CN211376204U

CN211376204U - Blood sampling process management system

Info

Publication number: CN211376204U
Application number: CN202020145587.6U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周君瑜; 马建
Original assignee: Becton Dickinson and Co
Current assignee: Becton Dickinson and Co
Priority date: 2020-01-22
Filing date: 2020-01-22
Publication date: 2020-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 2030-01-22

Abstract

The utility model relates to a blood sampling flow management system, include: a test tube rack provided with an RFID tag and configured to receive test tubes provided with RFID tags; and a group reader, the group reading mechanism being configured to removably receive the racks and including a controller for controlling operation of the group reader, the group reader being operable to read the RFID tags of the racks and the RFID tags of the tubes received by the racks in a batch manner in a group reading mode. According to the utility model discloses, read the RFID label of test-tube rack and every test tube with batch mode, improved efficiency, can in time discover moreover that the test tube that loses, overdue and the sample that bears, preferably realize that the full flow of test tube traces back.

Description

Blood sampling process management system

Technical Field

The present application relates to a blood collection procedure management system. The present application also relates to related methods of blood collection procedure management systems.

Background

In medical procedures, it is often necessary to use various medical containers, which are to be circulated between the individual procedures and the associated stations and which are to be associated with the intended purpose.

For example, a large number of test tubes are used in a blood collection, test, and treatment process. Test tubes are typically subjected to the management of ex-warehouse, blood collection, transport, sorting, inspection, storage, disposal. The test tube is usually provided with a bar code label by means of which, for example, the specifications of the test tube itself can be correlated with information of the subject to be bled. However, in each process, the label of each test tube needs to be read individually, which is inefficient, and the lost and expired test tubes and the samples carried by the test tubes may not be found in time. There is a need for improvement in the art.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The present application is directed to developing a blood collection procedure management system and related methods to at least improve traceability of blood collection procedure management and improve efficiency of management procedures such as blood collection, transportation, analysis, disposal, etc.

According to the present application, there is provided a blood collection procedure management system including: a test tube rack provided with an RFID tag and configured to receive test tubes provided with RFID tags; and a group reader, the group reading mechanism being configured to removably receive the racks and including a controller for controlling operation of the group reader, the group reader being operable to read the RFID tags of the racks and the RFID tags of the tubes received by the racks in a batch manner in a group reading mode.

According to some embodiments, the test tube rack comprises at least one side wall provided with a recess for receiving an RFID tag. Thereby, the RFID tag may be at least partially embedded in the sidewall.

According to some embodiments, the recess is provided with a ridge along at least a part of its periphery and the RFID tag is provided with a groove along at least a part of its lateral periphery with respect to the thickness direction. Thereby, a positive fit of the RFID tag into the recess is achieved by the interaction of the groove and the ridge when the two are pushed into the recess.

According to some embodiments, when the RFID tag is received by the recess, there is a gap between a portion of the bottom surface of the recess and a portion of the back surface of the RFID tag. Thereby, disadvantageous jamming of the RFID tag is avoided, but also other manipulations are facilitated.

According to some embodiments, the recess is further provided with notches at both lateral ends, and the RFID tag is further provided with clamping surfaces at both lateral ends, said clamping surfaces preferably being planar. When the RFID tag is received by the recess, the clamping surface is located in the area of the slot. Thereby, the RFID tag can be easily removed from the recess by the hooked clamp. Specifically, the hooks on the distal ends of the two arms of the gripper are caused to project through the slots between the back surface of the RFID tag and the bottom surface of the recess, with a portion of the arms contacting the gripping surface, and the RFID tag is pulled out by a distancing movement of the gripper substantially perpendicular to the side walls. Although described herein as having two ends in the transverse direction, the same concepts can be used for both ends in the vertical direction, as well as any other orientation as appropriate.

According to some embodiments, the test tube rack defines a plurality of test tube receiving locations (i.e., a plurality of test tube seats), the group reader includes a rack receiving area and an array of reading modules disposed at a base of the rack receiving area, the plurality of test tube receiving locations each being substantially aligned with a corresponding reading module in the array when the test tube rack is received in the rack receiving area of the group reader to read only the RFID tags of the corresponding test tubes. Thus, a given reading module will only perform potential reading operations on test tubes positioned at a particular test tube receiving location. For example, the reading module in the first row and the first column in the array will only read the test tubes on the tube seats in the first row and the first column of the tube rack, and the blood collection procedure management system will know that the test tubes are located in the first row and the first column, i.e. the position information of the test tubes. In other words, the group reader has multiple modules, and the read target racks have multiple test tubes that form multiple one-to-one mappings that ensure that the racks are traceable even if they are transferred.

According to some embodiments, each read module includes an antenna, each antenna coupled to an RFID processing unit of the controller, the RFID processing unit configured to selectively gate one or more antennas, preferably according to a control.

According to some embodiments, the group reader is operable in a group read mode in which the group reader gates a plurality of antennas in a single operation, the RFID processing unit reading the RFID tags of the cuvettes corresponding to the plurality of antennas in parallel.

According to some embodiments, the group reader is capable of operating in a single-read mode in which the group reader gates only a single antenna in a single operation, the RFID processing unit reading only the RFID tags of the test tubes corresponding to the single antenna.

According to some embodiments, each reading module further comprises a metal proximity sensor disposed proximate to the antenna, each metal proximity sensor coupled to the controller. Because the RFID tag of the test tube contains metal inside, when the test tube rack with the test tube is placed in the rack receiving area or the test tube rack placed in place in the rack receiving area is inserted into the test tube, the metal proximity sensor outputs a sensing signal to indicate that the test tube exists at the position corresponding to the reading module (and thus the metal proximity sensor). Preferably, the induction distance is 2-4 mm. The single read mode and the group read mode are easily implemented with the metal proximity sensor. Under the condition of the single-reading mode, when the test tube is inserted into a certain test tube seat, the metal proximity sensor of the corresponding reading module senses the insertion of the test tube, so that the test tube is indicated to exist at the position corresponding to the metal proximity sensor, the antenna of the reading module can be gated, and the RFID label of the corresponding test tube is read. Under the condition of the group reading mode, the metal proximity sensors sensing the insertion of the test tubes output induction signals, so that the test tubes exist at the positions corresponding to the metal proximity sensors, the antennas of the reading modules can be gated, and the RFID labels of the corresponding test tubes can be read. For example, the single read mode may be used for dynamic monitoring of cuvette sequence changes, while the group read mode may be used for batch processing.

According to some embodiments, the array of read modules is disposed on the same antenna board.

According to some embodiments, the group reader further comprises a side-reading module disposed at a lateral portion of the rack-receiving zone, the side-reading module being generally aligned with the RFID tag disposed on the test tube rack to read the RFID tag when the test tube rack is received in the rack-receiving zone of the group reader.

According to some embodiments, the side-reading module also includes an antenna coupled to the RFID processing unit. Preferably, the RFID processing unit is operable to write data/information to an RFID tag, for example to an RFID tag of a test tube rack. Preferably, the RFID processing unit may be the same as or different from the RFID tag used for the test tube.

According to some embodiments, the controller of the group reader is configured to control operation of the group reader based on input from outside the group reader. Preferably, the controller of the group reader is further configured to control operation of the group reader based at least on input from the metal proximity sensor.

According to some embodiments, the blood collection procedure management system further comprises a display device associated with the cluster reader, the display device configured to display a user interface associated with operation of the blood collection procedure management system.

According to some embodiments, the tube rack comprises a 10x10 array of tube holders and the group reader comprises a 10x10 array of reading modules. Preferably, 100 test tubes can be scanned in batches within 2-4 s.

According to some embodiments, the operational mode of the blood collection procedure management system includes one or more of a registration mode, a detection mode, and a monitoring mode. Accordingly, the blood collection procedure management system of the present application may further include a processing device in communication with the cluster reader (e.g., controller) that configures the cluster reader to operate in one or more of a registration mode, a detection mode, and a monitoring mode.

According to some embodiments, for the registration mode, the RFID tags of the test tubes racks and the RFID tags of the test tubes received by the test tubes racks are read in a batch manner, and the information of the test tubes racks is bound with the information of all the loaded test tubes. In particular, the binding indicates a defined set of test tubes racks and their carrying test tubes. Preferably, the information of the test tube includes a position of the test tube on the test tube rack.

According to some embodiments, the process of binding may comprise sending the information of the rack with the information of all the loaded test tubes into the processing device, preferably storing the binding results in a memory of the processing device.

According to some embodiments, the process of binding may include writing information and/or statistical information of all the loaded test tubes into the RFID tags of the tube racks. For example, the statistical information includes the number of test tubes carried. Preferably, the information of the test tube includes information of the subject in addition to the above-described position of the test tube on the test tube rack.

According to some embodiments, for the detection mode, the RFID tags of the test tube racks and the RFID tags of the test tubes received by the test tube racks are read in a batch manner, and the status of the test tube racks and the test tubes carried thereby is confirmed based on the binding. Preferably, the detection mode comprises detecting whether the cuvette is lost. In particular, if a test tube of the relevant defined set is unread in the detection mode, it means that this test tube is not present on the rack. Preferably, in the case where the information of the test tube includes a position of the test tube on the test tube rack, the detection mode includes detecting whether the position of the test tube changes.

According to some embodiments, the process of validating may include retrieving the stored binding result from a storage of the processing device.

According to some embodiments, the process of confirming may include reading the recorded statistical information and/or information of all the loaded test tubes from the RFID tags of the test tube racks.

According to some embodiments, for the monitoring mode, insertion (or removal) of test tubes on the tube rack is monitored and the RFID tags of the inserted test tubes are read (or information to remove test tubes based on binding confirmation) and the sequence of changes of the test tubes is recorded.

According to some embodiments, the readability of the RFID tag is confirmed during reading.

According to some embodiments, at least one timestamp is also recorded at the time of execution of the pattern.

According to some embodiments, only a single timestamp is recorded in the registration mode and the detection mode. Thereby aligning the registration time and the detection time. In the monitoring mode, a time stamp is recorded for each inserted or removed test tube. Thus, the monitoring mode comprises recording a time series of changes of the test tube. In the case of an inserted test tube, such a time stamp may substantially correspond to the blood collection completion time of the test tube. Thus, the time stamp recorded in the monitoring mode is compared with the time stamps recorded in the other modes (or even the current time), determining the ex-vivo length of time of the sample carried by the test tube, for example when performing said other modes. That is, an indication of sample validity may be obtained by alignment of the timestamps. For example, if the ex vivo time period is greater than the predetermined ex vivo time period, the sample is confirmed to be invalid. Additionally, the sample validity may also relate to a predetermined storage period.

According to the present application, there is provided a method of managing a blood collection procedure using a blood collection procedure management system, comprising:

a registration step, namely receiving information of RFID labels of test tubes read by a batch mode and information of RFID labels of test tubes received by the test tube racks, and binding the information of the test tube racks with the information of all the loaded test tubes;

one or more detection steps of receiving information of the RFID tags of the test tube racks and information of the RFID tags of the test tubes received by the test tube racks read in a batch manner, and confirming the state of the test tube racks and the test tubes carried thereby based on the binding.

According to some embodiments, the process of binding may include storing the binding results in storage.

According to some embodiments, the process of binding may include writing information and/or statistical information of all the loaded test tubes into the RFID tags of the tube racks.

According to some embodiments, the process of validating may include retrieving the stored binding result from storage.

According to some embodiments, the process of confirming may include receiving recorded statistical information read from the RFID tag of the tube rack and/or information of all the loaded tubes.

In the case where the method includes the above-described writing and reading of the RFID tag of the test tube rack, the above-described registration and determination can be achieved only by the operation of the test tube rack itself. This can be viewed as an offline process.

According to some embodiments, the registering step and the respective detecting step are performed in different flows. Preferably, the different processes include, but are not limited to, an ex-warehouse process, a sample collection process, a check-out process, a transfer inspection process, a sorting reception process, a sorting indication process, a sorting check-out process, a check reception process, and/or a storage reception process. In other words, the transfer of the test tube rack occurs before one or more of the detection steps.

According to some embodiments, the reading in the registering step and the respective detecting step is performed by different group readers. Preferably, the group readers belong to different processes and/or are located at different locations.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises a monitoring step of monitoring insertion or removal of test tubes on the test tube rack. Preferably, the monitoring step is performed before the registering step.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises confirming readability of the RFID tag during reading.

According to some embodiments, the detecting step comprises confirming whether the test tube is lost.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises a time recording step of recording at least a time stamp associated with the execution of the step.

According to some embodiments, only a single timestamp is recorded for each of the registering step and the detecting step.

According to some embodiments, for the monitoring step, a time stamp is recorded each time insertion or removal of a test tube is monitored.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises a time control step of confirming the validity of the sample by comparison of the time stamps.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises an updating step of updating the process information associated with each reading of the RFID tag of the test tube. Preferably, the updating is performed in association with a timestamp of the recording.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises a retrieving step of receiving an input from a user, retrieving information of the designated test tube, wherein the information comprises process information associated with each reading of the RFID tag of the test tube, and/or the information comprises information of which rack the test tube belongs to, and/or the information comprises information of the position of the test tube on the rack.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises a unbinding step of unbinding the information of the tube rack from the information of the tubes it carries. Thereby, the test tube rack may be used to carry further test tubes and the steps of the method are repeated.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises an authentication step, such as receiving information of the read operator's RFID tag, and binding the operator's information with the step to be performed. Preferably, the authenticating step may be performed at least before the registering step, the detecting step, the monitoring step, and/or the unbinding step.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises displaying a user interface on a display device associated with the group reader performing the reading to indicate at least the registering step, the detecting step, the monitoring step, the unbinding step and/or the authenticating step.

According to some embodiments, the method further comprises causing the user interface to indicate results of the performing of the registering step, the detecting step, the monitoring step, the unbinding step and/or the authenticating step.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a computer apparatus comprising a memory and a processor; the memory is used for storing a computer program; the processor is adapted to carry out the method according to the present disclosure when executing the computer program.

According to the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, carries out a method according to the present disclosure.

According to the utility model discloses, increased operating efficiency, improved the sample quality, strengthened flow management.

Drawings

Other features of the present application will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a blood collection procedure management system according to the present application, wherein a tube rack is coordinated with a cluster reader and only one tube is shown for clarity.

Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of a tube rack of a blood collection procedure management system according to the present application.

Fig. 2A is a schematic illustration of an RFID tag of a tube rack of a blood collection procedure management system according to the present application.

Fig. 2B is a partially enlarged schematic illustration of a portion of a tube rack of a blood collection procedure management system for receiving RFID tags according to the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of the reception of RFID tags by a tube rack of a blood collection procedure management system according to the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of removal of an RFID tag by a tube rack of a blood collection procedure management system according to the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of a cluster reader of a blood collection procedure management system according to the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration of an antenna board of a group reader of a blood collection procedure management system according to the present application.

Fig. 7 is another schematic illustration of a blood collection procedure management system according to the present application.

Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a typical test tube warehouse-out, blood collection, transfer, sorting, inspection, storage, disposal management process, wherein the method according to the present application is applied.

Fig. 9A-15B are schematic illustrations of a user interface displayed in a display device according to the method of the present application.

Detailed Description

The present application is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the present application are shown. This application may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth and described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the application to those skilled in the art. It will also be appreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any manner and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in the above description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and/or" unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

For ease of illustration, like reference numerals refer to like modules, units and/or components throughout the various figures.

The embodiments described below are only specific examples. However, the present application is not limited to the embodiments described in the specification.

Referring to fig. 1, a schematic illustration of a blood collection procedure management system 1 according to the present application is shown. The blood collection process management system 1 includes a test tube rack 2 and a group reader 3. As shown, the test tube rack 2 is mated with a group reader 3. In particular, the group reader 3 removably receives the test tube racks 2. In other words, the test tube rack 2 may be removed from the cluster reader 3 and transferred. The tube rack 2 is provided with RFID tags 20 (not visible in fig. 1) and is configured to receive test tubes 4 (only one shown) provided with RFID tags (not shown). When the group reader 3 receives the test tube racks 2, the group reader 3 reads the RFID tags of the test tube racks 2 and the RFID tags of the test tubes 4 received by the test tube racks 2 in a batch manner in the group reading mode. Thus, the group reader 3 includes a controller for controlling its operation.

Referring to fig. 2, a schematic illustration of a tube rack 2 of a blood collection procedure management system 1 according to the present application is shown. The tube rack 2 defines a plurality of tube receiving positions 25 (a plurality of tube holders). The test tube rack 2 comprises at least one side wall 21, the side wall 21 being provided with a recess 22 for receiving the RFID tag 20 (see fig. 2B). The RFID tag 20 may be at least partially embedded in the sidewall 21, for example mounted flush with the sidewall 21. The RFID tag 20 is packaged with an antenna and a chip as is well known in the art.

Referring to fig. 2A-2B, a schematic illustration of an RFID tag 20 of a test tube rack 2 and a partially enlarged schematic illustration of a portion of the test tube rack 2 for receiving the RFID tag 20 of a blood collection procedure management system 1 according to the present application are shown, respectively. In the schematically illustrated example, the recess 22 is oblong, while the RFID tag 20 has a shape substantially corresponding thereto. However, in other examples not shown, the recess 22 may have other shapes, such as, but not limited to, circular, square, rounded square, rectangular, rounded rectangular, etc., and the RFID tag 20 is designed accordingly. The recess 22 is provided with a bulge 221 along at least a part of its periphery 220. The RFID tag 20 is provided with a groove 201 along at least a part of the lateral periphery 200 with respect to the thickness direction. Thereby, a positive fit of the RFID tag 20 into the recess 22 is achieved by the interaction of the groove 201 and the ridge 221 when both are pushed into the recess, as described below.

Referring to fig. 3, a schematic illustration of the reception of an RFID tag 20 by a tube rack 2 of a blood collection procedure management system 1 according to the present application is shown. When the RFID tag 20 is placed in the recess 22 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the side wall 21, the RFID tag 20 is fixed to the test tube rack 2 and does not easily fall off due to the snap-fit of the groove 201 of the RFID tag 20 and the ridge 221 of the recess 22. Of course, the grooves 201 and ridges 221 may also be provided alternately on the recesses 22 and the RFID tags 20, and similarly a stable attachment of the RFID tags 20 to the test tube rack 2 may be achieved.

According to some embodiments, when the RFID tag 20 is received by the recess 22, a gap (not shown) exists between a portion of the bottom surface 222 of the recess 22 and a portion of the back surface (i.e., the surface facing away from the plane of the drawing) of the RFID tag 20. Such a gap may facilitate stress conditions for the RFID tag 20 and also facilitate the detachment of the RFID tag 20 from the test tube rack 2. Referring back to fig. 2 and 2B, the recess 22 is further provided with notches 223 at both lateral ends, and the RFID tag 20 is further provided with clamping surfaces 202, shown as being substantially planar, at both lateral ends. As can be appreciated in conjunction with FIG. 3, when the RFID tag 20 is received by the recess 22, the clamping surface 202 is located in the area of the slot 223. This configuration also facilitates the detachment of the RFID tag 20.

Referring to fig. 4, a schematic illustration of the removal of the RFID tag 20 by the tube rack 2 of the blood collection procedure management system 1 according to the present application is shown. Here the removal is carried out using a hooked clamp 5. As shown, the hooked clamp 5 includes two clamping arms 50, the ends of the clamping arms 50 including hooks 51 that generally face each other. During removal, hook 51 extends through slot 223 between the back of RFID tag 20 and bottom surface 222 of recess 22, and a portion of clamp arm 50 contacts clamp surface 202, pulling RFID tag 20 out by a distancing movement of clamp 5 generally perpendicular to side wall 21. Preferably, the clamp 50 forms a three-sided hold for the RFID tag 20 during pull-out, i.e. two end faces and a back face in the lateral direction.

Referring to fig. 5, a schematic illustration of a group reader 3 of a blood collection procedure management system 1 according to the present application is shown. The group reader 3 includes a rack receiving area 30 and an array a of reading modules 32 disposed at a base 31 of the rack receiving area 30 (see fig. 6). As can be seen in connection with fig. 1, when a test tube rack 2 is received in the rack receiving area 30 of the group reader 3, the plurality of test tube receiving positions 25 of the test tube rack 2 are respectively substantially aligned with the corresponding reading modules 32 in the array a to read the RFID tags of the test tubes 4 received by the corresponding test tube receiving positions 25. It is to be noted that the reading described here is a corresponding reading, i.e. the reading module 32 in array a only reads the RFID tags of possible test tubes 4 in a particular test tube receiving position 25 substantially aligned therewith, and does not read the RFID tags of possible test tubes 4 in positions adjacent to or further away from this particular test tube receiving position 25.

Referring to fig. 6, a schematic illustration of the antenna board 33 of the group reader 3 of the blood collection procedure management system 1 of the present application is shown. The array a of read modules 32 is arranged on the same antenna board 33. Each read module 32 includes an antenna 321, each antenna coupled to an RFID processing unit (not shown) of the controller. The RFID processing unit is configured to selectively gate one or more of the antennas 321, preferably according to a control. Preferably, each reading module 32 further comprises a metal proximity sensor 322 disposed near the antenna 321, each metal proximity sensor being coupled to the controller. It is to be noted that, similarly to the reading of the reading module 32 via the antenna 321, the metallic proximity sensor 322 also senses only the insertion or removal of a possible test tube 4 in a particular test tube receiving position 25. This sensing takes advantage of the fact that the RFID tag of the cuvette 4 contains metal inside. Preferably, the induction distance is 2-4 mm. Thereby, it is advantageous that the RFID tag is arranged in the lower part, in particular the bottom, of the test tube 4. Moreover, this also facilitates reading of the RFID tag by the antenna 321.

With continued reference to fig. 6, the group reader 3 further includes a side-reading module 35 disposed at the lateral portion 34 of the rack receiving area 30, the side-reading module 35 being generally aligned with the RFID tag 20 disposed on the rack 2 to read the RFID tag when the rack 2 is received in the rack receiving area 30 of the group reader 3. Thus, the side-reading module 35 also comprises an antenna, which is coupled to the RFID processing unit. The RFID processing unit may be the same as or different from the RFID processing unit for the RFID tag of the test tube 4. Advantageously, the RFID processing unit is operable to write data/information to an RFID tag, such as the RFID tag 20 of the test tube rack 2.

According to some embodiments, the group reader also includes an indication or interaction structure 36, such as a communication indicator, a run indicator, an error indicator, a reset button, a power switch, and the like. Each indication or interaction structure 36 is also coupled to the controller.

The operation mode of the group reader 3 includes a registration mode in which the RFID tags of the test tubes racks and the RFID tags of the test tubes received by the test tube racks are read in a batch manner, and the information of the test tube racks is bound to the information of all the loaded test tubes. Here, for example, the IDs of the RFID tags of the tube racks may be associated with the IDs of the RFID tags of all the tubes. Since the group reader 3 is able to obtain the read position of the test tube 4, the information of the test tube may include the position of the test tube on the test tube rack. In the registration mode, it is also determined whether the test tube is readable. For example, a metal proximity sensor of a certain reading module senses that a test tube is inserted, but the antenna of the same reading module does not perform a successful reading, which means that the test tube has a readability defect. In the registration mode, a user interface is also displayed on the display device associated with the group reader 3 executing this mode to report the results of the execution of the registration mode at an indicator corresponding to the tube receiving position of the rack, for example presenting a different display characteristic (such as, but not limited to, a character and/or color) than the other indicators at the indicator corresponding to the tube receiving position where the unreadable tube is confirmed.

The operation mode of the group reader 3 includes a detection mode in which the RFID tags of the test tube racks and the RFID tags of the test tubes received by the test tube racks are read in a batch manner, and the states of the test tube racks and the test tubes carried thereby are confirmed based on the binding. Here, for example, the binding of the IDs of the RFID tags of the tube racks may be confirmed, the IDs of the RFID tags of all the tubes associated with each other may be acquired, and the acquired IDs may be compared with the IDs of the RFID tags of the tubes detected in the detection mode. In the detection mode, it is also determined whether the cuvette is lost. For example, if the ID of the RFID tag of a certain test tube taken from the binding is not detected in the detection mode, it means that the test tube is not in the test tube rack. In the detection mode, a user interface is also displayed on the display device associated with the group reader 3 executing this mode to report the results of the execution of the detection mode at an indicator corresponding to the tube-receiving position of the rack, for example presenting a different display characteristic (such as, but not limited to, a character and/or color) than the other indicators at the indicator corresponding to the tube-receiving position where the missing tube is confirmed.

The operating mode of the group reader 3 includes a monitoring mode in which insertion or removal of test tubes on the test tube rack is monitored. This may be achieved, for example, by a metal proximity sensor as described above. When a test tube is inserted into or removed from the test tube receiving position of the test tube rack, the metal proximity sensor corresponding to the test tube receiving position senses the insertion or removal, so that the antenna of the reading module to which the metal proximity sensor belongs can be gated to read the RFID tag of the test tube above the antenna, or information of the removed test tube is derived based on the position of the metal proximity sensor. Thus, the monitoring mode includes monitoring a sequence of changing cuvettes. In the monitoring mode, a user interface is also displayed on the display means associated with the group reader 3 executing this mode to report the monitoring result, for example, an indicator of a predetermined sequence of changes of the test tube is displayed on the display user interface and/or an indicator corresponding to the actual sequence of changes of insertion or removal of the test tube is displayed on the display user interface.

Referring to fig. 7, another schematic illustration of a blood collection procedure management system 1 according to the present application is shown. Here, the blood collection procedure management system 1 includes at least one test tube rack 2 and a plurality of group readers 3. For example, the group reader 3 may be distributed among different workstations and/or different locations of the same station. The group reader 3 is coupled to the processing device 6 by a wired or wireless communication link. Preferably, each group reader 3 has associated with it a display device (not shown), for example located in its vicinity. It is to be noted that at least one rack 2 receives readings from each group reader 3 during the transfer process. Each group reader 3 may operate in a designated mode. For example, a first group reader 3 may operate in a registration mode and subsequent group readers 3 may operate in a detection mode. In this way, the reading and management can be carried out in batches for the test tube racks 2 and the test tubes 4 carried thereby (only one shown for clarity).

An exemplary application of the blood collection procedure management system 1 and method is described below with reference to a procedure.

Referring to FIG. 8, a schematic illustration of a typical test tube warehouse out 801, blood collection 802, transfer 803, sorting 804, testing 805, storage 806, disposal 807 management process is shown.

At the preparation station and/or in the ex-warehouse process:

the ID of the RFID tag of the tube is bound to the specification of the tube. As known to those skilled in the art, test tubes include blood collection tubes. The specifications of blood collection tubes can be generally characterized by cap characters and/or color and tube body length. The prepared test tube is inserted into a test tube rack. The RFID labels of the test tube racks and the test tubes borne by the test tube racks are read in batches by the aid of the group reading machine, and information of the test tube racks and information of the test tubes are bound. Here, readability of the RFID tag may be confirmed during reading. Here, usage information of the test tube, e.g. who will use it, number, destination, may be recorded). For example, the test tube rack includes 100 short purple tubes and is sent to a second nurse in the first blood collection room for use.

Referring to FIGS. 9A-9B, schematic illustrations of a graphical user interface for a rollout process are shown. The graphical user interface comprises an indicator corresponding to the test tube receiving position of the rack (because of the correspondence of the reading module to the test tube receiving position, as described above). The indicator presents a different display characteristic after reading than before reading. As can be seen in connection with fig. 9A-9B, this schematic illustration suggests that a 10x 10-100 tube reading was successfully performed, with 10x 10-100 indicators presenting the first display feature. Since the readability of the RFID tag can be confirmed during reading, the indicator corresponding to the test tube receiving position not read to the RFID tag presents a second display characteristic different from the first display characteristic.

However, the non-reading of the RFID tag may also be because the corresponding tube receiving location does not receive a tube, and thus the presence of a tube may be indicated using the metal proximity sensors of each reading module as described above. Note that sensing the presence of the test tube without reading the RFID tag means that the test tube readability is incorrect. Alternatively, the indicator corresponding to a test tube receiving location that did not read the RFID tag and did not sense the presence of a test tube presents a second display characteristic different from the first display characteristic, and the indicator corresponding to a test tube receiving location that did not read the RFID tag and sensed the presence of a test tube presents a third display characteristic different from the first and second display characteristics. The third display characteristic indicates tube readability errors.

The binding may be done automatically, especially if no tube readability errors have occurred. Of course, the binding may also always be done manually, i.e. manually triggered, e.g. by an indication of an input confirmation by the interaction means (e.g. clicking a button, not shown, in the illustrated graphical user interface triggers a confirmation of the ex-warehouse).

It is noted that for clarity, not all elements of the graphical user interface are shown, and that the indicators shown are merely exemplary and not limiting. Additionally, the graphical user interface may include indicators relating to statistical information, for example.

At the blood collection station and/or during the sample collection procedure:

subject information is read (e.g., a test chart and/or information card of the scanned subject) to obtain blood sampling information of the subject, e.g., a sequence based on tube specifications. Each time a test tube has completed sampling (and the necessary operations), the RFID tag of the test tube is read with a single reader and the read time (which substantially corresponds to the sampling time of the test tube) is preferably recorded. However, this process requires an additional step before the test tubes are inserted into the tube rack. Thus, the insertion of test tubes into the tube rack may be monitored using the cluster reader. The test tube racks with empty test tube receiving locations are placed in a group reader, which is inserted directly into the test tube racks on the group reader each time a test tube has completed sampling (and the necessary operations), and the insertion of a test tube is sensed by the metallic proximity sensor of the reading module below the test tube receiving location where the test tube was inserted, thereby gating the antenna of the reading module and reading only the RFID tag that was just inserted into the test tube with the group reader. Here, the reading time is similarly recorded. With successive insertions of tubes, the sequence of the insertion of the tubes and preferably the time sequence of the insertion can be recorded. As described above, the specification of a test tube such as a blood collection tube is known. Then, for a given subject, the insertion sequence (number N) of tubes is compared in real time (e.g., once per insertion comparison) with the obtained blood sampling information of the subject, particularly at least a portion of the sequence based on the tube specifications (top N). The above process may be repeated for different subjects, for example until the tube rack is full or has needed to be checked out.

Referring to fig. 10A-10B, schematic illustrations of a graphical user interface of a sample collection procedure are shown. The graphical user interface includes an indicator corresponding to blood sampling information of the subject (note that time is only schematically shown in an expression format of time in order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present application, as is the case with the drawings to be described below), and also preferably includes an indicator of a sequence of predetermined tube specifications and an indicator of a sequence of actually inserted tube specifications. Whenever insertion of a tube that has been sampled is detected, the specification of the tube is reported in an indicator of the sequence of the specifications of the actually inserted tubes. As can be seen in connection with fig. 10A-10B, the schematic illustration shows that three tubes are inserted in the actual sequence, but the format of the third tube does not correspond to the format of the third tube of the predetermined sequence, thereby giving an indication that the blood sampling sequence is incorrect. Additionally, due to the wrong tube, a display feature different from that in the case of conforming to the predetermined sequence is presented in the indicator corresponding to the blood sampling information of the subject.

At the blood collection station and/or during the detection process:

the RFID labels of the test tube racks and the test tubes borne by the test tube racks are read in batches by the aid of the group reading machine, and information of the test tube racks and information of the test tubes are bound. Here, readability of the RFID tag may be confirmed during reading.

Similar user interfaces and interactions as described with respect to fig. 9A-9B may also be used in the present flow.

At the inspection station and/or in the transfer inspection process:

and reading the RFID tags of the test tube racks and the test tubes borne by the test tube racks in batches by utilizing the group reading machine, and confirming the states of the test tube racks and the test tubes borne by the test tube racks based on binding. Confirmation of status may include confirming whether the tube is missing.

Referring to FIGS. 11A-11B, schematic illustrations of a graphical user interface of a transit inspection flow are shown. The graphical user interface comprises an indicator corresponding to the test tube receiving position of the rack (because of the correspondence of the reading module to the test tube receiving position, as described above). The indicator presents a different display characteristic after reading than before reading. As can be seen in connection with fig. 11A-11B, this schematic illustration suggests that a 1x 3-3 tube reading was successfully performed, with 1x 3-3 indicators presenting the first display feature. If a missing tube is found on the tube rack, the indicator corresponding to the tube-receiving location of the missing tube presents a second display characteristic different from the first display characteristic. Alternatively, if excess tubes are found on the tube rack, the indicator corresponding to the tube receiving position where excess tubes are found presents a third display characteristic different from the first and second display characteristics. At this point, retrieval of the information for the missing (or excess) tube may be triggered (as described above) and displayed on the graphical user interface to help confirm the cause of the missing (or excess) tube.

At the sorting station and/or in the sorting reception process:

Similar user interfaces and interactions as described with respect to FIGS. 11A-11B may also be used in the present flow.

At the sorting station and/or in the sorting instruction flow:

Additionally, a sorting indication of the carried test tubes is also provided. For example, test tubes of the same specification may typically be subjected to the same test, so the sorting instructions include an indication of the specification of the test tube. Of course, the sorting indication may also include an indication of other parameters that may be used for differentiation. With sorting instructions, manual or automatic sorting may be performed.

Referring to fig. 12, a schematic illustration of a graphical user interface of a transit inspection flow is shown. The graphical user interface comprises an indicator corresponding to the test tube receiving position of the rack (because of the correspondence of the reading module to the test tube receiving position, as described above). The indicator presents a different display characteristic after reading than before reading. As can be seen in connection with fig. 12, this schematic diagram illustrates that a 1x10+1x 5-15 tube reading was successfully performed, but the 15 indicators present different display characteristics. In the case where the sorting instructions include instructions indicating the specifications of the test tubes, in the illustrated graphical user interface, two specifications of test tubes are indicated. From this, the operator can sort the test tubes of two specifications into two other test tube racks respectively based on this.

In the sorting station and/or in the sorting detection process:

At the inspection station and/or in the inspection reception flow:

At the storage station and/or in the storage reception process:

Additionally, the storage location information of the test tube rack (e.g. in the third column of the second tier of the first bin) is also bound to the information of the test tube rack (preferably associated with the ID of the RFID tag of the test tube rack). Thus, for a given test tube, the position of the test tube on the test tube rack in a specific storage position can be easily determined by the binding of the information of the test tube with the information of the test tube rack, and the binding of the information of the test tube rack with the storage position information of the test tube rack.

On the other hand, if the storage location information of the unbound racks and/or the racks are only routinely centrally stored at the storage station and/or elsewhere, for a given test tube, due to the binding, the test tube can be efficiently found by merely looking up the rack, without having to look for the test tubes one by one. Consider that in extreme cases, the number of lookups may even reach a 1: 100 difference.

It is noted that the blood collection procedure management system 1 and exemplary applications of the method are described above, but certain steps are merely optional, and the blood collection procedure management system 1 and associated methods do not have to be used for each particular procedure described. Also, the blood collection procedure management system 1 and related methods may be used for other management procedures not described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Also, it is noted that generally the test tube rack 2 is transferred between procedures.

Performing authentication operations is also included in the above and other flows, or separately. Preferably, the reading, reporting and/or managing operations in the above-described respective flows are performed in a case where the authentication operation passes.

Referring to FIG. 13, a schematic illustration of a graphical user interface for authentication operations is shown. Note that for clarity, not all elements of the graphical user interface are shown. The graphical user interface includes an indicator indicating an upcoming procedure and an indicator indicating receipt of authentication information.

In the above and other procedures, or separately, performing a time recording operation is also included. Preferably, a single timestamp associated with a single operation of a group read is recorded in a group read mode; each time stamp associated with each operation of the single read is recorded in the single read mode. For example, the time stamp recorded in the sample collection procedure of the blood collection station substantially corresponds to the blood collection completion time (ex vivo time) of the test tube.

Performing time control operations is also included in the above and other flows, or separately. Preferably, the effective time period after the sample is isolated is defined. Based on a comparison of the recorded time stamp (even the current time) with the off-body time, it can be confirmed whether the sample is or will fail (the off-body time approaches or exceeds the validity period). Preferably, a predetermined storage period of the sample is defined. Based on a comparison of the current time of day with the timestamp of the stored reception flow, it can be confirmed whether the sample should or will be disposed of (stored near or beyond a predetermined length of time).

Referring to FIG. 14, a schematic illustration of a graphical user interface for time control operation is shown. Note that for clarity, not all elements of the graphical user interface are shown. The graphical user interface includes a display of the blood collection completion time for at least one, preferably each, tube of a given subject and the test countdown (i.e., remaining time from the moment the expiration time is reached) for the corresponding tube.

In the above and other procedures, or separately, the tube process information updating operation is also performed. For example, after going through each procedure, the process information of the test tube is updated in conjunction with the time recorded about the execution of each procedure. For example, given a tube, when a certain procedure is completed, the record that the tube has been completed by a certain operator at a certain time is updated.

In the above and other procedures, or separately, the tube process information retrieval operation is also performed. Preferably, the retrieving operation provides process information for a given cuvette, preferably overall process information regarding a procedure to which the system and method of the present disclosure is applied.

Referring to fig. 15A-15B, schematic illustrations of a graphical user interface for a retrieval operation are shown. Note that for clarity, not all elements of the graphical user interface are shown. The graphical user interface includes different indicators corresponding to the procedures that the tube has undergone and has not undergone. The graphical user interface includes contiguous operator information and operating time for each experienced flow. As can be seen in conjunction with fig. 15A-15B, as the flow progresses, the tubes have undergone an increase in flow and have not undergone a decrease in flow. Therefore, the stage of the test tube in the test tube management process can be intuitively traced. As shown, the graphical user interface may also display information of the subject associated with the tube.

Thus, according to the present disclosure, with the blood collection procedure management system and related methods, test tubes can be managed in a batch format, at least improving traceability of blood collection procedure management, increasing efficiency of management procedures of blood collection, transportation, analysis, disposal, and the like.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present disclosure and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this disclosure, for example, features relating to the system and features relating to the method may be combined in any manner to form further embodiments. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the claims. The disclosure is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims

1. A blood collection procedure management system, comprising:

a test tube rack provided with an RFID tag and configured to receive test tubes provided with RFID tags; and

a group reader configured to removably receive the tube racks and including a controller for controlling operation of the group reader, the group reader operable to read the RFID tags of the tube racks and the RFID tags of the tubes received by the tube racks in a batch manner in a group read mode.

2. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 1, wherein the tube rack comprises at least one sidewall, the sidewall being provided with a recess for receiving the RFID tag.

3. The blood collection procedure management system according to claim 2, wherein the concave portion is provided with a ridge along at least a part of a periphery thereof, and the RFID tag is provided with a groove along at least a part of a lateral periphery with respect to a thickness direction.

4. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 3, wherein when the RFID tag is received by the recess, a gap exists between a portion of a bottom surface of the recess and a portion of a back surface of the RFID tag.

5. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 2, wherein the recess is further provided with notches at both lateral ends, and the RFID tag is further provided with clamping surfaces at both lateral ends, wherein the clamping surfaces are located in the area of the notches when the RFID tag is received through the recess.

6. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 1, wherein the tube rack defines a plurality of tube receiving locations, the group reader includes a rack receiving area and an array of reading modules disposed at a base of the rack receiving area, the plurality of tube receiving locations each being substantially aligned with a corresponding reading module in the array when the tube rack is received in the rack receiving area of the group reader to read only the RFID tags of the corresponding tubes.

7. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 6, wherein each reading module comprises an antenna, each antenna coupled to an RFID processing unit of the controller, the RFID processing unit configured to selectively gate one or more antennas.

8. The blood collection procedure management system according to claim 7, wherein the group reader is operable in a group reading mode in which the group reader gates a plurality of antennas in a single operation, the RFID processing unit reading the RFID tags of the cuvettes corresponding to the plurality of antennas in parallel.

9. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 7, wherein the group reader is operable in a single-read mode in which the group reader gates only a single antenna in a single operation, the RFID processing unit reading only the RFID tags of the cuvettes corresponding to the single antenna.

10. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 7, wherein each reading module further comprises a metallic proximity sensor disposed proximate the antenna, each metallic proximity sensor coupled to the controller, the metallic proximity sensor configured to sense the presence of a cuvette in the cuvette receiving location to which the reading module corresponds.

11. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 6, wherein the array of read modules are disposed on the same antenna board.

12. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 6, wherein the group reader further comprises a side reading module disposed at a lateral portion of the rack receiving area, the side reading module being substantially aligned with the RFID tag disposed on the rack to read the RFID tag when the rack is received in the rack receiving area of the group reader.

13. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 12, wherein the side reading module also includes an antenna coupled to the RFID processing unit.

14. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 1, further comprising a display device associated with the cluster reader, the display device configured to display a user interface associated with operation of the blood collection procedure management system.

15. The blood collection procedure management system of claim 6, wherein the tube rack comprises a 10x10 array of tube holders and the cluster reader comprises a 10x10 array of reading modules.