Verification station and method for verifying consumables thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses an RFID-based consumable verification method, comprising the following steps: asynchronous antenna activation: driving the activation and deactivation of multiple antenna units according to a timing sequence to control the multiple antenna units to asynchronously transmit radio frequency signals; tag signal demodulation: decoding the modulated signal transmitted by the received consumable tag to obtain the tag information of the consumable for verification, wherein the modulated signal is excited by the radio frequency signal. This invention's consumable verification method compensates for the energy distribution of the spatial radio frequency signal by controlling the operation of multiple antenna units according to a timing sequence, reducing blind zone distribution and lowering multipath interference and signal clutter, resulting in a more uniform electromagnetic wave energy distribution. This allows the tag to obtain stronger energy to excite the tag's chip, thereby improving the accuracy of the read / write unit in reading the tag. This invention also provides a verification console.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese application filed on November 24, 2022, with application number 202211485848.9 and invention title "A method, apparatus, verification table and system for verifying consumables based on RFID". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to the technical fields of next-generation information technology and the biomedical industry, and in particular to a verification table and its consumable verification method. Background Technology

[0003] Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems are non-contact automatic identification systems that automatically identify target objects and acquire relevant data through radio frequency wireless signals. RFID systems use electronic tags to identify objects. By transmitting radio frequency wireless signals to the electronic tags, the tags transmit the item data back through these signals. The basic working principle is as follows: a specific frequency radio frequency signal is sent through a transmitting antenna. When the electronic tag enters the effective working area, an induced current is generated, thereby gaining energy and being activated, causing the electronic tag to transmit its encoded information through its built-in antenna. The receiving antenna receives the modulated signal sent from the electronic tag, demodulates and decodes it, and then transmits the valid tag information to the back-end host system for further processing.

[0004] Due to varying antenna characteristics and different antenna placement orientations, existing RFID systems for identifying items suffer from the problem of missing reads of electronic tags. For example, in hospital medicine cabinets or consumable cabinet verification systems, ultra-high frequency (UHF) near-field antennas are often used to identify electronic tags on consumables in order to provide a sufficiently wide reading range. However, due to the loop microstrip line layout characteristics of UHF near-field antennas, the electromagnetic field energy distribution generated by the antenna within the semi-enclosed metal cavity is uneven. At the corners of the cavity, a large number of energy radiation blind zones are generated due to electromagnetic multipath interference. When an UHF tag is located in this blind zone, it is difficult to activate the tag chip, making it easy for the UHF read / write unit to miss reading tags in this area, resulting in low accuracy of consumable identification in the verification system. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method, device, verification table and system for verifying consumables based on RFID, so as to improve the accuracy of consumables identification.

[0006] This invention provides an RFID-based consumable verification method, the method comprising:

[0007] Asynchronous antenna startup: The multiple antenna elements are turned on and off according to the timing sequence to control the multiple antenna elements to transmit radio frequency signals asynchronously;

[0008] Tag signal demodulation: Decode the modulated signal sent by the received tag of the consumable to obtain the tag information of the consumable for verification, wherein the modulated signal is excited by the radio frequency signal.

[0009] In some embodiments, the demodulated tag signal further includes:

[0010] Database retrieval: Retrieve data from a database, which contains multiple preset data tags for data entry.

[0011] Consumable verification and update: The obtained label information is verified against the inbound label data. If the obtained label information exists in the database, the consumable data is updated.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method further includes the following before asynchronous antenna startup:

[0013] Antenna gain acquisition: Acquire the gain of the antenna element;

[0014] Antenna adjustment: Control the antenna unit to move or rotate in order to adjust the radiation coverage of the radio frequency signal it transmits.

[0015] In some embodiments, the antenna element is an ultra-high frequency near-field antenna element, and a plurality of the antenna element matrices are arranged in a verification station. The verification station has a placement plate, and the placement plate is provided with a set of reference tags corresponding to the area of ​​any adjacent antenna element. The antenna adjustment includes:

[0016] Drive adjacent antenna elements to turn on and off sequentially;

[0017] Receive feedback signals sent by the reference tag to obtain the recognition rate of the reference tag;

[0018] The spacing between adjacent antenna elements is adjusted according to the recognition rate.

[0019] In some embodiments, the number of reference tag sets is set to multiple sets, with each set of reference tag sets corresponding one-to-one with each antenna element. Adjusting the spacing between adjacent antenna elements according to the recognition rate includes:

[0020] Move or rotate the position of each antenna element to maximize the recognition rate of the corresponding reference tag set.

[0021] In some embodiments, a weighing unit is provided on the placement plate corresponding to the position of each antenna element, and the asynchronous antenna start-up includes:

[0022] Obtain the consumable weight of the corresponding area of ​​each antenna element sent by the weighing unit;

[0023] The corresponding antenna units are turned on and off sequentially according to the weight order of the consumables.

[0024] The present invention also provides an RFID-based consumable verification device, comprising:

[0025] A storage unit is used to store at least one instruction.

[0026] A control unit, configured to execute the RFID-based consumable verification method according to the instructions; and

[0027] Multiple antenna elements.

[0028] The present invention also provides a verification station, including the aforementioned RFID-based consumable verification device.

[0029] In some embodiments, the verification station includes a metal plate, a placement plate, and a metal cavity with one open side. The placement plate is disposed above the metal cavity. The metal plate and the antenna unit are disposed between the placement plate and the bottom of the metal cavity. The antenna unit is close to the placement plate. The metal plate is configured to be movable relative to the metal cavity.

[0030] The present invention also provides an RFID-based consumable verification system, the system including the aforementioned verification station and at least one medicine cabinet or server, the verification station and the medicine cabinet or server being communicatively connected, the server or medicine cabinet being configured with a database, the server or medicine cabinet being used to receive consumable data and record updates in the corresponding database, or to receive tag information and perform verification record updates according to the database.

[0031] The beneficial technical effects of this invention are as follows: This invention, based on RFID, provides a consumable verification method, device, verification platform, and system. It drives multiple antenna units to open and close according to different timing sequences, while simultaneously controlling the corresponding antenna units to asynchronously transmit radio frequency signals. This achieves mutual compensation of the energy distribution of spatial radio frequency signals, reduces blind zone distribution, and lowers multipath interference and signal clutter. This results in a more uniform electromagnetic wave energy distribution, allowing the electronic tags corresponding to the consumables to obtain stronger energy and be excited to receive feedback modulation signals, thereby obtaining the electronic tag data on the corresponding consumables and improving the accuracy of consumable identification. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the following description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1A flowchart illustrating the RFID-based consumable verification method provided by this invention;

[0034] Figure 2 For the present invention Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the process before asynchronous startup of the antenna.

[0035] Figure 3 For the present invention Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the method for adjusting the antenna.

[0036] Figure 4 For the present invention Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the method for adjusting the spacing between adjacent antenna elements based on the recognition rate;

[0037] Figure 5 For the present invention Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the asynchronous startup method for the antenna.

[0038] Figure 6 A structural block diagram of the RFID-based consumable verification device provided by the present invention;

[0039] Figure 7 Another structural block diagram of the RFID-based consumable verification device provided by the present invention;

[0040] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the verification station provided by the present invention;

[0041] Figure 9 Another structural schematic diagram of the verification station provided by the present invention;

[0042] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the RFID-based consumable verification system provided by the present invention;

[0043] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of electromagnetic wave radiation from a traditional near-field antenna.

[0044] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of electromagnetic wave radiation from a single antenna element provided by the present invention;

[0045] Figure 13 A structural block diagram of another embodiment of the RFID-based consumable verification device provided by the present invention;

[0046] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the medicine cabinet provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art with respect to the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 6-8 , Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the RFID-based consumable verification method provided by the present invention. Figure 6 This is a structural block diagram of the RFID-based consumable verification device provided by the present invention. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the verification station of the present invention. The method is mainly applied to the verification station 10. In this embodiment, the verification station 10 includes a metal cavity 11 with one side open. Four antenna elements 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d are arranged in a matrix inside the metal cavity 11. It is worth noting that in other embodiments of the present invention, the antenna elements 121 can also be arranged symmetrically. For example, four of the five antenna elements 121 are arranged symmetrically in pairs, and the fifth antenna element 121 is symmetrically distributed in the middle of the four antenna elements 121, etc. For example, the six antenna elements 121 are divided into three groups and arranged symmetrically in pairs, etc. The RFID-based consumable verification method includes the following steps:

[0049] S300, Asynchronous Antenna Start-up: Drives the opening and closing of multiple antenna elements 121 according to the timing sequence to control the multiple antenna elements 121 to asynchronously transmit radio frequency signals.

[0050] In this embodiment, the timing sequence is the time sequence, and the consumable verification device 1 is a verification device including read / write function and control function. The read / write unit 20 with read / write function can drive the four antenna units 121 to turn on and off in turn according to the preset time sequence, so that the radiation coverage of each antenna unit 121 covers a part of the area and compensates for the energy distribution of spatial radio frequency signals.

[0051] S400, Tag Signal Demodulation: Decodes the modulated signal sent by the received consumable tag to obtain consumable tag information for verification. The modulated signal is excited by the radio frequency signal.

[0052] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 6In this embodiment, the tag attached to the consumable enters the radiation coverage area of ​​the antenna unit 121 during operation to generate an induced current, thereby obtaining energy and being activated. This causes the tag to transmit its encoded information as a modulated signal through its built-in antenna. The receiving antenna of the read / write unit 20 receives the modulated signal sent from the tag, and transmits it to the signal processing module of the read / write unit 20 via the modulator of the receiving antenna for decoding to obtain the tag information. In this embodiment, the read / write unit 20 can centrally read the tags of the consumable after one or more rounds of turning the four antenna units 121 on and off, and then upload all the acquired tag data for relevant processing.

[0053] The antenna unit 121 is connected to the read / write unit 20 to identify the tags attached to the consumables. The read / write unit 20 is connected to the host of the verification station 10 to update the consumable data of the medicine cabinet 100 after verifying the tag information. The tag refers to the tag code, which can be an ID code, QR code, or barcode, used to record information such as the ID of the consumable, the weight of the consumable, the type of the consumable, and the quantity of each type of consumable. The relevant information of the consumable includes the ID of the consumable, the type of the consumable, and the weight of the consumable. Each consumable ID is unique. The consumable verification method uses the read / write unit 20 to drive multiple antenna units 121 to open and close according to a preset timing sequence, and simultaneously controls the corresponding antenna units 121 to asynchronously transmit radio frequency signals. This allows the antenna units 121 to compensate for the energy distribution of the spatial radio frequency signals, reduce blind zone distribution, and decrease multipath interference and signal clutter. This results in a more uniform distribution of electromagnetic wave energy, enabling the electronic tag corresponding to the consumable to obtain stronger energy and be excited to receive a feedback modulation signal, thereby obtaining the electronic tag data on the corresponding consumable and improving the accuracy of consumable identification.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 10 , Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of an RFID-based consumable verification system provided by the present invention. In this embodiment, the system includes a verification station 10 and at least one medicine cabinet 100 or server 1000. In this embodiment, the verification station 10 has a host computer, and the host computer of the verification station 10 includes a display device and a communication device. The verification station 10 is placed outside the medicine cabinet 100. The host computer of the verification station 10 can communicate with the host computer of the medicine cabinet 100 and the server 1000. In other embodiments, the verification station 10 may not have a host computer and may be placed inside the medicine cabinet 100, communicating with the server 1000 through the host computer of the medicine cabinet 100. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the verification station 10 is communicatively connected to the server 1000 for independent use. Specifically, in this embodiment, the verification station 10 has a host computer and is placed outside the medicine cabinet 100. Both the host computer of the verification station 10 and the host computer of the medicine cabinet 100 can communicate with the server 1000. The above-mentioned communication connection includes a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination thereof.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a database can be pre-set. The database can be located in the host of the medicine cabinet 100, in the server 1000, or in the verification console 10. Specifically, in this embodiment, the database is located in the server 1000, and both the medicine cabinet 100 and the verification console 10 can access the database. Further, after S400, the following is also included:

[0056] S500, Database Acquisition: Acquires data from the database, which contains multiple preset data tags for data entry.

[0057] In this embodiment, the consumable data in the database is pre-written. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 1 and Figure 10 The database contains label information for all consumables in the medicine cabinet 100, including label codes, quantities, and weights. The database can be located on the host machine of the medicine cabinet 100 or on the server 1000. Multiple medicine cabinets 100 are managed through communication between the server 1000 and the other two. The verification station 10 is primarily used to verify the consumables taken in and out of the medicine cabinets 100.

[0058] S600 Consumables Verification and Update: Verify the acquired label information with the inbound label data. If the acquired label information exists in the database, update the consumables data.

[0059] It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the read / write unit 20 can also read and decode the modulation signal of the received consumable tag after one antenna in the antenna unit 121 is turned on or off, obtain the tag information that the antenna unit 121 can scan, and then further identify and verify the tag information in real time to determine whether the scanned tag is a valid tag in the database. This setting allows for the real-time exclusion of empty tags and duplicate tag counts during the verification process. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the host of the medicine cabinet 100 can also identify and verify the received tag information based on the consumable information corresponding to the tag information pre-written in the database, and update and record the consumable data of the medicine cabinet 100 according to the verification result. The consumable information includes the consumable ID, weight, and type; the consumable data of the medicine cabinet 100 includes the consumable ID, weight, type, and quantity of each type of consumable. Specifically:

[0060] S600 also includes: identifying and verifying the received tag information against the database to obtain the ID of the consumable corresponding to the tag information, and further updating the consumable data on the server 1000 based on the changes in consumable data recorded by the medicine cabinet 100 host.

[0061] If the tag information of the consumable read / write unit 20 of the verification station 10 is in the database, and the quantity of consumables recorded in the host database of the medicine cabinet 100 decreases, it is determined that the consumable was taken from the medicine cabinet 100. The ID and weight of the consumable are deleted from the consumable data of the medicine cabinet 100, and the quantity of the corresponding consumable type in the medicine cabinet 100 is updated. If the tag information of the consumable read / write unit 20 of the verification station 10 is in the database, and the consumable data recorded in the host database of the medicine cabinet 100 increases, it is determined that the consumable needs to be placed in the medicine cabinet 100. The ID of the consumable and the weight of the consumable are recorded in the consumable data of the medicine cabinet 100, and the quantity of the corresponding consumable type in the medicine cabinet 100 is updated according to the type of consumable. It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the medicine cabinet 100 has its own RFID identification module. This RFID identification module is a currently available identification module used to record whether the consumables in the medicine cabinet 100 have increased or decreased. Furthermore, it can be compared with the changes in the quantity of consumables recorded on the verification table 10 of this invention, making the data on the consumables in the medicine cabinet 100 more accurate. Specifically:

[0062] When medicine is taken out, if the number of consumables read and written by the reading and writing unit 20 of the verification table 10 is equal to the number of consumables taken out recorded by the medicine cabinet RFID module, the medicine cabinet 100 host controls the database to update and delete the number of consumables taken out.

[0063] In this embodiment, the medicine cabinet 100 host can obtain the database of its own consumables in the server 1000. After the update is completed, the update information is sent to the server 1000. The server 1000 updates the consumable data of the medicine cabinet 100 according to the update information.

[0064] If the number of consumables read and written by the reading and writing unit 20 of the verification station 10 is greater than or less than the number of consumables taken out recorded by the RFID module of the medicine cabinet 100, the host will issue an abnormality prompt and request confirmation of the consumables. In this embodiment, manual intervention can be carried out at this time, or the database can be updated with the assistance of the weighing and counting of the medicine cabinet 100. It is worth noting that the calculation of the medicine dispensing process corresponds to the calculation of the medicine taking process described above.

[0065] Further, please refer to Figure 10 In another embodiment, multiple medicine cabinets 100 can be managed by a verification station 10 and a server 1000. Based on the data read and written by the verification station 10 and the data read and written by the RFID systems of the multiple medicine cabinets 100, the server 1000 can update the database changes of the corresponding medicine cabinet 100. This allows for the statistical analysis of the usage of consumables in multiple medicine cabinets 100 within a given area.

[0066] Specifically, in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 7Before the S300, it also included:

[0067] S100, Antenna Gain Acquisition: Acquire the gain of antenna element 121.

[0068] S200, Antenna Adjustment: Controlling the movement or rotation of antenna unit 121 to adjust the radiation coverage area of ​​the radio frequency signal transmitted by antenna unit 121. Antenna unit 121 can be installed in a rotatable or movable manner via a rotation auxiliary structure. The rotation of the rotation auxiliary structure controls the rotation of antenna unit 121, thereby adjusting the radiation coverage area of ​​the radio frequency signal of antenna unit 121. This ensures that the radiation coverage area of ​​antenna unit 121 covers all corners, effectively reducing blind spots, preventing the read / write unit 20 from missing tags, and improving the accuracy of tag reading by the read / write unit 20. The rotation angle range of antenna unit 121 is 0~90°. The rotation angle and direction of rotation of each antenna unit 121 can be different.

[0069] Specifically, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 6 and Figure 8-9 The antenna unit is an ultra-high frequency near-field antenna unit. The purpose of the ultra-high frequency RFID near-field antenna is to ensure that the tags in the system can only work at close range, and the energy radiation is concentrated and constrained to a relatively close range directly above the antenna, thus ensuring the reading effect at close range and preventing misreading or cross-reading of surrounding electronic tags. Figure 8-9 A schematic diagram of the structure of the verification station 10 of the present invention is provided. In this embodiment of the verification station 10, the main function is to identify the tags in the verification station 10, thereby preventing cross-reading. The verification station 10 has a placement plate 14 and includes a metal cavity 11 with one side open. A plurality of antenna elements 121 are matrixed and arranged in the metal cavity 11. The placement plate 14 is disposed in the metal cavity 11 and is located above the plurality of antenna elements 121. A set of reference tags is set on the placement plate 14 corresponding to the target area of ​​any adjacent antenna element 121. The antenna adjustment in S200 may further include:

[0070] S210, drives adjacent antenna elements 121 to turn on and off sequentially;

[0071] S220, Receive feedback signals sent by the reference tag to obtain the recognition rate of the reference tag;

[0072] S230. Adjust the spacing between adjacent antenna elements 121 according to the recognition rate. In this embodiment, when the recognition rate reaches a preset value, the spacing at this time is the spacing that needs to be adjusted.

[0073] Please refer to 4 for details. Figure 4This is a flowchart illustrating the method for adjusting the spacing between adjacent antenna elements according to the recognition rate in this invention. In this embodiment, the number of reference tag sets can be set to multiple sets, that is, the reference tag sets include multiple sets, and each set of reference tag sets corresponds one-to-one with each antenna element 121. Adjusting the spacing between adjacent antenna elements 121 according to the recognition rate includes:

[0074] S231, move or rotate the position of each antenna element 121 to maximize the recognition rate of the corresponding reference tag set.

[0075] S232. Stop when the recognition rate of the corresponding reference tag set is the maximum. In this embodiment, when the recognition rate of the antenna element 121 corresponding to the reference tag is the maximum, the interval between two adjacent antenna elements 121 is the adjusted interval.

[0076] For details, please refer to Figure 6 In another embodiment, antenna adjustment may also include another method. Taking two adjacent antenna elements 121 as an example, to further obtain the interval between two adjacent antenna elements 121, multiple antenna element matrixes 121 can be set in the verification station 10. The verification station 10 is provided with a placement plate 14. The placement plate 14 sets a set of reference tags for the area of ​​any two adjacent antenna elements 121. The control read / write unit 20 drives any two adjacent antenna elements 121 to turn on and off sequentially. The interval between two adjacent antenna elements 121 is adjusted according to the optimal recognition rate. The optimal recognition rate is the highest recognition rate of antenna element 121 for the corresponding set of reference tags and the lowest recognition rate for the reference tags corresponding to adjacent antenna elements 121. The target area of ​​two adjacent antenna elements 121 is the corresponding position area of ​​the two antenna elements 121 when the interval between the two adjacent antenna elements 121 needs to be determined. The system sequentially identifies each reference tag in the tag set. When the number of reference tags identified in one tag set is the highest and the number of reference tags identified in another tag set is the lowest, the distance between two adjacent antenna elements 121 is determined as the final distance. This ensures that the antenna element 121 can cover a larger area with less overlapping coverage, thus reducing the deduplication difficulty for the read / write unit 20. In summary, this embodiment sets a minimum actual overlap area to minimize the overlap of the radiation ranges of two adjacent antenna elements 121. This design allows the antenna element 121 to cover a larger area while eliminating blind spots between the two antenna elements 121.

[0077] Specifically, the spacing between two adjacent antenna elements 121 satisfies condition (1):

[0078] (1)

[0079] In the formula, This indicates the spacing between adjacent antenna elements 121. This indicates the wavelength of antenna element 121. By setting the spacing between two adjacent antenna elements 121 to between one-eighth and half the wavelength of antenna element 121, the combination of antenna elements 121 can achieve full coverage of electromagnetic wave energy.

[0080] Specifically, please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the method for asynchronous antenna startup is shown. In this embodiment, a weighing unit (not shown) is set on the placement plate 14 corresponding to the position of each antenna element 121. Before S300, the following is also included:

[0081] S310: Obtain the consumable weight of the corresponding area of ​​each antenna element 121 sent by the weighing unit;

[0082] In this embodiment, after obtaining the weight, it can be determined which area has a larger quantity of consumables. By changing the timing of the antenna activation and deactivation, the read / write unit 20 can first drive the antenna corresponding to the area with a larger quantity of consumables, thereby enabling the read / write unit 20 to first read and write the tags in the area with a larger quantity of consumables.

[0083] S320 sequentially drives the corresponding antenna unit 121 to open and close according to the weight order of the consumables. This setting can improve the tag recognition rate and reduce the tag missed reading rate.

[0084] Furthermore, in another embodiment, step S300 further includes:

[0085] Obtain the weight of the consumables for the corresponding area of ​​each antenna element 121. After obtaining the weight, it can be determined which area has a larger quantity of consumables, thereby allowing for corresponding adjustments to the read / write power in areas with a larger quantity of consumables.

[0086] The power of the read / write unit 20 is adjusted from highest to lowest according to the weight of the consumables. By sequentially adjusting the power of the read / write unit 20 corresponding to the corresponding consumables, the power of the read / write unit 20 is increased for heavier consumables. This allows for increased antenna gain in areas with more consumables, further improving tag recognition rates. It is worth noting that the metal core platform 10 includes a metal plate, and the read / write power can also be adjusted by changing the distance between the metal plate and the antenna unit 121 via the lifting structure 15.

[0087] According to the order of power from high to low, the read and write unit 20 is controlled to drive the antenna unit 121 to turn on and off in sequence.

[0088] In this embodiment, by adjusting the gain of the antenna element 121 corresponding to the area with more consumables, the intensity of radiation from the antenna element 121 is further adjusted, thereby improving the recognition rate of the area with more consumables and thus improving the recognition rate of the entire verification station 10.

[0089] Specifically, the S400 includes:

[0090] Consumable Retrieval and Placement Determination: When the number of times the read / write unit 20 reads a tag within a preset time period abruptly changes from a stable number to zero, it is determined that the verification station 10 has performed a consumable retrieval operation; when the number of times the read / write unit 20 reads a tag within a preset time period abruptly changes from zero and then tends to stabilize, it is determined that the verification station 10 has performed a consumable placement operation. Specifically, during the tag identification process, the number of tags read by the read / write unit 20 within a preset time period and a set standard can be used to determine consumable retrieval and placement. Within the preset time period, when the number of times the read / write unit 20 reads a tag abruptly changes from a stable number to zero (which could mean the number of tags read by the read / write unit 20 first decreases, then increases, and then abruptly changes to zero), it is determined that the verification station 10 has performed a consumable retrieval operation; conversely, when the number of times the read / write unit 20 reads a tag within a preset time period abruptly changes from zero and then tends to stabilize (which could mean the number of tags read by the read / write unit 20 first abruptly changes from zero, then decreases, and then tends to stabilize), it is determined that the verification station 10 has performed a consumable placement operation.

[0091] Additionally, interference from consumables temporarily appearing near the metal verification station 10 can be eliminated by determining whether the number of times the read / write unit 20 reads the tag within a first preset time is less than a preset number. The first preset time is a reference duration used to determine whether the tag is continuously within the radiation coverage area of ​​the antenna unit 121, to confirm that the read / write unit 20 can continuously read and identify the tag, thereby avoiding including consumables that only temporarily pass near the metal verification station 10 in the inventory. If the number of times the read / write unit 20 reads the same tag within the first preset time is less than the preset number, it is determined that the tag has temporarily passed near the metal verification station 10, and the tag is deleted from the identification list; if the number of times the read / write unit 20 reads the same tag within the first preset time is not less than the preset number, it is determined that the tag has not temporarily passed near the metal verification station 10, that is, the consumable with the tag attached is carried on the metal verification station 10. The spacing between antenna unit 121 and the bottom wall of metal counter 10 can be adjusted by rereading the tag using the read / write unit 20, thereby adjusting the overall gain of all antenna units 121. Specifically, when identifying and verifying the tag of a consumable placed on the metal counter 10, if the tag information of the consumable cannot be read during the rereading by the read / write unit 20, a corresponding prompt will be issued so that the user can adjust the spacing between antenna unit 121 and the bottom wall of metal counter 10 according to the prompt, thereby adjusting the overall gain of all antenna units 121. Please refer to... Figure 8The verification platform 10 includes a metal plate (not shown) and a metal cavity 11 with one open side. The metal plate and antenna unit 121 are disposed in the metal cavity 11, and the metal plate is configured to be able to rise and fall relative to the metal cavity 11. The verification platform 10 also includes a positioning post, and a metal plate is disposed at the bottom of the verification platform 10. The metal plate has a limiting hole. One end of the positioning post is connected to the antenna unit 121, and the other end passes through the limiting hole and is connected to the bottom wall of the verification platform 10. In this embodiment, the metal plate is raised and lowered relative to the bottom of the verification platform 10 by the lifting structure 15 to adjust the distance between the metal plate and the antenna unit 121. The change in the distance between the metal plate and the antenna unit 121 can adjust the operating power of the antenna unit 121, further adjust the gain of the antenna unit 121, further adjust the radiation coverage of the antenna unit 121, and improve the tag recognition rate. Specifically, multiple lifting structures 15 are provided, four in this embodiment. The four lifting structures 15 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the metal plate, and each lifting structure has a threaded screw. The threaded screw is threadedly connected to the metal plate. By driving the threaded screw to rotate, the antenna element 121 moves relative to the threaded screw, thereby adjusting the spacing between the metal plate and the antenna element 121. For details, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 6 , Figure 10 The RFID-based consumable verification device 1 includes a storage unit, a control unit, and multiple antenna units 121. The control unit is connected to the multiple antenna units 121. The storage unit stores at least one instruction. The control unit executes the aforementioned consumable verification method for the medicine cabinet 100 according to the instruction. It is worth noting that the consumable verification device 1 in this embodiment includes read / write and control functions, used to drive the antennas to open and close and read / write tag data. The read / written tag data is then compared with data in the database.

[0092] Please refer to Figure 8-9The present invention also provides a verification station 10, which is used to verify consumables taken in or out of a medicine cabinet 100. The verification station 10 can be placed inside or outside the medicine cabinet 100. It includes an RFID-based consumable verification device 1. The verification station 10 also includes a metal plate, a placement plate 14, and a metal cavity 11 with one open side. The placement plate 14 is located above the metal cavity 11. The metal plate 14 and an antenna unit 121 are located between the placement plate 14 and the bottom of the metal cavity 11. The antenna unit 121 is close to the placement plate 14. The metal plate 14 is configured to be able to move up and down relative to the metal cavity. There is a gap of 5~30mm between the antenna unit 121 and the bottom of the metal plate. The antenna unit 121 is configured to be able to move or rotate relative to the metal cavity 11. It is worth noting that the antenna unit 121 is an antenna unit 121. Multiple antenna units 121 are combined to form a matrix near-field antenna 12. A metal cavity 11 with one open side seals the perimeter of the metal verification station 10 to shield against antenna radiation leakage. The metal verification station 10 is connected to the read / write unit 20, which holds and identifies tagged consumables to verify their labels. The read / write unit 20 can be connected to verify the placement and retrieval relationship between the consumables and the medicine cabinet 100 based on the identified labels, facilitating subsequent updates to the data of consumables in the medicine cabinet 100 based on the verification results. The label refers to a tag code, which can be an ID code, QR code, or barcode, used to record information such as the ID of the consumable, its weight, type, and quantity. The relevant information of the consumable includes its ID, type, and weight, and each consumable's ID is unique. The tag identification process specifically involves controlling the read / write unit 20 to activate different antenna units 121 according to different timing sequences to transmit radio frequency signals. The tag is located within the radiation coverage area of ​​the antenna unit 121, thereby activating the tag to communicate with the read / write unit 20 through the antenna unit 121. In this embodiment, there are four antenna units 121: a first antenna unit 121a, a second antenna unit 121b, a third antenna unit 121c, and a fourth antenna unit 121d. The medicine cabinet 100 has a matrix near-field antenna 12 with multiple spaced antenna units 121 arranged in a matrix within the metal cavity 11 of the metal core counter 10. The read / write unit 20 can control different antenna units 121 to work in turn according to different timing sequences, controlling the transmission and shutdown of the radio frequency signals of the corresponding antenna units 121. This achieves mutual compensation of the energy distribution of the spatial radio frequency signals by controlling the operation of different antenna units 121 in different timing sequences, reducing the blind zone distribution within the metal cavity 11, and reducing multipath interference and signal clutter within the metal cavity 11. This results in a more uniform distribution of electromagnetic wave energy within the metal cavity 11, reducing the blind zone in the environment where the tagged consumables are located, allowing the tag to obtain stronger energy to activate the tag chip, thereby improving the accuracy of the read / write unit 20 in reading the tag.

[0093] The distance between the bottom wall of the metal core-pairing station 10 and the antenna element 121 is 5~30mm, meaning the antenna element 121 is located 5~30mm from the bottom of the metal cavity 11. This prevents gain overflow of the antenna element 121 of the metal core-pairing station 10, avoiding interference with identification and verification. Furthermore, by adjusting the distance between the bottom wall of the metal cavity 11 and each antenna element 121, the coverage height of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the matrix near-field antenna 12 is adjusted, preventing gain overflow of the matrix antenna 12 from the metal core-pairing station 10 and avoiding errors when scanning tags located near the metal core-pairing station 10. This eliminates the need for additional shielding structures. The distance between each antenna element 121 and the bottom wall of the metal core-pairing station 10 can be different to accommodate irregularly shaped metal core-pairing stations 10, ensuring that the gain of each antenna element 121 does not overflow the irregular metal cavity 11.

[0094] Please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 13 Specifically, in this embodiment, the antenna elements 121 are symmetrically arranged so that when adjusting the electromagnetic wave radiation of the matrix near-field antenna 12, the antenna elements 121 symmetrical to it can be adjusted according to the electromagnetic wave radiation of one of the antenna elements 121. All antenna elements 121 can be integrated into a whole.

[0095] Specifically, the antenna element 121 is rotatably mounted within the metal cavity 11 with vertical limiting. The antenna element 121 can be rotatably installed in the metal pairing station 10 using an existing rotational auxiliary structure. By controlling the rotation of the rotational auxiliary structure, the antenna element 121 can be rotated, adjusting its radiation coverage area so that its radio frequency signal can radiate and cover all corners of the metal cavity 11. This effectively reduces blind spots, prevents the read / write unit 20 from missing tags, and improves the accuracy of tag reading by the read / write unit 20. Preferably, the rotation angle range of the antenna element 121 is 0~90°. The rotation angle and direction of each antenna element 121 can be different.

[0096] Specifically, the spacing between adjacent antenna elements 121 satisfies condition (1):

[0097] (1)

[0098] In the formula, This indicates the spacing between adjacent antenna elements 121. This indicates the wavelength of antenna element 121. By setting the spacing between adjacent antenna elements 121 to between one-eighth and half the wavelength of antenna element 121, the combined antenna elements 121 can achieve full electromagnetic wave energy coverage within the accommodating cavity.

[0099] The spacing between adjacent antenna units 121 is determined by controlling the read / write unit 20 to sequentially shut down two adjacent antenna units 121. The spacing between two adjacent antenna units 121 is output based on the identification data. The identification data indicates that the antenna unit 121 has the highest recognition rate for its corresponding reference tag set and the lowest recognition rate for the reference tags corresponding to adjacent antenna units 121. Each antenna unit 121 corresponds to one of two tag sets. The system sequentially controls the identification of each reference tag in the tag set. When the most reference tags are identified in one tag set and the fewest reference tags are identified in the other tag set, the spacing between adjacent antenna units 121 is determined. This ensures that the antenna units 121 can cover a wider area with less overlapping coverage, reducing the deduplication difficulty for the read / write unit 20.

[0100] Specifically, one end of the metal cavity 11 is the pick-and-place end, and the distance between the antenna element 121 near the pick-and-place end and the bottom wall of the metal cavity 11 is greater than the distance between the remaining antenna elements 121 on the metal cavity 11 and the bottom wall of the metal cavity 11, so that the gain of the antenna element 121 at the pick-and-place end is greater.

[0101] During tag identification, the number of tags read by the read / write unit 20 within a preset time period and a set standard are used to determine whether consumables need to be retrieved or placed. Within the preset time period, if the number of tags read by the read / write unit 20 abruptly changes from a stable number to zero (meaning the number of tags read by the read / write unit 20 first decreases, then increases, and then abruptly changes to zero), a consumable retrieval operation is determined. Conversely, if the number of tags read by the read / write unit 20 abruptly changes from zero and then stabilizes (meaning the number of tags read by the read / write unit 20 abruptly changes from zero, then decreases, and then stabilizes), a consumable placement operation is determined. Furthermore, by determining whether the number of tags read by the read / write unit 20 within a first preset time period is less than a preset number, interference from consumables temporarily appearing near the metal verification station 10 can be eliminated from the identification and verification results. The first preset time is a reference duration used to determine whether the tags are continuously within the radiation coverage area of ​​the antenna unit 121, ensuring that the read / write unit 20 can continuously read and identify the tags, and avoiding the inclusion of consumables that are only temporarily passing near the metal verification station 10 in the inventory. If the number of times the read / write unit 20 reads the same tag within a first set time is less than a preset number, it is determined that the tag has temporarily passed near the metal verification station 10, and the tag is deleted from the identification list. If the number of times the read / write unit 20 reads the same tag within the first set time is not less than the preset number, it is determined that the tag has not temporarily passed near the metal verification station 10, meaning that the consumable with the tag is on the metal verification station 10. The gain of the matrix near-field antenna 12 can be adjusted by using the read / write unit 20 to read the tag again to adjust the spacing between the antenna unit 121 and the bottom wall of the metal cavity 11. Specifically, when identifying and verifying the tag of the consumable placed on the metal verification station 10, if the tag information of the consumable is not read by the read / write unit 20 in the reread, a corresponding prompt is issued so that the user can adjust the spacing between the antenna unit 121 and the bottom wall of the metal cavity 11 according to the prompt, thereby adjusting the gain of the matrix near-field antenna 12. Specifically, if the label information of the consumable is read, it is determined that the consumable is located on the metal verification table 10; if the label information of the consumable is not read, it is determined that the consumable is not located on the metal verification table 10.

[0102] Specifically, the read / write unit 20 may include an RF switch 21 and multiple connection channels. Each connection channel corresponds to and is electrically connected to an antenna unit 121. The RF switch 21 controls the conduction or cutoff of each connection channel to control the opening and closing of the corresponding antenna unit 121.

[0103] Based on the above design, during operation, the read / write unit 20 controls the opening and closing of different antenna units 121 at different times to control the corresponding antenna units 121 to radiate radio frequency signals. Specifically, each antenna unit 121 can be turned on in turn according to different times to control the corresponding antenna units 121 to radiate radio frequency signals in turn. The RF switch of the read / write unit 20 can first control the connection channel connected to the first antenna unit 121a to be turned on, and control the corresponding connection channels connected to the other antenna units 121 (i.e., the second antenna unit 121b, the third antenna unit 121c, and the fourth antenna unit 121d) to be turned off, thus turning on the first antenna unit 121a and turning off the other antenna units 121; then control the connection channel connected to the second antenna unit 121b to be turned on, and control the corresponding connection channels connected to the other antenna units 121 (i.e., the first antenna unit 121a, the third antenna unit 121c, and the fourth antenna unit 121d) to be turned off, thus turning on the second antenna unit 121b and turning off the other antenna units 121; and so on, so that the four antenna units 121 turn on and off in turn, making the electromagnetic wave energy distribution in the accommodating cavity uniform.

[0104] Please see Figures 11 to 12 , Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of electromagnetic wave radiation from a traditional near-field antenna. Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the electromagnetic wave radiation obtained after simulation testing of a single antenna element 121 of the metal core counter 10 of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 11 As shown, the electromagnetic wave intensity distribution around the cavity of a traditional near-field antenna is uneven, which easily leads to dead zones; for example... Figure 12 As shown, electromagnetic radiation covers the entire area where the nuclear counter 10 is located, so that the corner of the corresponding antenna area of ​​the metal cavity 11 is also covered by electromagnetic wave radiation. Thus, each antenna element 121 of the overall matrix near-field antenna 12 can achieve mutual compensation of electromagnetic fields in the spatial region within the time domain, so that electromagnetic wave radiation is evenly distributed.

[0105] Please see Figure 13 , Figure 13 This is a structural block diagram of an RFID-based consumable verification device provided in another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a medium plate (not shown) is provided in the verification station 10, and a chip 13 is provided on the medium plate. Each antenna unit 121 is connected to the chip 13.

[0106] The chip 13 has multiple interfaces, each corresponding to an antenna unit 121. The antenna unit 121 is connected to the chip 13 through its corresponding interface to operate under the control of the chip. The chip 13 is connected to the read / write unit 20 to control the corresponding antenna unit 121 according to the control of the read / write unit 20.

[0107] Specifically, the bottom surface of the metal cavity 11 is divided into antenna areas corresponding to each antenna element 121, and a weighing detection device is provided on the placement plate 14 for each antenna area. The weighing detection device can be a weight sensor. By providing a weighing detection device on the placement plate 14 for each antenna area, the placement plate 14 can be divided into detection areas. Each detection area is equipped with a weighing detection device to detect the weight of the tagged consumables placed in each detection area for identification and verification. The tagged consumables in each detection area can be sorted according to the detected weight. The power of the read / write unit 20 corresponding to the corresponding consumable is adjusted sequentially from heaviest to lightest. The heavier the consumable, the greater the power of the read / write unit 20. The startup order of the read / write unit 20 driving the antenna element 121 where the corresponding consumable is located is adjusted sequentially from highest to lowest power. The remaining structures and functions in this embodiment are similar to those in the above embodiments and will not be described again here.

[0108] Based on the above design, during operation, the read / write unit 20 sends corresponding control signals to the chip to drive different antenna units 121 to sequentially turn on and off in turn at different timing sequences, thereby controlling the corresponding antenna unit 121 to radiate radio frequency signals. Specifically, the read / write unit 20 can first send control signals to the chip to control the circuit corresponding to the interface connected to the first antenna unit 121a to be turned on, and control the circuit corresponding to the interface connected to the other antenna units 121 (i.e., the second antenna unit 121b, the third antenna unit 121c, and the fourth antenna unit 121d) to be turned off, thus controlling the first antenna unit 121 to be turned off. Antenna unit 121a is turned on while the other antenna units 121 are turned off; then a control signal is sent to the chip to control the circuit corresponding to the interface connected to the second antenna unit 121b to be turned on, and to control the circuit corresponding to the interface connected to the other antenna units 121 (i.e., the first antenna unit 121a, the third antenna unit 121c, and the fourth antenna unit 121d) to be turned off, and to control the second antenna unit 121b to be turned on while the other antenna units 121 are turned off; and so on, so that the four antenna units 121 are turned on and off in turn, so that the electromagnetic wave energy distribution in the cavity is uniform.

[0109] Specifically, please refer to Figure 10 and Figure 14The RFID-based consumable verification system of the present invention includes a verification station 10, at least one medicine cabinet 100 or server 1000, wherein the verification station 10 and the medicine cabinet 100 or server 1000 are communicatively connected, and a database is configured in the server 1000 or medicine cabinet 100. The server 1000 or medicine cabinet 100 is used to receive consumable data and update records in the database or to another database, or to receive the tag data and update verification records according to the database. The server 1000 includes a database, which is pre-written with multiple storage tags. Specifically, the writing method is not limited. It is worth noting that the verification station 10 can be placed outside the verification station 100 for verification with multiple medicine cabinets 100; or it can be placed inside a medicine cabinet 100 for verification with that medicine cabinet 100.

[0110] In summary, the RFID-based consumable verification method of the present invention drives different antenna units 121 to operate according to a preset timing sequence by the read / write unit 20, controlling the corresponding antenna units 121 to asynchronously transmit radio frequency signals. This achieves mutual compensation of the spatial radio frequency signal energy distribution by controlling different antenna units to operate in different timing sequences, reducing blind zone distribution, and decreasing multipath interference and signal clutter. This results in a more uniform electromagnetic wave energy distribution, allowing the tag to obtain stronger energy to activate the tag's chip, thereby improving the accuracy of the read / write unit 20 in reading the tag. Simultaneously, the RFID-based consumable verification device 1, verification table 10, and RFID-based consumable verification system provided by the present invention also possess the above-mentioned functions.

[0111] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A verification station, characterized in that, The verification station includes a placement plate, a metal cavity with one open side, a read / write unit, and multiple antenna units. The read / write unit is connected to the antenna units. The placement plate is located above the metal cavity, and the antenna units are located between the placement plate and the bottom of the metal cavity. The antenna units are configured to move or rotate relative to the metal cavity to adjust the radiation coverage area of ​​the antenna units according to the reference tag recognition rate.

2. A verification station, characterized in that, The verification station includes a metal plate, a placement plate, a metal cavity with one open side, a read / write unit, and multiple antenna units. The placement plate is located above the metal cavity, and the metal plate and the antenna units are located between the placement plate and the bottom of the metal cavity. The antenna units are close to the placement plate. The bottom surface inside the metal cavity is divided into an antenna area corresponding to each antenna unit. The metal plate is configured to move up and down relative to the metal cavity to adjust the read / write power according to the weight of the consumables.

3. A verification station, characterized in that, The verification station includes a metal plate, a placement plate, a metal cavity with one open side, a read / write unit, and multiple antenna units. The read / write unit is connected to the antenna units. The placement plate is located above the metal cavity. The metal plate and the antenna units are located between the placement plate and the bottom of the metal cavity. The antenna units are close to the placement plate. The bottom surface inside the metal cavity is divided into an antenna area corresponding to each antenna unit. The antenna units are configured to move or rotate relative to the metal cavity to adjust the radiation coverage area of ​​the antenna units according to the reference tag recognition rate. The metal plate is configured to rise and fall relative to the metal cavity to adjust the read / write power according to the weight of the consumables.

4. The verification station according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The placement plate sets a set of reference tags for the target area of ​​any adjacent antenna element.

5. The verification station according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The placement plate is equipped with a weighing detection device for each antenna area to detect the weight of consumables in the corresponding area of ​​each antenna unit.

6. A method for verifying consumables on a verification station as described in claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The placement plate sets a set of reference tags for the target area of ​​any adjacent antenna element, and the method includes: Drive adjacent antenna elements to turn on and off sequentially; Receive feedback signals sent by the reference tag to obtain the recognition rate of the reference tag; Adjust the spacing between adjacent antenna elements based on the recognition rate; The multiple antenna elements are turned on and off according to the timing sequence to control the multiple antenna elements to transmit radio frequency signals asynchronously; The modulated signal transmitted by the received tag of the consumable is decoded to obtain the tag information of the consumable for verification, wherein the modulated signal is excited by the radio frequency signal.

7. The consumable verification method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The number of reference tag sets is set to multiple groups, with each group of reference tag sets corresponding one-to-one with each antenna element. Adjusting the spacing between adjacent antenna elements based on the recognition rate includes: Move or rotate the position of each antenna element to maximize the recognition rate of the corresponding reference tag set; Stop when the recognition rate of the corresponding reference tag set is the highest.

8. The consumable verification method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The number of reference tag sets is set to multiple sets, with each antenna element corresponding to one of the two reference tag sets; adjusting the spacing between adjacent antenna elements according to the recognition rate includes: The spacing between two adjacent antenna elements is adjusted according to the optimal recognition rate, wherein the optimal recognition rate is the highest for an antenna element to recognize the corresponding set of reference tags and the lowest for an antenna element to recognize the reference tags corresponding to adjacent antenna elements.

9. A method for verifying consumables on a verification station as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method includes: Asynchronous antenna startup: The multiple antenna elements are turned on and off according to the timing sequence to control the multiple antenna elements to transmit radio frequency signals asynchronously; Tag signal demodulation: Decode the modulated signal sent by the received tag of the consumable to obtain the tag information of the consumable for verification, wherein the modulated signal is excited by the radio frequency signal; Multiple antenna element matrices are arranged within a verification station, which has a placement plate. A weighing unit is positioned on the placement plate corresponding to the location of each antenna element. The asynchronous antenna start-up includes: Obtain the consumable weight of the corresponding area of ​​each antenna element sent by the weighing unit; The corresponding antenna units are turned on and off sequentially according to the weight order of the consumables.

10. The consumable verification method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the weight of the consumables for the corresponding region of each antenna element; The power of the read / write unit is adjusted from high to low according to the weight of the consumables, from heaviest to lightest. According to the order of power of the read / write units from high to low, the read / write units are controlled to drive the antenna units to turn on and off in sequence.

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