Wireless communication device, storage facility and communication method

The present invention relates to a wireless communication device. The invention also relates to an element storage installation comprising such a storage device. The invention also relates to a communication method.

In the field of item logistics, many special systems have been developed to detect the presence or absence of items, for example stored on a shelf.

The elements generally include an identifying label, such as an RFID tag (from the English “radio frequency identification” translated into French by “radio identification”), affixed to one side of the element. Each tag stores information about the corresponding item. In addition, these systems include a reader, such as an RFID reader, in order to read and/or update the information contained in the labels of said elements but also to detect the presence or absence of these elements.

However, it has been found that such systems do not provide reliable reading of all stored items. Indeed, tags located on certain areas of the shelf cannot be detected and/or read by these RFID readers.

However, when the stored elements are bags containing biological products, such as blood products (bags of primary blood, plasma, platelets, red blood cells, etc.) or cellular engineering products (cells, stems. ..), or drug bags, such as chemotherapy bags, it is essential to ensure detection, reading and/or updating of all the labels carried by these bags to ensure good traceability of the blood products.

There is therefore a need for a communication device capable of reading each tag reliably.

To this end, the subject of the present description is a wireless communication device comprising at least three elementary antennae each comprising at least two loops, two adjacent loops being configured to be traversed by currents having opposite directions of circulation, each loop of each antenna delimiting an inner surface called the loop surface, in which the elementary antennas are offset two by two along a rectilinear direction and, in which, for each loop of each antenna, part of the surface of this loop is superimposed with a portion of a loop area of ​​each other antenna

element, the part of said loop surface having an area less than the area of ​​the loop surface of said loop.

According to particular embodiments, the wireless communication device comprises one or more of the following characteristics, taken in isolation or in all technically possible combinations:

- a part of each loop of each antenna, called coincidence part, coincides with a loop portion of each other antenna and, for each loop, the coincidence part is at least greater than 5% of the perimeter of this loop.

- the loops of each antenna have the same shape.

- each antenna is flat and the at least three elementary antennas extend in the same plane.

- each elementary antenna comprises at least three loops.

- each loop of each antenna is partitioned into loop partitions presenting an area, each loop partition being delimited by at least one loop part of a loop of another antenna, each surface of a loop partition presenting an area less than or equal to one third of the area of ​​the surface of this loop, and the elementary antennae extend in the same plane and are configured to emit an electromagnetic field in a three-dimensional zone of space, the electromagnetic field emitted in the three-dimensional area being continuous along a direction parallel to the rectilinear direction.

- the wireless communication device is a radio identification tag reader.

The present description also relates to an installation for storing elements, each element carrying a first wireless communication unit, the installation comprising an enclosure comprising an internal compartment, the enclosure preferably being a refrigerant enclosure, and comprising a device wireless communication unit as described above, forming a second wireless communication unit able to communicate with at least a first wireless communication unit in which the wireless communication device is arranged in the internal compartment.

According to a particular embodiment of the element storage installation, the elements are containers for biological products, drugs or therapeutic preparations and each of second wireless communication unit is a

radio identification tag comprising a memory capable of storing data relating to the container carrying this second wireless communication unit.

The present description also relates to a method of communication implemented in an element storage installation as described previously between at least a first wireless communication unit and a second wireless communication unit, the second unit of wireless communication comprising at least three elementary antennas each comprising at least two loops, two adjacent loops being configured to be traversed by currents having opposite directions of circulation, each loop of each antenna delimiting an inner surface called the loop surface, in which the elementary antennas are offset two by two along a rectilinear direction and, in which, for each loop of each antenna, a part of the surface of this loop is superimposed with a portion of a loop surface of each other elementary antenna, the part of said loop surface having an area less than the surface area of loop of said loop, in which the communication method comprises a step of emission of waves by the wireless communication device.

The present description also relates to a device for storing elements, each element comprising a first wireless communication unit, the storage device comprising a reception medium intended to receive the elements, a second wireless communication unit able to generate waves, the second wireless communication unit being able to communicate with each first wireless communication unit according to a communication protocol, a communication zone also being defined as being a three-dimensional zone in which the second wireless communication unit is clean to communicate with each first wireless communication unit when each first wireless communication unit is located in the communication area, the second wireless communication unit not being able to communicate with at least one first wireless communication unit when the first wireless communication unit is located outside the communication area, a waveguide adapted to guide the waves generated by the second wireless communication unit so that a dimension of the communication area measured from the second wireless communication unit along of a predetermined direction is strictly greater than a reference dimension, the reference dimension being equal to the dimension of the communication area measured from the second wireless communication unit along the predetermined direction when the storage device is free of waveguide.

According to particular embodiments, the device comprises one or more of the following characteristics, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations:

- the waves generated by the second wireless communication unit are electromagnetic waves comprising a magnetic field, the waveguide being a magnetic field concentrator adapted to concentrate the magnetic field generated by the second wireless communication unit.

- the waveguide is capable of guiding the waves generated by the second wireless communication unit in the predetermined direction.

- the dimension of the communication area verifies one of the following properties: the dimension of the communication area is greater than or equal to 105% of the reference value, the dimension of the communication area is greater than or equal to 120% of the reference value, and the dimension of the communication zone is less than or equal to 130% of the reference value.

- the waveguide comprises guiding elements configured to guide the waves generated by the second wireless communication unit according to the predetermined direction.

- the guide elements comprise two plates of the same dimensions, parallel to each other, the two plates defining between them a channel for guiding the waves generated by the second wireless communication unit in the predetermined direction.

- the waveguide is made of metal, the metal being in particular aluminium.

- the reference value is equal to 86 millimeters and in which the first wireless communication unit is preferably a radio-identification tag reader and comprises at least one antenna, preferably planar and in the shape of a eight, the radio-identification tag reader optionally comprising a plurality of antennas having overlapping zones between them.

- the elements of the plurality of elements are containers of biological products,drugs or therapeutic preparations and each first wireless communication unit is a radio identification tag comprising a memory capable of storing data relating to the container carrying this first wireless communication unit.

The present description also relates to an installation for storing elements comprising an enclosure comprising an internal compartment, the enclosure preferably being a refrigerating enclosure, and comprising a storage device as described previously comprising a plurality of elements each carrying a first unit wireless communication unit, the second wireless communication unit being intended to communicate with each first wireless communication unit according to a communication protocol, the storage device being arranged in the internal compartment.

The present description also relates to a method of communication between at least a first wireless communication unit and a second wireless communication unit implemented in an element storage device, each element comprising a first wireless communication unit, the element storage device comprising a receiving medium intended to receive the elements, a second wireless communication unit able to generate waves, the second wireless communication unit being able to communicate with each first wireless communication unit according to a communication protocol, a communication zone also being defined as being a three-dimensional zone in which the second wireless communication unit is able to communicate with each first wireless communication unit when each first wireless communication unit is located in the communication area, the second communication unit n wireless not being able to communicate with at least one first wireless communication unit when the first wireless communication unit is located outside the communication zone, a waveguide able to guide the waves generated by the second wireless communication unit so that a dimension of the communication area measured from the second wireless communication unit along a predetermined direction is strictly greater than a reference dimension, the reference dimension being equal to the dimension of the communication area measured from the second wireless communication unit along the predetermined direction when the storage device has no waveguide, the method comprising a step of emitting waves by the second wireless communication unit, during the transmitting step, the dimension of the communication area measured from the second wireless communication unit along the dir predetermined section is greater than or equal to the reference dimension.

According to a particular embodiment of the method, the waveguide comprises guide elements configured to guide the waves generated by the second wireless communication unit along the predetermined direction, the guide elements comprising two plates of the same dimensions, parallel relative to each other delimiting between them a channel, during the step of emission of waves by the second wireless communication unit, the second wireless communication unit emits waves

electromagnetic fields comprising a magnetic field and the two plates concentrate, in the channel, the magnetic field emitted by the second wireless communication unit.

According to a particular embodiment of the method, the waveguide comprises guide elements configured to guide the waves generated by the second wireless communication unit along the predetermined direction, the guide elements comprising two plates of the same dimensions, parallel relative to each other delimiting a channel between them, during the step of emission of waves by the second wireless communication unit, the second wireless communication unit emits electromagnetic waves comprising a magnetic field and the two plates concentrate, in the channel, the magnetic field emitted by the second wireless communication unit.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of an embodiment of the invention, given by way of example only and with reference to the drawings which are:

- Figure 1, a schematic representation in perspective of an installation comprising an element storage device,

- Figure 2, a schematic representation of an element,

- Figure 3, a view of part of the element storage device of Figure 1,

- Figure 4, a schematic sectional view enlarged in section of a part of Figure 3, identified by the arrow IV in Figure 1, comprising a receiving tray,

- figure 5, u view of Figure 4 further showing communication areas,

- Figure 6, a schematic representation of a second wireless communication unit, and

- Figure 7, an exploded schematic representation of part of the second wireless communication unit of Figure 6.

A facility 10 for storing elements 12 is shown in Figure 1.

The installation 10 has, for example, the role of maintaining each element 12 at a predefined temperature and/or of agitating each element 12.

In the present description, a transverse direction is defined. The transverse direction is represented by the X axis and named in the following description “transversal direction X”.

A longitudinal direction perpendicular to the transverse direction X is also defined. The longitudinal direction is represented by an axis Y and called “longitudinal direction Y” in the remainder of the description.

A vertical direction perpendicular to the transverse direction X and to the longitudinal direction Y is also defined. The vertical direction is represented by an axis Z and called “vertical direction Z” in the remainder of the description.

In addition, the dimension of an object of the installation 10 along the transverse direction X is referred to below as “width”. The dimension of an object of the installation 10 along the longitudinal direction Y is called “length”. The dimension of an object of the installation 10 along the vertical direction Z is called “height”.

Furthermore, in the present description, a value V between a first value V1 and a second value V2 means that the value V is greater than or equal to the first value V1 and that the value V is less than or equal to the value V2.

Referring to Figure 2, the elements 12 are, according to the example described, containers. In general, a container designates any type of pocket intended to contain products whose use is conditioned by strict storage constraints.

CLAIMS

1. Wireless communication device (30) comprising at least three elementary antennas (40) each comprising at least two loops (41, to 44,), two adjacent loops (41, to 44,) being configured to be traversed by currents (I) having opposite directions of circulation, each loop (41, to 44,) of each antenna (40) delimiting an inner surface called the loop surface (S), in which the elementary antennas (40) are offset two to two in a rectilinear direction (Y) and, in which, for each loop (41, to 44,) of each antenna (40), a part (S1, S2, S3) of the surface (S) of this loop (41 , at 44i) is superimposed with a portion of a loop surface of each other elementary antenna (40), the part (S1, S2, S3) of said loop surface having an area smaller than the area of ​​the surface of loop (S) of said loop (41i to 44i).

2. Wireless communication device according to claim 1, in which a part of each loop (41, to 44,) of each antenna (40), called the coincidence part (48), coincides with a loop portion of each other. antenna (40) and in which, for each loop (40), the part of coincidence (48) is at least greater than 5% of the perimeter of this loop (41, to 44,).

3. Wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the loops (41, to 44,) of each antenna (40) have the same shape.

4. Wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each antenna (40) is planar and the at least three elementary antennas (40) extend in the same plane (P1).

5. Wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each elementary antenna (40) comprises at least three loops (41, to 44,).

6. Wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each loop (41, 44,) of each antenna (40) is partitioned into partitions (50) loop having a surface, each partition loop (50) being bounded by at least a loop portion of a loop of another antenna (40), each surface of a loop partition (50)

having an area less than or equal to one third of the area of ​​the surface (S) of this loop (41 i to 44,), and

in which the elementary antennas (40) extend in the same plane (P1) and are configured to emit an electromagnetic field in a three-dimensional zone (32) of space, the electromagnetic field emitted in the three-dimensional zone (32) being continuous along a direction parallel to the rectilinear direction.

7. A wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the wireless communication device (30) is an RFID tag reader (15).

8. Installation (10) for storing elements, each element (12) carrying a first wireless communication unit (15), the installation (10) comprising:

- an enclosure (16) comprising an internal compartment (22), the enclosure (16) preferably being a refrigerant enclosure, and

- a wireless communication device (30) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, forming a second wireless communication unit able to communicate with at least a first wireless communication unit (15), in which the device wireless communication device (30) is disposed in the internal compartment (22).

9. Installation (10) according to claim 8, in which the elements (12) are containers for biological products, drugs or therapeutic preparations and in which each second wireless communication unit (15) is a radio identification tag comprising a memory capable of memorizing data relating to the container carrying this second wireless communication unit (30).

10. Communication method implemented in an element storage installation (12) according to claim 8 or 9 between at least a first wireless communication unit (15) and a second wireless communication unit (30), the second wireless communication unit (30) comprising at least three elementary antennas (40) each comprising at least two loops (41, to 44,), two adjacent loops (41, to 44,) being configured to be traversed by currents (I) having opposite directions of circulation, each loop (41, to 44,) of each antenna (40) delimiting an inner surface called the loop surface (S), in which the elementary antennas (40) are offset two to two in a rectilinear direction (Y) and, in which, for each loop (41, to 44,) of each antenna (40), a part (S1, S2, S3) of the surface (S) of this loop (41 , at 44i) is superimposed with a portion of a loop surface of each other elementary antenna (40), the part (S1, S2, S3) of said loop surface (41 , to 44i) having an area smaller than the area of the loop surface (S) of said loop (41 i to 44,), in which the method of communication comprises a step of transmitting waves by the device of wireless communication (30).