JP2003006599A - Method for mounting ic tag on metal object and marker with built-in ic tag - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mounting method for enabling sufficient communication even at the time of mounting an IC tag coping with a frequency which is easily affected by a metal on a metal object. SOLUTION: The IC tag provided with an antenna communication with a reader without contacting is mounted on a metallic structure. The metallic structure 1 is provided with a recessed part 5 capable of housing the IC tag 2 and a notch 6 communicating with the inside of the recessed part and an outer side face is provided on the peripheral wall 5' of the recessed part. The IC tag is integrally held on the back surface of a plate 3 closing the opening part of the recessed part, the plate is fixed to the opening part of the recessed part and at least the IC tag is positioned higher than the bottom of the notch and housed and mounted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an RFID (Radio F
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a technique for embedding and mounting an IC tag having an RFID function on a metal object so as to enable identification.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Piles for indicating the boundaries of land, markers for displaying the presence of gas pipes, signal cables, water and sewer pipes buried in the ground on the ground surface store identification information, Some include an IC tag that can communicate with a reading device in a non-contact manner. This IC tag is supplied with power from the reading device wirelessly, transmits identification information stored by the power to the reading device, and various information can be easily confirmed.

However, since these markers are required to have durability against impacts and the like, they are made of a metal material, an IC tag is housed in the metal, and the names of buried objects are written on the IC tag. It has a structure that is covered by a non-metallic plate. Therefore, the radio frequency of the IC tag is relatively unaffected by metal, from about 100kHz to 200kHz.
However, the antenna part in the IC tag cannot be formed of a thin film, which is expensive.

[0004]

Therefore, the antenna part can be formed of a thin film, and the radio frequency is a fraction of the price of the above-mentioned low frequency IC tag.
It is conceivable to use an IC tag of about 13MHz, but the frequency is easily affected by metal, and if it is embedded in a marker made of metal considering durability against impact etc., it will not communicate at all. However, there is a problem that the reading device cannot read the stored information.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional technique, and an object of the present invention is to provide an IC tag corresponding to a frequency which is easily influenced by metal.
An object of the present invention is to provide a mounting method that enables sufficient communication even when mounted on a metal object. Another object is to provide a metal marker with a built-in IC tag, which is provided with an antenna part made of a thin film.

[0006]

The technical means taken by the present invention to achieve the above object is a method of mounting an IC tag equipped with an antenna capable of contactlessly communicating with a reader on a metal structure. The metal structure is provided with a recess for accommodating the IC tag, and a peripheral wall of the recess is provided with a notch for communicating the inside of the recess with an outer surface, and the IC tag has at least a bottom of the notch. It is characterized in that it is placed higher than the above and accommodated and mounted. The frequency of the IC tag is 13.5
The frequency is not limited to 6 MHz as long as the desired effect is exhibited.

The notch that connects the recess and the outer peripheral surface formed in the metal structure is such that at least a part of the upper peripheral wall from the bottom surface of the recess to the upper end is completely cut off. Specifically, the peripheral wall is formed. One or a plurality of grooves for communicating the inside and the outside of the recess are formed in the notch, or the center of the recess is formed so as to be deviated from the center of the structure to form a recess in which a part of the peripheral wall is notched. One example is a form in which the notch and the notch are integrated. That is, the size of the notch is determined according to the required sensitivity and the strength of the marker.

Further, the notch that connects the recess and the outer peripheral surface of the structure is filled with a non-metal material, for example, a synthetic resin material, and the plate is fixed so that the recess is sealed. The filling material for filling the notch may be an independent form per se, but the filling material for filling the notch portion may be integrally formed on the plate closing the opening of the recess. Further, the notch may not only penetrate the peripheral wall around the recess but also the bottom. Further, the plate that closes the opening of the recess may be a mounting type that is adhesively fixed to the upper surface of the peripheral wall around the recess, a fitting type that fits in the recess, or a mixed type of mounting type and fitting type. Is. The IC tag housed in the recess has a rectangular thin film shape, an IC chip is arranged in the center, and an antenna is formed of a thin film on the outer periphery.

Further, the metal marker having the IC tag built therein is equipped with an antenna which can communicate with the reading device in a non-contact manner.
A C tag, a recess for accommodating the IC tag, and a metal marker main body having a notch formed in the peripheral wall of the recess to connect the inside and the outside of the recess, and the IC tag is provided from the bottom of the notch. Also, it will be mounted so that it is positioned higher. The marker is not limited to the one in which the claw portion (leg portion) is formed on the lower side of the head where the concave portion is formed, and may be fixed by being attached to an object or the like.

According to the above means, since the metal structure in which the IC tag is housed and mounted has the recessed portion deeper than the position of the IC tag and the notch reaching the outer peripheral surface of the structure, it is possible to prevent radio waves or magnetic fields from being generated. A way is secured. As a result, even if a frequency-compatible IC tag that is easily affected by metal is attached to the metal material, it is possible to reliably communicate with the reader.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a state in which an IC tag is attached to a marker (stud) used as a marker for land boundaries or civil engineering work, etc. In the figure, 1 is a metal marker body, 2 is an IC tag, and 3 is a non-metal. Plate made of wood, 4
Is a non-metallic filler.

The marker body 1 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel or iron, and the claw portion 1 is provided on the lower surface of the head 1a on which the IC tag 2 is mounted.
b is integrally formed to have a T-shaped cross section, and the head 1
A concave portion 5 having a depth capable of floating and accommodating the IC tag 2 is formed in a, and a notch (groove) 6 reaching from the concave portion 5 to the outer peripheral surface is formed in a peripheral wall around the concave portion 5. Has been done. Regarding the size of the marker body 1, the outer diameter of the head portion 1a is 24 mm, the thickness of the head portion 1a is 6 mm, and the length of the claw portion 1b is 70 mm. The claw portion 1b is embedded in the ground to fix the marker, and a groove 7 for smoothing the driving is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof.

The IC tag 2 housed in the recess 5 has a rectangular thin film shape, an IC chip 2a is arranged in the center, and an antenna 2b is formed of a thin film on the outer periphery. Since the IC tag 2 is accommodated by floating from the bottom of the recess 5, the IC tag 2 is fixedly attached to the back surface of the non-metallic plate 3, and the plate 3 itself is fitted into the recess 5. Fix it. As a result, the IC tag 2
It is supported in a state of being floated by several mm from the bottom surface of the recess 5.

The plate 3 is made of a non-metal material such as a synthetic resin material and is formed in a disk shape having a diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the head portion 1a. The IC tag 2 is provided at the position corresponding to the recess 5 on the back surface of the plate 3. Paste and fix. Then, on the surface of the plate 3, a name 8 or the like for displaying the contents of the buried object or the like is written.
The plate 3 is not limited to the form of being mounted and fixed on the upper surface of the peripheral wall 5 ′ of the recess 5 as shown in the drawing, but may be an inner fitting cap that fits inside the recess 5 or the peripheral wall 5 ′. It may be an external fitting cap shape or the like for covering.

The notch 6 is formed so as to have a predetermined width (for example, 2 mm) in the peripheral wall 5'on the same plane as the bottom surface of the recess 6 so that the inside of the recess 5 and the outside of the peripheral wall 5'communicate. Has been done. Then, the notch 6 is filled with a filler 4 made of a non-metal material such as a synthetic resin material, and the recess 5 is sealed by fixing the plate 3 described above. still,
The filler 4 may be integrated with the plate 3.

FIG. 4 shows another form of the notch 6,
This notch 6'is a form in which not only the peripheral wall 5 ', but also the bottom 5 "of the recess 5 is notched, and the notch 6'is filled with the filling material 4 as described above. Other configurations are as described above. The description is omitted because it is similar to the embodiment.
Is a form in which a large number of notches 6 formed in the peripheral wall 5 ′ of the recess 5 are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the large number of notches are filled with the filler 4 as in the above-described embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows another example of the marker body. When the shape of the head portion 9a of the marker body 9 is a substantially square shape in a plane and the area of the head portion 9a is much larger than that of the IC tag 2 to be mounted. The recess 10 for accommodating the IC tag 2 is not formed at the center of the head 9a, but is formed at a position close to the outer peripheral surface. Because the IC tag 2 to the head 9a
The shorter the distance to the outer peripheral surface of, the shorter the distance passing through the notch 11, and the less the influence of metal.

FIG. 7 shows a modified example of the notch 6, in which a flat circular recess 13 formed on a flat circular head 12 is formed.
By forming the center O of the recess 13 so as to be offset from the center O ′ of the head portion 12 to the right by the distance L, the notch 14 that reaches the outer peripheral surface can be formed at the same time when the recess 13 is formed. The width of the notch 14 can be adjusted to be wide or narrow by adjusting the amount of deviation of the center of the recess 13.

In order to read the information stored in the IC tag from the metal marker with the built-in IC tag having the above-mentioned structure, the reader 15 carried by the operator approaches (approx. 5 mm) the upper surface of the marker 1 or abuts it. By doing so, the information can be read from the IC tag 2 attached to the marker 1 without being affected by the metal constituting the marker. This is because, as shown in FIG. 2, the reader 15, the antenna of the IC tag 2, the notch 6, and the magnetic field returning to the reader 15 are secured.

Next, the experimental results of the marker having the above structure will be described. [Experimental use set] For the IC tag and reader used for the experiment, install a single IC tag with a frequency of 13.56MHz (no metal material around) horizontally, and place it on a vertical line passing through the center of the IC tag. A set that allows communication even when the reading device is placed 50 mm away from the surface of the IC tag is used. [Experiment 1] With a configuration similar to that shown in FIG. 1, the frequency was set to 13.
Attach the 56MHz IC tag as described above. Even if the reader was brought close to the top of the marker until it contacted it, communication was not possible and reading was not possible. [Experiment 2] When the IC tag was attached to the metal marker having the notches shown in FIG. 1 and the reader was brought close to it as in Experiment 1, even when the distance from the upper surface of the marker to the reader was 5 mm, Communication was possible and information could be read. The above-mentioned IC tag 2 is supported by the plate 3
However, the spacer may be fixed to the bottom of the recess 5 through a spacer made of non-metal and having a thickness of several mm. Alternatively, if the notch extends below the antenna portion of the IC tag, it may be located at the bottom of the recess.
In essence, it is only necessary to secure a magnetic field passage as shown in FIG.

[0021]

According to the method of mounting the IC tag on the metal object of the present invention, the IC tag and the reader can communicate with each other even if the radio frequency is easily affected by the metal. Therefore, an inexpensive IC tag can be used for metal objects. With the configuration according to the second aspect, communication is possible even if an IC tag compatible with a radio frequency, which is easily affected by metal, is attached to a metal marker, and a marker with a built-in IC tag can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of a marker with a built-in IC tag according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing a usage state.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway plan view of the same portion.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the notch.

FIG. 5 shows another example of the notch, (a) is a front view,
(B) is a cross-sectional view.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the marker.

FIG. 7 shows a modification of the notch, (a) is a cross-sectional view,
(B) is a longitudinal sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Marker body 1a ... Head 1b ... claw part 2 ... IC tag 2b ... antenna 3 ... plate 4 ... Filling material 5 ... Recessed portion 5a ... peripheral wall of recess 6 ... notch

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification Code FI Theme Coat (Reference) G01S 13/79 G06K 19/07

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A method for mounting an IC tag equipped with an antenna capable of communicating with a reading device in a non-contact manner on a metal structure, wherein a recess for accommodating the IC tag is provided in the metal structure, and A notch is provided on the peripheral wall of the recess so as to connect the inside and the outside of the recess, and the IC tag is mounted and mounted at a position higher than at least the bottom of the notch. How to wear. 2. An IC tag having an antenna capable of contactlessly communicating with a reading device, a recess for accommodating the IC tag, and a metal having a cutout for communicating the inside and the outside of the recess on the peripheral wall of the recess. Marker body, and the IC tag is mounted at a position higher than the bottom of the notch.