EP1651159A1

EP1651159A1 - Device for the storage of solid and/or liquid and/or gaseous objects

Info

Publication number: EP1651159A1
Application number: EP04762515A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Martin Bergsmann; Adolf Bernds; Wolfgang Clemens; Axel Gerlt; Marcus Halik; Matthias Müller; Henning Rost; Günter Schmid; Roland Treutlein
Original assignee: Hueck Folien GmbH; Infineon Technologies AG; Hueck Folien GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Hueck Folien GmbH
Priority date: 2003-07-28
Filing date: 2004-07-26
Publication date: 2006-05-03
Anticipated expiration: 2024-07-26
Also published as: CA2533462A1; EP1651159B8; CA2533462C; WO2005011564A1; US7466230B2; US20070267431A1; DE10335284A1; DE10335284B4; EP1651159B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for the storage of solid and/or liquid and/or gaseous objects, in particular, of medicaments or foodstuffs, comprising at least one compartment which contains at least one object. According to the invention, the filling or emptying of the compartment is triggered by means of an electrically-readable signal. In a preferred embodiment, the compartment (71-76), for emptying of or filling with the object, may be mechanically modified and an electrically-readable signal is generated on a mechanical change to the compartment (71-76) taking place. Preferably integrated in the device (7), are an electrical data memory with at least one memory cell (11-16), allocated to a compartment (71-76), which, on a mechanical change to the compartment (71-76), adopts a different memory value and an analytical circuit (2, 3, 4) for reading off the data memory (1).

Description

description

Description of the invention: Device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects.

The invention relates to a device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects according to the preamble of claim 1. It enables in particular the automatic detection of the state of packaging such as blister packs or food packaging.

It is known to use blister packs in the healthcare sector for the storage and metered provision of medicines. In order to recognize the effect of the medication administered, including possible side effects, and to be able to draw conclusions for further treatment, it is often important for the attending physician to be able to determine the exact amount and timing of the medication being administered. For this are

Known readers that record the condition of the blister packaging and - if necessary. via a remote connection - transmit the relevant information to the attending doctor. Such control options are particularly desirable in the home care sector.

The known reading devices for detecting the condition of blister packs are designed in such a way that the blister pack to be tested is essentially completely inserted into the reading device. The state of the

Blister packs are then determined either optically or electrically, in the latter case a simple conductor track is printed on the individual blisters, so that by applying two contacts to a blister, it can be recognized whether the blister is still intact or not. A disadvantage is that a large number of contacts must be provided in the reader. Known Contacts are provided in the reader. Known reading devices for blister packs are generally characterized by a complex structure and high manufacturing costs. In addition, an adaptation to the respective dimensions of the blister packs to be tested is required.

Similar problems, such as those that occur when the condition of blister packs are detected, also arise when the condition of other packagings is detected, for example other pharmaceutical packaging or food packaging, the integrity of which must be checked.

The invention is accordingly based on the object of providing a device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects, which in conjunction with a reading device enables simple and inexpensive detection of the state of the device.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a device with the features of claim 1. Preferred and advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The solution according to the invention is characterized in that the filling and / or emptying of the compartment triggers an electrically readable signal. The state of the device can be detected via the electrically readable signal. In addition to a removal of an object from a compartment, the filling or loading of a compartment with an object can also be determined or recorded. In a preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the compartment for removing the object and / or for filling with the object is mechanically changeable and an electrically readable signal is generated when the compartment changes mechanically. The mechanical change therefore leads directly to an electrically readable signal.

In a preferred development of this embodiment, it is provided that an electrical data memory is integrated in the device. The electrical data storage device has at least one storage cell, each of which is assigned to a compartment of the device and which takes on a different storage value when the compartment changes mechanically. In addition, evaluation electronics for reading out the data memory are preferably integrated in the device.

This preferred embodiment is based on the idea of designing the device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects itself as a carrier of electrical functionality. A compartment of the device that changes mechanically when an object is removed is assigned a memory cell, so that the mechanical change in the compartment is reflected in a changed memory value of the respective memory cell. The state of the individual compartments of the device and thus of the device as a whole can be determined by reading out the memory cells by means of the evaluation electronics. The evaluation electronics can be integrated directly into the substrate of the device or alternatively can be formed on a separate carrier that is applied to the device.

The integration of the evaluation electronics in the device has the advantage that the intelligence for detecting a change in state of the device is integrated in the device itself. This is done in particular by integrating the electrical data storage device and the evaluation electronics into commercially available packaging, especially using polymer electronics. Due to the implementation of electronic functionalities in the device itself, the intelligence of a reading device can be considerably reduced and the size of a reading device can be miniaturized to the size of a pure display, which results in considerable cost savings. ,

The reading device only needs to communicate with a standardized interface of the evaluation electronics and it is no longer necessary to provide means in the reading device which record the condition of all compartments of the reading device. Rather, it is sufficient to provide only one contact for serial data transmission. Furthermore, it is no longer necessary for the reading devices to completely record the device, the state of which is to be recorded. This means that the readers can be made smaller and used in connection with a much larger variety of packaging. Overall, the automatic detection of the state of a device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects is made possible by the solution mentioned in a significantly simpler and more cost-effective manner.

It is pointed out that a "compartment" in the sense of the present invention is understood to mean any spatially delimitable area that at least partially allows an object to be picked up or stored. In particular, it can be closed or only partially closed areas of a device The device under consideration can have one or more compartments. An “object” in the sense of the present invention, which is located in a compartment, can be solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous. For example, they are tablets or portions of food. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a compartment forms part of the associated memory cell. A mechanical change in the compartment accordingly leads directly to a changed memory value of the memory cell. The compartment preferably has a conductor track that is part of the memory cell. The conductor track is destroyed when the compartment is changed mechanically, as a result of which the memory cell assumes a different value.

The memory cell and the associated compartment can, however, also be coupled in another way. In another embodiment, the compartment forms a capacitance, the capacitance being changed when the compartment is changed mechanically, so that the memory cell then assumes a different value. It is also conceivable that the compartment forms an inductance and the inductance is changed when the compartment changes mechanically. In this case, the memory cell assumes a different memory value due to the changed inductance. The memory cell can also have an oscillating circuit which is destroyed or detuned when the compartment changes mechanically, which in turn leads to a different memory value. The latter cases are particularly useful when integrating an AC voltage source into the device

Alternatives to the electrical detection of a mechanical change in a compartment.

In general, it should be noted that both configurations of a memory cell can be provided in which the memory cell stores digital values, in particular digital voltage values (for example “ZERO” or “ONE”). Embodiments of a memory cell can also be provided in which the memory cell stores analog values. In a preferred embodiment, only two values can be stored (eg "ZERO" or "ONE") which correspond to two states of the compartment ("filled" and "empty" respectively . "Undamaged" and "open").

The evaluation electronics have, for example, a shift register for reading out the data memory. The individual memory cells of the data memory form parallel inputs of the shift register. The shift register is read out serially via a suitable interface. However, the evaluation of the data memory by a shift register is only an example. The person skilled in the art recognizes that reading out the memory values of a data memory can be implemented in many ways.

The solution according to the invention comprises both configurations in which a voltage source is integrated into the device and configurations in which a voltage source is not integrated. In the latter case, the energy for operating the data memory and the evaluation electronics is added from the outside, for example by means of the reading device. Just like the actual data transmission, this can be done with or without contact.

In the case of a contact-type connection between the device and the reading device, the evaluation electronics preferably have only two connection contacts for the voltage (the operating voltage Vdd and GROUND) and one

Connect to serial data transmission. In addition, there may be a connector for a timer. In the case of a contactless connection between the device and the reading device, the energy is coupled in inductively or via an electromagnetic signal. The latter methods are provided for an information transmission according to RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and are known to the person skilled in the art.

In a further development of the invention, it is provided that the evaluation electronics themselves have a timer and save the time at which a compartment mechanically was changed. This makes it possible to additionally save the time at which a drug or food is removed from a compartment under consideration and to determine it afterwards. If a corresponding intelligence is integrated in the evaluation electronics, the evaluation electronics is preferably designed as a separate chip with an integrated voltage source, which is applied, for example glued, to the device. Such a “high performance” configuration of the evaluation electronics is particularly expedient in the case of high-quality medications, for example medicines from genetic engineering. The chip is preferably designed as a silicon chip.

However, the memory cell and / or conductor tracks and / or component evaluation electronics are preferably integrated directly into the substrate of the device. The memory cell is designed as an inherent WOROM memory integrated in the substrate of the device (WOROM = Write once read only memory). A write operation occurs only once in that a mechanical change in the compartment in question leads once to a changed storage value of the storage cell assigned to a compartment.

In a preferred “low perfomance configuration of the

According to the invention, the data memory and / or conductor tracks and / or components of the evaluation electronics are at least partially designed as elements of the polymer electronics. In particular, for this purpose the device has a layer composite and at least one of the layers of the composite is used to form an electrical function. It is preferably provided that active and / or passive electrical components such as transistors, diodes, capacitors, inductors or resistors as well as circuits formed therefrom are integrated in the layer composite. The data storage and the evaluation electronics resp. Components of the data storage and In this way, evaluation electronics can be inexpensively integrated directly into the substrate of the device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects. Integration into the substrate of a packaging which represents or has the device is preferably carried out.

The formation of electronic circuits made of plastic on or. in a commercially available packaging film is known. Similar to newspaper printing, the film runs through several coating and structuring processes. Active or passive electronic components are integrated into the individual layers of the film, so that electronic circuits can be formed in the film.

The materials required for the implementation of electronic circuits, namely semiconductors, insulators and conductor tracks, are available as polymers or as low-molecular compounds of organic, inorganic or organometallic nature and as composites (organic, inorganic, organic / inorganic), so that the materials can be applied successively to different carrier materials in order to implement a desired electronic functionality. In particular, organic transistors can also be provided which, like transistors based on silicon, are composed of several layers: substrate, gate electrode, gate insulator, source and drain contacts, organic semiconductors (for example pentacene or substituted oligothiophenes) and a protective passivation. It is also conceivable to use hybrid organic / inorganic structures and to integrate them into the substrate of the device or the substrate of the packaging.

Integrating electrical functionality into Plastic films based on polymer electronics represent an extremely useful embodiment of the teaching of integrating evaluation electronics for reading out a data memory together with the data memory in a device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects. However, it is only a preferred embodiment. In principle, the data memory and the evaluation electronics can also be implemented in a different way, as previously stated.

In further preferred refinements, the electrical lines of the data storage device or of the evaluation electronics, in the event that the substrate of the device has an aluminum layer, are formed by the aluminum layer itself, which is structured accordingly and serves as a conductor track level after the structuring. Alternatively, the conductor tracks can be implemented, for example, with the aid of conductive organic connections by printing. Examples of suitable organic compounds are carbon black, polystyrene sulfonic acid-doped polydioxyethylene thiophene (PEDOTrPSS) or champhersulfonic acid-doped polyaniline.

It has already been pointed out that the device preferably represents or has packaging, the packaging forming the compartments and the data memory and the evaluation electronics being integrated into the substrate of the packaging. The packaging is, for example, a blister pack. However, the invention is also suitable for the detection of the condition of other packaging, in particular for the detection of the condition of

Food packaging. For example, the device can be a yogurt cup. The yoghurt cup forms a storage cell together with the aluminum lid, while removing the conductive one

Aluminum lid, ie if the yoghurt cup is mechanically changed, the storage value of the storage cell changes becomes . The evaluation electronics are integrated, for example, in the plastic material of the cup.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures of the drawing using several exemplary embodiments. Show it :

Figure 1 - schematically a data storage and evaluation electronics of a device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects and an associated reading device;

Figure 2 - an arrangement according to Figure 1, in which the interface of the evaluation electronics is designed as a contact interface;

Figure 3 - an arrangement according to Figure 1, in which the interface of the evaluation electronics k is designed as an RFID interface;

Figure 4 - an embodiment of the evaluation electronics of Figures 1 to 3, wherein the evaluation electronics has a shift register;

5 shows an embodiment of an evaluation electronics according to FIGS. 1 to 4, the evaluation electronics being designed as a separate chip with an integrated timer function and voltage supply;

Figure 6a - in side view several blisters of a blister pack, each of which forms part of a memory cell;

Figure 6b - a plan view of the blister pack of Figure 6a; Figure 7 - an embodiment of a memory cell and

Figure 8 - a blister pack with integrated memory cells and integrated evaluation electronics.

FIG. 1 shows a data memory 1 and evaluation electronics 2, which is part of a device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects.

The data memory 1 has a memory cell which is assigned to a compartment 71 of the device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects. The compartment 71 serves the. Inclusion of at least one object. For example, the compartment 71 is a blister of a blister pack. When a mechanical force F is exerted on the compartment for the purpose of removing the contained therein

Subject, the compartment 71 is mechanically deformed or changed. This change leads to a changed memory value in the memory cell. For example, the storage value is before. a removal of the object logically zero and after a removal of the object logically one.

To read out the value of the data memory 1, the evaluation electronics 2 are provided, which have an evaluation module 3 and an interface 4. Via the interface 4, the values of the

Data memory 1 are transferred to an external reader 5. The transmission can be contact-based or contactless. The reader 5 has a display 51 on which the information relating to the storage value of the data memory 1 or the corresponding information about the state of the device under consideration can be displayed. Since the evaluation electronics 2 in the device is integrated for the storage of solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects, the reader 5 can be configured in a simple manner.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the device for the storage of solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects, in which a data transmission to a reading device takes place with contact. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, data memory 1 contains three memory cells 11, 12, 13, each of which is assigned to a corresponding compartment (not shown separately). The evaluation module 3 reads out the current values of the memory cells 11, 12, 13 and communicates this information to the interface 4a. The interface 4a has four standardized connections. It is a connection for the

Operating voltage Vdd, a connection for the reference potential GROUND, a connection D for a serial data transmission and a connection for a clock. The latter can also be dispensed with. Data transmission is synchronous with clock, asynchronous without clock.

In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 3, a contactless interface 4a is provided in accordance with the RFID standard. The RFID interface 4a represents a transceiver (or a “tag”) which interacts with an RFID reader. For contactless communication, the RFID interface 4b has an antenna 4b '. Inductive or electromagnetic waves are transmitted via the reader Energy is coupled into the interface 4b, which is made available to the evaluation unit 2 and the data memory 1. With the aid of the coupled-in energy, the current value of the memory cells 11, 12, 13 is recorded and transmitted to the reading device.

RFID interfaces can be designed in many different ways. For example, it can also be provided that in the RFID interface 4b or in the Evaluation electronics 2, a voltage source is integrated ⁽ so-called active RFID transceiver). Since contactless communication by means of RFID components is known to the person skilled in the art, this will not be discussed further.

FIG. 4 shows a possible embodiment of the evaluation module 3. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the evaluation module 3 has a shift register 31 with a multiplicity of cells 311,... 31n. The output values of a plurality of ^S peicherzellen 11, 12, -13 ... In are parallel inputs El, E2, E3, ... En the individual cells 311, ... 31n of the shift register 31 is supplied. The slide _b eregister 31 passes to the clock time information of the respective cell to the succeeding cell further. The information from the individual data memories can be read out serially at output A.

The clock of the shift register 31 is preset by a timer ^C L ^O CK, the time signal supplied externally or a contem ^b it may be integrated into the evaluation electronics.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of evaluation electronics 2, which are in a separate chip _. is formed, which is applied to the device for the storage of solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous _GOODS AND _(not ^shown) via suitable contact points electrically connected to the data memory 1 of the apparatus. The evaluation electronics 2 is formed, for example, on a silicon chip. There are a microprocessor 32 having RAM and ROM chips 33, 34 as well as a clock ^(C lock) _Λ 35, a timer block _{_(timer)} 37 and a power supply component 36 is provided. By providing a timer module 37, it is also possible to save the point in time at which a compartment is mechanically changed or the storage value of the associated memory cell 11, 12, 13 changes. A clock function is therefore provided. When checking the Condition of the device, it is therefore possible to also record the time of removal of the respective object, such as a tablet from a blister pack.

FIGS. 6a, 6b show a blister pack 7 with a plurality of blisters 71, 72, 73 in side view and in plan view as an example of a device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects. Each blister 71, 72, 73 represents a part of a memory cell. For this purpose, a conductor track 104 is integrated into the depressible region 70 of the blister. This is destroyed when the blister is pushed through. This leads to the writing of the memory cell assigned to the respective blister 71, 72, 73 or to a change in the memory value.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary embodiment for a memory cell or a memory element 11. According to the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 7, a line is connected between the ground 102 connections and the operating voltage Vdd 101, which line is partially formed by the conductor track 104 of the compartment. An output signal is provided at an output 103. A p-channel transistor 100, which is preferably implemented in polymer electronics, limits the current, so that when the conductor 104 is closed, the potential at the output 103 is zero volts (logic zero). If the conductor 104 is destroyed, however, the operating voltage Vdd (logic one) is present at the output 103.

The configuration of the memory cell shown in FIG. 7 is only to be understood as an example. Numerous other configurations of a memory cell are conceivable. For example, a resistor can also be provided instead of a current-limiting transistor. Capacitors and / or inductors can also be used for AC applications. FIG. 8 shows a memory cell with six blister cells 71-76 and six associated memory cells 11-16, which are designed, for example, as shown in FIG. The outputs 103 of the memory cells are connected via electrical lines 8 to an evaluation module 3, which reads out the contents of the memory cells 71-76 and forwards the data to an interface 4 for the transmission of a reading device, the information being transmitted, for example, contactlessly by means of an RFID interface.

According to the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 8, the memory cells 11 to 16 as well as the evaluation module 3 and the RFID module 4 are at least partially implemented in polymer electronics. A correspondingly structured aluminum layer of the blister packaging is used as the carrier for the electrical lines 104, 8, which after structuring contains conductor tracks in a suitable manner. The other components of the memory cells and the evaluation electronics 3, 4 such as transistors and diodes are in further layers of the

Blister packaging 7 plastic material integrated. The RFID interface 4 is also preferably implemented on a polymer basis.

Instead of an RFID interface 4, a contact-based interface corresponding to interface 4a in FIG. 2 can also be used.

After the medication contained in the respective blisters 71 to 76 has been removed, the information about the

Change of the respective blister in the reading module 5 (cf.

Figure 1) read out and displayed there or forwarded.

The reading module can be used with a variety of

Blister packs of different sizes and number of blisters can be used. Commercial RFID

Readers or readers specially designed for blister packs can be used. The embodiment of the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above. Instead of blister packs, any other packs or devices for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects can also be used in connection with the invention. The compartments which can be changed mechanically when an object is removed are, for example, compartments of commercially available food packaging. The invention then makes it possible, after receiving a delivery of food, to quickly check whether the packaging of the individual foods has been damaged during transport.

In other configurations of the invention, the filling of a compartment is recorded, an electrically readable signal being generated when a compartment is filled. The electrically readable signal is triggered in particular by a mechanical change in the compartment during the filling process.

Claims

claims

1. Device for storing solid and / or liquid and / or gaseous objects, in particular medicinal products or foods, with at least one compartment containing at least one object, characterized in that the filling and / or emptying of the compartment (71- 76) triggers an electrically readable signal.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the compartment (71-76) is mechanically changeable for removal of the object and / or for filling with the object and an electrically readable signal at a mechanical change _d it compartments (71-76) is produced.

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the device (7) is integrated with: - an electrical data memory (1; 11-16) with at least one memory cell (11-16) assigned to a compartment (71-76) takes on a different storage value when the compartment (71-76) changes mechanically.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that in the device (7) is further integrated: - Evaluation electronics (2, 3, 4) for reading out the data memory (1).

5. The device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the compartment (71-76) forms part of the memory cell (11-16).

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the compartment (71-76) has a conductor track (104) which is part of the memory cell (11-16), and the conductor track (104) in the event of a mechanical change in the compartment (71 -76) is destroyed, as a result of which the memory cell (11-16) assumes a different value.

7. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the compartment (71-76) forms a capacity and the capacity is changed when the compartment is changed mechanically, as a result of which the memory cell (11-16) assumes a different value.

8. The device according to claim 5 or 7, characterized in that the compartment (71-76) forms an inductance and the inductance is changed when the compartment is changed mechanically, as a result of which the memory cell (11-16) assumes a different value.

9. The device according to at least one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the evaluation electronics (2, 3) has a shift register (31) z: iuια reading the data memory (1).

10. The device according to at least one of claims 4 to 9, characterized gekennzeic hnet that the evaluation electronics (2, 4) has two connection contacts (Vdd, GROUND) for the voltage and a connection contact (D) for serial data transmission.

11. The device according to at least one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that the evaluation electronics (2) has a contact or a contactless interface (4a, 4b) for data transmission between the evaluation electronics (2) and an external reading device (5).

12. The device according to at least one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that the evaluation electronics (5) has a timer (37) and stores the time at which a compartment (71-76) was mechanically changed.

13. The device according to at least one of claims 3 to 12, characterized in that at least one memory cell (11-16) and / or conductor tracks (104; 8) and / or components of the evaluation electronics (2, 3, 4) in the substrate Device (7) are integrated.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the data memory (1; 11-16) is designed as an inherent WOROM memory integrated into the substrate.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the data memory (1; 11-16) and / or conductor tracks (104 _r ⁸ ) and / or components of the evaluation electronics (2, 3, 4) at least partially as elements of polymer electronics are trained.

16. The device according to at least one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that the device (7) has a layer composite and at least one of the layers of the composite is used to form an electrical function.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that in the layer structure active and / or passive electrical components such as transistors (100), diodes, capacitors, inductors or resistors and circuits (2, 3, 4) formed therefrom are integrated.

18. The device according to at least one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that the substrate (7) has an aluminum layer which forms the electrical lines (104, 8).

19. The device according to at least one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that the substrate (7) has printed organic compounds which realize the conductor tracks.

20. The device according to at least one of claims 13 to 19, characterized in that the device represents or has a packaging (7) which forms the compartments (71-76), and the data memory (1) and the evaluation electronics (2, 3, 4) are integrated in the substrate of the packaging (7).

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the substrate of the packaging (7) serves as a carrier for electrical lines (104, 8) and / or the evaluation electronics (2, 3, 4).

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the evaluation electronics (32, 33, 34, 35) is integrated in a chip with an integrated voltage source (36) which is attached to the packaging (7).

23. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is a blister pack (7).

24. The device according to claim 23, characterized in that a blister (71-76) forms part of a memory cell (11-16).

25. The device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is a food packaging.