HK1206124B - Non-contact ic label and nameplate - Google Patents

Description

Non-contact IC tag and nameplate

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a non-contact IC tag used for a UHF band and an SHF band, and a nameplate provided with the non-contact IC tag.

This application is based on the priority claim on Japanese application No. 2012-134296, 6/13/2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

Conventionally, wireless communication is performed between an RFID tag (RFID tag) (non-contact ic (integrated circuit) tag (label)) and a reader or the like. However, when the RFID tag is attached to a metal adherend, the communication performance of the RFID tag is degraded. In order to solve this problem, RFID tags having various configurations as described below have been studied.

For example, in an electromagnetic induction type RFID tag using a radio wave in a band of 13.56MHz, a magnetic flux path with less loss is secured between an antenna and an adherend by providing a magnetic material (magnetic sheet) with high magnetic permeability between the antenna and the RFID tag. Thus, an RFID tag that can be used even when attached to a metal adherend is produced. Although the communication performance is lowered, the thickness of the magnetic material may be reduced to, for example, 100 μm or 100 μmx or less. In this case, it is also possible to manufacture a thin metal-compatible RFID tag corresponding to the metal adherend.

In contrast, in radio-wave RFID tags used in UHF and SHF bands, a dielectric or air layer is provided between the antenna and the adherend, thereby ensuring a gap between the antenna and the adherend. Thus, a method of suppressing the influence of the metal adherend on the antenna can be generally used.

However, in this method, when a dielectric material having a thickness of 100 μm is used between the antenna and the adherend or an air layer having a thickness of 100 μm is provided, communication is not possible due to the adherend being strongly affected. Therefore, it is currently difficult to manufacture a thin (several hundred μm or less thick) RFID tag used under a 13.56MHz band.

As another radio wave type RFID tag used in the UHF band and the SHF band, for example, as shown in patent document 1, a configuration in which a magnetic material is provided between an antenna and an adherend has been proposed. In the RFID tag, a soft magnetic body is arranged between an antenna and an adherend. Patent document 1 discloses a soft magnetic material body sufficiently. On the other hand, the antennas used are disclosed only to the extent of stopping at the dipole antenna and the deformed antenna of the dipole antenna, and the detailed description of the antenna shape is not given in the actual verification, and only the example of 1mm (communication distance is 15mm) is given with respect to the thickness of the magnetic material. Further, a specific general example, shape, size, and the like of an adherend as an object to which the RFID tag is attached are not disclosed.

Such an RFID tag is used by being attached to or incorporated in a metal label plate whose surface shows a name of a product or the like. The label is used by being attached to a metal adherend, similarly to the RFID tag.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1 Japanese laid-open patent application No. 2005-309811

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, the RFID tag disclosed in patent document 1 has the following problems, for example: if the label is used as a label, it is too thick, and it is very undesirable to use the label when it is attached to a tag requiring thinness.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an RFID tag which can communicate even when directly attached to a metal adherend and has a thin shape and extremely excellent practicability, and a nameplate provided with the RFID tag.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.

A non-contact IC tag according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a magnetic sheet; an IC chip provided on the first magnetic surface of the magnetic sheet; a first antenna unit and a second antenna unit provided on the first magnetic surface and connected to the IC chip; and a space holding portion formed by a dielectric; the IC chip, the first antenna portion, and the second antenna portion are disposed between the magnetic sheet and the space holding portion.

Further, it is more preferable that the magnetic sheet, the first antenna portion, the second antenna portion, and the space holding portion have heat resistance.

Further, it is more preferable that the non-contact IC tag according to the first aspect of the present invention further includes: a base material formed in a film shape and having heat resistance; the IC chip, the first antenna portion, and the second antenna portion are disposed on a first magnetic surface of the magnetic sheet in a state of being disposed on a main surface of the base.

Further, it is more preferable that the IC chip and the first antenna portion, and the IC chip and the second antenna portion are metal-bonded by ultrasonic bonding.

Further, it is more preferable that the magnetic sheet is formed by magnetic particles or magnetic sheets and a binder, and at least 1 of silicone resin, fluorine resin, epoxy-curable resin, polyether sulfone resin, and polyimide resin is used for the binder.

Further, in the contactless IC tag according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is more preferable that the contactless IC tag communicates with the data reading device by using a radio wave system.

Further, it is more preferable that the thickness of the magnetic sheet in the space holding portion is more than 0.5mm and 3mm or less.

A nameplate according to a second aspect of the present invention includes: the noncontact IC tag according to the first aspect of the present invention; and a plate-shaped main body portion having a metal member; the non-contact IC tag is attached to the metal member by adhering a second magnetic surface, which is an opposite surface of the magnetic sheet to the first magnetic surface, to the metal member via an adhesive layer.

Further, it is preferable that the main body portion is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and the non-contact IC tag is provided at an edge portion of a central portion on a long side of the main body portion in plan view.

Further, it is more preferable that a hole portion for storing a part of the non-contact IC tag is formed in the first surface of the main body portion; the space holding portion is attached to the first surface of the main body portion so as to cover the hole portion.

Further, it is more preferable that the main body portion and the adhesive layer have heat resistance.

Effects of the invention

The RFID tag and the nameplate according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention can communicate even when they are directly attached to a metal adherend, and are thin and extremely excellent in practical applicability.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a nameplate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a nameplate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a cut-off line a 1-a 1 in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side view showing a non-contact IC tag constituting the tag plate according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a view showing arrows in the direction B in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating a sequence of experiments using the nameplate according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an experimental result obtained by measuring a communication distance using the nameplate according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing a main part of a nameplate according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

(first embodiment)

Hereinafter, a nameplate according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 7.

The nameplate according to the first embodiment of the present invention is attached to an outer surface of a metal adherend, not shown, and performs communication with an external data reading device in a non-contact manner in the attached state.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the nameplate 1 according to the present embodiment includes: a non-contact IC tag (10) which can communicate in a non-contact manner; and a plate-shaped body portion 30 having a hole 31 formed in the first surface 30a for accommodating a part of the non-contact IC tag 10.

In all the drawings below, the thickness and the dimensional ratio of each component are appropriately changed to facilitate the view of the drawings.

Fig. 4 and 5 show a side view of the non-contact IC tag 10 and a B-direction arrow view in fig. 4, respectively. In fig. 5, the substrate 20 described later is not shown.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the non-contact IC tag 10 includes: a magnetic sheet 11; a communication unit 12 provided on one surface (first magnetic surface) 11a of the magnetic sheet 11; and a space holding plate (space holding portion) 13 disposed on the opposite side of the magnetic sheet 11 with respect to the communication portion 12. That is, the communication portion 12 is arranged to be sandwiched between the magnetic sheet 11 and the space holding plate 13.

The magnetic sheet 11 is formed of a composite material of magnetic particles or magnetic flakes and plastic or rubber, and a known material having sufficient flexibility can be used for labeling purposes.

As shown in fig. 5, the magnetic sheet 11 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the longitudinal direction E when viewed in a plan view in the thickness direction (second thickness direction) D of the magnetic sheet 11.

The communication unit 12 is disposed at the center of the magnetic sheet 11 in a plan view.

The communication unit 12 includes: an IC chip 16; an impedance matching circuit unit 17 connected to the IC chip 16; and a first antenna element (first antenna unit) 18 and a second antenna element (second antenna unit) 19 connected to the impedance matching circuit unit 17 and arranged so as to sandwich the impedance matching circuit unit 17 in the longitudinal direction E (the impedance matching circuit unit 17 is arranged between these antenna elements in the longitudinal direction E).

The IC chip 16 is an IC chip having a known structure, and predetermined information is stored in the IC chip 16. Further, energy of a radio wave is supplied as a radio wave from an electric contact, not shown, provided in the IC chip 16, so that the stored information can be transmitted as a radio wave from the electric contact to the outside.

In the present embodiment, the impedance matching circuit section 17 and the antenna elements 18 and 19 are integrally formed by printing silver paste ink (paste ink) on the main surface 20a of the base material 20 formed in a film shape of PET or the like.

The impedance matching circuit 17 is formed by a wiring bent into a predetermined shape.

The antenna elements 18 and 19 are formed in a rectangular shape so as to have long sides in the longitudinal direction E in a plan view. The first antenna element 18 and the second antenna element 19 are connected to the IC chip 16 via the impedance matching circuit 17. The impedance matching circuit 17 is electrically connected to an unshown electrical contact of the IC chip 16. The impedance matching circuit 17 is configured to generate predetermined impedances and resistance values equal to each other between the IC chip 16 and the first antenna element 18 and between the IC chip 16 and the second antenna element 19.

The communication unit 12 configured as described above is a so-called dipole antenna having 2 antenna elements 18 and 19 on one surface 11a of the magnetic sheet 11.

The spacer 13 is formed in a rectangular shape so as to have a long side in the longitudinal direction E in a plan view by a dielectric such as resin. In this example, the spacer 13 is formed to cover the arrangement range of the magnetic sheet 11 in a plan view. That is, the spacer 13 is disposed so that the outer edge thereof surrounds the outer edge of the magnetic sheet 11 in a plan view.

The magnetic sheet 11 and the spacer 13 are connected via the main body 30 as shown in fig. 3, and are not directly connected. However, for example, the noncontact IC tag 10 may be provided with a connecting member for directly connecting the substrate 20 and the space holding plate 13.

In the present embodiment, the material of the entire body 30 is a metal member. The body 30 is formed in a rectangular shape similar to the spacer 13 in a plan view. The main body 30 is formed of aluminum in the present embodiment.

In addition, the material forming the metal member does not have to be 100% by weight of metal, as long as a portion exceeding 50% by weight is formed of metal.

The hole 31 is provided at an edge portion of a central portion on the long side 30c of the body 30 (a central portion in the longitudinal direction E of the body 30, and an end portion in the width direction F of the body 30). As shown in fig. 3, the distance from the first surface 30a of the body portion 30 to the bottom surface 31a of the hole 31 in the thickness direction D is set to be, for example, about 450 μm.

The dimensions of the main body 30 are, for example, 100mm (length in the longitudinal direction E)) x 50mm (width (length in the width direction F perpendicular to the thickness direction D and the longitudinal direction E)) × 1mm (thickness (length in the thickness direction D)), and the length and width are the same as those of a conventional metal tag.

As shown in fig. 1, the second surface 30b of the main body 30 is a label surface. The second surface 30b is formed with a designation W showing a brand name, a genre, and the like.

The mark W is formed on the second surface 30b of the body 30 by printing, laser engraving, or the like. Note that, if the amount of deformation of the body portion 30 is small, the mark W may be formed by engraving.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the hole 31 is formed in a size capable of accommodating the magnetic sheet 11, the communication portion 12, and the base material 20, which are elements constituting the non-contact IC tag 10 other than the spacer 13. The magnetic sheet 11 is attached to the main body 30 by bonding the other surface (second magnetic surface) 11b of the magnetic sheet 11 to the center of the bottom surface 31a of the hole 31 with a sheet adhesive layer (adhesive layer) 41. Thus, the non-contact IC tag 10 is attached to the edge portion of the center of the long side 30c of the body 30 in a plan view.

The space holding plate 13 is attached to the main body 30 so as to cover the hole 31 by attaching one surface of the space holding plate 13 to the first surface 30a of the main body 30 by the holding plate adhesive layer 42. The spacer plate 13 seals the hole 31 watertight.

When the space holding plate 13 is attached to the body 30, the hole 31 of the body 30 and the space holding plate 13 form a housing chamber 46.

In addition, when the nameplate 1 configured as described above is attached to the metal adherend, the nameplate adhesive layer 43 provided on the other surface of the space holding plate 13 is used. The nameplate 1 is attached to the adherend by attaching the nameplate adhesive layer 43 to the adherend.

As the adhesive layers 41, 42, 43, a known adhesive such as a synthetic rubber-based adhesive or an acrylic-based adhesive can be appropriately selected and used. The thickness of the adhesive layer 41 for sheet is preferably set to 10 to 30 μm.

Next, an experiment for confirming the communication performance of the present tag 1 was performed. The contents of which are shown below.

(experiment)

The experiment was performed using the structure shown in fig. 6.

The main body 30 is made of an aluminum plate of 100mm (length) × 50mm (width) × 1mm (thickness).

As the magnetic sheet 11, NRC010 (thickness: 100 μm) and NRC025 (thickness: 250 μm) made of Daido special steel (Kyowa Co., Ltd.) having a thickness of 38 mm. times.7 mm were used.

The IC chip 16 uses UCODE G2iL manufactured by NXP corporation.

The impedance matching circuit 17 and the antenna elements 18 and 19 were formed by pattern printing (thickness: 8 μm) with silver paste ink on a base material 20 made of a PET film (thickness: 50 μm). In addition, the sizes of the antenna elements 18 and 19 are 9mm × 5 mm. As the members constituting the communication unit 12, members manufactured by japan (relief printing) are used in addition to the IC chip 16.

The reader/writer R1 used was RF-RW 002 (maximum output: 1W 30dBm) which was a 950MHz RFID reader/writer manufactured by Mitsubishi electric corporation.

For the read antenna R2, RF-ATCP 001 (circular polarization maximum gain 6dBi) which is a 950MHz RFID antenna manufactured by mitsubishi electric corporation was used.

As the fixed attenuator R3, AT-107 (attenuation 7dB) made of gargle (ヒロセ change) is used.

The reader/writer R1, the read antenna R2, and the fixed attenuator R3 constitute a data reading apparatus R10.

The polystyrene foam 201 used was polystyrene foam having dimensions of 420mm (length) × 160mm (width) × 50mm (thickness).

The metal plate (metal adherend) 202 was a plate made of stainless steel having a thickness of 250mm (length) × 250mm (width) × 0.5mm (thickness).

(Experimental method)

Prior to the experiment for producing the name plate 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, an experiment for producing a name plate without the space holding plate 13 attached to the body 30 was performed as a comparative example.

In this experiment, antenna elements 18 and 19 were used, which had dimensions of 9mm × 5mm and extremely short element lengths.

As shown in fig. 6, the nameplate 301 was placed so that the main body portion 30 was positioned at the center of the upper surface of the polystyrene foam 201, and the communication distance (the maximum value of the distance at which the data reading device R10 can read information in a non-contact manner) was measured by the reading antenna R2 connected to the data reading device R10. The reading direction in the measurement is such that the surface on which the non-contact IC tag 10 is arranged (the first surface 30a of the body 30) is the front surface and the surface opposite to the front surface (the second surface 30b of the body 30) is the back surface, and the front and back surfaces of the body 30 are exchanged to read from both surfaces.

In this experiment, the body 30 and the non-contact IC tag 10 were read by pressing and adhering both with a tape member, not shown. It was found that the foamed styrene 201 used in the experiment hardly affected the measurement result of the communication distance.

The reader/writer R1 and the reading antenna R2 used in the experiment are a UHF-band high-output reader/writer and an antenna that can read the main body 30 to which the non-contact IC tag 10 is attached at a certain communication distance. The highest output of the reader/writer R1 was 1W (30dBm), but due to the experimental environment, an experiment was performed in which a-7 dB fixed attenuator R3 was connected to the coaxial cable connecting the reader/writer R1 and the reading antenna R2, and the output of the reader/writer R1 was attenuated to 0.2W (23 dBm).

The reading antenna R2 was rotated toward the main body 30, and the reading was performed at 2 angles of 0 degree and 90 degrees with respect to the main body 30, and the value of the long communication distance was adopted as the experimental result. The magnetic sheet 11 used in the experiment was a 350 μm thick magnetic sheet obtained by stacking 100 μm thick and 250 μm thick magnetic sheets.

(1-1 experiment)

The nameplate 301 of the comparative example is configured by arranging the non-contact IC tag 10 in such a manner that the longitudinal direction of the non-contact IC tag 10 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the body 30 at the center of the first surface 30a of the body 30. In this state, the communication distance of the name plate 301 is measured.

(1-2 results)

The following shows the measurement results of the communication distance.

Surface: 175mm

Back side: can not read

From the measurement results, it was found that the communication distance was good in the reading from the front surface, but the reading from the back surface was not possible.

(2-1 experiment)

The nameplate 302 of the comparative example is configured by arranging the non-contact IC tag 10 at the first surface 30a of the body 30 (the edge of the central portion on the long side 30 c) shown in fig. 2 in a plan view such that the longitudinal direction of the non-contact IC tag 10 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the body 30. The name plate 302 does not have the space holding plate 13 mounted therein.

In this state, the communication distance of the nameplate 302 is measured.

(2-2 results)

The following shows the measurement results of the communication distance.

Surface: 335mm

Back side: 215mm

From the measurement results, it was found that the communication distance in reading from the surface was improved as compared with that of the nameplate 301 shown in the experiment of 1-1. Also, reading from the back of the nameplate 302 can be performed.

In this experiment, it is considered that reading from the direction of the back surface is possible if the main body 30 resonates with the frequency of the communication electromagnetic wave of the data reader R10 and the main body 30 functions as a radiation antenna of the non-contact IC tag 10, and the above-described experiment was performed.

As is clear from the above-described experimental results, reading from the back surface is possible by disposing the non-contact IC tag 10 at the position of experiment 2, that is, at the edge portion of the central portion on the long side 30c of the main body 30. Therefore, it is found that the frequency of the communication electromagnetic wave between the main body 30 and the data reader R10 resonates, and the main body 30 functions as a radiation antenna of the noncontact IC tag 10.

Next, an experiment using the name plate 1 of the present example was performed.

Here, the space holding plate 13 attached to the first surface 30a of the main body 30 will be described as having a function of communication distance performance with an external reading device in addition to the sealing function of the housing chamber 46.

(3-1 experiment)

Using the name plate 1 of the present example, an experiment was performed in which the thickness of the space holding plate 13 was changed in the same manner as in experiments 1 and 2 by using the metal plate 202 made of stainless steel instead of the foamed styrene 201 of experiments 1 and 2.

The main body 30 of the tag 1 and the non-contact IC tag 10 are in the form shown in fig. 2 and 3, and the non-contact IC tag 10 is attached to the bottom surface 31a of the hole 31 provided in the main body 30. Then, the experiment was performed by attaching the space holding plate 13 of the name plate 1 to the metal plate 202.

The nameplate 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached to an outer surface of a metal adherend, and in this attached state, performs communication with an external data reading device in a non-contact manner. Thus, in the present experiment, the metal plate 202 made of stainless steel was used as the adherend of metal. The dimensions of the metal plate 202 used were 250mm (length) × 250mm (width) × 0.5mm (thickness), and the dimensions were such that resonance with the frequency of the communication electromagnetic wave of the reader/writer R1 was not caused.

In this experiment, the spacer plate 13 was formed of a PET (Poly-Ethylene-Terephthalate) sheet as a dielectric material. The dimension of the space holding plate 13 is the same length and width as the main body 30. The spacer 13 was formed by stacking a plurality of PET sheets having a thickness of 250 μm from 1 sheet to a thickness of 250 μm to 3000 μm, and the communication distance was measured for each thickness. In addition, since the present invention is intended to provide a tag plate having a small thickness, the upper limit of the thickness of the space holding plate 13 is set to 3000 μm (3mm) in this experiment.

The measurement was performed by attaching the spacer 13 to the first surface 30a of the body 30 and facing the second surface 30b to the reader antenna R2. In this experiment, the nameplate 1 was not provided with the adhesive layer 42 for the holding plate and the adhesive layer 43 for the nameplate. This is because it is known that the adhesive layers 42 and 43 hardly affect the measurement result of the communication distance of the tag 1.

(3-2 results)

Fig. 7 shows the measurement results (graph) of the communication distance in this experiment.

As shown in fig. 7, it is understood that the communication distance is increased almost linearly by increasing the thickness of the space holding plate 13. The thickness of 500 μm is close to the communication distance measured when the polystyrene foam 201 is placed, and the communication distance is further increased in a region where the thickness exceeds 500 μm. The communication distance is up to 2000mm or more at a thickness of 3000 μm.

By setting the thickness of the spacer 13 to be larger than 500 μm and 3000 μm or less in this way, the nameplate 1 can be made thin and the communication distance with the data reading device R10 can be increased. The thickness of the spacer 13 is preferably set to 1500 μm or more and 2750 μm or less.

As a result of the experiment of 2-2, it was found that the main body 30 resonates with the communication electromagnetic wave of the reader to function as a radiation antenna. When it is considered that the metal plate 202 functions as a conductor substrate of a microstrip (microstrip) with respect to the main body portion 30 functioning as a radiation antenna, the structure of the present experiment can be regarded as a structure similar to a patch antenna having a conductor substrate.

In other words, it is conceivable that the main body 30 functions as a radiation element of a patch antenna and the other metal plate 202 functions as a conductor substrate of the antenna, and that the radiation directivity thereof is concentrated on the data reader R10 side (the direction of arrival of electromagnetic waves) and the communication distance is increased, similarly to the patch antenna. The patch antenna is considered to have a directivity characteristic of about 9dB at maximum theoretically by increasing the area of the conductor substrate, and the amount of increase in the communication distance as a result of the experiment can be analogized from the maximum value of the directivity characteristic of the patch antenna.

As described above, according to the non-contact IC tag 10 and the nameplate 1 of the present embodiment, the communication unit 12 is provided with the space holding plate 13 on the opposite side to the side where the magnetic sheet 11 is provided, and thus the communication with the data reader R10 can be performed even when the space holding plate 13 is attached to the metal plate 202 and the non-contact IC tag 10 is used.

Since the magnetic sheet 11, the communication portion 12, the spacer 13, and the base 20 can be formed to be thin, the noncontact IC tag 10 and the nameplate 1 can be configured to be thin.

The impedance matching circuit 17 and the antenna elements 18 and 19 are integrally formed on the main surface 20a of the substrate 20. By providing a plurality of members on the base 20 in this manner, the manufacturing efficiency of the non-contact IC tag 10 can be improved.

By setting the thickness of the spacer 13 to be larger than 500 μm and 3000 μm or less, the noncontact IC tag 10 and the nameplate 1 can be configured to be thin and the communication distance with the data reading device R10 can be further increased.

By configuring the tag 1 using the non-contact IC tag 10, the label W can be provided on the second surface 30b of the main body 30 while communicating with the data reader R10.

The non-contact IC tag 10 is attached to the edge portion of the central portion on the long side 30c of the main body 30 in a plan view, whereby the communication distance with the data reader R10 can be further increased.

The magnetic sheet 11, the communication unit 12, and the base material 20 are housed in the hole 31 of the main body 30, and the spacer 13 is attached to the main body 30 so as to cover the hole 31. Therefore, the magnetic sheet 11, the communication portion 12, and the base material 20 housed in the housing chamber 46 can be provided with a sealing function for protecting them from liquid, dust, moisture, gas, or the like.

According to the name plate 1 of the present embodiment, the thickness of the space holding plate 13 (the space between the body 30 and the metal plate 202) can be set according to the purpose of use, and good communication can be performed between the name plate 1 and the data reading device R10.

Although not shown as data, the same experiment was performed for the case where the space holding plate 13 was formed of expanded styrene having a dielectric constant close to that of air instead of the PET sheet, or the case where the space holding plate was formed of a magnetic sheet having magnetic permeability and magnetic loss. However, in any case of using any material, there is no tendency that the communication distance between the contact IC tag 10 and the reader increases or decreases due to the increase or decrease in the thickness of the spacer plate 13, and the communication distance that can be read is a very low value. Therefore, it is understood that the material forming the space holding plate 13 must be a dielectric having a certain dielectric constant. As a material for forming the space holding plate 13, polyester resin, phenol resin, melamine resin, or the like can be suitably used in addition to PET.

In the experiment, the upper limit of the thickness of the space holding plate 13 was set to 3000 μm, but if the communication distance is important, it is conceivable to further increase the communication distance by setting the thickness of the space holding plate 13 to 3000 μm or more, if necessary.

When the fixed attenuator R3 is not used in the data reading device R10, the output of the reader/writer R1 can be increased to 1W (30dBm) at maximum, and therefore, the communication distance can be further increased. Further, it is conceivable that the communication distance can be further increased by optimizing the impedance matching of the impedance matching circuit section 17 and the shapes of the antenna elements 18 and 19 by setting the thickness and the electrical property value (permeability, magnetic loss, dielectric constant, dielectric loss, or the like) of the magnetic sheet 11 to be appropriate.

In this experiment, the spacer 13 was formed of a PET sheet, but the material for forming the spacer 13 is not limited as long as it is a dielectric. For example, glass, rubber, liquid, or the like can be cited. It is conceivable that the relationship between the thickness of the space holding plate 13 and the communication distance sometimes differs from that shown in fig. 7 depending on the value of the dielectric constant or the dielectric loss of the dielectric in other materials. Accordingly, by appropriately selecting the material for forming the space holding plate 13 and setting the thickness of the space holding plate 13, it is possible to manufacture the name plate 1 of various models.

Although not shown in the figures and tables, the contents and results of additional experiments relating to multiple simultaneous reads are shown below.

An experiment was performed in which 2 non-contact IC tags 10 were simultaneously read by attaching the non-contact IC tags 10 to the edge portion of the central portion on one long side 30c and the edge portion of the central portion on the other long side 30d of the main body 30 shown in fig. 2, respectively.

The data reader R10 used in the experiment has a plurality of simultaneous reading (anti-collision) functions, and therefore, the experiment can be performed using the same data reader.

As a result of the experiment, it can be seen which non-contact IC tag 10 is read well. As described above, even when a plurality of non-contact IC tags 10 are provided on the main body 30 and mounted on a metal adherend that requires long-term management for several decades, for example, and used, spare non-contact IC tags 10 for obtaining reliability can be provided in advance in the tag plate 1.

The appearance of the tag 1 in a plan view is similar to that of a conventional metal tag, because the main body 30 is formed by a single flat metal plate without slits or the like. Thus, even when the tag plate of the present invention having the RFID function is provided in place of the conventional tag plate, it is expected that no problem in appearance will occur.

The main body portion 30 of the nameplate of the present embodiment is provided with a mounting hole penetrating in the thickness direction D, and the nameplate and the adherend can be attached to and detached from each other by inserting a nonmetallic bolt, a small screw, or the like made of plastic or the like through the mounting hole. In this case, the nameplate adhesive layer 43 is not provided.

In the housing chamber 46, if no electrical interference occurs with the non-contact IC tag 10, functional components (elements) such as a battery, an electronic circuit, or a sensor element may be mounted in addition to the non-contact IC tag 10. By using the sensor element as a temperature sensor and the battery as a driving power source, the nameplate can be used as a nameplate with a label having a semi-passive function such as a function capable of measuring temperature by a self-standing operation. Moreover, by providing the above-described attachment hole and screw attachment/detachment structure and not providing the holding plate adhesive layer 42, it is possible to replace the battery mounted in the housing chamber 46.

For the purpose of keeping the function of the noncontact IC tag 10 housed in the housing chamber 46 for a long period of time, the inside of the sealed housing chamber 46 is filled with gas, liquid, foaming material, or the like in accordance with the usage environment. It is effective when used in an environment that is constantly subjected to stress such as temperature, vibration, or impact.

The tag 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a single conductor in electrical terms because the main body portion 30, which is a main structure, is formed of metal. Therefore, when an electrical shock such as an inrush current is applied from the outside, the inrush current leaks into the metal adherend through the inside of the main body 30 just like a normal electric wire, and therefore, it is conceivable that the non-contact IC tag 10 incorporated in the tag 1 is hardly damaged.

The noncontact IC tag 10 is adhered to the inner wall of the housing chamber 46 by an insulating sheet adhesive layer 41, and further, the antenna elements 18 and 19 and the IC chip 16 are provided on the magnetic sheet 11 having a high internal resistance. Therefore, the non-contact IC tag 10 can be said to have a layer structure that is strong against an electrical impact such as a surge even when it is a single body.

Since the non-contact IC tag 10 is disposed in the sealed storage chamber 46, it is not necessary to form a protective member and to beautify the appearance (visual value) which are required for a general RFID tag (unlet). Therefore, the non-contact IC tag 10 can be configured to be focused on the function to be communicated, the cost, and the like.

In the present embodiment, the main body 30 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, but as long as the main body 30 resonates with the frequency of the communication electromagnetic wave of the data reader R10 and the main body 30 functions as the radiation antenna of the contactless IC tag 10 as described above, the shape is not limited. The main body may be, for example, circular, elliptical, triangular, or polygonal in plan view.

Although the thickness of the body 30 is 1mm in the embodiment, it is known that the difference in thickness of the body 30 hardly affects the communication performance if the nameplate is not extremely thick.

On the other hand, even when the thickness of the main body 30 is small, the main body 30 may be formed of a thin metal body such as a metal deposition film as long as the thickness of the high-frequency current generated in the main body 30 flows without stress.

The shape of the antenna elements 18 and 19 is rectangular in the above embodiment, but the shape is not limited as long as the main body 30 functions as a radiation antenna. The shape of the antenna element may be, for example, square, circular, elliptical, polygonal.

It was confirmed that: the shape of the magnetic sheet 11 in plan view may overlap at least a part of the communication unit 12 constituting the impedance matching circuit unit 17 and the antenna elements 18 and 19 in plan view, and the presence or absence of a margin (a portion of the magnetic sheet 11 where the communication unit 12 is not provided) does not greatly affect the length of the communication distance.

On the other hand, the thickness of the magnetic sheet 11 is 350 μm in the embodiment, but it is sufficient if the thickness is necessary for the main body 30 to function as a radiation antenna. Although not shown as data, the communication distance tends to decrease when the thickness of the magnetic sheet 11 is 350 μm or less. Further, the case where the thickness of the magnetic sheet 11 was 350 μm or more was not evaluated.

From the above-described experimental results, it is understood that the body 30 can function as a radiation element by disposing the non-contact IC tag 10 at the edge portion of the central portion on the long side 30c of the body 30 in a plan view. Thus, even if the main body has a shape different from that of the present embodiment, it is conceivable that the main body can function as a radiation element by disposing the non-contact IC tag 10 at the edge portion of the central portion on the long side of the shape. In addition, when the lengths of the sides of the body portion are equal to each other in a plan view, such as when the body portion is square, the non-contact IC tag 10 can be arranged at the edge portion of the central portion of any one of the sides.

(second embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described, and only the differences from the above embodiment will be described.

The metal adherend includes an adherend exposed to a high-temperature environment for a certain period of time, such as an adherend that becomes high-temperature like a boiler, an electric heater, an internal combustion engine, a steam turbine, a motor, or a light source, or an adherend that passes through a high-temperature drying furnace. In the case where a nameplate is attached to these adherend, the nameplate must have heat resistance to high temperature in addition to communication performance.

In the nameplate of the present embodiment, the target upper limit temperature is set to 200 ℃ in order to have resistance at the high temperature. The object is to prevent the noncontact IC tag stored in the storage chamber 46 from being deformed, deteriorated, peeled off, deteriorated in communication performance, and deteriorated in the spacer plate at the upper limit temperature. However, the communication performance at the upper limit temperature is not limited to the above embodiment, and communication between the nameplate and the data reading device at the upper limit temperature is not considered.

The heat resistance of the nameplate is improved by increasing the heat resistance temperature of each structural member without changing the basic structure. This is explained in detail below.

In the non-contact IC tag 10 according to the first embodiment, the impedance matching circuit section 17 and the antenna elements 18 and 19 are formed by pattern printing with silver paste ink on the main surface 20a of the base 20. However, in an environment of 200 ℃ which is the upper limit of the above-mentioned use temperature, the heat-resistant temperature of the members constituting the impedance matching circuit section 17 and the antenna elements 18 and 19 is too low, and therefore, the configuration of the non-contact IC tag 10 according to the first embodiment is useless. In this way, the increase in heat resistance temperature of the impedance matching circuit unit and the structural members of the antenna element described below was examined.

Although the substrate 20 is formed of a PET film in the first embodiment, the heat-resistant temperature of the substrate can be increased by forming the substrate with a film material having a heat-resistant temperature exceeding 200 ℃.

However, in this case, the material of the base material changes, and the value of the dielectric constant of the material changes, so that it is necessary to optimize the impedance matching circuit section.

In the first embodiment, the impedance matching circuit section 17 and the antenna elements 18 and 19 are formed by pattern printing using silver paste ink. In this embodiment, by forming a thin film of aluminum or a thin film of copper by etching, the upper limit of the operating temperature of the impedance matching circuit section and the antenna element can be increased to 200 ℃.

In the first embodiment, the connection between the bumps of the IC chip 16 and the impedance matching circuit section 17 is made by using a flip chip bonding method using ACP (anisotropic conductive paste) which is a bonding material, and the bumps and the impedance matching circuit section 17 are electrically connected by utilizing the adhesive effect of the ACP material.

However, in this mounting method, in an environment of 200 ℃ which is the upper limit of the use temperature, since the ACP has a too low heat-resistant temperature, the electrical connection between the IC chip 16 and the impedance matching circuit section 17 cannot be secured.

By using an ultrasonic bonding method (metal bonding method by ultrasonic bonding) in which a bonding material having a low heat-resistant temperature such as ACP is not used at all, the bumps of the IC chip 16 and the impedance matching circuit portion can be bonded to each other by ultrasonic waves even if the metals are dissimilar metals.

Thus, by using this bonding method, the reliability of electrical connection can be achieved in an environment of 200 ℃ which is the upper limit of the use temperature.

The magnetic sheet 11 of the first embodiment is formed of a composite material of magnetic particles or magnetic flakes and plastic or rubber. The upper limit of the use temperature of the magnetic sheet 11 was 85 ℃ (manufacturer recommended value). Among the physical property values inherent to the magnetic sheet 11, the parameters that greatly affect the antenna characteristics (antenna sensitivity) are values of magnetic permeability and magnetic loss, and it is found that the values of dielectric constant and dielectric loss have a smaller degree of influence on the antenna characteristics than those of the above.

The values of the magnetic permeability and the magnetic loss of the magnetic sheet 11 are determined by the shape, the direction, the density, and the like of the magnetic particles or the magnetic flakes used. On the other hand, the values of the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss are determined by the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss of the binder (binder) in addition to the shape, direction, and density of the magnetic particles or the magnetic sheet.

The magnetic sheet can be made heat-resistant by changing the binder to a material containing at least 1 of heat-resistant binders having a heat-resistant temperature of more than 200 ℃, such as silicone-based resin, fluorine-based resin, epoxy-curable resin, polyether sulfone-based resin, or polyimide (polyimide) -based resin, without changing the material of the magnetic particles or the magnetic sheet of the magnetic sheet 11. However, by changing the binder used, the values of the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss as the magnetic sheet also change.

However, since these two parameters have little influence on the antenna characteristics as described above, it is considered that the change to the heat-resistant adhesive hardly causes the degradation of the communication performance as the non-contact IC tag by optimizing the impedance matching circuit section.

In the first embodiment, the spacer 13 is formed of a PET sheet. In the present embodiment, the heat-resistant temperature of the spacer plate can be increased by forming the spacer plate into a sheet shape using a material having a heat-resistant temperature exceeding 200 ℃.

However, since the material of the space holding plate changes and the value of the dielectric constant possessed by the material changes, it is necessary to set the thickness again for the communication distance in accordance with the purpose of use as described above.

Acrylic or silicone materials having a heat resistance temperature of more than 200 ℃ are preferably used for the adhesive layers 41, 42, 43.

In this way, the magnetic sheet, the antenna element, the space holding plate, the base material, the adhesive layers 41, 42, and 43, and the main body portion formed of metal, which are formed using materials and forming methods different from those of the first embodiment, have heat resistance of 200 ℃.

The nameplate with the thermal countermeasure implemented as described above does not perform a communication experiment with the reader, but it is considered that a communication distance almost the same as that of the nameplate 1 of the first embodiment is obtained.

As described above, by using the non-contact IC tag and the nameplate of the present embodiment, communication is possible even when the tag and the nameplate are directly attached to the metal adherend, and the tag and the metal adherend can be configured to be thin.

In the non-contact IC tag and the nameplate according to the present embodiment, the magnetic sheet, the antenna element, the space holding plate, and the base have heat resistance, and therefore, the non-contact IC tag can be formed which can withstand an environment of 200 ℃.

Further, in the non-contact IC tag and the nameplate of the present embodiment, since the main body portion and the adhesive layers 41, 42, and 43 have heat resistance, the nameplate can be formed which can withstand an environment of 200 ℃.

In the present embodiment, although the communication performance at the upper limit temperature is not targeted as described above, the communication performance at the upper limit temperature of the non-contact IC tag can be secured by increasing the upper limit of the use temperature of the IC chip 16 used in the non-contact IC tag of the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the upper limit of the use temperature is set to a target value of 200 ℃, but a component having the lowest heat-resistant temperature among the structural components used in the nameplate is broken down, and therefore, if the heat-resistant temperature of the component can be increased, the upper limit of the use temperature of the entire nameplate can be increased.

(third embodiment)

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 8, and the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted, and only the different points will be described.

As shown in fig. 8, the nameplate 2 of the present embodiment includes a noncontact IC tag 50 and a body portion 60 instead of the noncontact IC tag 10 and the body portion 30 of the nameplate 1 of the first embodiment.

The non-contact IC tag 50 includes a space holding member (space holding portion) 53 instead of the space holding plate 13 of the non-contact IC tag 10. In this example, the space holding member 53 is formed by injection molding using a dielectric such as resin (plastic).

The space holding member 53 is formed in a rectangular plate shape in a plan view, and has a concave portion 54 formed on one surface and a plurality of protruding portions 55 formed on the other surface. The recess 54 is formed in a size capable of accommodating the magnetic sheet 11, the communication portion 12, and the base 20.

The main body portion 60 is formed in a rectangular plate shape similar to the spacer 53 in a plan view. The body portion 60 is formed of the same material as the body portion 30 of the embodiment.

The sheet adhesive layer 41 is provided on the first surface 60a of the main body 60. The other surface 11b of the magnetic sheet 11 and one surface of the space holding member 53 are bonded to the sheet adhesive layer 41 in a state where the magnetic sheet 11, the communication portion 12, and the base material 20 are accommodated in the concave portion 54.

When the space holding member 53 is attached to the body portion 60, the body portion 60 and the recess 54 of the space holding member 53 form a housing chamber 56.

The metal adherend 250 has a receiving portion 251 recessed from the outer surface. A plurality of fitting holes 252 are formed in the bottom surface of the housing 251. The inner diameter of the fitting hole 252 is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the protrusion 55 of the space holding member 53.

The tag 2 is attached to the receiving portion 251 of the adherend 250 without an adhesive layer by press-fitting the protrusion 55 into the fitting hole 252.

When the tag 2 is attached to the housing portion 251 of the adherend 250, the outer surface of the adherend 250 is set to be substantially flush with the second surface 60b of the main body 60. This can prevent the nameplate 2 from protruding from the adherend 250.

If the depth of the recess 251 can be made large, the space holding member 53 can be increased in thickness accordingly, and therefore, as described above, the communication distance of the name plate 2 can be further increased.

Since the housing chamber 56 is formed by sealing the recess 54 with the body portion 60, the housing chamber 56 also has a sealing function in the present embodiment, as in the above-described embodiment.

The gap 260 formed between the inner surface of the housing portion 251 and the outer peripheral surface of the tag 2 may be filled with a known sealing material, not shown. By making the main body portion 60 and the sealing material the same color or similar color as the adherend 250, the presence of the nameplate 2 including the gap 260 can be visually hidden. Therefore, the value of the adherend 250 can be improved.

As described above, according to the non-contact IC tag 50 and the nameplate 2 of the present embodiment, communication is possible even when the non-contact IC tag is attached to the adherend 250, and the non-contact IC tag can be configured to be thin.

The space holding member 53 is formed by injection molding, but the form and the manufacturing method of the space holding plate are not limited as long as a dielectric is present between the main body portion 60 and the adherend 250 and the space between the main body portion 60 and the adherend 250 is secured. For example, the housing 251 may be filled with a sealing material or an adhesive material as a dielectric to form the space holding plate. In this case, if the first surface 60a of the main body 60 and the magnetic sheet 11 are firmly adhered to each other, the sheet adhesive layer 41 may not be provided on the label 2.

In the present embodiment, the outer surface of the adherend 250 is used as the conductor base plate, but a structure may be used in which the nameplate 2 itself includes a metal plate corresponding to the conductor base plate, and the metal plate is a part of the adherend 250.

Although the first to third embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiments, and modifications of the configuration and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included. It is needless to say that the respective configurations described in the embodiments can be appropriately combined and used.

For example, in the first to third embodiments, when the impedance matching circuit section and the antenna element are formed relatively thick and are easy to handle, the impedance matching circuit section and the antenna element may be formed directly on one surface of the magnetic sheet without including a base material in the noncontact IC tag.

In the above embodiment, the main body is a metal member as a whole. However, for example, a part of the main body may be a metal member, and the remaining part of the main body may be a resin member formed of resin. In this case, the non-contact IC tag is attached to the metal member in the main body portion.

The use application of the present invention is a nameplate, but the use application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be used as a general-purpose wireless communication device, an RFID tag, or the like. For example, the RFID tag may be a wireless data collection device, a metal-compatible RFID tag, an active RFID tag, or the like.

Description of reference numerals

1. 2 nameplate

10, 50 non-contact IC tag

11 magnetic sheet

11a one side surface (first magnetic surface)

11b other side (second magnetic side)

13 space holding plate (space holding part)

18 first antenna element (first antenna part)

19 second antenna element (second antenna part)

20 base material

20a main surface

30. 60 main body part

30c long side

31 hole part

41 adhesive layer for sheet Material (adhesive layer)

53 space holding member (space holding part)

D thickness direction (second thickness direction)

Claims (11)

1. A non-contact IC tag is characterized by comprising:

a magnetic sheet;

an IC chip provided on the first magnetic surface of the magnetic sheet;

a first antenna unit and a second antenna unit provided on the first magnetic surface and connected to the IC chip; and

a space holding portion formed by a dielectric material, the space holding portion securing a predetermined gap between the IC chip, the first antenna portion, and the second antenna portion and an adherend to be mounted with the IC tag;

the IC chip, the first antenna portion, and the second antenna portion are disposed between the magnetic sheet and the space holding portion.

2. The non-contact IC tag according to claim 1,

the magnetic sheet, the first antenna portion, the second antenna portion, and the space holding portion have heat resistance.

3. The non-contact IC tag according to claim 1 or 2,

further provided with:

a base material formed in a film shape and having heat resistance;

the IC chip, the first antenna portion, and the second antenna portion are disposed on a first magnetic surface of the magnetic sheet in a state of being disposed on a main surface of the base.

4. The non-contact IC tag according to claim 1 or 2,

the IC chip and the first antenna portion, and the IC chip and the second antenna portion are metal-bonded by ultrasonic bonding.

5. The non-contact IC tag according to claim 1 or 2,

the magnetic sheet is formed by magnetic particles or magnetic flakes and a binder,

at least 1 of silicone resin, fluorine resin, epoxy curing resin, polyether sulfone resin and polyimide resin is used in the adhesive.

6. The non-contact IC tag according to claim 1 or 2,

the noncontact IC tag communicates with a data reading device using a radio wave system.

7. The non-contact IC tag according to claim 1 or 2,

the thickness of the interval holding part is more than 0.5mm and less than 3 mm.

8. A nameplate, comprising:

the non-contact IC tag of any one of claims 1 to 7; and

a plate-shaped main body portion having a metal member;

the non-contact IC tag is attached to the metal member by adhering a second magnetic surface, which is an opposite surface of the magnetic sheet to the first magnetic surface, to the metal member via an adhesive layer.

9. The tag of claim 8,

the main body portion is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view,

the non-contact IC tag is provided at an edge portion of a central portion on a long side of the main body in a plan view.

10. Nameplate according to claim 8 or 9,

a hole portion formed in a first surface of the main body portion for receiving a part of the non-contact IC tag;

the space holding portion is attached to the first surface of the main body portion so as to cover the hole portion.

11. Nameplate according to claim 8 or 9,

the main body portion and the adhesive layer have heat resistance.