Assembly comprising a cabinet and a system for communicating by radiofrequency waves with objects placed in the cabinet

• US 20020065039A1
• Filed: 11/27/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jouan
• Original Assignee: Jouan
• Inventors: Bru, Olivier, Benezech, Philippe
• Application Number:
  US09/993,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065039A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/15
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 1/00 Enclosures; Chambers provided with manipulation devices or glove boxes B25J21/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00871 Communications between instruments or with remote terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/007 specially adapted for indoor communication
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles

Abstract

The assembly comprises:

a work cabinet (2) itself comprising walls whose inside surfaces delimit a work space (9), the cabinet being adapted to subject an object placed in the work space to at least one predetermined physical or chemical condition,

a system (3) for communicating information by radiofrequency waves comprising at least one antenna (16) for communicating by radiofrequency waves with objects (20) placed in the work space and furnished with means (22) for transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency waves, characterized in that the antenna (16) is disposed outside the work space (9) and is separated therefrom by a part (11) at least of a wall (5), which part is transparent, at least opposite the antenna, to the radiofrequency waves used by the communication system.

Application for example to the biological field.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising:

a work cabinet having walls whose inside surfaces delimit a work space that is adapted to receive an object to be subjected to a chemical or physical condition; and

a communication system that includes a first communication device outside said work space, a radio frequency antenna connected to said first communication device, and a second communication device that is to be associated with the object in said work space, said first communication device communicating with said second communication device via said antenna,

wherein at least a part of one of said walls of said work cabinet is transparent to a radio frequency used by said antenna, said antenna being separated from said work space by said at least a part of one of said walls.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least a part of one of said walls is an inside part of said one of said walls and wherein said antenna is in said one of said walls.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least a part of one of said walls is an entire thickness of said one of said walls and wherein said antenna is outside said one of said walls.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein said antenna is carried by said one of said walls.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said one of said walls is movable between an open position that provides access to said work space and a closed position that bars access to said work space.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein said work cabinet comprises an inside door and an outside door, and wherein said inside door is said one of said walls.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least a part of one of said walls comprises a partition and a layer of thermally insulating material.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said second communication device is an identification transponder.

9. An assembly comprising:

a work cabinet that is thermostatically controlled and that has walls whose inside surfaces delimit a work space that is adapted to receive an object ; and

a radio frequency communication system including an antenna that communicates by radio frequency waves with a communication device associated with the object in said work space,

at least a part of one of said walls being transparent to the radio frequency waves, said antenna being outside said work space and separated from said work space by said at least a part of one of said walls.

10. An assembly comprising:

a work cabinet that has walls whose inside surfaces delimit a work space that is adapted to receive an object to be subjected to a chemical or physical condition; and

a radio frequency communication system including an antenna that is carried by said work cabinet and that communicates by radio frequency waves with a communication device associated with the object in said work space,

at least a part of one of said walls being transparent to the radio frequency waves, said antenna being separated from said work space by said at least a part of one of said walls.