Method of identifying tagged articles

• US 8,686,859 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meps Real-Time, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Meps Real-Time, Inc.
• Inventors: Hussain, Shariq, Shamblin, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHERWIN, RYAN W
• Application Number:
  US13/776,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20130241710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 340 101- 106, 340/568.1, 340/545.6, 340/570, 700/231, 700/242, 312/209, 312/330.1, 312/334.35, 235/385
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10168 the powering being adversely affected by environmental influences, e.g. unwanted energy loss in the interrogation signal due to metallic or capacitive objects in the proximity of the interrogation device or in the proximity of the interrogated record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/00 ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical references
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A method of identifying articles, each of which has a data carrier that includes identifying data of the article, the data carriers having an operation frequency, provides a robust electromagnetic (EM) field within an enclosure in which the articles are stored, even when the natural resonance frequency of the enclosure differs from the operation frequency of the data carriers. In one case data carriers comprise, RFID tags. The EM energy at the operation frequency that is injected into the enclosure to form the robust EM field is injected at a selected location in the enclosure so that the reflected phase of the EM energy from enclosure walls equals the location of injection thereby producing a robust EM field to activate and/or detect data carriers. Active impedance matching is also provided.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a medical article by reading a data carrier that is attached to the medical article, the data carrier having a specified operation frequency f₁ in response to which the data carrier provides identification data, the medical article being located within an internal storage area of a metallic enclosure, the metallic enclosure further having electrically conductive walls that completely surround the internal storage area and any medical article with associated data carrier placed therein, the metallic enclosure having a natural frequency of resonance f₂ which is a frequency other than the specified operation frequency f₁ of the data carrier, the method comprising:

injecting electromagnetic (“

EM”

) energy of a frequency f₁ into the metallic enclosure from a location within the enclosure, the injecting location being selected in relation to the metallic walls so that reflected energy of frequency f₁ within the metallic enclosure is in phase at the location of injection to thereby optimize power transfer of EM energy at frequency f₁ into the enclosure;

actively matching an impedance associated with injecting the EM energy into the metallic enclosure to more closely match an impedance of the metallic enclosure at frequency f₁; and

receiving identification data provided by a data carrier located within the internal storage area of the metallic enclosure by means of an antenna disposed within the metallic enclosure.

2. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 further comprising configuring the metallic enclosure by moving a drawer that forms a part of the metallic enclosure and comprises at least a part of the internal storage area in which medical articles having data carriers may be stored, out of the metallic enclosure thereby configuring the enclosure to be open and not completely surrounding the drawer and its stored medical articles, and the drawer being movable into the metallic enclosure thereby configuring the enclosure to be closed and completely surrounding the drawer and stored medical articles contained therein.

3. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 2 wherein the step of configuring the metallic enclosure through opening and closing the movable drawer, comprises opening and closing the drawer wherein the opening and closing part of the drawer is electrically conductive while remaining portions of the drawer are electrically non-conductive.

4. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 2 wherein the step of configuring the metallic enclosure through opening and closing the movable drawer comprises opening and closing the drawer wherein the opening and closing part of the drawer is the front panel of the drawer which contacts the remaining part of the metallic enclosure when the drawer is closed to complete the metallic enclosure and completely surround medical articles contained in the drawer and wherein the front panel of the drawer does not contact the metallic enclosure when the drawer is open thereby leaving the metallic enclosure open and not completely surrounding the medical articles contained within the drawer.

5. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 wherein the step of injecting further comprises:

injecting EM energy into the metallic enclosure from a plurality of injection locations within the metallic enclosure, each of the injection locations selected so as to inject EM energy into the enclosure at frequency f₁, wherein the position of each injection location is selected in relation to the metallic walls to optimize power transfer at frequency f₁ into the metallic enclosure to provide coverage of a portion of the metallic enclosure with an electromagnetic field; and

the method further comprising injecting EM energy into the metallic enclosure from the plurality of injection locations sequentially to inject their respective EM energy at frequency f₁ into the metallic enclosure to thereby provide a composite EM energy field.

6. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving identification data provided by a data carrier located within the internal storage area of the metallic enclosure by means of an antenna disposed within the metallic enclosure comprises receiving the identification data from an antenna that is located on an opposite side of the internal storage area from the location of injection of the EM into the enclosure.

7. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving identification data comprises receiving the identification data by a receiving antenna that is located at a position outside the internal storage area.

8. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving identification data comprises receiving the identification data by a receiving antenna that comprises a microstrip patch antenna.

9. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 wherein the step of actively matching impedance associated with injecting to impedance of the metallic enclosure further comprises actively matching impedance associated with injecting EM to the metallic enclosure at frequency f₁ as contents of the storage device change.

10. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 wherein the step of injecting comprises injecting EM energy into the metallic enclosure for operation in the TE01 mode.

11. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 wherein the step of injecting comprises injecting EM energy into the metallic enclosure for operation in the TM01 mode.

12. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 wherein the step of injecting comprises injecting EM energy into the metallic enclosure while capacitively coupled thereto.

13. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 1 wherein the step of injecting comprises injecting EM energy into the metallic enclosure through an electromagnetically inert cover placed within the metallic enclosure over the injecting location, the inert cover being configured to protect an injection site from damage, wherein the internal storage area is shaped so that the inert cover extends into the internal storage area without interference with operation of the internal storage area.

14. A method of identifying a medical article by reading a data carrier that is attached to the medical article, the data carrier having a specified operation frequency f₁ in response to which the data carrier provides identification data, the medical article being located within an internal storage area of a metallic enclosure, the metallic enclosure further having electrically conductive walls that completely surround the internal storage area and any medical article with associated data carrier placed therein, the metallic enclosure having a natural frequency of resonance f₂ which is a frequency other than the specified operation frequency f₁ of the data carrier, the method comprising:

injecting electromagnetic (“

EM”

) energy of a frequency f₁ into the metallic enclosure from a location within the enclosure while capacitively coupling to the enclosure, the injecting location being selected in relation to the metallic walls so that reflected EM of frequency f₁ within the metallic enclosure is in phase at the location of injection to thereby optimize power transfer of energy at frequency f₁ into the enclosure;

storing medical articles having respective data carriers responsive to frequency f1 in a drawer that is located within the storage area, the drawer being movable out of and into the storage area and the metallic enclosure;

actively matching an impedance associated with injecting the EM energy into the metallic enclosure to more closely match an impedance provided by the metallic enclosure and medical articles located in the drawer at frequency f₁; and

receiving identification data provided by a data carrier located within the internal storage area of the metallic enclosure by means of an antenna disposed within the metallic enclosure.

15. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 14 wherein the step of receiving identification data includes receiving identification data with a microstrip patch antenna.

16. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 14 wherein the step of injecting comprises injection EM energy into the metallic enclosure for operation in the TE01 mode.

17. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 14 wherein the step of injecting comprises injection EM energy into the metallic enclosure for operation in the TM01 mode.

18. The method of identifying a medical article of claim 14 wherein the step of injecting comprises injecting EM energy into the metallic enclosure through an electromagnetically inert cover placed within the metallic enclosure over the injecting location, the inert cover being configured to protect an injection site from damage, wherein the internal storage area is shaped so that the inert cover extends into the internal storage area without interference with operation of the internal storage area.