Patent Publication Number: US-2021172672-A1

Title: Freezing system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2019/030154 filed Aug. 1, 2019, which claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-156706 filed Aug. 23, 2018, the entire contents of each of which the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a freezing system. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     When a plurality of containers for holding specimens are held in a freezer, the containers are managed such that barcodes for respectively identifying the containers are attached thereto (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-185893). 
     Generally, in order for a user to grasp correct information about the containers held inside the freezer, it is necessary to take such a container out of the freezer and scan its barcode. However, when the container containing a specimen is taken out of the freezer, the temperature of the specimen in the container rises and the quality of the specimen may deteriorate. 
     The present disclosure has been achieved in view of an existing issue as described above, and is directed to provision of a freezing system that allows a user to obtain information to identify containers with the containers being kept in a freezer. 
     SUMMARY 
     A primary aspect of the present disclosure is a freezing system comprising: a freezing device comprising: a holding room for holding a plurality of containers, the plurality of containers each having an RF tag attached thereto; containing a material to be cooled; and being held at corresponding one of predetermined positions; and a plurality of antennas provided inside the holding room each corresponding to one of the predetermined positions, the plurality of antennas each being configured to receive information stored in the RF tag; and an acquisition unit configured to acquire information received by the plurality of antennas, with the plurality of containers being held in the holding room. 
     According to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain information to identify containers with the containers kept in a freezer. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram for explaining an overview of a freezing system  10 ; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a freezer  20  with an insulated door open; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram for explaining a structure of a freezer  20 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a freezer  20  taken along a line X-X of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating a container  80  and a radio-frequency (RF) tag  85 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram for explaining a holding box  90  and a holding member  100 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram for explaining a positional relationship between a holding member  100   a  being held in a holding room  30   a  and a plate-shaped member  300   a;    
         FIG. 8  is a diagram for explaining antennas  400   a  to  400   d;    
         FIG. 9  is a diagram for explaining details of an insulated room  31 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram for explaining lines connected to a switching circuit  50  and an electric heater  51 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating an example of an inventory process for containers  80  held in a holding room  30   a;    
         FIG. 12  is a diagram for explaining a holding member  101 ; 
         FIG. 13A  is a diagram for explaining a plate-shaped member  310  located under a holding member  102 ; 
         FIG. 13B  is a diagram for explaining a plate-shaped member  310  located under a holding member  102 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a diagram illustrating an example of a holding room  30   c;    
         FIG. 15  is a diagram illustrating a container  81  and an RF tag  85 ; 
         FIG. 16A  is a diagram for explaining a plate-shaped member  311  located above a holding member  102 ; 
         FIG. 16B  is a diagram for explaining a plate-shaped member  311  located above a holding member  102 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a diagram illustrating an example of a holding room  30   d;    
         FIG. 18  is a diagram illustrating an example of a holding device  70 ; and 
         FIG. 19  is a diagram illustrating an example of a holding device  71 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     At least the following will become apparent from the description herein and in the accompanying drawings. 
     Embodiments 
     «&lt;Overview of Freezing System  10 &gt;» 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram for explaining an overview of a freezing system  10 . The freezing system  10  is for freezing and storing blood, cells, tissues, and other test specimens (hereinafter, referred to as a “specimen” or “specimens”) obtained from a human body and managing information about containers (described below) containing specimens (materials to be cooled). 
     The freezing system  10  includes a freezer  20 , a reader  21 , a controller  22 , and a storage  23 . In  FIG. 1 , some components of the freezer  20  are omitted for convenience. 
     The freezer  20  (freezing device) is a device (ultra-low temperature freezer) capable of maintaining the interior temperature down to, for example, −80° C. (a predetermined temperature). The freezer  20  has a holding room  30 , an insulated room  31  and a cooler  32 . 
     The holding room  30  is a space for holding containers containing specimens. The insulated room  31  is an insulated space defined by dividing the holding room  30  with an insulating material. 
     The holding room  30  has a temperature sensor  40  for measuring the temperature of the holding room  30  and an antenna array  41  that receives information from RF tags (described below) attached to containers. The antenna array  41  includes multiple antennas (described below). 
     The insulated room  31  has a switching circuit  50  used to operate only some of the antennas in the antenna array  41 , and an electric heater  51  to heat the switching circuit  50 . 
     The cooler  32  is for cooling the holding room  30  to a predetermined temperature and comprises, for example, a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator which are not illustrated in the figures. 
     The reader  21  (acquisition unit) is a device (reader) that acquires information on RF tags attached to the containers via antennas connected to the switching circuit  50 . 
     The controller  22  is for organizing and controlling the freezing system  10 . For example, the controller  22  sets the temperature of the freezer  20 , selects an antenna or antennas to be connected to the switching circuit  50 , and controls the reader  21 . 
     The storage  23  stores various programs to be executed by the controller  22 , pieces of information about specimens respectively associated with identification numbers for the RF tags, and information indicative of a temperature of the holding room  30 , and other information. 
     «&lt;Overview of Freezer  20 &gt;» 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the freezer  20  with an insulated door open.  FIG. 3  is a diagram for explaining a structure of the freezer  20 .  FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the freezer  20  taken along a line X-X of  FIG. 3 . In  FIGS. 2 to 4 , for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the structure of the freezer  20 , some components of the freezer  20  (such as the cooler  32  and the temperature sensor  40 ) are omitted. 
     The freezer  20  has an inner chamber  60 , an outer chamber  61 , and an insulated door  62 . The inner chamber  60  is a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member having an opening in front through which a holding member  100  (described below) for holding a plurality of containers can be taken in and out of the inner chamber  60 . The interior of the inner chamber  60 , that is, the space inside the inner chamber  60  serves as the holding room  30 . 
     The outer chamber  61  is a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member surrounding the inner chamber  60 . Similarly to the inner chamber  60 , the outer chamber  61  has an opening in front through which the holding member  100  is taken in and out of the outer chamber. An insulating material and/or the like (not illustrated) is provided between the inner chamber  60  and the outer chamber  61 . 
     The insulated door  62  is provided at the front of the freezer  20  for hermetically closing the holding room  30 . 
     «&lt;Details of Containers  80 , Holding Boxes  90 , and Holding Member  100 &gt;» 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating an example of a container  80  for holding a specimen (not illustrated). The container  80  is a cylindrical container with a radio-frequency (RF) tag  85  attached to the bottom thereof. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a removable lid for hermetically closing the container  80  is attached to the container  80 . 
     The RF tag  85  is a passive tag that transmits an identification code (a unique piece of identification information stored in the RF tag  85 ) when it receives, for example, radio waves from an antenna. The identification code is, for example, a data representing a 5-digit number. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, by way of example, information about a specimen held in the container  80  is stored in the storage  23  with association to an identification code. Specifically, by way of example, when a specimen held in a container  80   a  is “blood obtained from a subject A” and a storage period of time is “two years,” these pieces of information are stored in the storage  23  together with an identification code (e.g., “00001”) for an RF tag  85   a  attached to the container  80   a.    
       FIG. 6  is a diagram for explaining a holding box  90  and the holding member  100 . The holding box  90  has 16 predetermined recesses (not illustrated) formed in its inner surface into which containers  80  are insertable one for each. Thus, the holding box  90  can hold 16 containers  80   a  to  80   p  separately. The holding box  90  has a removable lid attached thereto. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the holding box  90  can hold 16 containers  80 , for example, but the number of containers is not limited thereto. 
     The holding member  100  is a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member having an opening in top. The holding member  100  can hold four holding boxes  90 . 
     The holding member  100  is defined by five flat plates in total: a bottom plate  120 , side plates  121  and  122 , a back plate  123 , and a front plate  124 . The holding member  100  is provided with partitioning plates  130  to  135  for allowing the holding boxes  90  to be held at predetermined holding positions in the holding member  100 . 
     Specifically, the partitioning plates  130  to  132  are equally spaced along the longitudinal direction of the side plate  121  extending vertically from the bottom plate  120 . 
     Likewise, the partitioning plates  133  to  135  extend vertically from the bottom plate  120  and are equally spaced along the longitudinal direction of the side plate  122  facing the side plates  121 . 
     Since the partitioning plates  133  to  135  are provided at positions facing the partitioning plates  130  to  132 , respectively, four spaces are formed in the holding member  100 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the dimensions of the holding member  100  and the positions of the partitioning plates  130  to  135  are determined such that a holding box  90 , after once being placed in one of the four compartments, will not move except in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate  120 . 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the holding box  90  can hold 16 containers  80 , and the holding member  100  can hold four holding boxes  90 . Thus, the holding member  100  can hold a maximum of 64 containers  80 . 
     «&lt;Details of Holding Room  30 &gt;» 
     Now, referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , details of a holding room  30   a  for holding the holding member  100  are described. The inner chamber  60  defining the holding room  30   a , which is a first embodiment of the holding room  30 , is provided with support members  150  to  155  and  160  to  165  which support six holding members  100   a  to  100   f , respectively. 
     Specifically, the six support members  150  to  155  are attached, at predetermined intervals, to a side wall  201  extending vertically from a bottom  200  of the inner chamber  60 . The support members  160  to  165  are attached to a side wall  202  facing the side wall  201  and extending vertically from the bottom  200  such that the support member  160  to  165  face their counterpart support members  150  to  155 , respectively. Specifically, the support members  160  to  165  are attached at the same heights as the heights of their counterpart support members  150  to  155 , respectively. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the support members  150  and  160  support the holding member  100   a ; the support members  151  and  161  support the holding member  100   b ; the support members  152  and  162  support the holding member  100   c ; the support members  153  and  163  support the holding member  100   d ; the support members  154  and  164  support the holding member  100   e ; and the support members  155  and  165  support the holding member  100   f.    
     In addition, plate-shaped members  300   a  to  300   f  are placed between the side walls  201  and  202  of the inner chamber  60  that defines the holding room  30   a.    
     «&lt;Details of Plate-Shaped Member  300   a  and Antennas  400 &gt;» 
       FIG. 7  is a diagram for explaining a positional relationship between the plate-shaped member  300   a  and the holding member  100   a  being held in the holding room  30   a . The term “being held” refers to a state in which the holding member  100   a  is held at a predetermined position in the holding room  30   a  such that the holding room  30   a  can be hermetically closed with the insulated door  62 . To clarify the positional relationship between the holding member  100   a  and the plate-shaped member  300   a , the holding room  30   a  and other members are omitted and the diagram is drawn out of scale, with the distance from the bottom of the holding member  100   a  to the surface of the plate-shaped member  300   a  longer. 
     The plate-shaped member  300   a  has 64 antennas  400  on its surface, which receive information on the RF tags  85 . The antennas  400  are some of the antennas of the antenna array  41  described above. 
     With the holding room  30   a  hermetically closed, the holding member  100   a  is held at a predetermined position in the holding room  30   a , and thus holding boxes  90   a  to  90   d  in the holding room  30   a  are also held in place. In addition, as described above, each of the holding boxes  90   a  to  90   d  can hold 16 containers  80 . Thus, with the holding member  100   a  holding the holding boxes  90   a  to  90   d  being held at a predetermined position, the containers  80  (a plurality of containers) each are held at one of the positions A 1  to D 16  (a plurality of predetermined positions) in the holding room  30   a.    
     The “positions A 1  to D 16 ” are 64 positions at which the containers  80  can be held in the holding room  30   a  when the four holding boxes  90   a  to  90   d  are placed in the holding member  100   a . These positions are identified by combinations of 4 positions in the width direction (alphabets A to D) and 16 positions in the longitudinal direction (numbers 1 to 16) of the holding member  100   a.    
     The 64 antennas  400  of the plate-shaped member  300   a  are provided at positions denoted by A 1  to D 16 , respectively. In other words, the 64 antennas  400  (a plurality of antennas) are provided at positions at which information on the 64 RF tags (a plurality of RF tags) respectively attached to the 64 containers  80  (a plurality of containers) held in the holding member  100   a  can be received. 
       FIG. 8  is a diagram for explaining in detail the positions at which the antennas  400  are provided. In  FIG. 8 , out of 64 antennas  400  in the plate-shaped member  300   a , antennas  400   a  to  400   d  provided corresponding to the positions A 1 , B 1 , A 2 , and B 2 , respectively, are depicted. For convenience, the holding box  90  and the holding member  100  are omitted here. 
     The antennas  400   a  to  400   d  are provided on the surface of the plate-shaped member  300   a  at positions corresponding to the positions A 1 , B 1 , A 2 , and B 2 , respectively, at which the containers  80   a  to  80   d  are held, respectively. In other words, the antennas  400   a  to  400   d  are provided at positions at which information on RF tags  85   a  to  85   d  at the positions A 1 , B 1 , A 2 , and B 2 , respectively, can be received. 
     The antennas  400   a  to  400   d  are, for example, circular pattern antennas each having a diameter allowing it to acquire only the information stored in the corresponding RF tag. Thus, the antenna  400   a  acquires the information on (identification code for) the RF tag placed at the position A 1 , but does not acquire the information on the RF tags placed at other positions. 
     While the 4 antennas  400   a  to  400   d  out of the 64 antennas  400  have been described, the same applies to other antennas as well. Thus, each of the 64 antennas  400  acquires only the identification code for the RF tag  85  at the corresponding position. 
     While the plate-shaped member  300   a  has been described in detail, the description of the plate-shaped member  300   a  can equally apply to the plate-shaped members  300   b  to  300   f . Specifically, the plate-shaped members  300   b  to  300   f  each are provided with corresponding antennas of antennas  401  to  405  which are similar to the antennas  400 . Each set of the antennas  401  to  405  includes 64 antennas. Accordingly, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, 384 antennas (384=64×6) in total are provided in the holding room  30   a.    
     «&lt;Details of Insulated Room  31 &gt;» 
       FIG. 9  is a diagram for explaining details of the insulation chamber  31 , and  FIG. 10  is a diagram for explaining details of the switching circuit  50  and the electric heater  51 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , part of the lower space of the holding room  30   a  is partitioned by insulating materials  500  and  501  to form a hermetic insulated room  31 . A connector  510  is attached to the insulating material  500 . The switching circuit  50 , the electric heater  51 , and a connector  520  are provided in the insulated room  31 . 
     The connector  510  is a component for connecting lines of the antennas  400  to  405  to the switching circuit  50  provided in the insulated room  31 . The connector  520  is a component for directing the lines from the switching circuit  50  and the electric heater  51  out of the freezer. 
     The switching circuit  50  (a switching unit) is connected to all the lines of the antennas  400  to  405  via the connector  510 . The switching circuit  50  is also connected, via the connector  520 , to a line  550  for transmitting a switch command (a predetermined command) to switch the antennas  400  to  405  and a line  551  for operating a selected antenna or antennas among the antennas  400  to  405  and reading information. The line  550  extends from the controller  22  and the line  551  extends from the reader  21 . As a result, the switching circuit  50  connects any of the antennas  400  to  405  to the reader  21  in response to a switch command from the controller  22 . 
     To the electric heater  51  (heater), a line  552  for operating the electric heater  51  is connected via the connector  520 . The line  552  extends from the controller  22 . Thus, the electric heater  51  can raise the temperature of the switching circuit  50  provided inside the freezer  20  in response to a command from the controller  22 . 
     ««Inventory Process»» 
       FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process S 10  (hereinafter, referred to as an “inventory process S 10 ”) to acquire information about the containers  80  held in the holding room  30   a . It is assumed herein that the holding members  100   a  to  100   f  holding the containers  80  are housed at respective predetermined positions in the holding room  30   a  and the holding room  30   a  is hermetically closed. 
     First, the controller  22  acquires an output of the temperature sensor  40  and stores it in the storage  23  (S 20 ). As a result, the storage  23  stores temperature information indicating the temperature of the holding room  30   a  at the time when the inventory process S 10  is executed. The controller  22  then activates the electric heater  51  (S 21 ). As a result, the switching circuit  50  is heated and the switching circuit  50  can perform desired operations. 
     The controller  22  operates the switching circuit  50  to select one set of antennas from the antennas  400  to  405 , and stores selection information indicating the selected antennas in the storage  23  (S 22 ). Here, by way of example, when the antennas  400  are selected, the antennas  400  (first antennas) are connected to the reader  21  (a first state). In addition, the selection information indicating that the antennas  400  have been selected is stored in the storage  23 . 
     The reader  21  operates the selected antennas (S 23 ). For example, when the antennas  400  are selected, each of the 64 antennas  400  emits radio waves, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . The reader  21  then stores information indicating reception results for the selected antennas in the storage  23  (S 24 ). 
     Here, the “information indicating reception results for antennas” is described for a case where the container  80   a  with the RF tag  85   a  is held at the position A 1  in  FIG. 7  and nothing is held at the position A 2 . In this case, the reader  21  acquires an identification code (e.g., “00001”) of the RF tag  85   a  via the antenna  400   a , and stores it in the storage  23 . On the other hand, the reader  21  stores, in the storage  23 , information (e.g., “Null”) indicating that nothing has been received because there is no RF tag at the position A 2 . The antennas  400   a  and  400   c  respectively corresponding to the positions A 1  and A 2  have been described here, but the same applies to other 62 antennas  400 . The reader  21  acquires the “information indicating reception results for antennas” corresponding to the 64 antennas  400  and stores the information in the storage  23 . Thus, a user can appropriately grasp what kind(s) of specimen(s) is/are contained in the container(s)  80  and where the container(s)  80  is/are held among the positions A 1  to D 16  in the holding room  30   a , without taking the container(s)  80  out of the freezer. 
     The controller  22  then determines whether all the antennas  400  to  405  have been selected (S 25 ). If there is any antenna not having been selected (S 25 : No), the controller  22  selects the unselected antennas based on the selection information stored in the storage  23 , and updates the selection information (S 22 ). For example, if the antennas  401  have not yet been selected, the antennas  401  are selected and the switching circuit  50  connects the antennas  401  (second antennas) and the reader  21  (a second state). Then, by repeating steps S 22  to S 25 , all of the antennas  400  to  405  result in being selected and operated. Since each set of the antennas  400  to  405  includes 64 antennas, eventually, 384 pieces of the “information indicating reception results for antennas” are stored in the storage  23 . Accordingly, with the holding room  30   a  hermetically closed, a user can appropriately grasp what kind(s) of container(s)  80  is/are held and where the container(s) is/are held among the 384 positions in the holding room  30   a.    
     On the other hand, if all the antennas have been selected (S 25 : Yes), the controller  22  stops the operation of the electric heater  51  (S 26 ) and ends the inventory process S 10 . 
     Other Embodiments 
     «Case where Holding Member  101  is Used» 
     By way of example, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the holding member  100  is used to hold the holding box  90 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, a holding member  101  that can directly hold containers  80  illustrated in  FIG. 12  may be used. Even when such a holding member  101  is used, each container  80  will be held at one of the positions A 1  to D 16  (a plurality of predetermined positions) in a holding room  30   b  which is a second embodiment of the holding room  30 . 
     «Case where Plate-Shaped Member  310  is Located Below Holding Member  102 » 
     For example, in embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 12 , the antennas  400  are respectively provided for the 64 containers  80  that are to be held in the single holding member  100 . The present disclosure, however, is not limited thereto. For example, the present disclosure may have a configuration in which a plate-shaped member (described below) having fewer antennas than the containers  80  is moved to read the RF tags  85  on all the containers  80 . 
       FIGS. 13A and 13B  are diagrams for explaining a plate-shaped member  310  and a holding member  102  held in a holding room  30   c  (described below). In  FIG. 13A , the holding member  102  and the plate-shaped member  310  are illustrated with a distance therebetween to clarify the configurations of these members.  FIG. 14  is a diagram for explaining the holding room  30   c  which is a third embodiment of the holding room  30 . 
     The holding member  102  is a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member having openings in top and bottom, respectively, and can hold four holding boxes  90 . The holding member  102  is formed by being surrounded by five flat plates in total: a bottom plate  125  with an opening  140 , side plates  121  and  122 , a back plate  123 , and a front plate  124 . The holding member  102  is provided with a partitioning plates  130  to  135  for allowing the holding boxes  90  to be held at predetermined holding positions in the holding member  102 . 
     The members denoted by the same reference numerals between the holding member  100  and the holding member  102  are the same. For this reason, only the bottom plate  125  is described in detail here. 
     The bottom plate  125  has, at its center, the opening  140  having a large area. This allows the antennas  400  to read the information on the RF tag  85  with greater accuracy when the holding boxes  90  are placed in the holding member  102 . 
     The plate-shaped member  310  has 16 antennas  400  on its top surface. A motor (not illustrated) for moving the plate-shaped member  310  along the longitudinal direction of support members  170  (described below) are attached to the plate-shaped member  310 . The motor for sliding the plate-shaped member  310  operates in response to, for example, a command from the controller  22 . 
       FIG. 14  is a diagram for explaining the holding room  30   c  in which the holding member  102  and the plate-shaped members  310  are held. The holding room  30   b  holds six holding members  102   a  to  102   f  and six plate-shaped members  310   a  to  310   f . Specifically, the holding room  30   c  is provided with support members  150  to  155  and  160  to  165  which support the holding members  102   a  to  102   f , and support members  170  to  175  which support the plate-shaped members  310   a  to  310   f , respectively. 
     In  FIGS. 4 and 14 , the members denoted by the same reference numerals are the same. The support members  150  and  160  support the holding member  102   a ; the support members  151  and  161  support the holding member  102   b ; the support members  152  and  162  support the holding member  102   c ; the support members  153  and  163  support the holding member  102   d ; the support members  154  and  164  support the holding member  102   e ; and the support members  155  and  165  support the holding member  102   f.    
     Support members  170   a  to  175   a  are located under the support members  150  to  155 , respectively, and support members  170   b  to  175   b  are located under the support members  160  to  165 , respectively. Specifically, the six support members  170   a  to  175   a  are attached, at predetermined intervals, to the side wall  201  extending vertically from the bottom  200  of the inner chamber  60 . The six support members  170   b  to  175   b  are attached, at predetermined intervals, to the side wall  202  extending vertically from the bottom  200 , so as to face their counterpart support members  170   a  to  175   a , respectively. 
     The support members  170   a  and  170   b  support the plate-shaped member  310   a ; the support members  171   a  and  171   b  support the plate-shaped member  310   b ; the support members  172   a  and  172   b  support the plate-shaped member  310   c ; the support members  173   a  and  173   b  support the plate-shaped member  310   d ; the support members  174   a  and  174   b  support the plate-shaped member  310   e ; and the support members  175   a  and  175   b  support the plate-shaped member  310   f.    
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, by way of example, when the position of the plate-shaped member  310   a  is adjusted by a motor (not illustrated) with the support members  170   a  and  170   b  supporting the plate-shaped member  310   a , antennas  400  on the plate-shaped member  310   a  can acquire information on the RF tags  85  on the 16 containers  80 . The controller  22  then slides the plate-shaped member  310   a  along the longitudinal direction of the support members  170   a  and  170   b  such that the information on the RF tags  85  of all the containers  80  in the holding member  102   a  is acquired. 
     As a result, even when fewer antennas  400  are provided than the containers as distinct from the case of the plate-shaped member  300 , where the antennas  400  are provided for all the 64 containers  80 , respectively, a user can obtain information about the containers  80  held in the holding room  30   b  while preventing deterioration in the quality of the specimens in the containers  80  that are held in place. 
     While the plate-shaped member  310   a  described is assumed to have 16 antennas  400 , the number of the antennas is not limited to 16. Instead, a different number of antennas may be used, such as four corresponding to a single row of containers  80 , eight corresponding to two rows of containers  80 , and so on. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, while the plate-shaped member  310   a  is supported by two support members  170   a  and  170   b , the present disclosure may be implemented with, for example, the plate-shaped member  310   a  configured to slide on a single rail member that supports the plate-shaped member  310   a  at the center thereof. 
     «Case where Plate-Shaped Member  310  is Located Above Holding Member  102 » 
       FIG. 15  is a diagram illustrating an example of a container  81  that holds a specimen (not illustrated). Similarly to the container  80 , the container  81  is a cylindrical container with a removable lid  82  for hermetically closing the container  81  attached thereto. An RF tag  85  is attached to the top surface of the lid  82 . 
     In such a case, an antenna  400  for acquiring information on the RF tag  85  needs to be provided above the container  81 . 
       FIGS. 16A and 16B  are diagrams for explaining a plate-shaped member  311  and the holding member  102  held in a holding room  30   d  (described below). In  FIG. 16A , the holding member  102  and the plate-shaped member  311  are illustrated with a distance therebetween to clarify the configurations of these members.  FIG. 17  is a diagram for explaining the holding room  30   d  which is a fourth embodiment of holding room  30 . 
     In  FIGS. 16A and 16B , the components and parts that are the same as those illustrated in  FIGS. 13A and 13B  are denoted by the same reference numerals. Accordingly, a description will be given focusing on the plate-shaped member  311  and support members  180  to  185  that support the plate-shaped member  311 . 
     The plate-shaped member  311  has 16 antennas  400  on its lower surface. A motor (not illustrated) for moving the plate-shaped member  311  along the longitudinal direction of support members  180  (described below) are attached to the plate-shaped member  311 . The motor for sliding the plate-shaped member  311  operates in response to, for example, a command from the controller  22 . 
     Support members  180   a  to  185   a  are located above the support members  150  to  155 , respectively, and support members  180   b  to  185   b  are located above the support members  160  to  165 , respectively. Specifically, the six support members  180   a  to  185   a  are attached, at predetermined intervals, to the side wall  201  extending vertically from the bottom  200  of the inner chamber  60 . 
     The six support members  180   b  to  185   b  are attached, at predetermined intervals, to the side wall  202  extending vertically from the bottom  200 , so as to face their counterpart support members  180   a  to  185   a , respectively. Specifically, the support members  180   b  to  185   b  are attached at the same heights as the heights of their counterpart support members  180   a  to  185   a , respectively. 
     The support members  180   a  and  180   b  support the plate-shaped member  311   a ; the support members  181   a  and  181   b  support the plate-shaped member  311   b ; the support members  182   a  and  182   b  support the plate-shaped member  311   c ; the support members  183   a  and  183   b  support the plate-shaped member  311   d ; the support members  184   a  and  184   b  support the plate-shaped member  311   e ; and the support members  185   a  and  185   b  support the plate-shaped member  311   f.    
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, by way of example, when the position of the plate-shaped member  311   a  is adjusted by a motor (not illustrated) with the support members  180   a  and  180   b  supporting the plate-shaped member  311   a , antennas  400  on the plate-shaped member  311   a  can acquire information on the RF tags  85  on the 16 containers  81 . The controller  22  then slides the plate-shaped member  311   a  along the longitudinal direction of the support members  180   a  and  180   b  such that the information on the RF tags  85  of all the containers  81  in the holding member  102   a  is acquired. 
     As a result, even when fewer antennas  400  are provided than the containers as distinct from the case of the plate-shaped member  300 , where the antennas  400  are provided for all the 64 containers  80 , respectively, a user can obtain information about the containers  81  held in the holding room  30   d  while preventing deterioration in the quality of the specimens in the containers  81  that are held in place. 
     While the plate member  311   a  described is assumed to have 16 antennas  400 , the number of the antennas is not limited to 16. Instead, a different number of antennas may be used, such as four corresponding to a single row of containers  81 , eight corresponding to two rows of containers  81 , and so on. 
     «Case where Holding Devices  70  and  71  are Placed in Holding Room  30 » 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the holding boxes  90  are held in the holding members  100  and  102  which are drawable, and placed in the holding room  30 , however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. 
     &lt;Holding Device  70 &gt; 
       FIG. 18  is a diagram illustrating an example of a holding device  70  provided in the holding room  30  in which holding boxes  91  are held. The holding boxes  91  each are a cylindrical box capable of holding five containers  81  described above. For convenience, a lid covering each holding box  91  is omitted here. 
     The holding device  70  is provided in, for example, the holding room  30  and has a shaft member  320 , a rotatable plate  330 , a plate-shaped member  340 , and a mounting member  350 . The shaft member  320  is attached to extend along a vertical direction from near the center of the bottom surface of the holding room  30 . The rotatable plate  330  is a circular turntable rotatable about the shaft member  320 , and is mounted so as to be rotatable about the shaft member  320 . For example, three holding boxes  91  are placed on the rotatable plate  330  at equal intervals. 
     Near the tip of the shaft member  320 , the plate-shaped member  340  with antennas  400  formed on its back surface is attached to the shaft member  320  via the mounting member  350 . The plate-shaped member  340  is attached to the shaft member  320  in such a manner that the back surface of the plate-shaped member  340  and the surface of the rotatable plate  330  are substantially parallel to each other. 
     Then, when the rotatable plate  330  is rotated by a motor (not illustrated) and moved to a predetermined position at which, for example, the center of a holding box  91  on the rotatable plate  330  coincides with the center of the circular plate-shaped member  340 , the five containers  81  in the holding box  91  move to positions (predetermined positions) respectively corresponding to the five antennas  400  on the plate member  340 . The motor of the rotatable plate  330  (not illustrated) operates in response to, for example, a command from the controller  22 . 
     As a result, a user can obtain information about the containers  81  held in the holding room  30  while preventing deterioration in the quality of the specimens in the containers  81 . 
     &lt;Holding Device  71 &gt; 
       FIG. 19  is a diagram illustrating an example of a holding device  71 , provided in the holding room  30 . The holding device  71  is provided in, for example, the holding room  30  and has a shaft member  320 , a rotatable plate  331 , a plate-shaped member  341 , and a mounting member  351 . In  FIGS. 18 and 19 , since the components and parts denoted by the same reference numerals are identical, the rotatable plate  331 , the plate-shaped member  341 , and the mounting member  351  are described here. 
     The rotatable plate  331  is a circular turntable rotatable about the shaft member  320 , and is mounted so as to be rotatable about the shaft member  320 . The rotatable plate  331  has, for example, three openings  332  evenly spaced apart from each other, and the holding boxes  91  are placed so as to cover the respective openings  332 . This makes it easier for the antennas  400  to acquire information on the RF tags  85  on the containers  80  in the holding boxes  91 . 
     The plate-shaped member  341  with the antennas  400  formed on its upper surface is attached to a lower portion of the shaft member  320  to which the rotatable plate  331  is attached, via the mounting member  351 . The plate-shaped member  341  is attached to the shaft member  320  in such a manner that the surface of the plate-shaped member  341  and the back surface of the rotatable plate  331  are substantially parallel to each other. 
     Then, when the rotatable plate  331  is rotated by a motor (not illustrated) and moved to a predetermined position at which, for example, the center of a holding box  91  on the rotatable plate  331  coincides with the center of the circular plate-shaped member  341 , the five containers  80  in the holding box  91  move to positions (predetermined positions) respectively corresponding to the five antennas  400  on the plate-shaped member  341 . 
     As a result, a user can obtain information about the containers  80  held in the holding room  30  while preventing deterioration in the quality of the specimens in the containers  80 . 
     In  FIGS. 18 and 19 , the number of containers held in the holding box  91  and the number of antennas  400  formed on the plate-shaped member are five, but the number thereof may be different. 
     «Others» 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the insulated room  31  is defined within the holding room  30 , however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, it may be possible to provide the switching circuit  50  and the electric heater  51  in the holding room  30  without forming the insulated room  31 . Even in such a case, the switching circuit  50  is heated by the electric heater  51  and thus the switching circuit  50  can be operated properly. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching circuit  50  and the electric heater  51  are provided in the insulated room  31 , the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the electric heater  51  does not necessarily need to be provided when the temperature in the insulated room  31  will not fall below the lower limit of the temperature of a compensation temperature range (e.g., −40° C.) of the switching circuit  50 . 
     The freezer  20  is designed to lower the temperature inside the freezer to, for example, −80° C. (predetermined temperature), however, the freezer may be the one that cools to −40° C., for example. Even in such a freezer, installing the switching circuit  50  in the insulated room  31  or heating the switching circuit  50  also leads to stable operations of the switching circuit  50 . 
     For example, a multiplexer is used for the switching circuit  50 , however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Instead, a microcontroller, a relay, or the like may be used. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reader  21 , the controller  22 , and the storage  23  are provided separately from the freezer  20 , however, they may be incorporated into the freezer  20 , for example. 
     The insulated room  31  is formed over the entire surface of the bottom  200  of the holding room  30 , however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The insulated room  31  may be formed by dividing the space in the holding room  30 . 
     SUMMARY 
     The freezing system  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above. The holding room  30  of the freezer  20  is provided with the antennas  400  to  405  capable of receiving information on the RF tags  85  attached to the containers  80 . Accordingly, with the use of the freezing system  10 , it is possible to acquire information on the RF tags  85  on the multiple containers  80  with the multiple containers  80  being held in the holding room  30 . Thus, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user can obtain information about the containers  80  held in the holding room while preventing deterioration in the quality of the specimens held in the containers  80 . 
     In addition, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching circuit  50  connects any of the antennas  400  to  405  to the reader  21 . Accordingly, the number of lines drawn out from the freezer  20  can be reduced as compared to cases where all the lines of the antennas  400  to  405  are connected to the reader  21 . Thus, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to avoid complicated wiring between the freezer  20  and the reader  21 . 
     The switching circuit  50  includes a digital circuit manufactured using a semiconductor, for example. When the switching circuit  50  is placed in the holding room  30  that is to be cooled to −80° C., the temperature of the digital circuit may be lower than the lower limit of its compensation temperature range (e.g., −40° C.) and the switching circuit  50  may not operate correctly. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, however, the switching circuit  50  is placed in the insulated room  31 . Thus, even when the temperature of the holding room  30  is to be extremely low, the switching circuit  50  can operate correctly. 
     In addition, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electric heater  51  is provided to heat the switching circuit  50 . Thus, the temperature of the switching circuit  50  can be kept within its compensation temperature range, which ensures the switching circuit  50  to operate reliably. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the inventory process S 10  is executed and information about the containers held in the holding room  30  is acquired, temperature information indicating the temperature in the holding room  30  is stored (S 20 ). Thus, a user can get correct information about the containers  80  held in the holding room  30  as well as the exact temperature at which the containers  80  are held. 
     The holding member  100   a  is supported by the support members  150  and  160  such that the containers  80  are held at predetermined positions (e.g., the positions A 1  to D 16 ) in the holding room  30 . Thus, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the antennas  400  corresponding to the predetermined positions (e.g., the positions A 1  to D 16 ) can reliably receive the information on the RF tags  85 . 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure described above are simply to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure and are not in any way to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The present disclosure may variously be changed or altered without departing from its essential features and encompass equivalents thereof.