Laboratory device, laboratory rack assembly and method for coupling an RFID chip

• US 8,400,306 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Molecular Systems (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Molecular Systems (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Trueeb, Heinz, Birrer, Armin, Brauner, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US12/356,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20110095864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.7, 340/568.1, 340/571, 340/539.1, 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/10.31, 340/10.32, 340/5.91, 705/22, 705/23, 705/28, 343/702, 343/876, 343/878, 343/893
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22

Abstract

Devices and methods for the identification of test tubes in a test tube rack having a RFID chip, and including an antenna structure elements for wireless coupling with the RFID chip, such that the location of the RFID chip determines the orientation of the test tube rack and the position of the test tube, and coupling of the RFID chips attached to the test tube racks is independent of the direction of insertion of the test tube rack.

Claims

1. A laboratory device comprising:

a rack holding assembly,

one or more laboratory racks for holding at least one laboratory vessel, the one or more laboratory racks having a generally rectangular shape with a RFID chip applied to one side surface in a position offset as to the center axis of the laboratory rack, such that the location of the RFID chip determines the orientation of the laboratory rack and the position of the at least one laboratory vessel, and

an antenna structure element for wireless coupling with the RFID chip of the one or more laboratory rack, the antenna structure element comprising a substantially flat carrier substrate with a first carrier surface and a second carrier surface opposite the first carrier surface, and comprising at least two antennas applied on the carrier substrate, wherein a first antenna of the at least two antennas is applied on the first carrier surface and a second antenna of the at least two antennas is applied on the second carrier surface, the at least two antennas positioned in a staggered manner on alternating locations on the first and second carrier surfaces offset to each other by a distance corresponding to the position of the RFID chip of the laboratory rack, wherein coupling of the RFID chips attached to the laboratory racks is independent of the direction of insertion of the laboratory rack.

2. The laboratory device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of rack receptacles capable of holding the laboratory racks in a row-and-column structure.

3. The laboratory device according to claim 2, wherein the antenna structure elements are arranged parallel to each other between columns or rows of rack receptacles.

4. The laboratory device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two antennas are printed on the carrier substrate.

5. The laboratory device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two antennas are deposited on the carrier substrate.

6. The laboratory device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two antennas are adhered onto the carrier substrate.

7. The laboratory device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two antennas are made of copper or aluminum.

8. The laboratory device according to claim 1, wherein the at least two antennas are produced by a (photo-)lithography process.

9. The laboratory device according to claim 1, wherein the carrier substrate is a substantially flat elongated substrate comprising an even number of antennas distributed on both carrier surfaces.

10. The laboratory device according to claim 9, wherein the antennas are applied alternatingly on the two carrier surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the carrier substrate.

11. The laboratory device according to claim 1, wherein the antennas have a short range of transmission.

12. A method for coupling an RFID chip of a laboratory rack, comprising:

providing at least two antenna element structures according to claim 1;

placing the antenna element structures in parallel to each other so that their respective carrier surfaces are facing the carrier surfaces of each adjacent antenna element structure;

placing one or more laboratory racks with RFID chips on each respective laboratory rack between two adjacent antenna element structures; and

consecutively energising each antenna.

13. A method for coupling an RFID chip of a laboratory rack, comprising:

providing at least two antenna element structures according to claim 1;

placing the antenna element structures in parallel to each other so that their respective carrier surfaces are facing the carrier surfaces of each adjacent antenna element structure;

placing one or more laboratory racks with RFID chips on each respective laboratory rack between two adjacent antenna element structures; and

simultaneously energising each antenna.

14. A laboratory device according to claim 1, wherein the laboratory device comprises at least one of member selected from the group consisting of a pipetting device, a stirrer, a tempering device, a shaker, and an agitator.

15. A rack assembly for holding a plurality of laboratory racks comprising:

a plurality of rack receptacles for receiving and holding the laboratory racks in a row-and-column structure, the laboratory racks having a generally rectangular shape with a RFID chip applied to one side surface in a position offset as to the center axis of the laboratory rack, such that the location of the RFID chip determines the orientation of the laboratory rack, and

a plurality of antenna structure elements for wireless coupling with the RFID chip of the laboratory rack, the antenna structure element comprising a substantially flat carrier substrate with a first carrier surface and a second carrier surface opposite the first carrier surface, and comprising at least two antennas applied on the carrier substrate, wherein a first antenna of the at least two antennas is applied on the first carrier surface and a second antenna of the at least two antennas is applied on the second carrier surface, the at least two antennas positioned in a staggered manner on alternating locations on the first and second carrier surfaces offset to each other by a distance corresponding to the position of the RFID chip of the laboratory rack, wherein coupling of the RFID chips attached to the laboratory racks is independent of the direction of insertion of the laboratory rack, wherein the antenna structure elements are arranged parallel to each other between columns or rows of rack receptacles.

16. An antenna structure element for wireless coupling with an RFID chip of a test tube rack for holding at least one test tube, the test tube rack having a generally rectangular shape with a RFID chip applied to one side surface in a position offset as to the center axis of the test tube rack, such that the location of the RFID chip determines the orientation of the test tube rack and the position of the at least one test tube, the antenna structure element comprising a substantially flat carrier substrate with a first carrier surface and a second carrier surface opposite the first carrier surface, and comprising at least two antennas applied on the carrier substrate, wherein a first antenna of the at least two antennas is applied on the first carrier surface and a second antenna of the at least two antennas is applied on the second carrier surface, the at least two antennas positioned in a staggered manner on alternating locations on the first and second carrier surfaces offset to each other by a distance corresponding to the position of the RFID chip of the test tube rack, wherein coupling of the RFID chips attached to the test tube racks is independent of the direction of insertion of the test tube rack.

17. A rack assembly for holding a plurality of laboratory racks for holding at least one laboratory vessel, comprising:

a plurality of rack receptacles capable of holding the laboratory racks in a row-and-column structure, the laboratory racks having a generally rectangular shape with a RFID chip applied to one side surface in a position offset as to the center axis of the laboratory rack, such that the location of the RFID chip determines the orientation of the laboratory rack and the position of the at least one laboratory vessel, and

a plurality of antenna structure elements for wireless coupling with the RFID chip of the laboratory rack, wherein each antenna structure element comprises a substantially flat carrier substrate with a first carrier surface and a second carrier surface opposite the first carrier surface, and comprising at least two antennas applied on the carrier substrate, wherein a first antenna of the at least two antennas is applied on the first carrier surface and a second antenna of the at least two antennas is applied on the second carrier surface, the two antennas being applied on the two carrier surfaces in a staggered format such that the offset between the two antennas corresponds to two possible locations of the RFID laboratory rack chip to be read in the rack assembly, the at least two antennas positioned on alternating locations on the first and second carrier surfaces offset to each other by a distance corresponding to the position of the RFID chip of the laboratory rack, wherein coupling of the RFID chips attached to the laboratory racks is independent of the direction of insertion of the laboratory rack.