DE20106542U1 - Identification element for objects - Google Patents

Description

KSW microtec Ges. f. applied microtechnology...

Identification element for objects

The invention relates to identification elements for a wide variety of objects, such as goods, luggage, disposable or reusable packaging, containers and more.

Depending on the object to be identified, an identification element can be attached to or connected to the object in a variety of ways. Such an identification element can, for example, be attached to the object in a similar way to a label or a corresponding tag.

Particularly during the transport and storage of objects, the external influences during these periods, which can have more or less influence on the properties of the respective object or parts thereof, are of interest, so that the knowledge

nis about the environmental influences occurring and, if possible,
and their chronology is also desired. A typical example of such items are
frozen foods, pharmaceutical products and in particular blood products, tissue samples or implants, which, for example, if the limits are exceeded/not met,
certain limit temperature values during transport or storage for
the consumption or the actual intended use

can no longer be used or can only be used under certain conditions in borderline cases. For example, whole blood is stored in a temperature range
between 4 and 7 ⁰ C after collection until final use (e.g. until separation of the

blood plasma) are stored and transported.

Different identification elements, which are also referred to as "smart labels" in everyday use, are known in themselves. A corresponding

A suitable solution is described, for example, in DE 196 39 934 Al. Here, semiconductor chips are contacted to a carrier with a conductive track structure,
which on the one hand enables wireless information transmission from or into the semiconductor chip and on the other hand the

wireless electrical energy supply for the operation of the semiconductor chip.

The semiconductor chip essentially serves as
Storage for specific information that serves an identification function.

The environmental impact information mentioned above
cannot be taken into account with such a solution.
35

US 5,897,522 describes a possibility how

This requirement is described with an additional suitable sensor and an electrochemical cell structure, which is essentially designed in the form of a flat, flexible battery and is used accordingly. With this solution, however, the measured values recorded with the sensor can only be processed using a suitable semiconductor chip in such a way that the corresponding measured values are either displayed on a directly connected display or read out via corresponding contacts by connecting a corresponding connection and can be further processed and used, for example, in an electronic data processing system.

However, this causes major problems when reading the corresponding data via the contacts from the semiconductor chip, since corresponding identification elements are usually attached directly to the corresponding object, so that accessibility is at least difficult, if not impossible.

Furthermore, it is of course also difficult to influence the changed programming of the semiconductor chip from the outside.

This is where the invention comes in, the purpose of which is to provide identification elements for objects that are also able to record and store certain environmental influences that affect the objects and that can read this information very easily and with little effort for evaluation.

According to the invention, this object is achieved with an identification element having the features of claim 1

Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention can be achieved with the features contained in the subordinate claims.
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The identification element according to the invention for a wide variety of objects, examples of which have already been mentioned above, consists of a flat carrier which can be directly attached or connected to a respective object or its packaging.

At least one semiconductor chip with a storage function is applied to this flat carrier, which is connected to a conductor structure also formed on the carrier. In addition, an electrochemical cell structure is present as an electrical energy storage device.

The conductor structure serves as an antenna and can be used to wirelessly transmit information from the semiconductor chip as well as into the semiconductor chip.

In addition, at least one sensor is arranged on the carrier or such a sensor is integrated into the semiconductor chip, with which the most diverse physical quantities that can be measured depending on the type of sensor used can be recorded and stored in the semiconductor chip.

The electrochemical cell structure is essentially intended to provide the energy supply for the sensor's measurements and the operation of the semiconductor chip during storage and, if necessary, processing of the measurement signals.

The electrochemical cell structure should be flat and, if possible, flexible and, in an alternative, represent a battery.

Examples of suitable electrochemical cell structures are described in US 5,897,522, so that a further description of suitable electrochemical cell structures may be unnecessary.

The electrochemical cell structure can also be designed and selected in such a way that it is rechargeable, i.e. in the form of an accumulator, whereby suitable layer materials can be selected for the two poles and an electrolyte arranged between them. The recharging of such an electrochemical cell structure as an electrical energy storage device can also

advantageously carried out wirelessly via the conductive path structure.

However, the same effect can also be exploited, for example, to conserve the electrical energy reserves of a non-rechargeable electrochemical cell structure if an appropriately designed identification element according to the invention is located in the range of suitable electromagnetic radiation.

In the identification element according to the invention, different types of sensors, such as temperature, pressure, humidity, acceleration and/or position sensors, can be used individually or in combination with several of these different sensors, also in combination with a time measuring device. Pressure sensors can be used to measure pressures above

half and below atmospheric pressure can be detected and stored. This way, for example, the internal pressure in packaging can be recorded and monitored.

Temperature sensors are particularly suitable for identification elements for deep-frozen goods. A very typical example of this is blood plasma, which is stored in shock-frozen blood transfer bags and can be made available for transfusions at a later date. With this blood plasma, it is important to know when and for what period of time the freezing took place, as well as the timing of the freezing process and the temperatures at which it was stored, transported and finally transfused. Of course, the age of the blood plasma in question is also of interest, although this was already possible with state-of-the-art solutions.

For example, a blood transfer bag filled with blood plasma can be provided directly with an identification element according to the invention and placed in this form in a corresponding cooling unit for shock freezing of the blood plasma, whereby the temperature can be measured and stored directly on the respective blood transfer bag in a time-resolved manner. After the freezing process has been completed, the blood transfer bags can be removed from the freezing device.

3.0 men and the measured values are read out and evaluated wirelessly via known reading and writing devices, also known as readers or scanners, in order to be able to make shock-frozen blood plasma available to patients exclusively in an permitted form.

With an identification element according to the invention

There is no need for complex temperature measurement technology, e.g. within a corresponding freezing or cooling device. It can also be ensured that the temperatures with increased local allocation for each individual object provided with an identification element can be measured directly on it and allocated to it.

Before the actual transfusion or at regular intervals, it can also be checked whether the frozen blood transfer bags have been stored correctly and whether certain temperatures have not been exceeded, so that only blood plasma that has not been affected is made available for transfusions.

A similar procedure can of course be used for frozen foods, pharmaceuticals, tissues and organs. For example, with food, the use of a humidity sensor can be advantageous, and for certain shock-sensitive goods and objects, a pressure, acceleration or position sensor can be used. The use of a position sensor is particularly useful when certain goods or products are to be stored and transported in a very specific position.

In an advantageous form, the carrier on which the above-mentioned individual components are applied should consist of a flexible material so that a simple and secure attachment can be carried out easily and safely even on different substrate materials and contours. Suitable carrier materials are, for example, plastic films, paper, cardboard or textile materials. These can be coated at least in parts with an adhesion promoter.

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layer so that a suitably designed identification element can be stuck onto the object or its packaging, similar to a label. It is therefore very easy and clear to imagine that such a flexible carrier can be stuck onto a flexible surface, such as the blood transfer bags mentioned above before shock freezing.

The conductor structure acting as an antenna is advantageously designed in the form of a coil having at least one turn. However, the conductor structure can also be designed as a simple dipole, whereby the frequency at which the information signals are transmitted can be adapted to the respective conductor structure.

Suitable materials for the conductor track structure are, for example, copper, aluminum, but a conductor track structure made of electrically conductive paste can also be used, whereby sufficient examples of the latter are also known from the state of the art and in particular from flip-chip technology.

It is also advantageous to contact and connect the semiconductor chip and, if applicable, a separately used sensor to the conductor structure using flip-chip technology.

The electrochemical cell structure can advantageously be formed and applied to the carrier using a screen printing technique that is also known per se. 35

As already mentioned, it can be particularly useful for a

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rechargeable electrochemical cell structure, it may be advantageous to also connect it electrically to the conductor structure.

It is also advantageous to be able to program the semiconductor chip wirelessly, which is particularly interesting for influencing the time intervals at which the sensor measures and stores the measured values, as well as resetting the memory.

For example, in the case of blood plasma, the intervals between the individual measured temperatures during shock freezing can be set to be much shorter than is required afterwards, i.e. during storage and transport times. To make this possible, a timer is integrated into the semiconductor chip for time-controlled and/or time-resolved measurement and storage of the measurement signals.

The identification element according to the invention can also be provided with optically detectable information. Such information can, for example, be printed on a carrier or embossed into the carrier material. For example, bar codes can simply be printed on in the conventional way. In another form, sensitive color layers can also be formed, whereby, for example, the color can change reversibly or irreversibly at different temperatures.

Another example is holograms.

The identification elements can be attached to the labels using an adhesive agent, similar to conventional labels.

corresponding objects can be applied and equipped with the additional functions possible according to the invention.

The invention will be explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments.

Showing:

Figure 1 shows the schematic structure of an example

an identification element according to the invention with a semiconductor chip in which a sensor is already integrated;

Figure 2 shows a second example with a separate

arranged sensor and

Figure 3 shows an example with a sensor integrated in the semiconductor chip and an additional electrically conductive connection between an electronic

trochemical cell structure and conductive pathway structure.

In the example of an identification element according to the invention shown in Figure 1, a carrier 1 in rectangular shape is used, which is made of a flexible material, for example a plastic film, which is coated on the back with an adhesion promoter layer that can be temporarily protected with a removable film. Of course, the carrier 1 can also be designed in other geometric shapes adapted as required.

On the surface of the carrier 1 visible in Figure 1, a conductor track structure 4 is provided, here for simplicity in the form of a coil with only one turn.

formed and this in turn is contacted with the semiconductor chip 2, in which a suitable sensor is already integrated. By means of this conductor structure 4, the data transfer can take place wirelessly in or out of the semiconductor chip 2, whereby the measured values recorded with the sensor can be processed and stored accordingly in the semiconductor chip 2, so that they can be read out wirelessly at more or less long intervals or, as required.

In particular for the electrical energy supply of the sensor, the semiconductor chip is electrically connected to at least one electrochemical cell structure 3 via the lines 5 and 6, which can be applied or formed in the same or at least similar form as the conductor track structure 4 on the surface of the carrier 1. Of course, if required, several such electrochemical cell structures 3 can also be used, which in turn can be arranged in series or parallel circuitry depending on the required current and voltage supply of the semiconductor chip 2 or sensor.

In the example shown in Figure 2, a separate or additional sensor 7 is used, which is or can be connected in an electrically conductive manner to the electrochemical cell structure 3 and transmits the measured values to the semiconductor chip 2 via the lines 8 and 9, which essentially fulfills the tasks that have already been explained in the description of Figure 1.

The sensor 7 can be used to measure an additional physical measurement value or to transfer it to a

The sensor integrated in the conductor chip can be dispensed with.

The example shown in Figure 3 corresponds essentially to the example according to Figure 1 and only connecting lines 10 and 11 from the conductor structure 4 to the electrochemical cell structure 3 are added in dashed form, which is particularly advantageous in the case of a rechargeable electrochemical cell structure 3.

Of course, the example as shown in Figure 2 and described accordingly can also be modified with additional lines 10 and 11.

If, for example, a semiconductor chip 2 with an integrated temperature sensor or a separate temperature sensor 7 is used in an identification element according to the invention, measurements in the temperature range between - 40 ⁰ C and + 70 ⁰ C can be carried out easily and with a relatively high long-term stability, whereby the measurement accuracy can be ± 0.5 K.

The wireless data transmission can easily take place up to a distance of at least 1 m, whereby this naturally also applies to the wireless supply of electrical energy via the conductor structure 4 to the semiconductor chip 2 and/or electrochemical cell structure 3.

The semiconductor chip 2 can easily be programmed in such a way that a corresponding signal is generated when the respective measured variable exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold value.

which can then be transmitted first when the corresponding information is wirelessly read from the semiconductor chip 2. This can, for example, indicate an impermissible impairment that has occurred beforehand and protect a consumer accordingly.

Claims (16)

1. Identification element for objects, in which at least one semiconductor chip with storage function is connected on a flat carrier to a conductor track structure formed on the carrier and at least one electrochemical cell structure as an electrical energy store, characterized in that the conductor track structure ( 4 ) is designed as an antenna for wireless information transmission from/to the semiconductor chip ( 2 ), which is connected to at least one sensor ( 7 ) or in which at least one sensor for detecting physical variables is integrated. 2. Identification element according to claim 1, characterized in that the flat and flexible electrochemical cell structure ( 3 ) is a battery. 3. Identification element according to claim 1, characterized in that the flat and flexible electrochemical cell structure ( 3 ) is a rechargeable battery. 4. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the integrated or separate sensor(s) ( 7 ) is/are a temperature, a pressure, a humidity, an acceleration and/or position sensor. 5. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the flat carrier ( 1 ) is formed from a flexible material. 6. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the carrier ( 1 ) is made of plastic, paper, cardboard or a textile material. 7. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the carrier ( 1 ) is provided at least in regions with an adhesion promoter. 8. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the conductor track structure ( 4 ) is designed in the form of a coil with at least one turn or a dipole. 9. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the conductor track structure ( 4 ) is formed from copper, aluminum or electrically conductive paste. 10. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the at least one semiconductor chip ( 2 ) is contacted with the conductor track structure ( 4 ) using flip-chip technology. 11. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the electrochemical cell structure ( 3 ) is electrically conductively connected to the conductor track structure ( 4 ). 12. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the semiconductor chip ( 2 ) is wirelessly programmable. 13. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that a timer for time-clocked measurement and/or time-resolved storage of measurement signals is integrated in the semiconductor chip ( 2 ). 14. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that optically detectable information is printed or embossed on the surface of the carrier. 15. Identification element according to claim 14, characterized in that the information is in the form of a bar code, a sensitive color layer and/or a hologram. 16. Identification element according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the identification element is connected to a blood transfer bag.