FR3036823A1 - RADIO-IDENTIFICATION ARRANGEMENT FOR TEXTILE ARTICLE AND CORRESPONDING MOUNTING METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of radio-identification devices for the identification and tracking of textile articles. The invention relates to a radio-identification device of a textile article. It comprises: - a radio-identification module (12) comprising a radio-identification chip and a magnetic antenna coupled to said radio-identification chip; a support (11) of flexible material module on which or in which is mounted said identification module, an electrical antenna (19) able to be coupled, without contact, with said magnetic antenna, and a fixing means for fixing said support to said textile article. According to the invention, the electric antenna (19) is arranged on said support to form said fixing means. Applications to textile articles of industrial laundries or rental.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of radio-identification devices for the identification and tracking of textile articles. State of the art Such devices are conventionally used in the field of industrial laundries and / or rental companies for textile articles to particularly track incoming and outgoing items. These devices are then designed to be able to withstand a number of treatments applied to textile articles throughout their period of use, including supporting repeated operations of washing, ironing and folding. Such devices are described in particular in the documents US Pat. No. 6,677,917 and US Patent Application No. 2010/0321161. The device essentially comprises a radio identification module or RFID module (for Radio Frequency Identification) which is coupled, without contact, to an electrical antenna (or far field antenna) present on the textile article to be identified. The radio-identification module is intended to communicate with a remote RFID interrogator via the electrical antenna and in particular to send, on request from the RFID interrogator, an identification number specific to said module.

The RFID module includes a radio identification chip and a magnetic antenna (or near-field antenna) connected thereto. The RFID module is passive or active. In the case of a passive module, the chip is energized by the signal transmitted by the RFID interrogator and sends back to the RFID interrogator a retro-modulated signal including the module identification number. In the case of an active module, the latter comprises a battery for powering the chip and returns, on request from the RFID interrogator, a signal comprising the identification number of the module. The magnetic antenna connected to the chip is formed of a magnetic loop consisting of one or more turns.

As for the electrical antenna, it is present near the magnetic antenna of the module in order to obtain a good electromagnetic coupling between the two antennas. This electric antenna is conventionally an electric dipole formed of one or more conductive elements (conducting wires or conductive strips). The length of the electric dipole is of the order of half a wavelength (k / 2) of the operating frequency or the center frequency of the operating frequency band of the module.

The radio-identification module and the antenna can both be assembled on a common support, for example on a strip of fabric, or in a common box (for example in the form of a button) before being fixed on the textile article. The installation of the device on the textile article then amounts to fixing 3036823 3 (by a bonding operation, welding, sewing) the support or the case on the textile article. Alternatively, it is possible to realize the electric antenna directly on or in the textile article 5 as proposed in US 6 677 917 and US 2010/0321161. The electrical antenna is for example previously woven in the textile article or sewn on it. The RFID module is then attached to the textile article, close to the electrical antenna, to obtain a good coupling between the magnetic antenna of the module and the electric antenna. This variant makes it possible to obtain a radio-identification module of reduced size since it no longer includes the electric antenna. On the other hand, this makes it necessary to position the radio-identification module correctly with respect to the preassembled electric antenna on the textile article. In addition, the removal of the RFID module and the manufacture of the electric antenna are performed by two distinct steps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is part of an effort to improve the quality and reliability of the radio-identification device mounted on the textile article, to simplify assembly operations and to reduce costs. . For this purpose, the present invention relates to a radio-identification device of a textile article to be identified, said device comprising a radio identification module comprising a radio-identification chip and a magnetic antenna coupled to said radio chip. identification, a module support of flexible material on which or in which is mounted said identification module, an electrical antenna capable of being coupled, without contact, with said magnetic antenna, and a fixing means for fixing said support to said textile article. According to the invention, the electric antenna is arranged on said support to form the fixing means. Thus, according to the invention, the electrical antenna is used as a fixing means for fixing the module support to the textile article. This facilitates the mounting of the module support on the textile article 15 since there is no longer to position it accurately near the preassembled electric antenna on the textile article (to obtain a strong coupling between the magnetic antenna of the module and the electric antenna). Since the power antenna is used to secure the module holder to the textile article, it will necessarily be close to the magnetic antenna of the module. Another advantage of the device of the invention is that it makes it possible to eliminate a step in the embodiment of the device since the electric antenna is made at the same time as the fixation of the module support to the textile article. This simplifies the manufacturing process of the device and reduces its cost of manufacture and installation.

According to a particular embodiment, the electrical antenna comprises at least one conductive wire or strand, which conductive wire is sewn on the support and the textile article so as to fix said support 5 to said textile article. According to one embodiment, the electrical antenna comprises a plurality of twisted conductive wires or strands. These conductive strands are blended with polyester or natural material strands (such as cotton) to form a sheath around the conductive strands. According to an advantageous embodiment, the support comprises on one of its surfaces a visual cue identifying the place where the conductor wire of the electric antenna is to sew to ensure a strong coupling between the two antennas of the device. According to a particular embodiment, the conductive wire is sewn in a meandering pattern in order to obtain a more compact electric antenna.

According to a particular embodiment, the radio-identification module is stuck on the support. According to a particular embodiment, the support is a strip of flexible material folded in two substantially equal parts and folded over one another, the identification module being present between the two parts.

According to a particular embodiment, the support is made of textile material. The invention also relates to a method of mounting a radio-identification device on a textile article 5 to be identified, said device comprising a radio-identification module, a module support of flexible material on which or in which is mounted said identification module, an electrical antenna capable of being coupled, without contact, with a magnetic antenna of the radio identification module, characterized in that it comprises a step of fixing said module support to said textile article by means of the electric antenna. According to a particular embodiment, the electrical antenna comprises at least one conducting wire and the fixing step consists in sewing the conductive wire on the support and the textile article so as to fix said support to said textile article. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other advantages may still be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the examples below, illustrated by the appended figures, given for illustrative purposes. Figure 1 schematically illustrates the steps of manufacturing an RFID tag; FIG. 2 illustrates the mounting of an electric antenna on an RFID tag so as to obtain a radio-identification device according to a first embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 3 illustrates the mounting of an electrical antenna on an RFID tag so as to obtain a radio-identification device according to a second embodiment of the invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, the radio-identification module is manufactured without an electric antenna (far-field antenna). The electric antenna is manufactured only when mounting the module holder on the textile article 15 to be identified. In the remainder of the description, we will designate by RFID tag the assembly formed of the radio identification module and its support. Furthermore, the invention will be described in the context of a module support of textile material. Of course, other flexible materials can be used to make this support. Figure 1 schematically illustrates the steps of making the RFID tag.

In a first step, the method of producing the label comprises a step of depositing a layer of thermosetting adhesive material on a support 10 of textile material forming the support of the radio-identification module 12. The support 10 is in the form of a strip 5 from a coil 14 of textile material. The textile material may be standard textile, for example cotton, nylon, polyester, viscose or synthetic material. The coil 14 is unwound before depositing the adhesive material.

The layer 11 of adhesive material is deposited at least on one half of the upper face of the support, for example the lower half, as shown in Figure 1. It is in particular deposited on the support area to receive the REID module. It is preferably deposited on half of the upper face of the support if the latter is folded in two in a step to follow and it is preferably deposited on the entire upper face of the support if the latter is covered by a second strip of textile material in a subsequent step. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the layer of adhesive material is, before depositing on the support, present on the lower face of a coil-supporting film (coil 15). The underside of the film is pressed against the textile material during the step of depositing the layer of adhesive material and then the support film is removed from the adhesive layer deposited on the textile material.

In a second step, a radio-identification module or RFID 12 is deposited on the layer of adhesive material 11. The RFID module 12 is for example the MUTRAKTm module marketed by the company TAGSYS.

This module conventionally comprises a radio identification chip and a magnetic antenna (near field antenna) connected to the chip. In a third step, the textile support 10 is folded in two so as to cover the RFID module 12.

The upper half of the support is folded over its lower half so as to form a textile bag containing the RFID module 12. In a variant, instead of folding the support 10 in two, it is possible to envisage depositing or co-laminating a second one. textile strip on the support 10, said second strip having substantially the same width as the support 10. In this embodiment, the layer of adhesive material 11 is deposited on the entire upper surface of the support 10 during the first step of the Process. In a fourth step, the folded fabric web is hot pressed to at least partially bury the RFID module 12 in the layer of adhesive material 11 and harden the layer of adhesive material 11. During hot pressing, the layer of adhesive material 11 polymerizes at least partially and becomes thermally stable over the areas of use of the RFID tag. It is also selected to not degrade in contact with water and chemical agents commonly used in laundry. The hot pressing operation allows the two parts of the folded support 10 to be pressed against each other. The polymerization of the adhesive material layer makes it possible to freeze the position of the RFID module 12 in the support made of textile material so that the RFID module 10 retains its mechanical, thermal and radiofrequency performances, in particular after repeated washing, rinsing and drying operations. . At this stage of the manufacturing process, the RFID module 12 is generally tested and then encoded online.

Furthermore, various visual information, such as the name and / or logo of the manufacturer and / or the product reference, can be printed on the label at different stages of the manufacturing process and even during the manufacture of the reel. 14. This information is printed on the spool 14 so as to be on the upper face of the support after folding of the textile web. Other visual information, such as the cutting area 13 or the pattern 17 identifying the location where the electric antenna will subsequently be sewn, is also advantageously printed on the upper face of the support after folding the textile web.

This visual information is visible in dotted lines in FIG. 1. The visual pattern 17 resumes the shape of the electrical antenna which will be sewn later to secure the RFID tag to the textile article. In the example of FIG. 1, the pattern 17 has a geometric shape in Q. The RFID tags thus obtained, referenced 18, are then cut out and possibly packaged. Alternatively, the labels produced are reeled. All of these steps are carried out on a production line intended to produce a large number of RFID tags at a high rate, preferably by automatic machines. According to the invention, the RFID tag 18 is then attached to a textile article T to be identified by means of one or more conductive wires forming an electric antenna 19 (far-field antenna) for the RFID module 12. According to the invention, the wire (s) forming the antenna 19 is (are) sewn on the RFID tag 18 and the textile article T so as to fix the RFID tag to the textile article T.

In the example of FIG. 2, the RFID tag 18 is sewn into the hem of a sheet D or a towel with the average of at least one conductive wire forming the electric antenna 19 and having The shape of a Q. The hem thread is shown with dashed lines in the figure. The part of the sheet comprising the RFID tag 18 and the antenna 19 has been enlarged in the right part of the figure. In another example illustrated in FIG. 3, the conducting wire forming the electric antenna 19 is rectilinear. In this case, the antenna wire may optionally be used as a thread for sewing the hem on this portion of the hem. The antenna wire can also be sewn in a meandering or sawtooth pattern. Of course, other electrical antenna patterns may be employed without it being possible to see any limitation of the invention to the patterns shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The pattern is determined in particular according to the size (lower or not at the half-wavelength) and the shape of the textile article on which the radio-identification device is to be fixed. The conductive wire is made of a conductive material such as stainless steel or copper and can be mixed with polyester or natural fibers. In order to improve its mechanical strength, the electric antenna 25 may be formed of a plurality of twisted strands. The power antenna advantageously comprises conductive strands at its center and polyester strands around the conductive strands to form a sheath and improve its resistance to corrosion.

3036823 13 The most suitable electric antenna geometries for sewing machines and RFID module shapes can be drawn automatically by computerized calculation and drawing tools. These computer tools will be able to take into account various parameters, such as the electrical resistance of the conducting wire used as well as the dielectric constants of the textile materials to be sewn. The RFID tag manufacturer will be able to provide the clothing manufacturer with a service for designing optimized antenna geometries at the frequency bands used in the geographical area (s) of sale of the textile articles (US, EU). , China, Japan) while taking into account the design and realization of the textile article. This personalized study will combine performance and discretion of the electric antenna, knowing that at 915MHz the half-wavelength is 30cm. Thus, according to the invention, the use of the electric antenna as a means of fixing the RFID tag on the textile article has the following advantages: the process of manufacturing the label and its mounting on the textile article comprises a single step for manufacturing the electrical antenna and attaching the RFID tag to the textile article (instead of two steps in the prior art) before attaching the RFID tag to the textile article, there is no need to position the RFID tag with respect to the antenna 3036823 14 when the latter is pre-sewn or pre-woven in the textile article; for the same RFID tag, the entity responsible for fixing the RFID tag on the textile article can optimize the geometry of the electric antenna according to the shape of the textile article to be labeled and where the area to be label; for example, in the case of an RFID tag to be placed on pants at a pocket or hem, the operator or the machine 10 can realize the antenna in the shape of the pocket or the hem. 'hem; Similarly, if the area to be labeled is small, the operator can opt for a more compact antenna pattern, such as a sawtooth or meander pattern. 15

Claims (9)

CLAIMS1) Radio-identification device of a textile article to be identified, said device comprising: - a radio-identification module (12) comprising a radio-identification chip and a magnetic antenna coupled to said radio-identification chip; a support (11) of flexible material module on which or in which is mounted said identification module; - an electrical antenna (19) able to be coupled, without contact, with said magnetic antenna, and - a means of fastener for fixing said support to said textile article, characterized in that the electric antenna (19) is arranged on said support to form said fastening means. 2) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric antenna (19) comprises at least one conductive wire, which conductive wire is sewn on the support and the textile article so as to fix said support to said textile article. 25 3) Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the support comprises on one of its surfaces a visual cue (17) identifying the place where the conductive wire of the electrical antenna is sewing. 3036823 16 4) Device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the conductive wire is sewn in a pattern of meandering or sawtooth. 5 5) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the radio-identification module is stuck on the support. 6) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the support (11) is a strip of flexible material folded in two substantially equal parts and folded over one another, the identification module being present between the two parties. 7) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the support (11) is made of textile material. 8) A method of mounting a radio identification device on a textile article to be identified, said device comprising a radio identification module, a module support of flexible material on which or in which is mounted said identification module 25 , an electrical antenna capable of being coupled, without contact, with a magnetic antenna of the radio-identification module, characterized in that it comprises a step of fixing said module support to said textile article by means of the electric antenna. 3036823 17 9) A method according to claim 8, characterized in that the antenna comprises at least one conductive wire and in that the fixing step consists of sewing the conductive wire on the support and the textile article 5 so as to fix said support to said textile article.