Reconciliation mechanism using RFID and sensors

• US 20070018819A1
• Filed: 07/19/2005
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Propack Data GmbH (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Propack Data GmbH (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Streeb, Martin, Winzinger, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 7,616,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer

Abstract

An RFID ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) that can receive and store digital data from at least one of sensors and AID converter devices. The ASIC can include one or more of the following components as desired for a given application: a passive power/communications coupling component with antenna that couples power into the ASIC when employed as a passive device, and for facilitating communications with the device when powered; a control module that control or facilitates the control of all onboard functions; a memory for storing data (e.g., timestamp and event information) and/or programs; a clock for the generation of clock signals and in support of onboard timing requirement; and, a digital I/O interface that facilitates interfacing to digital inputs such as from sensors and/or A/D converters.

Claims

1. An RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system, comprising:

a control module that processes data and instructions;

a memory that stores at least one of the data and the instructions;

a power element that enables power to the system;

a communications component that processes communications with a remote system; and

a digital interface that facilitates receiving digital data directly from an external digital data component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital data component is a sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital data component is a an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module processes one or more protocols that facilitate receiving the digital data from one or more sensors.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the power element includes a chemical-based power cell such that the system is an active transponder.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the power element receives power into the system via induction.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a location component that interfaces to the system such that location information is written to the memory.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the location component provides the location information according a Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

9. An article of commerce having attached thereto the system of claim 1.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the article of commerce is a medical package that contains one or more medical drugs and medical-related products.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a timing component that facilitates storing timestamp data and event data in the memory.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications component includes an antenna that facilitates writing the data and the instructions into the memory, and reading the data out of the memory via RF signals.

13. The system of claim 1 is fabricated into an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

14. An RFID tag, comprising:

a controller that processes data, and instructions associated with a protocol;

a non-volatile memory that stores the data and the instructions;

a power and communications component that facilitates power to the system and communications with a remote system; and

a digital interface that facilitates receiving digital data from at least one of a sensor and an A/D converter.

15. The tag of claim 14, wherein the controller processes the protocol to receive and process data of at least one of the sensor and the A/D converter.

16. The tag of claim 14, wherein the power and communications component includes one of a chemical-based power cell such that the system is an active transponder and a power coupler such that power is coupled to the system by at least one of induction coupling and propagation coupling.

17. The tag of claim 14, wherein the data stored in the memory includes location coordinates of a subset of a plurality of locations at which the tag was located.

18. The tag of claim 17, wherein the location coordinates are generated from at least one of a GPS technology and an indoor location determination system.

19. A medical product having attached thereto the tag of claim 14.

20. The tag of claim 14, wherein the data includes environmental data that received via the digital interface and written to the memory as the tag is transported in a stream of commerce.

21. The tag of claim 14, wherein the power and communications component includes an antenna that facilitates coupling power into the tag, coupling commands into the tag, writing the data and the instructions into the memory, and reading the data out of the memory.

22. The tag of claim 21, wherein the commands cause the controller to selectively enable/disable one or more functions of the tag.

23. The tag of claim 14 is fabricated as an ASIC.

24. The tag of claim 14, wherein the power and communications component receives power and communications from an RFID reader.

25. The tag of claim 14, wherein the controller is a programmable logic device that is one of a FPGA and a CPLD.

26. An RFID tag for a medical package fabricated according to a semiconductor process, comprising:

a controller fabricated to process data received from at least a sensor and an A/D converter, an onboard clock, and instructions;

a non-volatile memory fabricated to interface to the controller and store the data and the instructions; and

a communications component fabricated to facilitate power to the system and communications from an RFID reader/writer.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the data includes medical information related to at least one of a patient, a drug, and a medical apparatus.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the memory is programmable such that the controller receives an instruction from the memory that is processed to enable or disable a function of the tag.

29. An RFID system that processes medical packages, comprising:

a medical package having contents that include at least one of a drug and a medical-related object; and

an RFID tag attached to the medical package that stores data related to at least one of the drug and the medical-related object, the RFID tag comprising;

a controller that receives and processes digital data received from at least a sensor and an A/D converter;

a non-volatile memory that stores the digital data and the data; and

a communications component that facilitates power to the tag and communications from an RFID reader/writer.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising a reconciliation system employed to reconcile contents of a new medical package with contents of a used medical package by examining the data and the digital data stored in the memory.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the digital data is associated with usage information of the drug and the medical-related object.

32. The system of claim 29, further comprising a location component that interfaces to the system such that location information is stored in the memory related to a location that the medical package has been.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the digital data includes environmental data that is received directly from at least one of the sensor and the converter while at the location.

34. A method of processing a medical product, the method comprising:

receiving the medical product for processing at a distributor;

attaching an RFID tag to the medical product;

writing to the RFID tag medical data associated with the medical product;

transporting'"'"'the medical product via multiple locations to a destination;

storing on the RFID tag location information associated with at least a first location of the multiple locations;

uploading sensor data to the RFID tag directly from a sensor during transportation of the medical product;

reading data from the RFID tag at the destination to determine viability of the medical product; and

writing usage data to the RFID tag related to an aspect of the medical product that was changed while at the destination.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising acts of:

shipping the medical product and attached RFID tag back to the distributor;

reading the usage data from the RFID tag; and

reconciling the usage data with a database of preparation medical data associated with the medical product when it was shipped.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising an act of in-processing the medical product at the distributor after use at the destination such that an act of reading the usage data from the RFID tag during in-processing alleviates exposure to a human of a medical risk associated with the changed aspect of the medical product.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising an act of writing to the RFID tag and reading from the RFID tag timestamp data and event data associated with an event that occurred during transportation and use of the medical product.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising an act of selecting between a plurality of protocols for a protocol that facilitates the act of uploading.

39. An RFID system that facilitates processing of a medical product, comprising:

means for attaching an RFID tag to the medical product;

means for writing to the RFID tag medical data associated with the medical product when at a distributor;

means for selecting between a plurality of protocols on the RFID tag for a protocol that facilitates uploading sensor data to the RFID tag directly from a digital interface during transportation of the medical product while in transit from a first location to a second location;

means for reading data from the RFID tag at the second location to determine viability of the medical product; and

means for writing usage data to the RFID tag related to an aspect of the medical product that was changed while at the second location.

40. The system of claim 39, further comprising means for reconciling the usage data with a database of preparation medical data associated with the medical product when it was shipped.

41. The system of claim 39, further comprising means for in-processing the medical product at the first location after use at the second location such that reading the usage data from the RFID tag during in-processing alleviates exposure to a human of a medical risk associated with the changed aspect of the medical product.

42. The system of claim 39, further comprising means for writing to the RFID tag and reading from the RFID tag timestamp data and event data associated with an event that occurred during transportation and use of the medical product.

43. An RFID tag, comprising:

means for a processing data and instructions;

means for storing at least one of the data, the instructions, and location data;

means for a powering the tag by one of a coupled energy and an onboard energy source;

means for communicating at least one of the data, the instructions, and the location data with a remote system; and

means for interfacing with external digital sources that provide environmental data.

44. The system of claim 43, further comprising an artificial intelligence component that employs a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed.