Registration of medical equipment

• US 9,690,958 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caretag Surgical ApS
• Original Assignee: Caretag Surgical ApS
• Inventors: Mortensen, Soren Bilsoe
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Dionne H
• Application Number:
  US14/911,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20160196456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0096 Identification of the cart or merchandise, e.g. by barcodes or radio frequency identification [RFID]
• 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 7/10178 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: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/526 Electromagnetic shields
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/185 wherein the surfaces are plane
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/75 by polling or interrogating the sub-stations

Abstract

An RFID registration apparatus for registering units comprising RFID tags. The registration apparatus comprises: a detector space defined by a top, a bottom and four vertical sides including a first vertical side and a second vertical side, wherein the second vertical side is opposite the first vertical side; a receiver adapted to receive a number of units and be placed inside the detector space; a first antenna configured for reading RFID tags by emitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation within a first frequency range; and at least four plane reflector surfaces. Wherein a first primary reflector surface and a first secondary reflector surface span a first angle, and a second primary reflector surface and a second secondary reflector surface span a second angle. The first angle and the second angle are in the range of 70-140 degrees.

Claims

1. An RFID registration apparatus for registering units comprising RFID tags, the registration apparatus comprising:

a detector space comprising a top, a bottom and four vertical sides including a first vertical side and a second vertical side, wherein the second vertical side is opposite the first vertical side,

a receiver configured to receive a number of units and to be placed inside the detector space,

a first antenna configured to read the RFID tags by emitting and receiving electromagnetic radiation within a first frequency range, the first antenna is at the top of the detector space, and

at least four plane reflector surfaces, including a first primary reflector surface, a first secondary reflector surface, a second primary reflector surface and a second secondary reflector surface, each reflector surface is configured to reflect the electromagnetic radiation within the first frequency range,

wherein the first primary reflector surface is positioned to intersect the first vertical side and the top of the detector space, and the first secondary reflector surface is positioned to intersect the first vertical side and the bottom of the detector space, and the second primary reflector surface is positioned to intersect the second vertical side and the top of the detector space, and the second secondary reflector surface is positioned to intersect the second vertical side and the bottom of the detector space,

wherein the first primary reflector surface and the first secondary reflector surface span a first angle facing the detector space, and the second primary reflector surface and the second secondary reflector surface span a second angle facing the detector space, wherein the first angle and the second angle are in the range of 70-140 degrees.

2. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first angle and/or the second angle is a right angle.

3. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first primary reflector surface and the first antenna span a first antenna angle facing the detector space, and the second primary reflector surface and the first antenna span a second antenna angle facing the detector space, wherein the first antenna angle and/or the second antenna angle is more than 90 degrees.

4. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first primary reflector surface and/or the second primary reflector surface extends to a vertical position above the top of the detector space.

5. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first secondary reflector surface and/or the second secondary reflector surface extends to a vertical position below the bottom of the detector space.

6. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is vertically positioned below a line from the first angle to the second angle.

7. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a first motor configured to drive the receiver into and/or out of the detector space.

8. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a second motor configured to change the orientation of the first antenna when reading the RFID tags.

9. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna is tilted and/or rotated when reading the RFID tags.

10. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a second antenna, the second antenna is positioned to intersect the top and a third vertical side of the detector space.

11. The RFID registration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first frequency range is in the range of 860-960 MHz.

12. The method for detecting and registering units comprising RFID tags, configured to respond to receiving electromagnetic radiation within a first frequency range, the method comprising the steps:

a. place a number of units in a receiver, each unit comprising an RFID tag,

b. place the receiver inside a detector space, the detector space including a top, a bottom and four vertical sides including a first vertical side and a second vertical side, wherein the second vertical side is opposite the first vertical side, and adjacent to the detector space is at least four plane reflector surfaces, including a first primary reflector surface, a first secondary reflector surface, a second primary reflector surface and a second secondary reflector surface, each reflector surface configured to reflect the electromagnetic radiation within the first frequency range, wherein the first primary reflector surface is positioned to intersect the first vertical side and the top of the detector space, and the first secondary reflector surface is positioned to intersect the first vertical side and the bottom of the detector space, and the second primary reflector surface is positioned to intersect the second vertical side and the top of the detector space, and the second secondary reflector surface is positioned to intersect the second vertical side and the bottom of the detector space, and a first antenna is at the top of the detector space, the first antenna configured to read the RFID tags by emitting and receiving the electromagnetic radiation within the first frequency range, the first primary reflector surface and the first secondary reflector surface span a first angle facing the detector space, and the second primary reflector surface and the second secondary reflector surface span a second angle facing the detector space, wherein the first angle and the second angle are in the range of 70-140 degrees,

c. emit the electromagnetic radiation within the first frequency range from the first antenna,

d. receive at the first antenna responses from the RFID tags in the receiver in the form of the electromagnetic radiation,

e. repeat steps c and d one or more times,

f. identify from the received responses which of the RFID tags responded, and

g. remove the receiver from the detector space.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first antenna is tilted and/or rotated during repeated emitting and receiving of the electromagnetic radiation.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises comparing the identified RFID tags with values of a table, and reporting whether or not the identified RFID tags corresponds to values of the table.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is repositioned during repeated emitting and receiving of the electromagnetic radiation.