JP4473109B2 - Drug discovery frozen storage container RFID tag batch reading and writing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for enclosing a sample in a large number of containers in drug discovery research or chemical substance analysis, and taking out and identifying and managing necessary containers when necessary.

Conventionally, in drug discovery research, chemical analysis, etc., multiple long containers called microtubes filled with a solution in which a sample is dissolved are stored in a storage rack side by side for storage and transportation. .
Then, in order to identify what sample is enclosed in each microtube and what microtube is contained in each storage rack, it is attached to the side of the microtube and storage rack. A bar code is attached, read using a handy type code reader equipped with a one-dimensional line sensor, and the result is stored in a computer and managed.

  In addition, in order to identify more microtubes, a data matrix that can express more information in a smaller area than a barcode or a two-dimensional code called QR code is attached to the bottom of the microtube, Reading was also performed with a code reader equipped with a three-dimensional area sensor.

  Furthermore, in recent years, RFID tags have attracted attention as a medium that can write as well as read recorded contents, and a system for managing the history of contents by attaching it to a side surface of a microtube or the like has also been proposed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Special table 2003-535348 gazette

  However, in the above-described system using RFID tags, a device called a reader / writer that reads and writes information to each tube while associating the microtubes stored in the storage rack with the positions in the rack using a plurality of antennas. In order to identify the storage rack, a bar code, 2D code, etc. are attached to the storage rack, and these are read by hand using a handy bar code reader before and after reading each tube information. It was.

For this reason, when the storage rack is placed on the reader / writer, an operation error has occurred in which the direction of the storage rack is wrong and the address of the tube is erroneously recognized. In addition, an operation error has occurred in which the storage rack from which the information has been read is mistaken for another storage rack.
In addition, the storage rack is not properly placed on the placement surface of the reader / writer, and reading / writing operations are performed while riding on the edge of the placement surface, and communication with the RFID tag cannot be performed. I could recognize it.
In addition, since the code affixed to the storage rack is manually read using a handy bar code reader that is different from the reader / writer, the work is not only labor intensive, but also the work error that the storage rack can be mistaken for reading. Could not prevent.

  Furthermore, in recent years, in the field of drug discovery research, a new technology called combinatorial chemistry that efficiently synthesizes many kinds of compounds (libraries) by freely combining compounds has attracted attention. As a result, precise management including the history of specimens is required to be performed quickly and accurately, and the development of a system for identification and management using RFID tags that can be read and written is indispensable. Yes.

  Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention, that is, the object of the present invention is to read and write errors in the contents stored in the RFID tag attached to each container while the container is stored in the storage rack. It is possible to read and write all at once, and in particular, it prevents work mistakes such as reading and writing operations while the mounting state of the storage rack is bad, even when the container is stored frozen, It is an object of the present invention to provide a drug discovery frozen storage container RFID tag batch read / write device capable of managing each microtube in association with a storage location on a storage rack without being affected by condensation on the container surface.

The invention according to claim 1 has a plurality of frozen-stored containers for enclosing a drug discovery sample, a storage rack for vertically storing the containers in a matrix, and a rack mounting table for mounting the storage rack. In a drug discovery frozen storage container RFID tag batch read / write device that reads and writes the RFID tag attached to the bottom surface of the container in a batch for each storage rack, barcodes are attached to two adjacent side surfaces of the storage rack. When the storage rack is correctly placed on a rack mounting table, barcode readers are installed at two locations where the barcodes attached to the two side surfaces can be read. The bar code data and the RFID data of a plurality of containers stored vertically in the storage rack are linked and captured,
The height of the barcode attached to the side surface of the storage rack is shortened to such an extent that a reading error occurs when the storage rack is in a bad mounting state. As a result of detecting the barcode attached to the side surface of the storage rack, if the detection error is detected, a warning is issued so that the storage rack is remounted, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem.

  The “container” in the present invention refers to a small cylindrical container called a microtube for storing a compound or the like dissolved in a solvent solution, a container called a vial for storing a powdered sample, a test tube, or the like Depending on the application, it can be appropriately selected.

Here, the “RFID tag” generally has a built-in CMOS chip and an ultra-small antenna composed of an IC memory and a communication circuit capable of recording several bytes to several kilobytes of data, and is read and written through an antenna coil. Communication is performed by inducing an electric current in the RFID tag through radio.
For this reason, there is no contact, and information can be read and written without being affected by condensation or dirt on the surface.
In the present invention, “collective read / write” does not necessarily mean that all information is read / written simultaneously, but means that a plurality of data can be read / written sequentially in one operation.

According to the present invention, there are a plurality of frozen and stored containers enclosing a drug discovery sample, a storage rack for vertically storing the containers in a matrix, and a rack mounting table for mounting the storage racks. In a drug discovery frozen storage container RFID tag batch read / write device that reads and writes the RFID tag attached to the bottom in a batch for each storage rack, a barcode is attached to the side of the storage rack, and the storage rack is mounted on the rack mounting table. A barcode reader is installed at a position where barcodes can be read when correctly placed on the storage rack, and the barcode data of the storage rack and the RFID data of multiple containers stored vertically in the storage rack are linked. The height of the barcode attached to the side of the storage rack is short enough to cause a reading error if the storage rack is in a bad state. Before reading and writing the RFID tags in a batch, the barcode attached to the side surface of the storage rack is detected by the barcode reader. As a result, if the detection error is detected, a warning is issued so that the storage rack is remounted. Therefore, work errors can be prevented, work time can be shortened, safety can be improved, and sample quality can be improved.
In addition, since the management is performed by associating the RFID data of each microtube with the barcode information of the storage rack, data management can be facilitated, and appropriate management of a large number of containers can be realized.
Furthermore, even when the container is stored frozen, it is not affected by condensation on the surface of the container, so that data can be read and written.

In addition, the barcode attached to the side of the storage rack is shortened, and the barcode attached to the side of the storage rack is detected by the barcode reader before reading and writing the RFID tags all together. In the case of a detection error, a warning is issued so that the storage rack is remounted, so that it is possible to prevent an operation error such as a read / write operation while the storage rack is in a poor mounting state.
Here, the intention of shortening the barcode height is that if the barcode height is long, even if there is a slight tilt, the barcode reader reads the data correctly and the storage rack is placed This is because reading and writing operations are performed in a bad state.

  A barcode is affixed to two adjacent side surfaces of the storage rack, and when the storage rack is correctly placed on the rack mounting table, the barcode attached to the two side surfaces can be read 2 A barcode reader is installed at the location, and if the barcode is detected by the barcode reader, a warning is issued so that the storage rack is remounted if a detection error occurs. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent work mistakes such as reading and writing operations while the storage rack is in a poor mounting state.

  A description will be given based on FIGS. 1 to 3 based on the embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a drug discovery frozen storage container RFID tag batch read / write device as a reference example for explaining the present invention.

First, a reference example for explaining the present invention includes a plurality of containers 10 such as microtubes that enclose a drug discovery sample, a storage rack 20 that vertically holds the containers 10 in a matrix, and the storage rack 20. This is a frozen storage container RFID tag batch read / write device for drug discovery that reads and writes the RFID tag 12 affixed to the bottom surface of the container 10 in a batch for each storage rack 20. .
A barcode 22 is affixed to the side surface of the storage rack 20. When the storage rack 20 is correctly placed on the rack placement table 32 of the reader / writer 30, the barcode 22 can be read at a position where it can be read. A code reader 40 is provided, and the data 22 of the bar code 22 of the storage rack 20 and the data of the RFID tags 12 of the plurality of containers 10 accommodated vertically in the storage rack 20 are linked and loaded into the personal computer 50. ing.
For this reason, even a drug discovery sample newly obtained from the external organization or the like with a different database is automatically read and managed.
Further, even when the storage rack 20 is taken out to an external organization, it is not necessary to extract necessary data from a huge amount of internal database data and attach it separately.

  Further, the barcode 22 affixed to the side surface of the storage rack 20 is shortened, and the bar code 22 affixed to the side surface of the storage rack 20 is detected before the RFID tag 12 is read / written collectively. If a detection error is detected as a result of detecting the code 22, it has a function of issuing a warning so that the storage rack 20 is remounted.

  Therefore, the barcode reader 40 detects the presence or absence of errors such as oblique placement of the storage rack 20 before the RFID tags 12 are collectively read and written, thereby preventing reading and writing of the RFID tags 12 in the wrong container 10.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a drug discovery frozen storage container RFID tag batch read / write device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Therefore, a drug discovery frozen storage container RFID tag batch read / write device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
That is, in the frozen storage container RFID tag batch read / write device for drug discovery according to the present embodiment, the barcodes 22 a and 22 b are attached to two adjacent side surfaces of the storage rack 20, and the storage rack 20 is placed on the reader / writer 30. Bar code readers 40a and 40b are provided at two places where the bar codes 22a and 22b attached to the two side surfaces can be read when the rack is placed on the rack mounting table 32, and these bar code readers 40a and 40b are used. As a result of detecting the bar codes 22a and 22b, a warning is issued so that the storage rack 20 is remounted if a detection error occurs.
Therefore, it becomes possible to position both vertically and horizontally, and it is possible to further prevent work mistakes such as reading and writing operations with the storage rack 20 being in a poor mounting state.
The other specific configuration is the same as the reference example for explaining the present invention described above, and the explanation is omitted.

In the reference example of the present invention and the embodiment of the present invention described above, the barcode reader 40 is installed at a position facing the barcode 22, that is, above the rack mounting table 32. As shown to (a), the barcode reader 40 is arrange | positioned below the rack mounting base 32, ie, it accommodates in the apparatus of the reader / writer 30, and barcode detection light is irradiated toward diagonally upward, It is also possible to detect the code 22.
In this case, there are no protrusions on the rack mounting table 32, and the storage rack 20 can be raised and lowered from any direction.

As another method, as shown in FIG. 3B, the barcode reader 40 is disposed below the rack mounting table 32 and is separately reflected between the rack 20 and the storage rack 20 mounted on the rack mounting table 32. It is also possible to provide an optical path changing member 60 such as a mirror.
In that case, since the barcode reader 40 can be stored in the reader / writer, the apparatus can be made compact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The conceptual diagram of the drug discovery frozen storage container RFID tag batch reading / writing apparatus of the reference example for demonstrating this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The conceptual diagram of the frozen storage container for drug discovery which is an Example of this invention RFID tag batch reading / writing apparatus. The conceptual diagram which shows another Example which installed the barcode reader in the reader / writer.

10 ... Container (microtube)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... RFID tag 20 ... Storage rack 22 ... Bar code 30 ... Reader / writer 32 ... Rack mounting table 40 ... Bar code reader 50 ... Personal computer 60 ... Optical path changing member (Reflection mirror)

Claims (1)

A plurality of frozen and stored containers for enclosing a drug discovery sample; a storage rack for vertically storing the containers in a matrix; and a rack mounting table for mounting the storage rack; and affixed to the bottom surface of the container In a drug discovery frozen storage container RFID tag batch read / write device that reads and writes batch RFID tags for each storage rack,
Barcode is affixed to two adjacent sides of the storage rack,
When the storage rack is correctly placed on a rack mounting table, barcode readers are installed at two places where the barcodes attached to the two side surfaces can be read,
Bar code data of the storage rack and RFID data of a plurality of containers accommodated vertically in the storage rack are linked and captured,
If the mounting state of the storage rack is bad, the height of the barcode attached to the side surface of the storage rack is shortened to the extent that a reading error occurs,
Before reading and writing the RFID tags in a batch, if the detection result is a bar code attached to the side surface of the storage rack by the bar code reader, a warning is issued so that the storage rack is remounted. Frozen storage container for drug discovery, RFID tag batch read / write device.

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