NZ804144B2 - Medical supplies cabinet - Google Patents

Abstract

medical supplies cabinet comprising a housing with a plurality of receptacles for medical items, each receptacle associated with one or more sensors configured to detect presence, absence, or removal of items. The medical items include at least two different kinds, each associated with differently configured RFID tags. At least one RFID tag reader connected to multiple antennas is arranged to read the RFID tags and determine item identity, orientation, and tag data. At least one receptacle is configured to receive a package containing multiple items and includes both an RFID tag reader and a capacitive sensor, the capacitive sensor being arranged to generate a signal indicative of the presence, addition, removal, or number of items within the package.

Claims (20)

1. A medical supplies cabinet comprising: a housing presenting a medical supplies storage zone where there is provided a plurality of medical supplies receptacles, each receptacle being of a shape and 5 configuration to be able to at least partly receive and hold at least one medical item, one or more sensors associated with the receptacles, the one or more sensors configured to generate signal(s) indicative of the presence and/or absence or removal of the medical item(s) in/from the respective receptacles, wherein the medical items comprise at least two different kinds with which 10 differently configured RFID tags are associated, and wherein at least one RFID tag reader connected to a plurality of RFID antennas is provided for at least one of the receptacles, the at least one RFID tag reader being among the one or more sensors and arranged and configured to read the RFID tags through the RFID antennas and determine at least one of the following: 15 (a) if a correct medical item is located at its respective receptacle, (b) orientation of the medical item(s) when in the respective receptacle, and (c) information carried by the RFID tags, wherein a capacitive sensor comprising a pair of sensing elements is provided for at least one of the receptacles, the capacitive sensor being one of the one or more 20 sensors and configured to generate a signal indicative of one or more of the presence, addition, or removal of the medical item(s) within/from the respective receptacle, wherein one or more of the receptacles are package-receiving receptacles each configured to receive a package having at least one of the RFID tags and including a plurality of one kind of the medical items such that the medical items are able to be 25 individually removed from and/or added to the package, and wherein at least one of the package-receiving receptacles has one of the RFID tag readers and one of the capacitive sensors associated with it such that the RFID tag reader is configured to determine one or more of: (a) if a correct package is located at its respective package-receiving receptacle, 30 and (b) orientation of the package within the respective package-receiving receptacle, and the signal generated by the capacitive sensor is indicative of a number of medical items within, removed from, or added to the package. 35

2. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receptacles are discrete, at least two of the receptacles being of a shape to receive different said medical items. - 74 –

3. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the signal indicative of the presence of the medical item(s) at the respective receptacle is proportional to the capacitance value of the capacitive sensor or a change in the capacitance of the capacitive sensor. 5

4. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a door, the door pivotably connected to the housing and the door being moveable between an open position corresponding to the medical supplies storage zone being exposed for interaction by a user and a closed position where the door covers the medical supplies storage zone thereby preventing interaction by a user. 10

5. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 4, wherein the housing includes a camera to make a recording of the view facing away from the medical supplies storage zone of the cabinet, and the door includes a mirror that is located to reflect a view of at least part of the medical supplies storage zone to the camera when the door is near its closed position such that the medical supplies storage zone is recordable by the camera 15 when the door is near its closed position.

6. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a door position sensor that causes activation of the camera once the door reaches a certain extent of opening and/or closing.

7. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, 20 wherein at least one of the receptacles is defined by a pair of parallel, spaced apart vertical walls and at least a base wall, the capacitive sensor disposed on or within the receptacle, wherein each sensing element is disposed on, adjacent or within one of the vertical walls such that the sensing elements are substantially parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other, and wherein the capacitive sensor is configured to 25 generate a signal indicative of the number of medical items located in the receptacle between the pair of sensing elements.

8. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more sensors are able to sense between at least one of a. presence and absence of the medical item(s) at the respective receptacle, 30 b. presence of the correct medical item and incorrect medical item at the respective receptacle, and c. correct orientation and incorrect orientation of the medical item or pack containing a plurality of the medical items at the respective receptacle. - 75 –

9. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is an optical sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an identity, number, or state of the medical items within the respective receptacle. 5

10. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is a load sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of the medical item(s) being removed from the respective receptacle by an application of a force.

11. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, 10 further comprising a processor to receive information from the one or more sensors, the processor being configured to determine one or more of: i. number of total medical items in the respective receptacle, ii. types of medical items in the respective receptacle, iii. number of medical items added to the respective receptacle, 15 iv. number of medical items removed from the respective receptacle, and orientation of one or more medical items in the respective receptacle.

12. The medical supplies cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the receptacles is of a shape and configuration to encourage the user to put only the corresponding medical item(s) or pack containing at least one of the 20 medical items in the respective receptacle by a matching of the shape and configuration of the respective receptacle to the shape and configuration of the corresponding medical item(s) or pack containing at least one of the medical items.

13. A medical supplies system that comprises: a. a plurality of medical items of at least two different kinds and with which two 25 differently configured RFID tags are associated, some kinds of the medical items being contained within packages such that the medical items are able to be individually removed from and/or added to the package, each package bearing at least one of the RFID tags; and b. a cabinet comprising: 30 a housing presenting a medical supplies storage zone where there is provided a plurality of medical supplies receptacles, each receptacle being of a shape and configuration to be able to at least partly receive and hold at least one of the medical items, at least one RFID tag reader connected to a plurality of RFID antennas 35 and associated with at least one of the receptacles, the RFID tag reader being - 76 – arranged and configured to read the RFID tags through the RFID antennas and determine at least one of the following: (a) if a correct medical item is located at its respective receptacle, (b) orientation of the medical item(s) when in the respective 5 receptacle, and (c) information carried by the RFID tags, wherein a capacitive sensor comprising a pair of sensing elements is provided for at least one of the receptacles, the capacitive sensor being configured to generate a signal indicative of the presence, addition, or removal of the medical item(s) within/from 10 the respective receptacle, wherein one or more of the receptacles are package-receiving receptacles each configured to respectively receive one of the packages, and wherein at least one of the package-receiving receptacles has one of the RFID tag readers and one of the capacitive sensors associated with it such that the RFID tag 15 reader is configured to determine one or more of: (a) if a correct package is located at its respective package-receiving receptacle, (b) orientation of the respective package within the respective package-receiving receptacle, 20 and the signal generated by the capacitive sensor is indicative of a number of medical items within, removed from, or added to the respective package.

14. The medical supplies system as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least some of the medical items or the packages each have a plurality of the RFID tags arranged on the respective medical item or package such that if one of the RFID tags on the respective 25 medical item or package is removed, damaged, or interfered with then another of the RFID tags continues to be readable to provide information about the respective medical item or package.

15. The medical supplies system as claimed in claim 14, wherein at least some of the packages have the plurality of RFID tags arranged on the respective package such that 30 one of the RFID tags becomes damaged or removed upon opening the respective package, thereby allowing the RFID tag reader to determine whether the respective package has been opened.

16. The medical supplies system as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the plurality of RFID tags are arranged on the respective medical item or package such that if at least 35 two such medical items or packages are placed in the same receptacle and have RFID - 77 – tags in close proximity to each other, other RFID tags of the at least two medical items will be separated from each other.

17. A method of reporting stock levels in the receptacles of the medical supplies cabinet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, the method comprising the steps of: 5 receiving the signal(s) from the sensor(s) associated with the receptacles, and processing the received signal(s) to determine the presence or absence or introduction/removal of the medical item(s) from the respective receptacle; wherein the presence or absence or introduction/removal of the medical item(s) from the respective receptacle is based on at least one sensible characteristic or 10 identification that is of or associated with the medical item(s).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the sensible characteristics is the weight of the medical item(s).

19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein the or one of the signal(s) is from a capacitive sensor associated with one of the receptacles, the capacitive sensor 15 comprising a pair of sensing elements, wherein said processing of the received signal to determine the presence or absence or introduction/removal of the medical item(s) from the respective receptacle is based on identifying at least one of: i. a dielectric value and/or change in the dielectric value of the capacitive sensor 20 as a result of the presence or movement or absence of the medical item relative to the capacitive sensor, and ii. the relative position and/or change in the relative position of the pair of sensing elements of the capacitive sensor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises identifying an 25 event based on the gradient or change in gradient of an output signal from the capacitive sensor.