Hierarchical Sample Storage RFID Tracking for Cold Freezers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cold storage systems for biological samples face challenges such as poor labeling, difficulty in tracking and locating samples, loss of records, and confusion during reorganization, especially with large numbers of samples and personnel turnover.
Innovation Solution
A hierarchical storage system with uniquely identifiable cabinets, boxes, and sample containers equipped with RFID tags and control electronics that communicate sample-identification information through a network, allowing for precise tracking and location management, including who accessed the sample and when.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual labeling and tracking of samples is used, then the system is simple and low-cost, but tracking accuracy and reliability deteriorate due to poor writing surfaces, illegible labels, and loss of records
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual labels with RFID tags that contain electronic copies of sample identification information. The RFID tags are read by automated scanners, creating an electronic record that is more reliable than handwritten labels. This copying approach maintains simplicity while improving reliability through automated data capture and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical/manual labeling system with an automated electronic RFID system. Instead of relying on human handwriting and physical labels that can be lost or become illegible, the system uses electromagnetic RFID tags and readers to automatically track samples, eliminating the weaknesses of manual tracking.
2Measurement precision
If hierarchical storage structure with RFID tags is implemented, then sample tracking precision and provenance are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the storage system into hierarchical segments: freezers, racks, boxes, and individual sample containers. Each level has RFID tags and control electronics that independently track samples at that level. This segmentation allows precise tracking without requiring a monolithic complex system, as each level can be managed and controlled separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested hierarchical structure where boxes are placed on racks, which are placed in freezers, with sample containers inside boxes. Each nested level has its own RFID tracking capability, allowing precise location identification while maintaining a manageable structure. The nesting approach organizes complexity into manageable layers rather than a single complex system.
3Reliability
If automated RFID tracking is implemented, then loss of samples and records is reduced, but the system becomes more vulnerable to electronic failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces control electronics as intermediary components between the RFID tags and the central tracking system. These control electronics at each hierarchical level (freezer, rack, box) act as local intermediaries that can independently track and manage samples, providing redundancy and protecting against central system failures. They serve as buffer layers that isolate the main system from localized electronic failures.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a cold storage system for biological samples has 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. In addition to the biological sample, each sample container has a unique passive RFID tag. Control electronics in each box energize reader coils to query individual RFID tags. Control electronics in each rack communicate with and provide power to the control electronics of each corresponding box, and control electronics in each freezer communicate with and provide power to the control electronics of each corresponding rack, and a host computer communicates with the control electronics in each freezer. In each instance, communication and power provisioning is implemented using magnetic inductive coupling. The system is able to determine the identity of each sample container in the system and maintain that information in a database.