Storage system
An inventory tracking system ( 10 ) for use in tracking articles ( 12 ) received in a cabinet ( 14 ) comprises at least one RFID read antenna assembly ( 100 ), an RFID tag interrogator ( 30 ), and an electrical connector arrangement ( 24 ). The cabinet comprises a receptacle ( 16 ), a holder ( 18 ) arranged in the receptacle and at least one metal substrate ( 20 ) received in the holder. The metal substrate is configured to receive at least one article carrying an RFID tag. The RFID read antenna assembly is mountable to the metal substrate, the antenna assembly comprising at least one antenna coil ( 102 ) and a high permeability layer ( 104 ). The RFID tag interrogator is configured to interrogate the RFID tag of the, or each, article received by the at least one metal substrate. The electrical connector arrangement has complementary components ( 26, 28 ) carried by the holder and the metal substrate for establishing, and breaking, an electrical connection between the interrogator and the at least read antenna assembly.
1. An inventory tracking system for use in tracking articles received in a cabinet, the cabinet comprising a receptacle, a holder arranged in the receptacle and at least one metal substrate displaceably received in the holder, the at least one metal substrate being configured to receive at least one article carrying an RFID tag, the system comprising:
at least one RFID read antenna assembly mountable to the at least one metal substrate, the at least one RFID read antenna assembly comprising at least one antenna coil and a high permeability layer;
an RFID tag interrogator configured to interrogate the RFID tag of the, or each, article received by the at least one metal substrate; and
an electrical connector arrangement having a first component carried by the holder, and a second, complementary components carried by the at least one metal substrate for establishing, and breaking, an electrical connection between the interrogator and the at least one RFID read antenna assembly when the at least one metal substrate is inserted into the holder, and removed from the holder thereby providing access to the at least one article, respectively.
2. The system of claim 1 in which the holder of the cabinet comprises a frame arranged within the cabinet and a plurality of metal substrates, each in the form of a tray, with the trays being arranged in spaced, removable, stacked relationship in the frame and each tray defining a plurality of discrete compartments in each of which an article carrying an RFID tag is receivable and in which the system comprises an RFID read antenna assembly associated with each compartment of each tray with the electrical connector arrangement being associated with each tray to facilitate interrogation of the RFID tag of each article in the cabinet by the RFID tag interrogator.
3. The system of claim 2 , in which each compartment is elongate defining a longitudinal axis and in which each antenna assembly is correspondingly elongate with a longitudinal axis of each read antenna being coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the associated compartment such that the RFID tag of the article associated with that compartment and the at least one antenna coil of the antenna assembly are functionally aligned for the RFID tag to be interrogated by the interrogator via the antenna assembly of the compartment.
4. The system of claim 2 in which the at least one antenna coil of each antenna assembly terminates in a set of terminal contacts, the set of terminal contacts of each antenna assembly being connected to a set of conductors carried by the tray with which that antenna assembly is associated.
5. The system of claim 4 in which the set of conductors is carried on a conductor carrier mounted to the tray.
6. The system of claim 5 in which the conductor carrier electrically connects the tray to the holder via a connector unit, with a first component of the connector unit being mounted to the tray and a second component of the connector unit being mounted to the holder.
7. The system of claim 6 in which the second component of the connector unit connects to a second set of conductors carried on the holder.
8. The system of claim 6 in which one of the first and second components of the connector unit comprises a set of fixed contacts and the other of the first and second components of the connector unit comprises a set of resiliently displaceable contacts which is driven into electrical contact with the set of fixed contacts when the tray is driven home fully relative to the holder.
9. The system of claim 8 which includes a retention mechanism associated with each tray and the holder for assisting in retaining the tray in its fully home position relative to the holder to maximise electrical connection between the set of fixed contacts and the set of resiliently displaceable contacts of the connector unit.
10. The system of claim 9 in which each tray is of a ferromagnetic material and in which the retention mechanism relies on the magnetism of each tray and a magnet carried by the holder.
11. The system of claim 2 , which comprises a locator mechanism associated with each compartment of each tray and the antenna assembly associated with that compartment for locating the antenna assembly in a fixed position relative to its associated compartment.
12. The system of claim 11 in which each tray is foraminous and the locator mechanism comprises a plurality of apertures defined in each compartment of each tray and at least one locator carried by the high permeability layer of each antenna assembly, the at least one locator of each antenna assembly being received in at least one of the apertures defined in the associated compartment to mount and locate the antenna assembly in its compartment in the tray.
13. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a second high permeability layer associated with each antenna assembly, each second high permeability layer being mountable to an operatively lower surface of an upper metal substrate of the plurality of metal substrates such that each second high permeability layer is functionally aligned with its associated antenna assembly, arranged on an operatively upper surface of a subjacent metal substrate of the plurality of metal substrates, for providing a further low reluctance path for a magnetic field emanating from the antenna assembly.
14. The system of claim 2 , in which each antenna assembly is mountable to an operatively lower surface of an upper metal substrate of the plurality of metal substrates.
15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising at least one second high permeability layer mountable to an operatively upper surface of a subjacent metal substrate of the plurality of metal substrates such that each second high permeability layer is functionally aligned with its associated antenna assembly for providing a further low reluctance path for a magnetic field emanating from the antenna assembly.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one antenna coil of the, or each, antenna assembly is carried on an elongate carrier mounted to the high permeability layer; and the at least one antenna coil has a plurality of transversely arranged portions with at least some of the transversely arranged portions being spaced from one another relative to the longitudinal axis.
17. An incubator cabinet which comprises
a receptacle;
a holder displaceably arranged in the receptacle;
at least one metal substrate displaceably received in the holder, the at least one metal substrate defining at least one compartment configured to receive an article carrying an RFID tag; and
an inventory tracking system mounted to the cabinet with the at least one RFID reader antenna assembly being associated with the at least one compartment of the metal substrate, wherein the inventory tracking system comprises:
at least one RFID read antenna assembly mountable to the at least one metal substrate, the at least one RFID read antenna assembly comprising at least one antenna coil and a high permeability layer;
an RFID tag interrogator configured to interrogate the RFID tag of the article received by the at least one metal substrate; and
an electrical connector arrangement having a first component carried by the holder, and a second, complementary component carried by the at least one metal substrate for establishing, and breaking, an electrical connection between the interrogator and the at least one RFID read antenna assembly when the at least one
metal substrate is inserted into the holder, and removed from the holder thereby providing access to the article, respectively.