2D RFID Reader Coil Layout for Precise Frozen Sample Location
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cold storage systems for biological samples face challenges such as poor tracking, ice-impaired reading, difficulty in locating samples, loss of records, and confusion during reorganization due to handwritten labels and barcodes, especially with large numbers of samples.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a two-dimensional antenna configuration with elongated reader coils to determine the identity and location of RFID tags, integrated into a hierarchical storage system with cabinet control electronics, allowing for efficient communication and power transfer while minimizing thermal loading and reducing the risk of activating wrong tags.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If handwritten labels and barcodes are used for sample tracking, then sample identification is possible, but reading accuracy deteriorates due to ice impairment and poor writing surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/optical reading systems (handwritten labels and barcodes that require visual inspection and scanning) with RFID electromagnetic field-based identification. RFID tags attached to sample containers can be read remotely through the container walls without requiring visual access or optical scanning, eliminating the problems of ice-covered surfaces and poor writing quality.
2Measurement precision
If RFID tags are used for sample tracking, then reading accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases due to antenna configuration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the storage system into discrete locations, each with its own RFID reader and antenna. This segmentation allows each location to independently identify and track samples without interference from other locations, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining high tracking accuracy across the entire storage unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces RFID tags as intermediary elements between the sample containers and the tracking system. These passive tags contain identification information and can be activated by electromagnetic fields from the reader antennas, providing a simple yet effective means of identification without requiring complex active electronics in each sample container.
3Productivity
If manual tracking methods are used, then system complexity is reduced, but productivity deteriorates due to difficulty in locating samples among thousands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automated tracking system where RFID readers automatically detect and identify sample containers as they are placed in or removed from storage locations. The system self-updates the database with location information without requiring manual data entry or searching, dramatically improving productivity while the hierarchical structure keeps complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback loop where RFID readers continuously monitor sample locations and report to a central database, which then provides real-time location information to users. This automated feedback system eliminates the need for manual searching and ensures accurate tracking of all samples throughout the storage system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and efficient tracking and location of biological samples, reducing errors and improving organizational efficiency, even in large-scale storage environments, by using RFID technology and a serpentine electrical connection to minimize thermal loading and prevent unintended tag activation.
Implementation Method 1
an antenna configuration for determining identity and location of RFID tags
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, an antenna configuration for locating RFID tags has two sets of (mutually orthogonal) elongated reader coils, where each elongated reader coil corresponds to two or more different possible locations of RFID tags, and each possible location is associated with one reader coil in each of the two sets. The identities and locations of RFID tags can be determined by (sequentially) energizing the different sets of reader coils and correlating the recorded responses from RFID tags. In one application, the antenna configuration is used at the box level of a cold storage system for biological samples having one or more freezers, each freezer having one or racks, each rack receiving one or more boxes, each box receiving one or more sample containers, where, in addition to the biological sample, each sample container has a unique passive RFID tag.