JP2013114587A - Rfid-tagged medical supplies, cased rfid tag, and rfid-tagged medical supply container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medical article provided with an RFID tag and a cased RFID tag suitable for attachment to the medical article.
A medical article with an RFID tag to which an RFID tag having an antenna and an IC chip for wireless communication is attached. The antenna has an elongated shape such as a string, a line, or a tape having a length of several centimeters. Is an ultra-small unit of 1/10 mm, and the RFID tag is attached to the medical product itself or its container or package. An RFID tag with a case is one in which the RFID tag is enclosed in a case having a liquid barrier property. The empty container for medical supplies with an RFID tag is one in which the RFID tag is attached to an empty container that can store medical supplies such as specimens, blood, and pharmaceuticals.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical article with an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag, an RFID tag with a case in which the RFID tag is enclosed in a case, and an empty container for medical article with an RFID tag that includes the RFID tag and can accommodate the medical article.

  In the medical field, specimens collected from patients are examined to determine the cause of disease and medical conditions. Specimen containers that contain specimens collected from patients, specimen identification information (ID) for identifying specimens, patient information such as patient name and date of birth, specimen attribute information, date and time of storage and handling work, workers Various information such as history information such as name and work content (hereinafter collectively referred to as “attribute information”) is handwritten, and a bar code label displaying such information is attached and managed. A blood pack, a packaged medicine, etc. are handwritten or a bar code label is attached as described above.

  Although management of medical supplies such as specimens, blood packs, and packaged pharmaceuticals is strictly conducted, there is a risk of description mistakes in the handwriting method, and there is a risk of mistakes in attaching the barcode label. Even if there are no mistakes in writing or mistakes in attaching, medical supplies may be washed or steam sterilized, causing moisture to adhere to them, or to adhere to formalin or chemicals. In some cases, the information was unclear and difficult to read, or disappeared and became unreadable. Medical supplies are not always delivered directly to the department in use after being brought into a medical institution, but are usually transported after being processed (worked) in several departments. During these operations, the medical supplies were sometimes mistaken or the operations were mistaken. For this reason, medical supplies are not always transported to the department in use in an appropriate state, which may contribute to medical errors.

  Some specimens, blood packs, packaged medicines, etc. are required to be refrigerated or frozen at the time of storage from the viewpoint of quality maintenance. However, since there is no means for confirming whether the product has been actually refrigerated or frozen, there has been a problem in terms of quality assurance of medical supplies.

  Although storage and handling of medical supplies are carried out with strict care, there has been a limit to the management and handling so far that relies on human attention, and it has been impossible to eradicate work mistakes. Therefore, in recent years, RFID tags are attached to articles for management. There are various types of RFID tags. For example, IC tags are inserted into gaps in fabrics and fabrics (Patent Document 1), and carbon fiber strings having excellent flexibility and strength are attached to medical clothing or sheets as antennas. There are known (Patent Document 2), a metal wire used for the antenna, and the metal wire woven into a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, or a part of a wire mesh (Patent Document 3).

  Although RFID tags in recent years have been downsized, their use in the medical field has not progressed much.

JP 2005-226165 A JP 2009-289003 A JP 2006-309401 A

  The problems to be solved by the present invention include a medical product with an RFID tag excellent in liquid resistance and chemical resistance and suitable for management of medical products, an RFID tag in a case suitable for mounting on medical products, a specimen, blood, etc. An object of the present invention is to provide an empty container for medical supplies with an RFID tag suitable for housing.

  The medical device with an RFID tag according to the present invention is a medical device itself or a container for the RFID, in which an ultra-small IC chip (about 0.4 × 0.4 mm) is attached to an elongated antenna such as a wire, thread, or tape. , Attached to the packaging.

  The medical device with an RFID tag according to the present invention can be any of a passive type, an active type, and a semi-active type. However, in the case of an active type and a semi-active type, the IC tag of the RFID tag is driven. For example, a small battery such as a button type needs to be prepared, or a solar battery is provided in a container or package of medical supplies, and these can be used as a power source for the RFID tag.

  Information (identification information: ID) that can identify the chip itself is stored in the IC chip, and the ID is identification information (ID) that identifies the object by attaching the IC chip to the object. Various types of RFID tags can be used, and it is possible to use either non-writable or writable ones, but in terms of traceability, it is possible to write once, but modification after writing is impossible A light once (write-once) type is preferable.

  The medical product with an RFID tag of the present invention may be provided with a temperature sensor. In this case, it is desirable to use an IC chip that can store the temperature detected by the temperature sensor from the viewpoint of reducing the number of parts, cost, and miniaturization.

  The RFID tag to be attached to the medical supplies is a cloth with an RFID tag in which the RFID tag is woven or knitted into a fabric such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric, whether it is an RFID tag with a case enclosed in a case or a bare RFID tag not enclosed in a case. Also good. The RFID-tagged fabric may be either a case (for example, a bag) or a bare one that is not. In the case where the RFID tag is bare, it is desirable to cover it with a coating material having a liquid barrier property (liquid resistance or chemical resistance) after being attached to a medical product and perform a liquid-proof (liquid resistance or chemical resistance) treatment. The attachment to the medical product can be performed by a usual attachment means such as an adhesive or an adhesive tape.

  The RFID tag with case of the present invention is an RFID tag including an antenna and an IC chip connected to the antenna, which is contained (enclosed) in a three-dimensional or flat case having a liquid barrier property.

  The antenna is elongated, and even if a conductive material is provided on the surface of an insulating thread, the antenna is electrically conductive on the surface of an elongated insulating film or paper (width 0.1 to 3 mm, length several mm to several tens mm). It may be provided with a material (conductive pattern) or may be a fine metal wire. The length of the antenna can be designed according to the frequency of the radio wave used for communication between the reader and the RFID tag. Various antennas such as a Yagi antenna and a dipole antenna can be used.

  An empty container for medical supplies with an RFID tag according to the present invention is obtained by attaching the RFID tag, in which an IC chip is connected to an elongated antenna, to the empty container by sealing or embedding at the time of molding or after molding.

  When the empty container is a three-dimensional container, an RFID tag can be enclosed on the peripheral wall or bottom surface at the time of molding or after molding. In the case of a flat container (bag-shaped), the cloth with the RFID tag is formed on the flat container. It can also be accommodated in a formed pocket or a double accommodating part.

The medical product with RFID tag of the present invention has the following effects.
(1) Since an RFID tag provided with an IC chip storing specific information (ID) for specifying an object is attached, medical supplies can be accurately identified, and a description error or barcode label as before There will be no work mistakes due to mistakes in pasting. Also, it is possible to prevent mishandling or misuse of medical supplies without being difficult to read or unreadable.
(2) If the RFID tag attached to the medical product has a liquid-proof structure, there will be no damage due to water or chemicals, and there will be no reading error by the reader. .
(3) If a solar cell is attached to a container or package of a medical product, an active type or semi-active type RFID tag can be driven by using electricity generated by the solar cell as a power source.
(4) Was a temperature sensor provided in the container or package of the medical product, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor was stored in the IC chip, and the medical product requiring refrigerated storage or frozen storage was stored refrigerated or frozen? Whether or not it is traceable, medical supplies of a predetermined quality can be transported to a necessary department.

The cased RFID tag of the present invention has the following effects.
(1) Since the RFID tag is enclosed in a case having a liquid barrier property, it has liquid resistance and chemical resistance.
(2) If the IC chip of the RFID tag that can store the temperature is used, it is possible to manage the temperature of the medical product to which the RFID tag is attached.
(3) When a fabric with an RFID tag is accommodated, it is not bulky even if it is attached to a medical product.

The medical container empty container with an RFID tag of the present invention has the following effects.
(1) If a collected sample or blood is stored immediately after collection in an empty medical product container with an RFID tag, the RFID tag ID of the container can be read with a reader and the sample and blood can be managed thereafter. Therefore, there is no work mistake that mixes samples and blood.
(2) There will be no work mistakes due to miswriting of information by handwriting or pasting of barcode labels. It is possible to prevent mishandling and misuse of medical supplies without being difficult to read and unreadable as with handwritten information and barcode information.
(3) If a temperature sensor is attached to an empty container (medical article container or packaging), and an RFID tag IC chip attached to the empty container is one that can store the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, the medical article Temperature management is also possible.

It is an example of the medical supplies with an RFID tag of this invention, (a) is a perspective view at the time of attaching a granular cased RFID tag to a sample container, (b) is attaching a tube-shaped cased RFID tag to a sample container FIG. It is a different example of the medical supplies with an RFID tag of this invention, (a) is a perspective view of the slide glass which attached the RFID tag with a granular case, (b) is the slide glass which attached the tube-shaped RFID tag with a case. Perspective view. It is a different example of the medical supplies with an RFID tag of this invention, (a) is a perspective view of the blood pack which attached the cloth with an RFID tag, (b) is explanatory drawing of the empty container which attached the solar cell and the RFID tag. It is an example of the RFID tag in this invention, (a) is explanatory drawing of a fiber-shaped RFID tag, (b) is explanatory drawing of an antenna fiber. It is a different example of the RFID tag with a case of this invention, (a) is a top view at the time of enclosing in a granular case, (b) is a side view of (a), (c) is accommodated in a tube-shaped case. The perspective view at the time of being carried out, (d) is a top view of (c). The perspective view at the time of attaching the fabric with an RFID tag to the container of medical supplies which is an example of the medical supplies with RFID of this invention. (A) is a front view which shows an example of the fabric with an RFID tag, (b) is a front view which shows an example of the fabric with an RFID tag provided with many antennas. The perspective view which shows an example of the empty container for medical supplies with an RFID tag. The perspective view which shows the other example of the empty container for medical supplies with an RFID tag.

(Embodiment of medical product with RFID tag)
An example of an embodiment of a medical product with an RFID tag according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The medical article of the present invention is used for a container containing a specimen, a blood pack filled with blood, an infusion pack filled with a nutrient for infusion, a packaged medicine packaged with a medicine, and a specimen test. Includes all medical-related items such as preparations, slide glasses, cover glasses, petri dishes, test tubes used for blood tests, syringes, surgical sputum, gauze, and empty containers for collected specimens and blood .

  An example of a medical product is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, which is a medical product 2 in which a collected specimen is accommodated in a container 1, and the container 1 is made of an upper surface made of various materials such as resin or glass. A container body 3 and a lid 4 for closing the opening. The lid 4 may be a screw type or another type as long as it can close the opening.

  FIGS. 1A and 1B show a case in which a cased RFID tag 13 is attached to the outer periphery of the container body 3. The RFID tag 13 with case is one in which the RFID tag 5 shown in FIG. 4A is accommodated in a granular, tube-like case 12 shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D.

  As an example of the RFID tag 5 shown in FIG. 4A, an IC chip 8 is connected to two antennas (dipole antennas) 7 which are provided in a slender shape by printing a conductive paint on the surface of the thread 6 or metal plating. Is. The antenna 7 may be an elongated insulating film or a surface of paper provided with an elongated conductive material, or may be a thin metal wire. The length of the antenna 7 can be designed according to the frequency of the radio wave used for wireless communication between the IC chip 8 of the RFID tag 5 and the reader. From the aspect of miniaturization, a width of 0.2 mm to 1 mm and a length of several mm to several tens of mm are suitable. A very small IC chip 8 is suitable, for example, about 0.4 mm × 0.4 mm. As the used frequency band, various frequency bands used in the RFID tag can be used, but a microwave band of 2.45 GHz to 5.8 GHz is suitable.

  Synthetic resin fibers, natural fibers, inorganic fibers, or the like can be used for the yarn 6. Polyester, nylon, acrylic, polypropylene, para-aramid, meta-aramid, polyarylate, polybenzimidazole, etc. as synthetic fiber materials, cotton, wool, hemp, etc. as natural fiber materials, and glass as inorganic fiber materials Etc. can be used. The yarn 6 may be formed by converging a large number of mixed yarns obtained by mixing these fibers. In addition, monofilament yarn, multifilament yarn, or spun yarn can be used. The yarn 6 may be twisted so that the converged fibers are not unwound. The thread 6 has a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 2 mm. If the thickness of the thread 6 is smaller than 0.5 mm, it becomes smaller than the size of the IC chip 8 (0.4 mm × 0.4 mm), so that it is difficult to mount the IC chip 8, and if it is thicker than 2 mm, the flexibility decreases. When it is woven or knitted into a fabric, handling becomes difficult, and the RFID tag becomes large.

  The antenna 7 can have various shapes such as a linear shape, a planar shape, a tape shape, a rectangular shape, a circular shape, and an elliptical shape. The antenna 7 can be formed wide in the circumferential direction of the yarn 6 or formed in a spiral shape. By forming the antenna 7 in the circumferential direction, a plurality of IC chips 8 can be arranged around the yarn 6 in a three-dimensional manner. The shape of the antenna 7 and the combination of the IC chips 8 can be designed according to the application. The antenna 7 may be built in the IC chip 8.

  Various types of RFID tags 5 can be used. Active type with battery (active type), passive type without battery (passive type), or semi-active type that transmits only when radio waves are received from the reader can be used. Passive type is suitable. In the case of the active type or the semi-active type, a power source for driving the IC chip 8 is required. The power source may be a small battery (for example, a small button battery) or a solar battery (solar power generator). The solar cell 10 can be attached to the container 1 as shown in FIG. In addition to sunlight, the solar cell 10 can be generated (accumulated) by using internal illumination light such as a refrigerator or a freezer.

  The IC chip 8 stores at least identification information (ID) for identifying an object (a medical product in the present invention) to which the IC chip 8 is attached. The IC chip 8 can store other information as necessary, for example, various information such as medical management information necessary for medical management and attribute information of medical supplies. As medical management information, for example, in the case of the RFID tag 5 attached to the specimen container, the individual number assigned to the specimen, the name of the specimen person, the date and time of obtaining the specimen, the history of specimen storage, the use, the date and time of use of the specimen, and other necessary items It is. These stored information can be read by a reader and transmitted to a management host computer.

  The IC chip 8 can be used either a non-writable one or a writable one, but in terms of traceability, a write-once (write-once) type that can be written once but cannot be modified after writing. preferable. The IC chip 8 can store (write) the temperature detected by the temperature sensor. In this case, a temperature sensor is preferably provided in the container or package of the medical product 2.

  In the case of the RFID 5 tag in which the antenna 7 is provided on the thread 6 and the IC chip 8 is mounted as described above, the outer periphery of the thread 6, the antenna 7, and the IC chip 8 is covered with a resin sheet or film having a liquid barrier property. It is desirable that the antenna 7 and the IC chip 8 are prevented from being detached from the yarn 6 by being sealed in the resin tube or the like, bend-resistant, and further be liquid-proof.

  The RFID tag 5 can be attached to the medical product 2 by various attachment means such as attachment with an adhesive or a double-sided tape, but can also be embedded in the container of the medical product 2. When the container is a molded product made of resin or glass, as shown in FIG. 8, when the container 1 is molded, the RFID tag 5 is embedded in the peripheral wall of the container 1 or molded, or when the container 1 is molded, a container such as a hole or a recess is accommodated. The RFID tag 5 can be accommodated in the accommodating portion and sealed. The shape of the RFID tag 5 to be attached may be as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and the attachment location may be attached to another location, for example, the bottom surface.

  The RFID tag 5 may be a cased RFID tag 13 accommodated in a case (housing) 12 as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, or may be a bare one not accommodated in the case 12. If it is naked, it may be attached to the medical product 2 and then covered with a resin sheet or the like having a liquid barrier property.

  The case 12 may be a granular shape as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a tubular shape as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D (both three-dimensional), or a bag-like shape. It may be flat. In the case of the granular case 12 shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), a planar attachment portion 12 a that facilitates attachment to the medical article 2 is provided in a part of the case 12, and the above-described slit is formed in the case 12. The RFID tag 5 is inserted, and the insertion port of the slit is closed to enclose the RFID tag 5. In this case, it is desirable to bend the both ends 7a and 7b in the longitudinal direction of the antenna 7 in a direction away from the mounting portion 12a (upward in FIG. 5A). When the case-attached RFID tag 13 is attached to the metal medical product 2 in this way, both ends 7a and 7b in the longitudinal direction of the antenna 7 are separated from the metal medical product 2, and the radio wave from the reader However, communication is facilitated without being shielded by the medical product 2. Accordingly, the case 12 is preferably made of a material that does not have a shielding property (electromagnetic shielding property) and does not interfere with wireless communication, and is preferably made of a liquid-proof resin or a liquid-proof paper.

  In the case of the tube shape shown in FIGS. 5 (c) and 5 (d), a planar attachment portion 12 a that facilitates attachment to the medical product 2 is provided in a part of the elongated case 12, and the slit is formed in the case 12. The RFID tag 5 is inserted, the insertion port of the slit is closed, and the RFID tag 5 is enclosed. Also in this case, the case 12 is preferably made of a material that does not have a shielding property (electromagnetic shielding property) and does not interfere with wireless communication, and a liquid-proof material is suitable. These three-dimensional cases may have other shapes.

  2A and 2B show a case where the medical article 2 is a slide glass. 2A shows an example in which an RFID tag 13 with a case in which the RFID tag 5 is housed in a granular case 12 is attached. FIG. 2B shows an RFID tag in a case in which the RFID tag is housed in a tube-like case 12. 13 is an example to which 13 is attached.

  FIG. 3A shows a case where the RFID tag 5 is attached to the blood pack 14. In this case, the RFID tag 5 is obtained by weaving or knitting the RFID 5 in which the IC chip 8 is connected to the thread-like antenna 7 as shown in FIG. 4A into the fabric 15 such as woven fabric or knitted fabric as shown in FIG. 7A. The RFID tag cloth 16 is attached to the blood pack 14. In this case, a pocket is formed in a part of blood pack 14 to form a storage part, or a part of blood pack 14 is doubled to form a storage part, and fabric 16 with an RFID tag is stored in the storage part. be able to. It is desirable that the housing portion be sealed after housing the fabric with RFID 16 so that the fabric with RFID tag 16 does not come out. The RFID-tagged fabric 16 shown in FIG. 7A can be attached to a container (medical article 2) containing a specimen, blood, or the like or an empty container 11 (FIG. 8) as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7B shows another example of the fabric 16 with an RFID tag in which the RFID tag 5 and the antenna 7 are formed. This fabric 16 with an RFID tag is woven into a fabric 15 such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric with an RFID tag 5 in which an IC chip 8 is connected to a thread-shaped antenna 7 as shown in FIG. The four waveguides 17 are provided with one reflector 18 on the rear side (opposite to the broadcasting station direction). An antenna fiber 20 shown in FIG. 4B is used for the director 17 and the reflector 18. As in the antenna 7 of the RFID tag 5 shown in FIG. 4A, this antenna fiber 20 is provided with a conductive material 21 on the thread 6 by printing or plating, and the length of the conductive material 21 is set to a waveguide 17 and a reflector. 18 is an antenna having an appropriate length. In FIG. 7B, the antenna fiber 20 is woven or knitted into the fabric 15. This RFID-tagged fabric 16 can also be attached to a blood pack 14, a medical product 2, such as an infusion pack, an empty container 11, or the like.

  FIG. 9 shows the case where the empty container 11 into which the sample is placed is a tray. The inner side of the peripheral frame 11a is partitioned into six sample storage portions 11c by a partition 11b, and the case-attached RFID tag 13 is attached to the peripheral wall 11a. ing. The number of the accommodating portions 11c can be an arbitrary number. The tray may have no partition 11b. The empty container 11 may have a shape other than that illustrated.

  When specimens collected from one patient are accommodated in two or more empty containers 11, a branch number is assigned to the ID of the RFID tag 5 of each empty container 11, and all the RFID tags 5 with these branch numbers are attached. It can be read in a batch and managed as one specimen container. In this case, it is preferable to use a reader having a function (anti-collision function or multi-read function) capable of reading a plurality of RFID tags 5 at once.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 2 Medical supplies 3 Container main body 4 Lid 5 RFID tag 6 Thread 7 Antenna 7a, 7b Both ends of the antenna in the longitudinal direction 8 IC chip 10 Solar cell 11 Empty container 11a Peripheral frame 11b Partition 11c Storage unit 12 Case 12a Attachment unit 13 Case-equipped RFID tag 14 Blood pack 15 Fabric 16 Fabric with RFID tag 17 Waveguide 18 Reflector 20 Antenna fiber 21 Conductive material

Claims (9)

In a medical product with an RFID tag to which an RFID tag having an antenna and an IC chip for wireless communication is attached,
The antenna is slender, such as a string, a line, or a tape having a length of several centimeters,
The IC chip is ultra-compact with a size of 1/10 mm,
The RFID tag is attached to the medical product itself or its container, packaging,
A medical product with an RFID tag characterized by the above. The medical product with an RFID tag according to claim 1,
The medical device with the RFID tag includes a temperature sensor and a storage unit capable of storing the temperature detected by the temperature sensor,
The temperature stored in the storage unit can be read by a reader or transmitted from an active or semi-active RFID tag.
A medical product with an RFID tag characterized by the above. The medical device with RFID tag according to claim 2,
Medical supplies equipped with solar cells for power supply that drive IC chips,
A medical product with an RFID tag characterized by the above. In the medical article with an RFID tag according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The IC chip is a write-once (write-once type) that can be written but cannot be modified after writing.
A medical product with an RFID tag characterized by the above. The medical device with RFID tag according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The RFID tag is contained in a case accommodated in a case with a liquid barrier property or is not accommodated in the case, and is attached to the medical product in a bare state. The
A medical product with an RFID tag characterized by the above. The RFID tag attached to the medical device with the RFID tag according to claim 1,
The RFID tag includes an antenna and an IC chip,
The antenna is slender, such as a string, a line, or a tape having a length of several centimeters,
The IC chip is ultra-compact with a size of 1/10 mm,
The RFID is enclosed in a case having a liquid barrier property, and the case can be attached to a medical product.
A cased RFID tag characterized by the above. The RFID tag with case according to claim 6,
The case is granular, tube-like, flat bag-like, and the case can be attached to medical supplies.
A cased RFID tag characterized by the above. An empty container for medical supplies with RFID tags according to claim 1 to claim 5,
The RFID tag includes an antenna and an IC chip,
The antenna is slender, such as a string, a line, or a tape having a length of several centimeters,
The IC chip is ultra-compact with a size of 1/10 mm,
The RFID tag is enclosed in an empty container,
The empty container can accommodate medical items such as specimens, blood, and pharmaceuticals, and has a liquid barrier property.
An empty container for medical supplies with an RFID tag characterized by the above. In the empty container for medical supplies with an RFID tag according to claim 8,
The empty container is a three-dimensional or flat bag,
If the empty container is three-dimensional, an RFID tag is enclosed during or after the molding,
If the empty container is a bag, a pocket or a part of the container that is doubled is formed in the empty container,
An RFID tag is accommodated in the accommodating portion,
An empty container for medical supplies with an RFID tag characterized by the above.

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