, since the deviation indicates a change in the dielectric constant. The control logic may only detect the variation when the operating magnitude deviates from the reference magnitude by more than a threshold deviation amount. This may correspond to the capacitance of the capacitive sensor 105 falling below a threshold capacitance value. The control logic may be provided by a comparator circuit or an operational amplifier (op amp), for instance.

In a further example, the one capacitive sensor 105 may be positioned on a top or bottom of the container 101. The capacitance of the one capacitive sensor 105 may be measured when the container is empty and when the container is full. The threshold deviation amount may then be the magnitude of the difference between the full capacitance value and the empty capacitance value. The capacitance of one or more other fill levels may also be determined, such that one or more other threshold deviation amounts indicate the one or more other fill levels.

In another example, the control logic may be configured to detect the variation based on at least two capacitive sensors 105. For example, the control logic may be configured to detect the variation by detecting a difference between the capacitances of the two capacitive sensors 105. The difference may only be detected when the difference is greater than a non-zero threshold value. The control logic may be configured to detect the difference similarly to described above, where one of the capacitive sensors 105 provides the reference signal. Alternatively or additionally, the control logic may be provided by a subtractor or an op amp. For example, the variation may be detected when the subtractor outputs a non-zero difference. It will be appreciated that other control logic configurations and/or op amps may be used to detect the difference.

In a yet another example, a first one of the two capacitive sensors 105 may be placed on a top or lid of the container and a second one of the two capacitive sensors 105 may be placed on a base of the container 101. The capacitances of the two capacitive sensors 105 may be determined before and/or after the container 101 has been filed. A threshold difference for determining that the container is empty or otherwise not completely full may be set based on the before and/or after capacitances. The capacitances of other fill levels may also be determined, such that it is known that certain capacitance values and/or a certain magnitude of the difference between the capacitances indicates a certain fill level for the container 101.

In a further example, the at least one capacitive sensor may comprise two capacitive sensors and the control logic may be configured to detect the variation by detecting that the capacitances of the two capacitive sensors are equal to within a threshold tolerance / differ by less than a predetermined threshold value. For example, when the first one of the two capacitive sensors 105 is placed on the top of the container 101 and the second one is placed on the base, the two capacitive sensors may thus be configured to have substantially the same capacitance value only when the container is full or empty. The capacitance value of one or both of the two capacitive sensors when the container is full or empty may be determined for calibration of the threshold tolerance / predetermined threshold value.

In another example, the control logic may be configured to detect the variation by detecting that the capacitance of a reference capacitor 106 and the capacitive sensor 105 differ by less than a threshold difference amount. This may be most useful when the remaining volume 104 comprises air, as there may be no need to calibrate the reference capacitor 106. For example, if the capacitance of the capacitive sensor 105 and the reference sensor 106 are the same to within a threshold tolerance (that is, differ by less than a threshold difference amount), this may indicate that the dielectric near the capacitive sensor 105 is air, such that it can be inferred that a non-zero amount of the stored material 103 has been removed. Any of the control logic configurations described above may be used to detect that the capacitance of the reference capacitor 106 and the capacitive sensor 105 differ by less than the threshold difference amount.

In yet a further example, the control logic may be configured to detect the variation by detecting a magnitude of a difference between the capacitances of the first two and the second two capacitive sensors 105. For instance, the control logic may be configured to receive an average of the outputs of the first two capacitive sensors 105 and an average of the outputs of the second two capacitive sensors 105. The control logic may be configured to calculate a magnitude of a difference between the two averages. Wien the container 101 is full, the average capacitances may be substantially equal, such that the magnitude of the difference is approximately zero. As the container 101 is drained, the average capacitance of the first two capacitive sensors 105 may change, resulting in a difference between the two averages. The control logic may therefore detect the difference by detecting the magnitude of the difference.

The control logic is configured to control the communication module to send a signal when the logic detects the variation. Any one or more of the control logic configurations may be used to detect the variation in capacitance /the fill level 107 of the container 101. For example, the control logic may only detect the variation in capacitance of the capacitive sensor 105 when more than one capacitive sensor 105 indicates that there is a variation in capacitance.

The signal sent by the communication module may include a notification. The notification may indicate that the container 101 is empty, half-empty or otherwise no longer full. Alternatively or additionally, the notification may indicate that the container 101 is leaking. The type of notification may depend on how the control logic detects the variation and/or the arrangement of the capacitive sensors 105.

The control logic may be further configured to detect a change in orientation of the container by detecting a variation in capacitance of one or more of the capacitive sensors 105. For example, when the label 102 comprises two capacitive sensors 105, a change in capacitance in one or both of the capacitive sensors 105 may indicate a change in orientation. This will be discussed in further detail with reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5A to 5D.

The control logic may further be used to infer that a capacitive sensor 105 is defective. For instance, it may be expected that capacitive sensors 105 positioned at the same height along the label 102 have the same capacitance. The control logic may be configured to detect a difference in magnitude between the capacitive sensors 105 at the same height. The control logic may then control the communication module to send a signal when the control logic detects the difference. The signal may include a notification indicating that the label may be defective, should be inspected and/or should be replaced.

The label 102 may be part of the Internet of Things (loT) and may be referred to as an loT device or an loT label. For example, the communication module may be configured to send signals over a communications network, which may be a mobile telecommunications network. In another example, the signals may be sent via Bluetooth, Zigbee, the Internet, or another protocol. The label may also be referred to as a smart label.

The communications module may comprise a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). The UICC may comprise a subscriber identity module (SIM) card for a cellular network, an embedded SIM (eSIM) or another UICC.

The label 102 may further include memory. The memory may store capacitance values of the capacitive sensors 105 and/or the reference sensors 106. Additionally or alternatively, the memory may store voltage and/or current values. For example, the memory may store initial voltage and/or current values when the label 102 is applied to the container 101, which may be used as a reference magnitude for detecting when there is a variation in capacitance. In another example, the memory may store one or more other voltage and/or current values for detecting the variation (for example, a voltage and/or current value when the container 101 is half-full).

The label 102 may further comprise another module for sensing and/or tracking. For example, the label 102 may include a GPS module or another location / position tracking module. Thus, the communication module may send a signal indicating the location of the container 101. This may be particularly useful when the container 101 is a blood bag, as the label 102 can be used to determine where rare bloods are stored / can be obtained from, as well as the fill levels 107 of the blood bags.

Additionally or alternatively, the label 102 may include a tilt sensor for detecting an orientation of the label. The tilt sensor may measure the amount of tilting / inclination along one or more axes (e.g., the y-axis and z-axis). The tilt sensor may be used in combination with the capacitive sensors 105 to determine an orientation of the container 101 or a fill level 107 of the container 101. This will be discussed in more detailed below with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

Another example of a sensor that may be included in the label 102 is a temperature sensor. Thus, the communication module may send a signal when the control logic determines that there is a change in temperature. The control logic may only determine that there is a temperature change when the change in temperature is greater than a threshold amount. The label 102 may therefore provide other real-time tracking of the container, which may be necessary for determining stock level. For example, while the detected fluid level may be high, the temperature sensor may indicate that the container 101 has not been stored correctly. Thus, although the stock may be high, it may not be useable. This may be particularly useful when the stored material 103 is blood.

Other sensors may be included in the label 102. For example, the label 102 may further comprise an accelerometer. The accelerometer may also be used in addition to or instead of the tilt sensor to measure an amount of tilting / the orientation of the container 101.

The accelerometer can also be used to determine conditions that the container 101 has been subjected to. For example, the accelerometer can be used to determine that the container 101 has been dropped and/or has undergone an impact. The impact may be determined based on a large change in acceleration in a short period of time. The control logic may be configured to detect the impact by detecting a change in acceleration greater than a threshold amount in a pre-determined period of time. The control logic may be further configured to control the communication module to send a signal when predetermined conditions are met (for example, conditions indicating an impact, a drop from a height, etc.). The label 102 may therefore enable a user to track other conditions of the container 101 or the contents 103. For example, the user may be informed that the container 101 and/or its contents 103 have been damaged, mishandled, mistreated or are otherwise in sub-optimal condition. This may be necessary for dynamically determining useable stock level, as discussed above with respect to the temperature sensor.

Although Figure 1 shows each of the capacitive sensors 105 placed at a respective corner 122 of the label 102, it will be understood that the capacitive sensors 105 may be positioned anywhere on the label 102. For example, more than one capacitive sensor 105 may be positioned at a particular corner 122, or each of the capacitive sensors 105 may be placed along an edge 112 of the label 102 (rather than the corners 122 specifically), or may be positioned along a central axis of the label 102. Preferably though, a first two capacitive sensors 105 is arranged along a first axis of the label 102 and a second two capacitive sensors 105 is arranged along a second axis of the label 102, the first axis being different to the second axis. The first two and second two capacitive sensors 105 may be two pairs of capacitive sensors, as will be discussed below with reference to Figure 5A. The first axis may be parallel to the second axis.

Furthermore, whilst Figure 1 illustrates a label 102 having four capacitive sensors 105, it will be appreciated that more or fewer capacitive sensors 105 may be provided. For example, the label 102 may have a single capacitive sensor 105, which may be used to determine when the container 101 is no longer completely full or is close to being / is completely empty. In another example, the single capacitive sensor 105 may be used to determine another fill level of the container 101. For instance, the sensor 105 may be positioned on the label 102 to indicate that the container is three-quarters filled, half-filled, quarter-filled or at another fill level. Other exemplary arrangements and numbers of capacitive sensors 105 will be discussed in more detail in reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5A to 5D.

Figure 2 shows a side-view of the container illustrated in Figure 1. As noted with reference to Figure 1, the container 101 and/or label 102 may be any one of a number of sizes and shapes.

The one or more reference sensors 106 may be used to detect when the container 101 has been placed in proximity to another container. Being placed in proximity to the another container may include containers being stacked next to or on top of one another, being placed on a shelf together or being within a threshold distance of each other.

Wien the container 101 having the label 102 attached is stored near to another container, the capacitance of the reference sensor 106 may change. For example, the another container may be placed close enough to the reference sensor 106 that a wall of the another container or material stored within the another container acts as a dielectric for the reference sensor 106 (instead of, or in addition to, air, for instance). The control logic may therefore be configured to detect a capacitance variation of the reference sensor 106. The detection may be performed in any one of the manners described above. For example, the control logic may receive a comparison signal having a comparison magnitude. If a magnitude of a corresponding signal of the reference sensor 106 differs from the comparison magnitude, the control logic may detect the capacitance variation.

Upon detecting the capacitance variation of the reference sensor 106, the control logic may be configured to control the communication module to send a signal. The signal may include a notification that the container 101 has been placed near to another container.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate exemplary embodiments of detecting a change in orientation. The change in orientation may indicate that the container 101 is in use. That is, the change in orientation may indicate that the contents 103 of the container 101 are being poured out or otherwise removed. For instance, blood bags and other medical bags may be inverted when being used, such as being hung upside-down to administer the material stored within (e.g., intravenously). Detecting the change in orientation as well as the variation in capacitance may thus allow various types of event detection based on the variation in capacitance. For example, if the variation in capacitance is detected for a blood bag but no change in orientation has been detected, a notification that the bag is leaking may be transmitted.

With reference to Figure 3, there is an exemplary embodiment of detecting a change in orientation. Only two capacitive sensors 105 are shown on the label 102 for simplicity, but it will be appreciated that a greater number of capacitive sensors 105 and one or more reference capacitors 106 may also be present on the label 102. Furthermore, it is noted that the positions of the capacitive sensors 105 in Figure 3 are exemplary only. The capacitive sensors 105 need not be at the corners 122 of the label 102. The capacitive sensors 105 may be at one of more of the edges 112 of the label 102, for instance, or other positionings of sensors 105 may be used. Other illustrative examples of capacitive sensor positions will be discussed with reference to Figures 4 and 5A to 5D.

In Figure 3, the capacitive sensors 105 have been placed at the same height (to within a threshold tolerance) on the label 102. As the container 101 is tilted or otherwise rotated, only one of the capacitive sensors 105 may change in capacitance as the fill level 107 changes accordingly. This may indicate that the container 101 has changed orientation, rather than the consumable 103 being depleted, since it would generally be expected that both capacitive sensors 105 would simultaneously vary in capacitance as the stored material 103 is removed. The control logic may be configured to detect the variation of capacitance of only one of the sensors (for example, by any one of the methods described above with reference to Figure 1) and may control the communication module to send a signal when the variation is detected. The tilt sensor may additionally be used to determine that there has been a change in orientation, rather than the one of the sensors being defective, for example.

The capacitive sensors 105 need not be placed at the same height on the label 102.

That is, one capacitive sensor 105 may be placed at different point along the z-axis of the label 102 than the other capacitive sensor 105 (for example, as illustrated in Figure 5D). As the container 101 is inclined, the capacitance of the capacitive sensor 105 lower on the label may vary before the capacitance of the higher-positioned capacitive sensor 105 (or the higher-positioned sensor 105 may not vary in capacitance at all). This may suggest that the container 101 has changed orientation, rather than the consumable 103 being depleted, since it would generally be expected that the higher-positioned capacitive sensor 105 would vary in capacitance before the lower-positioned capacitive sensor 105 as the stored material 103 is removed. The control logic may be configured to detect the variation of capacitance (for example, by any one of the methods described above with reference to Figure 1) and may control the communication module to send a signal when the variation is detected.

With reference to Figure 4, a further example of detecting a change in orientation will be described. Only two capacitive sensors 105 are shown on the label 102 for ease of reference but it will be appreciated that other sensors 105, 106 may be present.

Furthermore, the positions of the capacitive sensors 105 in Figure 4 are exemplary only. The capacitive sensors 105 may instead be at the corners 122 of the label 102, for example, or may be located elsewhere on the label. Positioning the capacitive sensors 105 along a single axis of the label 102 (for example, as shown in Figure 4) may enable more reliable detection of a change in orientation, but the capacitive sensors 105 need not be positioned along the same axis. In other words, one capacitive sensor 105 may be positioned along one axis of the label 102 and the other capacitive sensor 105 may be placed along a different axis. For example, an arrangement as will be discussed with reference to Figure 5B may be used.

Referring still to Figure 4, as the container 101 is tilted / rotated, the capacitance of both capacitive sensors 105 may vary as the fill level 107 changes accordingly. The varying of both capacitive sensors 105 may occur simultaneously or close to simultaneously. Since it may be expected that only one capacitive sensor 105 should vary in capacitance when the container 101 is emptied, it may be inferred that the container 101 has changed orientation. For example, if the capacitance of the capacitive sensors 105 vary such that the capacitances are equal, this may indicate that the container 101 is on its side. This example is depicted in Figure 4. The control logic may be configured to detect the variations of capacitance (for example, by one of the methods described above with reference to Figure 1) and may control the communication module to send a signal when the variations are detected.

In another example, the control logic may be configured to detect or determine that the capacitance of one capacitive sensor 105 has changed by a magnitude equal to that by which another capacitive sensor 105 has changed. For instance, the control logic may detect that the capacitance of the one capacitive sensor 105 has increased by an amount and the capacitance of the another capacitive sensor 105 has decreased by the amount. The control logic may be configured to detect the variation of capacitance (for example, by one of the methods described above with reference to Figure 1) and may control the communication module to send a signal when the variation is detected. The label 102 may further include the tilt sensor and the control logic may be configured to only detect the change in orientation when the tilt sensor detects a change in orientation. This may improve the reliability of detected changes in orientation, since the variation in capacitance may also occur if one of the sensors is defective, for example.

With reference to Figures 5A to 50, other exemplary capacitive sensor arrangements will now be discussed.

Figure 5A shows two capacitive sensors 505a, 505b arranged along a first axis. Preferably, the first axis is perpendicular and/or parallel to an edge 112 of the label 102. In other words, the first axis may be parallel to the y-or z-axis. However, the first axis may be at another non-zero angle relative to the edge 112 of the label 102. An example is shown in Figure 5B, which will be discussed in further detail below.

Still referring to Figure 5A, the capacitive sensors 505a, 505b may be located anywhere on the label 102 and the capacitive sensors 505a, 505b may be separated on the label 102 by any non-zero distance d along the first axis. For example, the capacitive sensor 505a may be positioned along one edge 112 of the label 102 and the capacitive sensor 505b may be positioned along an opposing edge 112 of the label 102. In another example, the capacitive sensors 505a, 505b may both be located towards the centre of the label 102.

The two capacitive sensors 505a, 505b may be paired, in that the control logic may be configured to detect a variation of capacitance based on both of the capacitive sensors 505a, 505b. In other words, a change in capacitance of one of the capacitive sensors 505a, 505b may be determined based on a relationship between the two capacitive sensors 505a, 505b. Any one of the methods discussed with reference to Figures 1, 3 and 4 may be used. For example, a change in capacitance of the capacitive sensor 505a may be detected when it deviates from the capacitance of the capacitive sensor 505b.

However, the capacitive sensors 505a, 505b need not be a pair of capacitive sensors. Any one of the methods discussed above for detecting a variation of capacitance based on a single capacitive sensor 105 may be used, even if two or more capacitive sensors 105 are present. For example, a reference signal! value may be used.

More than two capacitive sensors may be arranged in a manner similar to that depicted in Figure 5A. For instance, there may be three or four capacitive sensors arranged along the first axis. In other words, the label 102 may comprise a line, row or column of two or more capacitive sensors. A line of capacitive sensors may allow more accurate tracking of a fluid level, as the greater number of capacitive sensors may enable the determination of a greater number of fill levels due to the greater number of data points.

Preferably, the distance between each of the capacitive sensors when there are three or more capacitive sensors is equal. Alternatively, some or all of the distances between adjacent capacitive sensors may be different. In one example, the distances between the adjacent capacitive sensors may progressively decrease. This may be useful for tracking certain fill levels more finely -for example, a fill level when the container 101 is nearly empty. This may enable more accurate assessment of the fill level when resources are low, which may be particularly useful when the label 102 is used for tracking rare blood stocks. With reference to Figure 5B, the first axis may be at non-zero angle with respect to a label edge 112! both of the y-and z-axes. A capacitive sensor 515a may thus be separated from another capacitive sensor 515b by a distance along the y-axis w and a distance along the z-axis h. The distances w and h are illustrative only and may be greater or shorter than shown in Figure 5B.

As discussed with reference to Figure 5A, more than two capacitive sensors may be arranged along the first axis. There may therefore be a diagonal or angled line of capacitive sensors along the label 102.

In addition or alternatively, there may be one or more capacitive sensors arranged along a second axis that intersects the first axis. For example, the capacitive sensors may form a V-shaped arrangement.

Figure 5C illustrates an array of four capacitive sensors 525a to 525d. A first two of the capacitive sensors (for example, the capacitive sensors 525a, 525b) are arranged along a first label axis and a second two of the capacitive sensors (the capacitive sensors 525c, 525d, for instance) are arranged along a second label axis different to the first axis.

For simplicity of explanation, the following description of Figure 5C assumes that the capacitive sensors 525a and 525b are arranged along the first label axis and the capacitive sensors 525c and 525d are arranged along the second label axis, although it will be appreciated that the axes may be defined in other ways. One example of defining the first and second label axes in another manner is discussed in respect of Figure 5D.

Referring still to Figure 50, the second label axis is separated from the first label axis by a non-zero distance c13. If the distance cI3 is zero, the array of capacitive sensors 525a-d becomes a line of four sensors 525a-d as discussed above in relation to Figure 5A.

The capacitive sensors 525a and 525b may be separated on the label by any nonzero distance di along the first label axis, as discussed above with respect to Figure 5A.

Similarly, the capacitive sensors 525c and 525d may be separated by any non-zero distance d3 along the second label axis. The distances di and d3 may be equal or may have different magnitudes.

In Figure 5C, the capacitive sensor 525a is offset from capacitor 525c in a first direction a by a distance d2. Similarly, the capacitive sensor 525b is offset from capacitor 525d in the first direction a by a distance d4. The distances d2and d4 are preferably equal, but may have different magnitudes. Offsetting the capacitive sensors may reduce any parasitic capacitance between the capacitive sensors, whilst also providing a compact arrangement of capacitive sensors capable of detecting multiple fill levels.

In the case where the distances d2 and d4 are zero, a square (or rectangular) arrangement of capacitive sensors is provided. This is the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1.

The array of capacitive sensors 525a-d may be treated as a number of pairs of capacitive sensors (for example, as discussed above in relation to Figure 5A). However, as noted above, the array of capacitive sensors 525a-d need not be paired or otherwise jointly interacting. There may also be more than four capacitive sensors. In other words, the array may be an arrangement of individual capacitive sensors 105 (which may only be electrically connected via the control logic).

Two exemplary pairs 527, 528 are shown in Figure 50, but there may be more pairs of capacitive sensors. In addition, it will be appreciated that the pairs may be defined differently to those shown in Figure 5C. For instance, one pair of sensors may be the capacitive sensors 525a and 525c and another pair may be the capacitive sensors 525b and 525d. Moreover, there may be more than two capacitive sensors in each pair, such that there is a line, row or column of capacitive sensors.

When d2 and d4 are equal, this may define an offset of a pair of capacitive sensors. Some or all of the pairs may be offset from each other. In Figure 50, the pair 527 is offset from the pair 528 in the first direction a, but the pair 527 may be offset from the pair 528 in a second direction b that is opposite the first direction a. The first and second directions a, b may correspond to the y-axis or the z-axis or another axis at a non-zero angle to both axes.

Every pair may be offset by the same magnitude distance. In one example, a third pair may be offset from the pair of capacitive sensors 527 in the second direction b and separated from the pair 527 by a distance along a third direction c. The distance along the third direction c may be equal to the distance d5, such that the pairs are equally spaced in the second direction b. A fourth pair may then be offset from the pair 528 in the first direction a and separated from the pair 528 by a distance along a fourth direction d. The distance along the fourth direction d may be equal to the distance d5. A repeating arrangement of capacitive sensors may thus be provided. The third and fourth directions c, d may correspond to the y-axis or the z-axis or another axis at a non-zero angle to both the y-and z-axes.

In another example, the third pair may be offset from the pair 527 in the first direction to form two diagonal / angled lines of capacitors. In yet another example, the third and fourth pair may be offset from the first and second pairs 527, 528 to form a V or chevron 20 shape.

The distances di, d2, d3, d4 and d5 may be varied in one of any number of ways to provide an array of capacitive sensors. When more than two pairs are provided on the label 102 and the offset is zero (that is, d2= d4 = 0), the arrangement may comprise multiple squares, rectangles or diamonds. For example, there may be a repeating pattern of four capacitive sensors or a grid of capacitive sensors. This two-dimensional array of sensors may mean that the label is more sensitive to changes in fill level and/or orientation, due to a greater number of data points at various heights and widths along the label. A repeating square / rectangular / diamond arrangement may improve the reliability of both fill level and orientation detection.

Figure 5D illustrates an exemplary diamond arrangement of capacitive sensors 535a- 535d. A first two of the capacitive sensors (for example, the capacitive sensors 535a and 525c) are arranged along the first label axis and a second two of the capacitive sensors (the capacitive sensors 535b and 523d, for instance) are arranged along the second label axis. However, it will be appreciated the label axes may be defined in other ways. For example, the capacitive sensors 535a and 535d may define the first axis and the capacitive sensors 535b and 535c may define the second axis. In other words, the label axes may be perpendicular to each other, rather than parallel. The label axes may also be at another non-zero angle relative to each other.

A diamond (or rhombus) arrangement may enable more accurate determination of when the container 101 has been tipped or tilted. The sensitivity of the arrangement may be dependent on the distances between the capacitive sensors 535a-d. The diamond arrangement may also allow the angle of the tilt to be determined within a particular range.

For example, if the capacitance of the capacitive sensors 535a and b vary (at the same time or within a predetermined time period of each other, for example) whilst the capacitance of the capacitive sensors 535c and d remains constant, it can be determined that the container 101 has been tipped in a particular direction. It can further be determined that the fill level 107 is at an angle between that defined by the capacitive sensors 535b, 535c and 535d. The diamond arrangement may be reliable for determining an angle of tilt between 0 and 90 degrees and may be particularly reliable for determining an angle of tilt between 45 and 90 degrees.

The distances d2 and d4 are zero in the diamond arrangement, but the distances d2 and damay be non-zero to provide an offset. In addition or alternatively, the distances di, d3 and d5 may be varied as discussed above.

Some of the capacitive sensors 535a-535d may be paired similarly to as discussed with respect to Figure 5C. More pairs or more capacitive sensors may be provided to create a repeating diamond pattern. The repeating diamond pattern may be two (or more) parallel lines of capacitive sensors. Two or more parallel lines of capacitive sensors may make it easier to determine the angle of tilt. The determination of a change in orientation may therefore be more reliably made, even when the label does not include a tilt sensor and/or accelerometer.

Placing the label 102 on the container 101 such that the capacitive sensors 105 are on one side of the container 101 may have advantages. For example, the fringing capacitance of the capacitive plates may only extend a short distance into the container 101, which may mean that squeezing the container 101 does not cause a variation in capacitance of the capacitive sensors 105 (at least to within a threshold tolerance). This may be especially useful when the container 101 is a flexible pouch or is otherwise malleable.

Nevertheless, there may be advantages to placing the capacitive sensors 105 / plates of a capacitive sensor on more than one side of the container 101. Figure 6 illustrates one example in which capacitive plates 641, 642 of a capacitive sensor are placed on opposing parts of the container 101. The opposing parts may be sides or faces of the container that are opposite each other. For example, the opposing parts may be a lid and a base of the container 101.

Only one set of capacitive plates 641, 642 is shown in Figure 6 for simplicity, but more than one capacitive sensor may be present on the label 102. Furthermore, the shape and size of the capacitive plates 641, 642 are exemplary only. Likewise, although the container 101 shown in Figure 6 is cylindrical, the container 101 may be another shape. The label 102 is attached to the container 101 such that capacitive plates of the capacitive sensor are placed on opposing parts of the container. The label 102 may extend circumferentially around the container 101 and may extend such that ends 622 can be joined (for example, by an adhesive that is preferably pressure-sensitive). Placing the capacitive plates on side of the container 101 facing each other may ensure that the dielectric between the capacitive plates is the stored material 103. This may improve the reliability of fill level detection, especially when the one or more capacitive sensors do not comprise a shield.

In another example, a first capacitive sensor 105 may be placed on a first side of the container 101 and a second capacitive sensor 105 may be placed on a second side of the container 101 opposite the first side. Preferably, the first and second capacitive sensors 105 are placed at the same height on the label 102. Positioning the first and second capacitive sensors 105 in this manner may improve the detection of a change in orientation, as the stored material 103 may be more likely to cover one capacitive sensor 105 but not the other 105 when the container 101 is tilted.

Figure 7 shows basic elements within a capacitive sensing system. The communication module 750, which may be a UICC or SIM card, sends a signal or message to one or more servers 760. The server 760 comprises at least a memory and a processor, wherein execution of instructions stored in the memory and executed by instructions cause the server 760 to perform certain steps and/or functions. The server 760 further comprises at least one communications interface for receiving a signal or message. The server 760 may include various other hardware and software features.

Once the signal is received at the server 760 (or a broker at the server 760), the server 760 may transmit the signal to a client device 770, which may be a mobile device of a user. The client device 770 may then display an indication on a user interface based on the received signal. For example, the user interface may display a notification that the container 101 is empty, half-full, in use, etc. The user may want to find out how much material 103 is stored in the container 101 even when the communication module 750 has not sent a signal. The client device 770 may thus send a request signal to the one or more servers 760, which the one or more servers 760 may then send to the communication module 750. The control logic may be configured to control the communication module 750 in response to the request signal to send an up-to-date fill level or, if the label 102 includes memory, return the most recent signal previously sent by the communication module 750.

Although reference has been made to a label, it will be appreciated that another apparatus having the features discussed above may be used. For example, instead of a label, another kind of packaging may be used. The packaging may be wrapped around or otherwise surround an item or material to be stored. The packaging may be wrapping paper, for instance.

In another example, the apparatus may be another electronic device or machine-to-machine (M2M) device that is attachable to a container and may be as thin as a label.

Although the methods, systems and apparatus above have been described with reference to determining a fill level of a container, it will be appreciated that these methods, systems and apparatus may be used for other purposes.

In one example, the label may be used for determining that there is a leak or a hole in a container through which material is escaping. The label may be attached to a container that is unopenable / should not be opened in normal use, for instance. The label may include further circuitry configured to determine a rate of leakage.

In another example, the label may be used to infer that there has been tampering of the container (for example, that a package has been opened and an object / material inside has been removed or replaced).

In yet a further example, the label may be used to determine the contents of a container. For instance, the capacitive sensors may be configured to have a particular capacitance for a particular dielectric. If the label is attached to the container and the capacitance of one or more capacitive sensors differs from the particular capacitance, it may be determined that the contents of the container are incorrect or have been replaced.

Although the methods, systems and apparatus above have been described with reference to capacitance / detecting a variation in capacitance, it will be appreciated that another variable may be used to infer a change in capacitance as the stored material 103 is depleted, rather than calculating a magnitude of a change in capacitance.

The methods described herein may be implemented with computer system configurations including hand-held devices, microprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers and the like. The embodiments can also be practiced in distributed computing environments, where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a network.

Certain embodiments can also be embodied as computer-readable code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer readable medium is any data storage device than can store data, which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include hard drives, network attached storage (NAS), read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, magnetic tapes, and other optical and non-optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over a network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

Each feature disclosed in this specification, unless stated otherwise, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

All of the aspects and/or features disclosed in this specification may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. In particular, the preferred features of the disclosure are applicable to all aspects and embodiments of the disclosure and may be used in any combination. Likewise, features described in non-essential combinations may be used separately (not in combination).

Values referred to as being "equal" may in fact differ by less than a threshold amount. The threshold amount may be 5%, for example. The threshold may also be greater than 5% (e.g., 10%, 20% or 50%) or less than 5% (for example, 2% or 1 %).

As used herein, including in the claims, unless the context indicates otherwise, singular forms of the terms herein are to be construed as including the plural form and vice versa. For instance, unless the context indicates otherwise, a singular reference herein including in the claims, such as "a" or "an" (such as a capacitive sensor) means "one or more" (for instance, one or more capacitive sensors).

Throughout the description and claims of this disclosure, the words "comprise", "including", "having" and "contain" and variations of the words, for example "comprising" and "comprises" or similar, mean "including but not limited to", and are not intended to (and do not) exclude other components. Also, the use of "or' is inclusive, such that the phrase "A or B" is true when "A" is true, "B is true", or both "A" and "B" are true.

The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language ("for instance", "such as", "for example" and like language) provided herein, is intended merely to better illustrate the disclosure and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosure.

The terms "first" and "second" may be reversed without changing the scope of the invention. That is, an element termed a "first" element (e.g. a first label axis) may instead be termed a "second" element (e.g. a second label axis) and vice versa.

Any steps described in this specification may be performed in any order or simultaneously unless stated or the context requires otherwise. Moreover, where a step is described as being performed after a step, this does not preclude intervening steps being 35 performed.

It is also to be understood that, for any given component or embodiment described herein, any of the possible candidates or alternatives listed for that component may generally be used individually or in combination with one another, unless implicitly or explicitly understood or stated otherwise. It will be understood that any list of such candidates or alternatives is merely illustrative, not limiting, unless implicitly or explicitly understood or stated otherwise.

In this detailed description of the various embodiments, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments disclosed. One skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that these various embodiments may be practiced with or without these specific details. Furthermore, one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the specific sequences in which methods are presented and performed are illustrative and it is contemplated that the sequences can be varied and still remain within the scope of the various embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

Claims' 4. 5. 7.
A label for attachment to the outside of a container, the label comprising: at least one capacitive sensor configured to vary in capacitance in response to a change in an amount of dielectric material stored in the container; a communication module; and control logic configured to: detect the variation in capacitance of the capacitive sensor; and control the communication module to send a signal when the variation is detected.
The label of claim 1, wherein the at least one capacitive sensor comprises two capacitive sensors and the control logic is further configured to detect a change in orientation of the container by detecting a variation in capacitance of one or both of the capacitive sensors The label of claim 2, wherein the control logic is configured to detect the change in orientation by detecting a magnitude of a change in the difference between the capacitances of the two capacitive sensors greater than a first threshold value.
The label of claims 2 or 3, wherein the signal comprises a notification of the change in orientation.
The label of claim any previous claim, wherein the control logic is configured to detect the variation when the capacitance falls below a second threshold value.
The label of any previous claim, wherein the at least one capacitive sensor comprises two capacitive sensors and wherein the control logic is configured to detect the variation by detecting a difference between the capacitances of the two capacitive sensors greater than a third threshold value for detecting a fill level of the container.
The label of any previous claim, wherein the label further comprises a reference capacitive sensor configured to use air as a dielectric material when the label is attached to the container.
8 The label of claim 7, wherein the control logic is configured to detect the variation by detecting that the capacitances of the reference capacitive sensor and the capacitive sensor differ by less than a fourth threshold value.
9 The label of claim 7 or 8, wherein the control logic is configured to detect a variation in capacitance of the reference capacitor sensor and, in response to the detection, control the communication module to send a second signal when the variation in the capacitance of the reference capacitor sensor is detected, the signal including a notification that the container has been placed in proximity to another container.
10. The label of any previous claim, wherein the at least one capacitive sensor comprises: a first two capacitive sensors arranged along a first axis of the label; and a second two capacitive sensors arranged along a second axis of the label different to the first axis.
11. The label of claim 10, wherein each of the capacitive sensors is positioned at or near a respective edge of the label.
12. The label of claim 11, wherein each of the capacitive sensors is positioned at or near a respective corner of the label.
13. The label of any previous claim, wherein the signal comprises a notification that the container is empty.
14. The label of any previous claim, where the communication module is configured to send signals over a communications network.
15. The label of claim 14, wherein the communications network is a mobile telecommunications network.
16. The label of any previous claim, wherein the communication module comprises a UICC.
17. A container having the label of any of claims 1 to 16 attached to the outside of the container.
18. The container of claim 17, wherein the container is a flexible pouch.
19. The container of claim 17 or 18, wherein the container is configured to store a nonzero amount of dielectric material.
20. The container of claim 19, wherein the dielectric material comprises a fluid or a solid material.
21. The container of claim 20 when the dielectric material comprises fluid, wherein the fluid is blood.
22. The container of any of claims 17 to 21, wherein the label is attached such that capacitive plates of the capacitive sensor are placed on opposing parts of the container.
23. A capacitive sensing system comprising the label of claims 1 to 16 and one or more servers, the one or more servers configured to receive the signal from the communication module.