WO2020195193A1 - Freezing system - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a technology with which information for identifying a plurality of containers can be acquired in a state in which the plurality of containers are stored in a freezer. [Solution] The present invention comprises a freezing device that includes: a storage member that stores a storage box for storing a plurality of containers, each container storing an object to be cooled and being provided with a plurality of radio tags; a guide member that is provided inside a storage chamber having an opening on a top surface thereof, and that guides the storage member along a direction which intersects a bottom surface of the storage chamber; and a base plate that is provided along the guide member and that has, on a surface thereof, a plurality of antennas for receiving a plurality of information pieces stored in the plurality of radio tags in a state in which the storage box storing the plurality of containers has been stored in the storage member and the storage member has been guided by the guide member so as to be stored in the storage chamber. The present invention further comprises an acquisition unit that acquires information received by the plurality of antennas in a state in which the storage member is stored in the storage chamber.

Description

Freezing system

The present invention relates to a freezing system.

When a plurality of containers for storing a sample are stored in a freezer, the containers are managed by attaching a barcode or the like to identify each of the plurality of containers (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-185893

In general, in order for the user to accurately grasp the information of the container stored in the refrigerator, it is necessary to take out the container in the refrigerator and read the barcode. However, when the container containing the sample is taken out of the refrigerator, the temperature of the sample stored in the container rises and the quality of the sample may deteriorate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is a freezing system capable of acquiring information for identifying a plurality of containers in a state where a plurality of containers are stored in a freezer. To provide the system.

The main invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a storage member for storing a storage box for storing a object to be cooled and a plurality of containers to which a plurality of wireless tags are attached, and a storage chamber having an opening on the upper surface. A guide member provided inside the storage member for guiding the storage member along a direction intersecting the bottom surface of the storage chamber, and the storage member for storing the storage box containing the plurality of containers are the guides. A plurality of antennas are provided on the surface along the guide member to receive a plurality of information stored in each of the plurality of wireless tags in a state of being guided by the member and stored in the storage chamber. It is a refrigerating system including a refrigerating device including the above-mentioned substrate, and an acquisition unit for acquiring information received by the plurality of antennas in a state where the storage member is housed in the storage chamber.

According to the present invention, it is possible to acquire information for identifying a plurality of containers in a state where a plurality of containers are stored in a freezer.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating the outline of a freezing system 10. It is a perspective view of the freezer 20 in a state where a heat insulating door is opened. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the freezer 20. It is a top view of the freezer 20 which omitted the heat insulating door. It is a top view of the freezer 20 in the state where the storage member 100 is stored. It is a figure for demonstrating the container 70. It is a figure for demonstrating the container 70. It is a figure for demonstrating the storage box 90. It is a figure explaining how the container 70 is attached to the storage box 90. It is a perspective view of the storage member 100. It is a perspective view when a part of the storage member 100 is disassembled. It is a figure for demonstrating the antenna board 300 and the antenna 400. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the inventory processing. It is a figure which shows an example of the freezer 20 when a guide rail has a predetermined angle.

The description of this specification and the accompanying drawings will clarify at least the following matters.
=== This embodiment ===
<<< Overview of Freezing System 10 >>>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an outline of the freezing system 10. The freezing system 10 freezes and stores an object to be inspected (hereinafter referred to as "specimen") such as blood, cells, and tissues obtained from the human body, and a container (described later) in which the sample (to be cooled) is stored. ) Is a system that manages information.

The freezing system 10 includes a freezer 20, a reading device 21, a control device 22, and a storage device 23. In FIG. 1, for convenience, some configurations included in the freezer 20 are omitted.

The freezer 20 (freezer) is an ultra-low temperature freezer capable of cooling the temperature inside the freezer to a predetermined temperature of, for example, -80 ° C to -150 ° C. The freezer 20 is provided with a storage chamber 30 and a cooling device 31.

The storage chamber 30 is a space for storing a container in which a sample is stored, and the storage chamber 30 is provided with a temperature sensor 40, an antenna array 41, and a switching circuit 42.

The temperature sensor 40 is a sensor that measures the temperature of the storage chamber 30, and the antenna array 41 is a plurality of antennas that receive information on a wireless tag (described later) attached to the container.

The switching circuit 42 is a circuit for connecting a part of the antennas of the antenna array 41 and the reading device 21.

The cooling device 31 is a device for cooling the storage chamber 30 to a predetermined temperature, and includes, for example, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and the like (not shown).

The reading device 21 (acquisition unit) is a device (reader) that acquires information on the wireless tag attached to the container via an antenna connected to the switching circuit 42.

The control device 22 is a device that controls the freezing system 10 in an integrated manner, and for example, sets the temperature of the freezer 20, selects an antenna connected to the switching circuit 42, controls the reading device 21, and the like.

The storage device 23 stores information such as various programs executed by the control device 22, sample information associated with the identification number of the wireless tag, and the temperature of the storage chamber 30.

<<< Overview of Freezer 20 >>>
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the freezer 20 with the heat insulating door open. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, in order to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the freezer 20, a part of the configuration of the freezer 20 (for example, the cooling device 32 and the temperature sensor 40) will be omitted as appropriate.

The freezer 20 includes an inner box 60, an outer box 61, and a heat insulating door 62. The inner box 60 is a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member, and has an opening on the upper surface for putting in and taking out storage members 100a to 100f for storing a plurality of containers. The space partitioned by the inner box 60, that is, the space formed inside the inner box 60 is the storage chamber 30.

The outer box 61 is a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped box-shaped member that surrounds the inner box 60, and like the inner box 60, has an opening on the upper surface for inserting and removing the storage member 100. Here, a heat insulating material or the like (not shown) is arranged between the inner box 60 and the outer box 61.

The heat insulating door 62 is a door for sealing the storage chamber 30, and is attached to the back surface of the freezer 20 by a hinge (not shown).

<<< Details of storage room 30 >>>
Here, the details of the storage chamber 30 for storing the storage member 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the freezer 20, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the freezer 20 when the storage member 100 is not present, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the freezer 20 when the storage member 100 is present. It is a plan view. In addition, in FIGS. 4 and 5, for example, the heat insulating door 62 is omitted. Further, here, the x-axis direction is the left-right direction with respect to the freezer 20, the y-axis direction is the front-back direction with respect to the freezer 20, and the z-axis direction is the up-down direction with respect to the freezer 20.

Inside the storage chamber 30, U-shaped guide rails (guide members) 150 to 155 and 160 to 165 for guiding the storage member 100 are provided.

Specifically, six guide rails 150 to 155 are attached to the side surface 201 extending vertically from the bottom surface 200 of the inner box 60 at predetermined intervals. Further, on the side surface 202 that extends vertically from the bottom surface 200 and faces the side surface 201, guide rails 160 to 165 are attached so as to correspond to the guide rails 150 to 155, respectively. The guide rails 160 to 165 are attached at the same positions as the positions in the x-axis direction in which the guide rails 150 to 155 are attached. Further, the guide rails 150 to 155 and 160 to 165 are attached so as to extend in the direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 200, respectively.

Here, the guide rails 150 and 160 guide the storage member 100a in the vertical direction by sandwiching the side end portion 110a of the bottom plate (described later) of the storage member 100a and sliding the storage member 100a. As a result, for example, the storage member 100a is stored in a state where the bottom plate of the storage member 100a is perpendicular to the bottom surface 200 of the storage chamber 30, that is, the storage member 100a is vertically stored in the storage chamber 30. Here, the "vertical direction" is a direction of 90 ° with respect to the bottom surface or the horizontal plane, but it does not have to be a direction of exactly 90 °, and a mounting error of the guide rail 150 or the like, a design margin, etc. Since it is included, it may be in a substantially vertical direction.

The other guide rails 151, 161 and the like are the same as the guide rails 150 and 160, the guide rails 151 and 161 guide the storage member 100b, and the guide rails 152 and 162 guide the storage member 100c. Further, the guide rails 153 and 163 guide the storage member 100d, the guide rails 154 and 164 guide the storage member 100e, and the guide rails 155 and 165 guide the storage member 100f.

That is, the storage members 100b to 100f are also guided in the direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 200 of the storage chamber 30 (in the direction of intersecting with each other) in the same manner as the storage members 100a, and as shown in FIGS. It is stored. Further, in the present embodiment, the antenna substrates 300a to 300f are installed between the side surfaces 201 and 202 of the inner box 60 forming the storage chamber 30.

For example, the antenna substrate 300a is provided along the guide rails 150 and 160 at a position slightly separated from the guide rails 150 and 160 in the −x axis direction. The distance between the guide rails 150 and 160 and the surface of the antenna substrate 300a having the antenna is a distance at which the antenna can read the information of the wireless tag.

The antenna boards 300b to 300f are the same as the antenna boards 300a, and the antenna boards 300b to 300f are located at positions where the wireless tags of the containers of the storage members 100b to 100f stored in the storage chamber 30 can be read, and the corresponding guides. It is installed along the rail.

<<< Details of Container 70 >>>
6A and 6B are diagrams showing an example of a container 70 for storing a sample (not shown). The container 70 is a cylindrical container having a radio tag 85 (RF (Radio-frequency) tag) attached to the bottom surface. The main body 80 of the container 70 is attached with a removable lid 81 while sealing the space inside the main body 80.

Further, on the bottom surface of the container 70, mounting portions 82a to 82c are provided for mounting the container 70 on the storage box 90.

The mounting portions 82a to 82c (second mounting portions) are provided along the periphery of the bottom surface of the main body 80, and are three arc-shaped protrusions having notches 83a to 83c formed respectively. The container 70 is mounted on the storage box 90 by fitting the convex portion (described later) formed in the storage box 90 into the notches 83a to 83c of the mounting portions 82a to 82c.

The wireless tag 85 is, for example, a passive tag that transmits an identification code when receiving a radio wave from an antenna. The "identification code" is unique identification information stored in the wireless tag 85, and is, for example, data indicating a 5-bit number.

In the present embodiment, for example, the information of the sample stored in the container 70 is associated with the identification code and stored in the storage device 23. Specifically, for example, when the sample stored in the container 70 is "Mr. A's blood" and the storage period is "2 years", the information is used to identify the wireless tag 85 attached to the container 70. It is stored in the storage device 23 together with the code (for example, “00001”).

<<< Details of storage box 90 >>>
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the storage box 90. On the inner bottom surface of the storage box 90, 16 predetermined recesses 91 capable of separately storing the containers 70 are provided. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, three convex portions 92a to 92c (second mounting portions) are formed inside the cylindrical recess 91.

Here, after the container 70 is inserted into the recess 91 so that the gap between the mounting portions 82a to 82c and the convex portions 92a to 92c are aligned, when the container 70 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the notch in the container 70 is cut. The convex portions 92a to 92c are fitted into the 83a to 83c. As a result, the container 70 is attached to the storage box 90.

Further, the storage box 90 is formed with a positioning portion 93 for storing the storage box 90 at a predetermined position of the storage member 100. The positioning unit 93 has an opening 94 formed in the storage member 100 into which a positioning pin (described later) is inserted.

By the way, if the storage box 90 is stored in the freezer 20 without covering the opening of the storage box 90, there is a high possibility that the container 70 of the storage box 90 will be frosted. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to prevent frost from forming on the container 70, a removable lid 95 that covers the opening of the storage box 90 is attached to the storage box 90.

Here, the lid 95 is provided with a mounting portion 96 for mounting the lid 95 on the storage box 90. The mounting portion 96 (first mounting portion) is attached to the side surface of the lid 95 via a hinge (not shown). Then, a claw (not shown) provided at the tip of the back surface (the surface on the lid 95 side) of the mounting portion 96 on the convex mounted portion 97 (first mounted portion) formed on the side surface of the storage box 90. When the hinge of the mounting portion 96 is closed while the lid 95 is hooked, the lid 95 is mounted on the storage box 90. In the present embodiment, the mounting portion 96 and the mounted portion 97 are used to mount the lid 95 on the storage box 90, but if the lid 95 is mounted on the storage box 90, another It may be a structure.

<<< Details of storage member 100 >>>
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the storage member 100, and FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the storage member 100. In FIGS. 9 and 10, the storage box 90 is drawn to facilitate understanding of the relationship between the storage box 90 and the storage member 100.

The storage member 100 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member having openings on the side surface and the bottom surface, and can store four storage boxes 90.

The storage member 100 is formed of a total of seven flat plates including a bottom plate 120, a front plate 121, partition plates 122 to 124, a back plate 125, and a top plate 126.

The bottom plate 120 is a plate-shaped member having a side end portion 110 that is sandwiched and guided by the guide rail 150 or the like described above, and is provided with four openings 135 for passing radio waves from the antenna array.

Then, a front plate 121 having a hole for gripping the storage member 100 is attached to the front side of the bottom plate 120, and a back plate 125 is attached to the back side. Between the front plate 121 and the back plate 125, partition plates 122 to 124 are provided at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the bottom plate 120. Therefore, the storage member 100 is divided into four regions from the front plate 121 to the back plate 125.

Further, in each of the four divided areas, a pin 130 for storing the storage box 90 at a predetermined position of the storage member 100 is provided. For example, two pins 130a are provided between the front plate 121 and the partition plate 122, and two pins 130b are provided between the partition plate 122 and the partition plate 123. Two pins 130c are provided between the partition plate 123 and the partition plate 124, and two pins 130d are provided between the partition plate 124 and the back surface plate 125.

Further, the distance between the bottom plate 120 of the storage member 100 and the top plate 126 of the present embodiment is sufficiently longer than the distance from the bottom surface of the storage box 90 of the storage box 90 to which the lid 95 is mounted to the lid 95. It is designed. Therefore, the storage box 90 can be stored inside the storage member 100 through the opening on the side surface of the storage member 100, and the storage box 90 stored in the storage member 100 can be taken out through the opening on the side surface. Is.

Then, when the storage box 90 is stored in any of the four divided areas, the pin 130 is inserted into the opening 94 formed by the positioning portion 93 of the storage box 90. Therefore, the storage box 90 is stored in a predetermined position of the storage member 100. Further, the storage member 100 is in the vertical direction inside the storage chamber 30. Here, the "vertical direction" inside the storage chamber 30 means that the longitudinal direction of the bottom plate 120 is the direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the storage chamber 30.

At this time, the size of the storage member 100 and the positions of the partition plates 122 to 124 and the back plate 125 are determined so that each of the partition plates 122 to 124 and the back plate 125 can support the stored storage box 90. ing. For example, the partition plate 122 supports a storage box 90 that is stored between the front plate 121 and the partition plate 122 when the storage member 100 is lifted in the vertical direction.

<<< Details of Antenna Board 300 and Antenna 400 >>>
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the antenna substrate 300. In FIG. 11, in order to clarify the positional relationship between the storage box 90 and the container 70 stored in the storage member 100 and the antenna substrate 300, the storage chamber 30 and other members are omitted, and the storage member 100 is viewed from the bottom surface. The distance to the surface of the antenna substrate 300 is drawn longer than it actually is.

The antenna board 300 has 64 antennas 400 on the surface for receiving the information of the wireless tag 85. The antenna 400 is a part of the antenna array 41 described above.

Here, since the storage member 100 is stored in a predetermined position in the storage chamber 30, the position of the storage box 90 in the storage chamber 30 is also a predetermined position. Then, as described above, the storage box 90 can store 16 containers 70. Therefore, when the storage member 100 for storing the storage boxes 90a to 90d is stored in a predetermined position, the container 70 is placed one by one at any of the positions A1 to D16 (plurality of predetermined positions) in the storage chamber 30. It will be stored.

Here, "positions A1 to D16" are 64 positions in which the container 70 can be stored in the storage chamber 30 when the four storage boxes 90a to 90d are stored in the storage member 100, and the storage member 100 It is specified by a combination of four positions in the lateral direction (alphabet: A to D) and 16 positions in the longitudinal direction (numbers: 1 to 16).

Then, each of the 64 antennas 400 of the antenna board 300 is provided at a position corresponding to the positions A1 to D16. That is, the 64 antennas 400 are arranged at positions where the information of the 64 wireless tags 85 attached to each of the 64 containers 70 housed in the storage member 100 can be received.

The antenna 400 of the present embodiment is, for example, a circular pattern antenna having a diameter capable of acquiring only the information stored in the corresponding wireless tag. Therefore, the antenna 400 corresponding to the position A1 acquires the information (identification code) of the radio tag corresponding to the position A1, but does not acquire the information of the radio tag at another position.

<<< Inventory processing >>>
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a process S10 (hereinafter, referred to as “inventory process S10”) for acquiring information about the container 70 stored in the storage chamber 30. Here, it is assumed that the storage members 100a to 100f for storing the container 70 are stored at a predetermined position in the storage chamber 30, and the storage chamber 30 is sealed.

First, the control device 22 acquires the output of the temperature sensor 40 and stores it in the storage device 23 (S20). As a result, the storage device 23 stores the temperature information indicating the temperature of the storage chamber 30 when the inventory process S10 is executed. Then, the control device 22 operates the switching circuit 42 and selects, for example, an antenna set by the user from the antenna 400 (S21).

When the antenna is selected, the reading device 21 operates the selected antenna (S22). As a result, radio waves are emitted from the selected antenna. Then, the reading device 21 reads the information of the wireless tag 85 attached to the container 70 corresponding to the selected antenna and stores it in the storage device 23 (S23). As a result, the user can accurately grasp what kind of container 70 is stored in the storage chamber 30 in a state where the storage chamber 30 is sealed.

== Summary ==
The freezing system 10 of the present embodiment has been described above. For example, in the storage chamber 30 of the freezer 20 which is an ultra-low temperature freezer of −150 ° C., an antenna substrate 300 having an antenna 400 is provided along the guide rails 150 and 160. Then, the antenna 400 can receive the information of the wireless tags 85 of the plurality of containers 70 in a state where the plurality of containers 70 are stored in the storage chamber 30. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the user can acquire information about the container 70 stored in the storage chamber 30 while preventing deterioration of the quality of the sample stored in the container 70.

Further, the bottom plate 120 of the storage member 100 is provided with a pin 130 for storing the storage box 90 at a predetermined position of the storage member 100. Therefore, when the storage member 100 is guided by the guide rails 150 and 160 and stored in the storage chamber 30, the position of the storage box 90 in the storage chamber 30 and the position of the container 70 stored in the storage box 90 are accurately determined. Can be done (eg, positions A1-D16). Then, in the present embodiment, since the antenna 400 is provided at a position where the information of the wireless tag of the container 70 can be received, the information of the wireless tag 85 of the container 70 can be accurately read.

Further, since the storage box 90 of the present embodiment is provided with the lid 95, it is possible to prevent frost from forming on the container 70 stored in the storage box 90.

Further, if the distance from the antenna 400 to the bottom surface of the container 70 is not determined, it is difficult for the antenna 400 to accurately read the wireless tag 85 of the container 70. However, the container 70 of the present embodiment is inserted into a predetermined recess 91 on the bottom surface of the storage box 90 and attached to the storage box 90. As a result, the distance between the antenna 400 and the wireless tag 85 of the container 70 becomes constant, so that the antenna 400 can read the information of the wireless tag 85 with high accuracy. Further, even if the storage member 100 is stored in the storage chamber 30 in the vertical state, it is possible to prevent the container 70 from coming off from the storage box 90.

Further, the guide rails 150 and 160 are attached to the storage chamber 30 so as to guide the storage member 100 along the direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 200 of the storage chamber 30. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the plurality of storage members 100a to ff are stored in the storage chamber 30 without a gap. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the space of the storage chamber 30 can be effectively utilized.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the guide rails 150 and 160 are attached to the storage chamber 30 so as to guide the storage member 100 along a direction inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the bottom surface 200 of the storage chamber 30. Is also good. The "predetermined angle" is an angle such that the height of the bottom surface side (position in the z-axis direction) of the container 70 is lower than the height of the opening side of the container 70. In such a case, the temperature of the storage chamber 30 rises due to a failure of the freezer 20, or the like, and even if the sample of the container 70 is thawed, the sample does not adhere to the lid 81 of the container 70 and remains accumulated at the bottom of the container 70. It becomes. Therefore, with such a configuration, the sample can be stored more safely.

The above embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not for limiting and interpreting the present invention. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be changed or improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes an equivalent thereof.

10 Refrigerator system 20 Freezer 21 Reading device 22 Control device 23 Storage device 30 Storage room 31 Cooling device 40 Temperature sensor 41 Antenna array 42 Switching circuit 60 Inner box 61 Outer box 62 Insulated door 70 Container 80 Main body 81 Lid 82 Mounting part 83 Notch 85 Wireless tag 90 Storage box 92 Convex part 93 Positioning part 94 Opening 95 Lid 96 Mounting part 97 Mounting part 100 Storage member 110
150-155-165 Guide rail 300 Antenna board 400 Antenna

Claims (6)

A storage member that stores a storage box that stores objects to be cooled and a plurality of containers with multiple wireless tags attached to each.
A guide member provided inside a storage chamber having an opening on the upper surface and guiding the storage member along a direction intersecting the bottom surface of the storage chamber.
A state in which the storage member storing the storage box containing the plurality of containers is guided by the guide member and stored in the storage chamber, and a plurality of information stored in each of the plurality of wireless tags is stored. A substrate having a plurality of antennas for receiving each on the surface and provided along the guide member,
Freezing equipment including
An acquisition unit that acquires information received by the plurality of antennas while the storage member is stored in the storage chamber.
A freezing system characterized by being equipped with. The freezing system according to claim 1.
The storage member
It has a positioning unit for storing the storage box at a predetermined position of the storage member, and has a positioning portion.
The predetermined position is
When the storage member that stores the storage box that stores the plurality of containers is guided by the guide member and stored in the storage chamber, the plurality of antennas are stored in each of the plurality of wireless tags. Being in a position where you can receive each of the multiple pieces of information
A freezing system featuring. The freezing system according to claim 1 or 2.
A lid covering the opening of the storage box containing the plurality of containers,
A first mounting portion provided on the lid for mounting the lid on the storage box,
A first mounted portion corresponding to the first mounted portion provided in the storage box, and a first mounted portion.
A freezing system characterized by having. The freezing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The container includes a second mounting portion provided on the container for mounting the container on the storage box.
A second mounted portion corresponding to the second mounted portion provided in the storage box, and a second mounted portion.
A freezing system characterized by having. The freezing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The direction intersecting the bottom surface of the storage chamber is substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the storage chamber.
A freezing system featuring. The freezing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The direction of intersection with respect to the bottom surface of the storage chamber is
In a state where the plurality of containers are stored in the storage chamber, a predetermined angle from a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the storage chamber so that the position of the bottom surface side of the container is lower than the position of the opening side of the container. Only in the direction of inclination,
A freezing system featuring.

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