System and method for tracking medical articles

• US 9,916,427 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• 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, Williams, James P., Elizondo, II, Paul M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERWIN, RYAN W
• Application Number:
  US14/981,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• 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

An automatic data collection system tracks medical articles by providing a robust electromagnetic (EM) field within an enclosure in which the articles are stored. Respective data carriers, such as RFID tags, attached to each article respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting data identified with each article. An RFID scanner receives the transmitted RFID tag identification data and a processor compares the received identification data to a data base. The data base associates the identification data with data concerning the medical article to which the RFID tag is affixed, such as the name of the medicine, the size of the dose, and the expiration date. The processor is also programmed to keep track of the number of articles of a particular type remaining in the enclosure, to note receipt of an article in the enclosure, and to note removal of the article.

Claims

1. A system for reading a data carrier that is attached to an article, the data carrier being responsive to electromagnetic energy (EM) of a frequency f₁ in response to which the data carrier provides unique identification data, the system comprising:

an enclosure having electrically conductive walls, the enclosure has a natural frequency of resonance f₂ wherein the frequency f₁ is different from the natural frequency of resonance of the enclosure f₂;

a probe mounted at one of the walls of the enclosure, the probe configured to inject EM into the enclosure, the position of the probe being selected so that reflected phase of EM from the walls is equal and in phase at the probe position wherein the position of the probe in relation to the walls of the enclosure is selected to optimize power transfer into the enclosure;

a storage device located within the enclosure configured to receive data carriers with respective articles to be stored; and

a receiving antenna disposed within the enclosure and configured to receive the unique identification data provided by the data carriers.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an impedance matching circuit configured to more closely match impedance of the probe to impedance of the enclosure.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the impedance matching circuit comprises an active impedance matching circuit.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the storage device comprises a drawer adapted to move into and out of the enclosure.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein a portion of the drawer forms a portion of the electrically conductive enclosure when the drawer is in a predetermined position in relation to the enclosure.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the drawer is non-electrically conductive except for a portion of the drawer that forms a portion of the electrically conductive enclosure.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the receiving antenna is located on an opposite side of the storage device from the probe.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of probes, each probe being mounted at a wall of the enclosure, each of the probes configured to inject EM into the enclosure at the respective position of the probe, wherein the position of each probe in relation to the walls of the enclosure is selected so that reflected phase of EM from the walls is equal and in phase at the respective probe position whereby the respective positions of the probes optimize power transfer into the enclosure to provide coverage of a portion of the enclosure with an electromagnetic field;

an EM transmitter connected to each of the plurality of probes; and

a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader having a computer, the computer configured to control the EM transmitter to provide EM to each of the plurality of probes sequentially.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a cooling system located within the enclosure and configured to direct cooling air at the storage device.

10. A system for tracking an article having a data carrier attached thereto, the data carrier being responsive to electromagnetic energy (EM) of a frequency f₁ in response to which the data carrier broadcasts unique identification data, the system comprising:

an enclosure having electrically conductive walls, the enclosure has a natural frequency of resonance of f₂, wherein f₂ is different from f₁;

a probe mounted at one of the walls of the enclosure, the probe configured to inject EM into the enclosure, the position of the probe being selected so that reflected phase of EM from the walls is equal and in phase at the probe position wherein the position of the probe in relation to the walls of the enclosure is selected to optimize power transfer into the enclosure;

a drawer movably disposed within the enclosure, the drawer configured to store articles having respective data carriers and to be slidable into and out of the enclosure through an opening in the enclosure, the drawer having a front panel that is electrically conductive and that contacts the electrically conductive enclosure when the drawer is slid to a predetermined position within the enclosure; and

a receiving antenna disposed within the enclosure and configured to receive the unique identification data provided by the data carriers.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a cooling system located within the enclosure and configured to direct cooling air at the drawer.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising an impedance matching circuit configured to more closely match impedance of the probe to impedance of the enclosure.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the impedance matching circuit comprises an active impedance matching circuit.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein a portion of the drawer forms a portion of the electrically conductive enclosure when the drawer is in a predetermined position in relation to the enclosure.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the drawer is non-electrically conductive except for a portion of the drawer that forms a portion of the electrically conductive enclosure.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the receiving antenna is located on an opposite side of the storage device from the probe.

17. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a plurality of probes, each probe being mounted at a wall of the enclosure, each of the probes configured to inject EM into the enclosure at the respective position of the probe, wherein the position of each probe in relation to the walls of the enclosure is selected so that reflected phase of EM from the walls is equal and in phase at the respective probe position whereby the respective positions of the probes optimize power transfer into the enclosure to provide coverage of a portion of the enclosure with an electromagnetic field;

an EM transmitter connected to each of the plurality of probes; and

a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader having a computer, the computer configured to control the EM transmitter to provide EM to each of the plurality of probes sequentially.

18. A system for establishing a robust electromagnetic field within an enclosure, the system comprising:

an enclosure having electrically conductive walls, the enclosure has a natural frequency of resonance f₂;

a plurality of probes, each probe being mounted at a wall of the enclosure, each of the probes configured to inject electromagnetic energy (EM) into the enclosure, the EM having a frequency of f₁, wherein f₁ and f₂ are different;

wherein the position of each probe in relation to the walls of the enclosure is selected so that reflected phase of EM from the walls is equal and in phase at the respective probe position whereby the respective positions of the probes optimize power transfer into the enclosure;

an EM transmitter connected to each of the plurality of probes;

a computer configured to control the EM transmitter to provide EM to each of the plurality of probes sequentially; and

a storage device located within the enclosure configured to receive articles to be stored.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a cooling system located within the enclosure and configured to direct cooling air at the storage device.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising an impedance matching circuit configured to more closely match impedance of the probes to impedance of the enclosure.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the impedance matching circuit comprises an active impedance matching circuit.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the storage device comprises a drawer adapted to move into and out of the enclosure.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein a portion of the drawer forms a portion of the electrically conductive enclosure when the drawer is in a predetermined position in relation to the enclosure.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the drawer is non-electrically conductive except for a portion of the drawer that forms a portion of the electrically conductive enclosure.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the drawer is slidable into and out of the enclosure through an opening in the enclosure, the drawer having a front panel that is electrically conductive and that contacts the electrically conductive enclosure when the drawer is slid to a predetermined position within the enclosure.