Two-dimensional antenna configuration

• US 8,378,827 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BioTillion, LLC
• Original Assignee: BioTillion, LLC
• Inventors: Davidowitz, Hananel, Coradetti, Thomas, Altman, Theodore, Kovnatsky, Ilya
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dorsey, Renee
• Application Number:
  US12/787,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20100302040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101- 106, 3405721-5729, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 340/545.1, 340/545.6, 340/550, 340/573.1, 235375-385, 235/492, 312/400, 382/128, 343/767, 343/844, 738/631.1, 700/239, 700/242, 700/245, 700/266
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2431 Tag circuit details

Abstract

In one embodiment, an antenna configuration for locating RFID tags has two sets of (mutually orthogonal) elongated reader coils, where each elongated reader coil corresponds to two or more different possible locations of RFID tags, and each possible location is associated with one reader coil in each of the two sets. The identities and locations of RFID tags can be determined by (sequentially) energizing the different sets of reader coils and correlating the recorded responses from RFID tags. In one application, the antenna configuration is used at the box level of a cold storage system for biological samples having one or more freezers, each freezer having one or racks, each rack receiving one or more boxes, each box receiving one or more sample containers, where, in addition to the biological sample, each sample container has a unique passive RFID tag.

Claims

1. An antenna configuration for determining identity and location of RFID tags in a two-dimensional distribution of possible locations, the antenna configuration comprising:

(a) a first set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the first set associated with a different column of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution; and

(b) a second set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the second set associated with a different row of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution, wherein;

at least one elongated reader coil in the first set is associated with at least two different elongated reader coils in the second set;

at least one elongated reader coil in the second set is associated with at least two different elongated reader coils in the first set; and

each possible location in the two-dimensional distribution is associated with (i) a single elongated reader coil in the first set and (ii) a single elongated reader coil in the second set.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of elongated reader coils are mutually orthogonal.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein each elongated reader coil has a substantially rectangular shape.

4. The invention of claim 1, wherein each elongated reader coil has a series of expanded regions interconnected by contracted regions, wherein:

conductors forming the expanded region are further apart than are conductors forming the contracted regions; and

each expanded region corresponds to a different possible location in the corresponding column or row of the two-dimensional distribution.

5. The invention of claim 4, wherein:

each expanded region has a substantially circular shape; and

each contracted region has a substantially linear shape.

6. The invention of claim 4, wherein, in at least one contracted region, the conductors are crossed to provide magnetic fields of opposite orientation in the two expanded regions connected by the at least one contracted region.

7. The invention of claim 6, wherein the conductors are crossed in each contracted region of each elongated reader coil.

8. The invention of claim 1, further comprising control electronics adapted to energize each elongated reader coil and record the identity of RFID tags responding to each energized reader coil.

9. The invention of claim 8, wherein the control electronics is adapted to compare the identities of RFID tags responding to the first set of energized elongated reader coils to the identities of RFID tags responding to the second set of energized elongated reader coils to determine the identity and location of each RFID tag associated with the two-dimensional distribution.

10. The invention of claim 8, wherein the control electronics is adapted to selectively energize each elongated reader coil one at a time.

11. The invention of claim 8, wherein the control electronics is adapted to energize two or more of the elongated reader coils at a time.

12. The invention of claim 8, wherein the control electronics are adapted to inject a signal into each of one or more neighboring reader coils that neighbor an energized reader coil, wherein the injected signal inhibits RFID tags associated with the corresponding neighboring reader coil from being read by the energized reader coil.

13. The invention of claim 12, wherein the injected signal has a polarity opposite that of the energized reader coil.

14. The invention of claim 12, wherein the injected signal is electronic noise.

15. The invention of claim 12, wherein the one or more neighboring reader coils having injected signals include at least one nearest-neighbor reader coil and at least one next-nearest-neighbor reader coil.

16. The invention of claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional distribution corresponds to a box having a two-dimensional distribution of slots for receiving samples, each sample having a unique RFID tag.

17. The invention of claim 16, wherein the two-dimensional distribution is a rectangular array of substantially orthogonal rows and columns of slots.

18. The invention of claim 16, wherein the two-dimensional distribution is a substantially sector-shaped distribution of annular and radial rows/columns of slots.

19. The invention of claim 18, wherein:

at least two annular rows/columns have different numbers of slots; and

at least two radial rows/columns have different numbers of slots.

20. The invention of claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of elongated reader coils are implemented on two different printed circuit boards.

21. The invention of claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of elongated reader coils are implemented on different layers of a single printed circuit board.

22. The invention of claim 21, wherein the single printed circuit board further comprises control electronics for the first and second sets of elongated reader coils.

23. The invention of claim 1, wherein the antenna configuration is part of a system for storing samples, the system comprising one or more cabinets, each cabinet comprising cabinet control electronics and one or more hierarchy levels, each hierarchy level comprising control electronics adapted to communicate with control electronics of one or more elements of a next-lower hierarchy level, wherein:

a lowest hierarchy level in each cabinet is a box level comprising one or more boxes for each element of a second-lowest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

each box at the box level comprises box control electronics and adapted to receive one or more corresponding sample containers, each sample container comprising container electronics and adapted to store a sample;

the cabinet control electronics of each cabinet is adapted to communicate with control electronics of each element of a highest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

the box control electronics of each box are adapted to communicate with the container electronics of each corresponding sample container;

the container electronics of each sample container is adapted to communicate sample-identification information to the corresponding box control electronics;

the corresponding box control electronics is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to control electronics of the corresponding element of the second-lowest hierarchy level; and

control electronics of each element of a second-highest hierarchy level is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to the corresponding cabinet control electronics.

24. The invention of claim 23, wherein:

the system is a cold storage system; and

each cabinet is a freezer having freezer control electronics.

25. The invention of claim 23, wherein each box control electronics is implemented on one or more printed circuit boards on which are integrated the first and second sets of elongated reader coils.

27. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

each elongated reader coil in the first set is associated with all of the different elongated reader coils in the second set; and

each elongated reader coil in the second set is associated with all of the different elongated reader coils in the first set.

26. A system for storing samples, the system comprising one or more cabinets, each cabinet comprising cabinet control electronics and one or more hierarchy levels, each hierarchy level comprising control electronics adapted to communicate with control electronics of one or more elements of a next-lower hierarchy level, wherein:

a lowest hierarchy level in each cabinet is a box level comprising one or more boxes for each element of a second-lowest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

each box at the box level comprises box control electronics and adapted to receive one or more corresponding sample containers, each sample container comprising container electronics and adapted to store a sample;

the cabinet control electronics of each cabinet is adapted to communicate with control electronics of each element of a highest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

the box control electronics of each box are adapted to communicate with the container electronics of each corresponding sample container;

the container electronics of each sample container is adapted to communicate sample-identification information to the corresponding box control electronics;

the corresponding box control electronics is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to control electronics of the corresponding element of the second-lowest hierarchy level;

control electronics of each element of a second-highest hierarchy level is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to the corresponding cabinet control electronics; and

the system includes an antenna configuration for determining identity and location of RFID tags in a two-dimensional distribution of possible locations, the antenna configuration comprising;

(a) a first set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the first set associated with a different column of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution; and

(b) a second set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the second set associated with a different row of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution, wherein;

each possible location in the two-dimensional distribution is associated with (i) a single elongated reader coil in the first set and (ii) a single elongated reader coil in the second set.

28. An antenna configuration for determining identity and location of RFID tags in a two-dimensional distribution of possible locations, the antenna configuration comprising:

(a) a first set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the first set associated with a different column of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution; and

(b) a second set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the second set associated with a different row of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution, wherein;

each possible location in the two-dimensional distribution is associated with (i) a single elongated reader coil in the first set and (ii) a single elongated reader coil in the second set;

each elongated reader coil has a series of expanded regions interconnected by contracted regions, wherein;

conductors forming the expanded region are further apart than are conductors forming the contracted regions; and

each expanded region corresponds to a different possible location in the corresponding column or row of the two-dimensional distribution.

29. The invention of claim 28, wherein:

each expanded region has a substantially circular shape; and

each contracted region has a substantially linear shape.

30. The invention of claim 28, wherein, in at least one contracted region, the conductors are crossed to provide magnetic fields of opposite orientation in the two expanded regions connected by the at least one contracted region.

31. The invention of claim 30, wherein the conductors are crossed in each contracted region of each elongated reader coil.

32. An antenna configuration for determining identity and location of RFID tags in a two-dimensional distribution of possible locations, the antenna configuration comprising:

(a) a first set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the first set associated with a different column of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution; and

(b) a second set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the second set associated with a different row of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution, wherein;

each possible location in the two-dimensional distribution is associated with (i) a single elongated reader coil in the first set and (ii) a single elongated reader coil in the second set;

further comprising control electronics adapted to energize each elongated reader coil and record the identity of RFID tags responding to each energized reader coil, wherein the control electronics are adapted to inject a signal into each of one or more neighboring reader coils that neighbor an energized reader coil, wherein the injected signal inhibits RFID tags associated with the corresponding neighboring reader coil from being read by the energized reader coil.

33. The invention of claim 32, wherein the injected signal has a polarity opposite that of the energized reader coil.

34. The invention of claim 32, wherein the injected signal is electronic noise.

35. The invention of claim 32, wherein the one or more neighboring reader coils having injected signals include at least one nearest-neighbor reader coil and at least one next-nearest-neighbor reader coil.

36. An antenna configuration for determining identity and location of RFID tags in a two-dimensional distribution of possible locations, the antenna configuration comprising:

(a) a first set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the first set associated with a different column of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution; and

(b) a second set of elongated reader coils, each elongated reader coil in the second set associated with a different row of possible locations in the two-dimensional distribution, wherein;

each possible location in the two-dimensional distribution is associated with (i) a single elongated reader coil in the first set and (ii) a single elongated reader coil in the second set;

the two-dimensional distribution corresponds to a box having a two-dimensional distribution of slots for receiving samples, each sample having a unique RFID tag;

the two-dimensional distribution is a substantially sector-shaped distribution of annular and radial rows/columns of slots;

at least two annular rows/columns have different numbers of slots; and

at least two radial rows/columns have different numbers of slots.