System for automatically locating and manipulating positions on an object

• US 20050280574A1
• Filed: 06/17/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Triantafyllos P. Tafas, Youngmin Kim
• Original Assignee: Triantafyllos P. Tafas, Youngmin Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Youngmin, Tafas, Triantafyllos P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,199,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/126
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/022 Transponder chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0822 Slides
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/545 for laboratory containers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/282 with mapping; Identification of areas; Spatial correlated pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00782 reprogrammmable code
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00851 process control parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/34 Microscope slides, e.g. mounting specimens on microscope slides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/365 Control or image processing arrangements for digital or video microscopes G02B21/361, G02B21/362 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis

Abstract

A system for automatically locating positions on an object and uniquely identifying the object employing an electronic tag positioned in or on the object. The system utilizes a plurality of sensors to locate the electronic tag and identify the object, and triangulation techniques to locate positions on the object where the object may be manipulated according to instructions coded with respect to the positions. Advantageously, the present invention may be used for automatically locating specimens on a microscope slide without regards to their positions on the slide, and for uniquely labeling a microscope slide.

Claims

1. A system for automatically locating and identifying positions on an object comprising:

an object having a tag;

a plurality of remote devices capable of locating and activating the tag;

a microprocessor capable of communicating with the plurality of remote devices, and a manipulator of the object;

wherein the microprocessor records a position of the tag, and commands the manipulator to perform manipulations at selected positions on the object relative to the position of the tag; and

a display configured to present the location and information associated with the corresponding positions on the object.

2. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 1, wherein the tag comprises a radio frequency identifier device (RFID), having an electronic code.

3. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 2, wherein the RFID device operates in a frequency range between about 30 KHz and 500 KHz.

4. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 2, wherein the tag device comprises a passive RFID.

5. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 2, wherein the electronic code comprises a block of data formed in a transponder device on an integrated circuit chip.

6. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 5, wherein the block of data includes processing instructions for manipulating the object.

7. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 1, wherein the remote devices comprise electronic sensors that emit electromagnetic radiation.

8. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 1, wherein the remote devices are capable of reading and writing onto the tag.

9. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote devices comprises two or more of such devices.

10. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor communicates with the remote devices electromagnetically.

11. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor uses triangulation techniques to compute the positions on the object.

12. The automatic position locator/identifier system according to claim 1, wherein the triangulation technique uses two directional antennas.

13. A system for automatically locating and identifying a specimen comprising:

a substrate having a first region for receiving a sample of specimens and a second region for receiving a tag representing an identifier code for the specimens;

a plurality of remote devices capable of emitting signals and remotely activating the tag on the substrate;

a viewer device positioned over the substrate, the viewer having a microprocessor capable of communicating with the plurality of remote devices;

wherein the microprocessor records and stores the position of the viewer over the substrate in relation to the signals received from the remote devices corresponding to the location of the sample of specimens on the substrate;

wherein the microprocessor records and stores the identifier code for the sample of specimens; and

a display configured to present the identifier code and location of each of the specimens in the sample.

14. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the substrate is a microscope slide.

15. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the viewer device is a microscope.

16. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the sample of specimens further comprise biological cells.

17. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the tag comprises a radio frequency identifier device (RFID).

18. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 17, wherein the RFID device operates in a frequency range between about 30 KHz and 500 KHz.

19. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 17, wherein the tag device comprises a passive RFID.

20. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the tag comprises a block of data formed in a transponder device on an integrated circuit chip.

21. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 20, wherein the block of data includes biological information identifying the source of harvested biological specimens.

22. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the remote devices comprise electronic sensors that emit electromagnetic radiation.

23. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the remote devices comprise electronic interrogators.

24. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of remote devices comprises two or more of such devices.

25. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the microprocessor communicates with the remote devices electromagnetically.

26. The automatic specimen locator/identifier system according to claim 13, wherein the microprocessor uses triangulation techniques to compute the position of the tag relative to the position of the microscope over the substrate.

36. The method according to claim 20, wherein the block of data includes biological information identifying the source of harvested biological specimens.

27. A method for automatically locating and identifying specimens deposited on a microscope slide, comprising the steps of:

providing a system for locating and identifying specimens on a microscope slide incorporating an RFID system comprising a tag on the slide and a plurality of sensors capable of communicating with the tag;

the system having a microscope to view the specimens, a microscope stage to receive the slide, and a microprocessor to perform positional calculations based on signals communicated between the tag and the sensors;

depositing biological specimens on the slide, the specimens having identifier codes recorded in the tag;

loading the slide on the microscope stage;

activating the tag utilizing signals emanating from the sensors;

collecting signals traversing between the tag and the plurality of sensors and transmitting the signals to the microprocessor, the microprocessor computing the position of the slide on the stage; and

automatically commanding the stage to move to a position under the microscope suitable for viewing a specimen having a matching preassigned code stored in the memory bank associated with the microprocessor.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the RFID system is operationally configured to function using electromagnetic radiation within a radio frequency (RF) spectrum.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the RF spectrum lies between about 30 KHz and 500 KHz.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein the tag is activated by the plurality of sensors.

31. The method according to claim 27, wherein the tag device comprises a passive RFID.

32. The method according to claim 27, wherein the tag comprises a block of data formed in a transponder device on an integrated circuit chip.

33. The method according to claim 27, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise electronic interrogators.

34. The method according to claim 27, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise two or more of such devices.

35. The method according to claim 27, wherein the biological specimens comprise biological cells.

37. The method according to claim 27, wherein the sensors are controlled by the microprocessor.

38. The method according to claim 27, wherein the computing the position of the stage under the microscope is performed by triangulation.

39. An apparatus for automatically positioning a microscope slide comprising:

a microscope having a stage;

a microscope slide mounted on the stage;

a microcomputer communicating with the stage, the microcomputer having a stored digital map of the surface of the microscope slide;

a position broadcasting device mounted on the microscope slide, the broadcast further emitting electromagnetic radiation;

a receiver device capable of viewing the radiation and transmitting a corresponding signal to the microcomputer;

the microcomputer analyzing the signal and calculating the position of the slide on the sage; and

commanding the stage to move to a predefined position on the surface of the slide, the predefined position corresponding to the location of a specimen to be viewed under the microscope.

40. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the microscope slide is configured to support biological specimens.

41. The apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the biological specimens are supported in a first region of the microscope slide.

42. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the position of the broadcasting device comprises and RFID device and is supported in a second region of the microscope slide.

43. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the receiver device comprises a sensor capable of detecting electromagnetic radiation.

44. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the electromagnetic radiation comprises radio frequency emission.

45. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the calculating the position of the slide is performed using triangulation techniques.