JP2011028660A - Semiconductor device, radio tag, and direction determining method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor device which can efficiently acquire a direction of the semiconductor device and to provide a radio tag and a direction determining method. <P>SOLUTION: A blocking section 4 blocks an incident electromagnetic wave. An antenna 2 is provided at a first face side of the blocking section 4. An antenna 3 is provided at a second face side of the blocking section 4 which is different from the first face. A direction determining section 1a determines the direction of the semiconductor device based on a first signal output by the antenna 2 which has received the electromagnetic wave and a second signal output by the antenna 3 which has received the electromagnetic wave through the blocking section 4 and outputs a determination result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor device that performs non-contact communication, a wireless tag, and a direction determination method for such a semiconductor device.

  Conventionally, a communication system using RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology has been used. In this communication system, the reader / writer device and the wireless tag perform wireless communication without contact. The wireless tag has an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip. The IC chip includes a memory for storing individual identification information, a predetermined arithmetic processing function, and the like. The reader / writer device communicates with the wireless tag to read each individual to which the wireless tag is attached and various information associated with each individual. As a system using such a communication system, for example, there is an article management system that manages a product inventory, parts, fixtures, and the like by attaching a wireless tag to an article to be managed.

  Here, some article management systems perform management by distinguishing the front and back of articles. In such an article management system, for example, a method is considered in which a terminal device connected to the reader / writer device determines the front and back of the wireless tag based on the communication state between the reader / writer device and the wireless tag. In addition, for example, it is considered that the wireless tag distinguishes the front and back of the own tag and realizes different functions according to the discrimination result.

JP 2006-185371 A JP 2008-299388 A JP 2007-257538 A JP 2006-053702 A Japanese Patent No. 4143158

Hereinafter, a case where the front and back sides are discriminated on the wireless tag side will be considered.
In the method described in Patent Document 5, when the wireless tag determines the front and back of its own tag, the direction (positive / negative) of the electromotive force first induced in the coil antenna by the received electromagnetic wave is detected. At this time, the reader / writer device can detect the direction of the electromotive force by the wireless tag by temporarily interrupting and resuming communication with the wireless tag. However, since the procedure of temporarily suspending / resuming communication is required, it takes time to discriminate between the two sides, which is inefficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to provide a semiconductor device, a wireless tag, and a direction determination method that can efficiently acquire the orientation of the device itself.

  In order to solve the above problems, a semiconductor device is provided in the present invention. This semiconductor device has a direction determination unit. The direction determination unit includes a first signal that is output by receiving the electromagnetic wave by a first antenna provided on the first surface side of the shielding unit that shields the incident electromagnetic wave, and a shielding unit that is different from the first surface. The orientation of the device is determined based on the second signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave through the shielding portion by the second antenna provided on the second surface side of the first surface, and the determination result is output.

  In addition, a wireless tag is provided to solve the above problem. This wireless tag has a shielding part, a first antenna, a second antenna, and a direction determination part. The shielding unit shields incident electromagnetic waves. The first antenna is provided on the first surface side of the shielding part. The second antenna is provided on the second surface side of the shielding portion different from the first surface. The direction determination unit is based on a first signal output by receiving an electromagnetic wave through the first antenna and a second signal output by receiving an electromagnetic wave through the shielding unit by the second antenna. To determine the orientation of the device and output the determination result.

  In addition, in order to solve the above-described problem, a direction determination method for performing the same processing as that of the semiconductor device is provided.

  According to the semiconductor device, the wireless tag, and the direction determination method, the orientation of the own device can be efficiently acquired.

1 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device according to a first embodiment. It is a figure showing the whole article management system composition. It is a figure which shows the radio | wireless tag of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of IC chip of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the direction determination circuit of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the direction determination method of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the radio | wireless tag of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of IC chip of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the radio | wireless tag of 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the radio | wireless tag of 5th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the radio | wireless tag of 6th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment. The semiconductor device 1 has a direction determination unit 1a.
The direction determination unit 1 a is connected to the antennas 2 and 3. The direction determination unit 1a receives signals output by receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted by a counterpart device (not shown) as a communication counterpart by the antennas 2 and 3, respectively.

  Here, the shielding part 4 exists between the antennas 2 and 3. The antenna 2 is provided so as to be arranged on the first surface side of the shielding part 4. The antenna 3 is provided so as to be arranged on the second surface side of the shielding portion 4 different from the first surface.

  The shielding unit 4 shields incident electromagnetic waves. The shielding unit 4 is a member that reflects or attenuates and absorbs incident electromagnetic waves. As a material of the shielding part 4, for example, iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), or the like can be considered.

  Based on the first signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave via the antenna 2 and the second signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave via the shielding part by the antenna 3, the direction determination unit 1 a Is determined, and the determination result is output. Specifically, the direction determination unit 1a detects a difference between the signal level of the first signal and the signal level of the second signal. Then, the direction determination unit 1a specifies an antenna that outputs a signal having a relatively large signal level, and specifies the direction of the semiconductor device 1.

  For example, the antenna 2 is provided on the first surface side of the shielding unit 4, and the antenna 3 is provided on the second surface side opposite to the first surface of the shielding unit 4. In this case, for example, when a communication electromagnetic wave enters from the antenna 2 side, the electromagnetic wave is shielded by the shielding unit 4, so that the signal level of the signal received and output by the antenna 2 is received and output by the antenna 3. It becomes larger than the signal level of the signal to be processed. That is, the direction determination unit 1a specifies that the direction of the antenna 2 with respect to the shielding unit 4 is directed to the counterpart device side that is the electromagnetic wave transmission source.

  According to the semiconductor device 1, the first signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave from the antenna 2 provided on the first surface side of the shielding unit 4 by the direction determination unit 1a and the shielding unit different from the first surface. The orientation of the device is determined based on the second signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave by the antenna 3 provided on the second surface side of 4 and the determination result is output.

  Thereby, the direction of the own apparatus can be acquired efficiently. For example, since the semiconductor device 1 specifies the direction based on the difference in received power, communication is not interrupted. For this reason, it is possible to quickly determine the orientation.

  Further, for example, as is conventionally done, in order to detect the direction of the electromotive force and determine the direction, the front / back discrimination circuit is operated with a clock of half or less of the electromagnetic wave. Therefore, there is a problem that the power consumption of the wireless tag increases as the electromagnetic wave becomes higher in frequency. When the power consumption increases, for example, a passive wireless tag that obtains operating power from electromagnetic waves has a problem that a large-capacity capacitor that can hold power for operating the front / back discrimination circuit immediately after resuming communication is required. there were. On the other hand, since the direction determination unit 1a determines the direction by comparing the signal level of the signal output from the antenna, the operation clock of the direction determination unit 1a is set to a predetermined value regardless of the frequency of the electromagnetic wave used for communication. The frequency may be used. For this reason, an increase in power consumption can be suppressed even when direction determination is performed using high-frequency electromagnetic waves.

  Furthermore, for example, in the case of a wireless tag that communicates with a dipole antenna, the direction of the electromotive force can be changed due to a factor (positional relationship between the polarization plane of electromagnetic waves and the antenna) different from the front and back sides. Therefore, it is difficult for the wireless tag that communicates with the dipole antenna to distinguish the front and back depending on the method of detecting the direction of the electromotive force. On the other hand, since the direction determination unit 1a measures the signal level of the signal output from the antenna, the direction determination unit 1a can determine the direction regardless of the shape of the antenna (such as a dipole antenna or a coil antenna).

  By the way, the semiconductor device 1 can be used in a communication system using RFID technology. In the following second to sixth embodiments, application examples when the semiconductor device 1 is applied to a communication system using RFID technology will be specifically described.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the article management system. This article management system includes a control device 10, a reader / writer device 20, and a management target product 30. The management target product 30 is provided with a wireless tag 100.

The control device 10 manages the management target product 30 based on information received from the wireless tag 100 by the reader / writer device 20.
The reader / writer device 20 performs wireless communication with the wireless tag 100.

  The management target product 30 is a managed product managed by the control device 10 including its direction. The management target product 30 may be, for example, a product managed as a stock, parts and equipment necessary for producing the product, and the like. Further, for example, the management target product 30 may be a game piece or a game card in which the direction of the management target product 30 is reflected in the score or the like.

  The wireless tag 100 performs wireless communication with the reader / writer device 20. This is a passive wireless tag that is driven by the received power of the electromagnetic wave received from the reader / writer device 20. The reader / writer device 20 and the wireless tag 100 communicate with each other using electromagnetic waves in a UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band. As a frequency of the UHF band, a 860 to 960 MHz band, a 2.45 GHz band, and the like are conceivable.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the wireless tag according to the second embodiment. The wireless tag 100 includes an inlay 110, an IC chip 120, antennas 130, 140, and 150, and shielding plates 160 and 170.

  The inlay 110 is obtained by connecting and fixing the antennas 130, 140, 150 and the IC chip 120 on a base material. The substrate is made of, for example, PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) resin.

  The IC chip 120 is a processing device including an arithmetic device, a storage device, and a communication device. The IC chip 120 is driven by electric power obtained from the electromagnetic wave received by the antenna 130. In addition, the IC chip 120 specifies the direction of the wireless tag 100 based on a signal that the antennas 140 and 150 receive and output electromagnetic waves.

The IC chip 120 includes a direction determination unit described in the claims. These are formed on a semiconductor substrate together with other circuits or the like as an IC chip 120.
The antenna 130 is a dipole antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves to and from the reader / writer device 20 for data communication. The antenna 130 receives the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the reader / writer device 20, and outputs a signal (referred to as a reception signal) obtained as a result to the IC chip 120. The antenna 130 transmits the transmission signal output from the IC chip 120 to the reader / writer device 20.

  The antennas 140 and 150 are dipole antennas for receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted by the reader / writer device 20. The antennas 140 and 150 receive the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the reader / writer device 20 and output a signal obtained as a result to the IC chip 120. The antenna 140 is provided on the upper side of the shielding plate 160. The antenna 150 is provided below the shielding plate 170. Here, the upper side of the paper in FIG. 3 is the upward direction (front side) of the wireless tag 100, and the lower side of the paper is the downward direction (back side) of the wireless tag 100 (hereinafter the same). In addition, it is assumed that the back side of the wireless tag 100 is attached to one side surface of the management target product 30 (for example, the front side of the management target product 30) with the back side of the wireless tag 100 as an adhesive surface. Thereby, the direction of the management target product 30 and the direction of the wireless tag 100 are associated with each other.

  The wireless tag 100 identifies the direction of the tag (whether the front side or the back side is facing the reader / writer device 20) based on the signal obtained by receiving the electromagnetic waves with the antennas 140 and 150. The direction of the management target product 30 can be identified.

  The shielding plates 160 and 170 shield incident electromagnetic waves. The shielding plates 160 and 170 are members that reflect or attenuate and absorb incident electromagnetic waves, and are formed in a plate shape. As a material of the shielding plates 160 and 170, for example, iron or nickel can be considered. Note that the shielding plates 160 and 170 correspond to the shielding unit 4 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the IC chip according to the second embodiment. The IC chip 120 includes a rectifier circuit 121, a power supply circuit 122, a modem circuit 123, a control circuit 124, and a direction determination circuit 125.

The rectifier circuit 121 rectifies the AC reception signal output from the antenna 130 to convert it into a DC signal, and outputs the DC signal to the power supply circuit 122.
The power supply circuit 122 obtains power for driving other circuits in the IC chip 120 from the DC signal input from the rectifier circuit 121 and supplies the power to each circuit.

  The modem circuit 123 demodulates the received signal output from the antenna 130 to generate a demodulated signal, and outputs the generated demodulated signal to the control circuit 124. Also, the modem circuit 123 modulates the response signal acquired from the control circuit 124 to generate a transmission signal, and outputs the generated transmission signal to the antenna 130.

  The control circuit 124 decodes the demodulated signal acquired from the modulation / demodulation circuit 123 to acquire received data, and performs processing according to the received data. The control circuit 124 generates a response signal for responding to the reader / writer device 20 in accordance with the processing, and outputs the response signal to the modulation / demodulation circuit 123. At this time, the control circuit 124 executes processing according to the direction identification signal acquired from the direction determination circuit 125. In this manner, by enabling the orientation determination on the wireless tag 100 side, it is possible to realize a highly functional information processing system in consideration of the orientation of the article to which the wireless tag 100 is attached. For example, it is conceivable that the wireless tag 100 realizes separate functions when receiving electromagnetic waves from the front side and when receiving electromagnetic waves from the back side.

  The direction determination circuit 125 acquires the reception signal output from the antennas 140 and 150. The direction determination circuit 125 generates a direction identification signal indicating whether the front side is facing the reader / writer device 20 or the back side from the difference in signal level between the reception signals, and the generated direction identification signal is a control circuit. It outputs to 124.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the direction determination circuit according to the second embodiment. The direction determination circuit 125 includes rectifier circuits 125a and 125b and a comparator 125c.
The rectifier circuits 125a and 125b rectify the reception signals output from the antennas 140 and 150, convert them into DC signals, and output the DC signals to the comparator 125c. The plus side output of the rectifier circuit 125a is connected to the plus side input of the comparator 125c. The plus side output of the rectifier circuit 125b is connected to the minus side input of the comparator 125c. The negative outputs of the rectifier circuits 125a and 125b are grounded.

  The comparator 125c detects a signal level difference between the DC signal from the rectifier circuit 125a (referred to as a positive input) and the DC signal from the rectifier circuit 125b (referred to as a negative input). The comparator 125c outputs a high level signal when the signal level of the plus side input is higher than the signal level of the minus side input. The comparator 125c outputs a Low level signal when the signal level of the plus side input is equal to or lower than the signal level of the minus side input. The signal output from the comparator 125c corresponds to the direction identification signal. The comparator 125c outputs this signal to the control circuit 124.

  In this example, when the signal level from the antenna 140 is higher, that is, when the comparator 125c outputs a high level signal, the control circuit 124 causes the wireless tag 100 to face the reader / writer device 20 on the front side. You can identify that you are facing. When the signal level from the antenna 150 is higher, that is, when the comparator 125c outputs a low level signal, the control circuit 124 indicates that the wireless tag 100 faces the reader / writer device 20 back. Can be identified.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a direction determination method according to the second embodiment. (A) illustrates a case where electromagnetic waves from the reader / writer device 20 are received from the front side of the wireless tag 100. (B) illustrates the case of receiving electromagnetic waves from the reader / writer device 20 from the back side of the wireless tag 100.

  When an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the front side of the wireless tag 100 by the reader / writer device 20 is incident, the signal level of the reception signal received by the antenna 140 is higher than the signal level of the reception signal received by the antenna 150. This is because the electromagnetic wave incident on the antenna 150 is attenuated by the shielding plate 170 provided on the upper side of the antenna 150. Since the antenna 140 is provided with the shielding plate 160 on the lower side, when the electromagnetic wave is incident from the front side, the electromagnetic wave is not attenuated by the shielding plate 160. Then, the direction determination circuit 125 detects the difference between the signal level of the antenna 140 and the signal level of the antenna 150 and determines that the signal level of the antenna 140 is higher. As a result, the control circuit 124 can specify that the wireless tag 100 faces the reader / writer device 20 with the front side facing.

  Further, when an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the back side of the wireless tag 100 by the reader / writer device 20 is incident, the signal level of the reception signal received by the antenna 150 is higher than the signal level of the reception signal received by the antenna 140. This is because the electromagnetic wave incident on the antenna 140 is attenuated by the shielding plate 160 provided below the antenna 140. Since the antenna 150 is provided with the shielding plate 170 on the upper side, the electromagnetic wave is not attenuated by the shielding plate 170 when electromagnetic waves are incident from the back side. Then, the direction determination circuit 125 detects the difference between the signal level of the antenna 140 and the signal level of the antenna 150 and determines that the signal level of the antenna 150 is higher. As a result, the control circuit 124 can specify that the wireless tag 100 faces the back side with respect to the reader / writer device 20.

  In this way, the wireless tag 100 identifies the orientation of the wireless tag 100 or the management target product 30 by detecting the difference between the signal levels of the antennas 140 and 150. For this reason, for example, since communication is not interrupted, the orientation can be quickly determined. Further, for example, the direction determination can be performed without increasing the operation clock of the direction determination circuit 125 according to the frequency of the electromagnetic wave, so that an increase in power consumption required for the direction determination can be suppressed.

  In particular, in a passive type wireless tag that obtains operating power from received power from the reader / writer device 20 like the wireless tag 100, when communication is interrupted in the direction determination process, power is supplied to the direction determination circuit during the communication interruption period. It is conceivable that a large-capacity capacitor for storing power is required. On the other hand, by enabling the direction determination without interrupting communication as shown in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to consider the capacitor for supplying power to the direction determination circuit.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Differences from the second embodiment will be mainly described, and description of similar matters will be omitted.

  In the second embodiment, in order to determine the orientation of the wireless tag 100, the antennas 140 and 150 for direction determination are provided separately from the antenna 130 for data communication. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, two antennas for data communication are provided, and the output from each antenna is also used for direction determination processing.

The configuration of the article management system according to the third embodiment is the same as the configuration of the article management system according to the second embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 illustrates a wireless tag according to the third embodiment. The wireless tag 200 includes an inlay 210, an IC chip 220, antennas 230 and 240, and shielding plates 250 and 260. Here, the inlay 210 and the IC chip 220 correspond to the inlay 110 and the IC chip 120 described with reference to FIG.

  The antennas 230 and 240 are dipole antennas for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves to and from the reader / writer device 20 for data communication. The antennas 230 and 240 receive the electromagnetic waves transmitted by the reader / writer device 20 and output a signal (referred to as a reception signal) obtained as a result to the IC chip 220. The antennas 230 and 240 transmit the transmission signal output from the IC chip 220 to the reader / writer device 20.

  The antenna 230 is provided on the upper side of the shielding plate 250. The antenna 240 is provided below the shielding plate 260. Here, as in FIG. 3, the upper side of the paper in FIG. 7 is the upward direction (front side) of the wireless tag 200, and the lower side of the paper is the downward direction (back side) of the wireless tag 200 (hereinafter the same). In addition, it is assumed that the back side of the wireless tag 200 is attached to one side surface (for example, the front side) of the management target product 30 with the back side as an adhesive surface.

The shielding plates 250 and 260 correspond to the shielding plates 160 and 170 described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the IC chip according to the third embodiment. The IC chip 220 includes rectifier circuits 221, 222, diodes 221a, 222a, a power supply circuit 223, modulation / demodulation circuits 224, 225, an adder circuit 226, a control circuit 227, and a comparator 228.

  The rectifier circuits 221 and 222 rectify the AC reception signals output from the antennas 230 and 240, convert them into DC signals, and output the DC signals to the power supply circuit 223 via the diodes 221a and 222a. Further, the rectifier circuits 221 and 222 output the rectified DC signal to the comparator 228. Note that the plus side output of the rectifier circuit 221 is connected to the plus side input of the comparator 228. The plus side output of the rectifier circuit 222 is connected to the minus side input of the comparator 228. The minus side outputs of the rectifier circuits 221 and 222 are connected to the minus side input of the power supply circuit 223.

  The diode 221 a is for preventing a current from flowing from the rectifier circuit 222 to the rectifier circuit 221, and the diode 222 a is for preventing a current from flowing from the rectifier circuit 221 to the rectifier circuit 222. Since the magnitudes of the outputs of the rectifier circuit 221 and the rectifier circuit 222 differ depending on the incident direction of the electromagnetic wave, diodes 221a and 222a for preventing inflow are necessary. Power is supplied to the power supply circuit 223 from the rectifier circuit having the larger output.

The power supply circuit 223 obtains power for driving other circuits in the IC chip 220 from the DC signal input from the rectifier circuit 221 or the rectifier circuit 222 and supplies the power to each circuit.
The modulation / demodulation circuits 224 and 225 demodulate the reception signals output from the antennas 230 and 240 to generate a demodulation signal, and output the generated demodulation signal to the addition circuit 226.

The adder circuit 226 adds the demodulated signals input from the modem circuits 224 and 225 and outputs the result to the control circuit 227.
The control circuit 227 decodes the demodulated signal after addition acquired from the adder circuit 226 to acquire received data, and performs processing according to the received data. The control circuit 227 generates a response signal for responding to the reader / writer device 20 according to the processing, and outputs the response signal to the modem circuits 224 and 225. At this time, the control circuit 227 executes processing according to the direction identification signal acquired from the comparator 228.

  The comparator 228 detects a signal level difference between the direct current signal from the rectifier circuit 221 and the direct current signal from the rectifier circuit 222, and outputs a high level signal or a low level signal. This signal corresponds to the direction identification signal. The comparator 228 corresponds to the comparator 125c described with reference to FIG.

  Therefore, in this example, when the signal level from the antenna 230 is higher, that is, when the comparator 228 outputs a high level signal, the control circuit 227 directs the wireless tag 200 toward the reader / writer device 20. Can be identified. When the comparator 228 outputs a low level signal, the control circuit 227 can specify that the wireless tag 200 faces the reader / writer device 20 from the back side.

  The configuration including the rectifier circuits 221 and 222 and the comparator 228 corresponds to the direction determination circuit 125 described with reference to FIG. However, the rectifier circuits 221 and 222 are also used as a rectifier circuit for power acquisition.

  As described above, the wireless tag 200 performs data communication with the reader / writer device 20 using the antennas 230 and 240, and identifies the direction of the wireless tag 200 or the management target product 30 by detecting a difference in signal level.

Thereby, the effect similar to the wireless tag 100 of 2nd Embodiment is realizable.
Note that the adder circuit 226 may be replaced with a selector circuit. In that case, the control circuit 227 outputs a control signal to the selector circuit so as to select a signal from the modulation / demodulation circuit connected to the antenna having the higher signal level in accordance with the output of the comparator 228.

Further, the antennas 230 and 240 may be arranged on the front side and the back side of the single shielding plate.
[Fourth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Differences from the second and third embodiments will be mainly described, and description of similar matters will be omitted.

In the fourth embodiment, an antenna for receiving a direction determination signal is arranged on an IC chip.
The configuration of the article management system according to the fourth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the article management system according to the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a wireless tag according to the fourth embodiment. The wireless tag 300 includes an inlay 310, an IC chip 320, antennas 330, 340, 350, and shielding plates 360, 370. Here, the inlay 310, the IC chip 320, and the antenna 330 correspond to the inlay 110, the IC chip 120, and the antenna 130 of the second embodiment described in FIG. Note that wiring for connecting the IC chip 320 and the antennas 340 and 350 is not shown.

  The antennas 340 and 350 correspond to the antennas 140 and 150 described with reference to FIG. 3 and are dipole antennas for receiving the electromagnetic waves transmitted by the reader / writer device 20. Here, the antenna 340 is provided above the shielding plate 360 provided on the IC chip 320. The antenna 350 is provided between the IC chip 320 and the shielding plate 370 (below the shielding plate 370). In addition, it is assumed that the back side of the wireless tag 300 is attached to one side surface (for example, the front side) of the management target product 30 with the adhesive side as the adhesive surface.

The shielding plates 360 and 370 correspond to the shielding plates 160 and 170 described with reference to FIG. However, the shielding plates 360 and 370 are provided on the upper side of the IC chip 320.
Note that the hardware configuration of the IC chip 320 can be realized in the same manner as the hardware configuration of the IC chip 120 of the second embodiment. That is, when the signal level of the antenna 340 is higher than the signal level of the antenna 350, the wireless tag 300 can be identified as facing the front side of the own tag with respect to the reader / writer device 20. When the signal level of the antenna 350 is higher than the signal level of the antenna 340, the wireless tag 300 can be identified as facing the back side of the own tag with respect to the reader / writer device 20.

As described above, the antennas 340 and 350 and the shielding plates 360 and 370 are provided on the IC chip 320.
Thereby, the effect similar to the wireless tag 100 of 2nd Embodiment is realizable. Further, by arranging the antennas 340 and 350 on the IC chip 320, the area of the inlay 310 can be reduced and the entire wireless tag 300 can be downsized.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a fifth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Differences from the above-described second to fourth embodiments will be mainly described, and description of similar matters will be omitted.

In the fifth embodiment, a shielding plate is provided between antennas for receiving a direction determination signal.
The configuration of the article management system of the fifth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the article management system of the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 illustrates a wireless tag according to the fifth embodiment. The wireless tag 400 includes an inlay 410, an IC chip 420, antennas 430, 440, 450, and a shielding plate 460. Here, the inlay 410, the IC chip 420, and the antenna 430 correspond to the inlay 110, the IC chip 120, and the antenna 130 of the second embodiment described in FIG. Note that the wiring connecting the IC chip 420 and the antennas 440 and 450 is not shown.

  The antennas 440 and 450 correspond to the antennas 140 and 150 described with reference to FIG. 3 and are dipole antennas for receiving the electromagnetic waves transmitted by the reader / writer device 20. Here, the antenna 440 is provided above the shielding plate 460 provided on the IC chip 420. The antenna 450 is provided between the IC chip 420 and the shielding plate 460 (below the shielding plate 460). In addition, it is assumed that the back side of the wireless tag 400 is attached to one side surface (for example, the front side) of the management target product 30 with an adhesive surface.

  The shielding plate 460 corresponds to the shielding plates 160 and 170 described with reference to FIG. However, the shielding plate 460 is provided on the IC chip 420, and the antennas 440 and 450 are provided on both the upper side and the lower side thereof.

  Note that the hardware configuration of the IC chip 420 can be realized in the same manner as the hardware configuration of the IC chip 120 of the second embodiment. That is, when the signal level of the antenna 440 is higher than the signal level of the antenna 450, the wireless tag 400 can be identified as facing the front side of the own tag with respect to the reader / writer device 20. Further, when the signal level of the antenna 450 is higher than the signal level of the antenna 440, the wireless tag 400 can be identified as facing the back side of the own tag with respect to the reader / writer device 20.

  Thereby, the effect similar to the wireless tag 100 of 2nd Embodiment is realizable. In addition, since antennas for receiving direction determination signals are provided on both sides of the shielding plate 460, the area in which the antennas 440 and 450 are provided can be reduced, and the entire wireless tag 400 can be downsized.

Although the case where the antennas 440 and 450 and the shielding plate 460 are provided on the IC chip 420 has been illustrated, these may be provided on the inlay 410.
[Sixth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a sixth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Differences from the above-described second to fifth embodiments will be mainly described, and description of similar matters will be omitted.

In the second to fifth embodiments, the case where a dipole antenna is used is illustrated, but in the sixth embodiment, the case where a coil antenna is used is illustrated.
The configuration of the article management system of the sixth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the article management system of the second embodiment shown in FIG. Note that the wireless tag exemplified in the sixth embodiment is a passive wireless tag that is driven by an induced electromotive force generated in a coil antenna on the tag side by electromagnetic waves received from a reader / writer device. Further, the wireless tag and the reader / writer device communicate with each other by using an electromagnetic wave in an HF (High Frequency) band. As the frequency of the HF band, the 13.56 MHz band can be considered.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a wireless tag according to the sixth embodiment. The wireless tag 500 includes an inlay 510, an IC chip 520, antennas 530, 540, and 550 and shielding plates 560 and 570. Here, the inlay 510 corresponds to the inlay 110 described in FIG.

  The IC chip 520 is driven by the induced electromotive force generated by the antenna 530. In addition, the IC chip 520 specifies the direction of the wireless tag 500 based on a signal output by the antennas 540 and 550 receiving electromagnetic waves.

  The antenna 530 is a coil antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves to and from the reader / writer device for data communication. The antenna 530 outputs a reception signal from the reader / writer device 20 to the IC chip 520. The antenna 530 transmits the transmission signal output from the IC chip 520 to the reader / writer device.

  The antennas 540 and 550 are coil antennas for receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted by the reader / writer device. The antennas 540 and 550 receive the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the reader / writer device and output a signal obtained as a result to the IC chip 520. The antenna 540 is provided on the upper side of the shielding plate 560. The antenna 550 is provided below the shielding plate 570. Here, the upper side of the paper in FIG. 11 is the upward direction (front side) of the wireless tag 500, and the lower side of the paper is the downward direction (back side) of the wireless tag 500. Further, the wireless tag 500 is attached to one side surface of the management target product 30 (for example, the front side of the management target product 30) with the back side of the wireless tag 500 as an adhesive surface.

  Note that the hardware configuration of the IC chip 520 can be realized in the same manner as the hardware configuration of the IC chip 120 of the second embodiment. That is, when the signal level of the antenna 540 is higher than the signal level of the antenna 550, the wireless tag 500 can be identified as facing the front side of the own tag with respect to the reader / writer device. In addition, when the signal level of the antenna 550 is higher than the signal level of the antenna 540, the wireless tag 500 can be identified as facing the back side of the own tag with respect to the reader / writer device.

  Thereby, the effect similar to the wireless tag 100 of 2nd Embodiment is realizable. That is, since the direction is specified by the difference in signal level between the antennas 540 and 550, the direction can be determined regardless of the shape of the antenna.

  Note that the wireless tag 500 is illustrated by replacing the dipole antenna of the wireless tag 100 with a coil antenna, but these antennas 530, 540, and 550 are also arranged and configured in the same manner as in the third to fifth embodiments. be able to.

  In addition, although the description has been given using the passive type wireless tag that does not have a built-in power supply and is driven by power supply from the reader / writer device, the direction determination method can be applied to an active type wireless tag that has a built-in power supply. Further, the present invention can also be applied to a semi-active wireless tag that responds using an internal power source in response to electromagnetic waves from a reader / writer device.

  As described above, the semiconductor device, the wireless tag, and the direction determination method of the present case have been described based on the illustrated embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and the configuration of each unit is an arbitrary configuration having the same function. Can be replaced. Moreover, other arbitrary structures and processes may be added. Further, any two or more configurations (features) of the above-described embodiments may be combined.

The main technical features of the described embodiment are as follows.
(Supplementary Note 1) The first signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave by the first antenna provided on the first surface side of the shielding unit that shields the incident electromagnetic wave, and the shielding different from the first surface The orientation of the device itself is determined based on the second signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave via the shielding unit by the second antenna provided on the second surface side of the unit, and the determination result A semiconductor device comprising: a direction determining unit that outputs

  (Additional remark 2) The said direction determination part detects the level difference of the signal level of the said 1st signal, and the signal level of the said 2nd signal, and determines the direction of an own apparatus according to the said level difference. The semiconductor device according to appendix 1, which is characterized.

(Supplementary Note 3) When the direction determination unit detects that the signal level of the first signal is higher than the signal level of the second signal based on the level difference, the communication that is the transmission source of the electromagnetic wave Specifying that the device is facing the first surface side of the shielding unit with respect to the device,
The semiconductor device according to appendix 2, wherein

(Appendix 4) A shielding part that shields incident electromagnetic waves;
A first antenna provided on the first surface side of the shielding portion;
A second antenna provided on the second surface side of the shielding portion different from the first surface;
Based on a first signal that is output by receiving the electromagnetic wave by the first antenna, and a second signal that is output by receiving the electromagnetic wave through the shielding portion by the second antenna. A direction determination unit that determines the direction of the device and outputs the determination result;
A wireless tag comprising:

(Supplementary note 5) The wireless tag according to supplementary note 4, wherein the shielding portion, the first antenna, and the second antenna are disposed on an inlay in which the direction determination portion is disposed.
(Supplementary note 6) The wireless tag according to supplementary note 4, wherein the shielding portion, the first antenna, and the second antenna are arranged on a semiconductor substrate on which the direction determination portion is formed.

(Appendix 7) A method for determining the direction of a semiconductor device,
The direction determination unit is different from the first surface from the first signal received and output by the first antenna provided on the first surface side of the shielding unit that shields the incident electromagnetic wave. Based on the second signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave via the shielding unit by the second antenna provided on the second surface side of the shielding unit, the orientation of the device is determined, and the determination result Output,
A direction determination method characterized by the above.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor device 1a Direction determination part 2,3,130,140,150,230,240,330,340,350,430,440,450,530,540,550 Antenna 4 Shielding part 10 Control apparatus 20 Reader / writer apparatus 30 Managed object 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 Wireless tag 110, 210, 310, 410, 510 Inlay 120, 220, 320, 420, 520 IC chip 121, 125a, 125b, 221, 222 Rectifier circuit 122, 223 Power supply Circuits 123, 224, 225 Modulation / demodulation circuit 124, 227 Control circuit 125 Direction determination circuit 125c, 228 Comparator 160, 170, 250, 260, 360, 370, 460, 560, 570 Shielding plate 221a, 222a Diode 226 Addition circuit

Claims (5)

  A first signal received and output by the first antenna provided on the first surface side of the shielding portion that shields incident electromagnetic waves, and a second signal of the shielding portion different from the first surface. A direction in which the orientation of the device is determined based on the second signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave via the shielding portion by the second antenna provided on the surface side, and the determination result is output. A semiconductor device including a determination unit.   The direction determination unit detects a level difference between a signal level of the first signal and a signal level of the second signal, and determines the direction of the own apparatus according to the level difference. Item 14. A semiconductor device according to Item 1. A shielding part for shielding incident electromagnetic waves;
A first antenna provided on the first surface side of the shielding portion;
A second antenna provided on the second surface side of the shielding portion different from the first surface;
Based on a first signal that is output by receiving the electromagnetic wave by the first antenna, and a second signal that is output by receiving the electromagnetic wave through the shielding portion by the second antenna. A direction determination unit that determines the direction of the device and outputs the determination result;
A wireless tag comprising:   The wireless tag according to claim 3, wherein the shielding unit, the first antenna, and the second antenna are disposed on an inlay in which the direction determination unit is disposed. A method for determining the direction of a semiconductor device,
The direction determination unit is different from the first surface from the first signal received and output by the first antenna provided on the first surface side of the shielding unit that shields the incident electromagnetic wave. Based on the second signal output by receiving the electromagnetic wave via the shielding unit by the second antenna provided on the second surface side of the shielding unit, the orientation of the device is determined, and the determination result Output,
A direction determination method characterized by the above.

Images