JP2005056362A - Ic tag - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an IC tag usable while being sewn to clothes. <P>SOLUTION: A film-shaped circuit part 2, on which an IC chip 4 and a loop antenna 5 are mounted, has urethane resin 3 affixed to the top and bottom sides thereof for protection, and is coated with a silicone film 31 over its entire surface. The IC tag 1 can be protected by the protective member of the urethane resin 3 excellent in flexibility, elasticity and heat resistance and the silicone film 31 excellent in water repellency. Particularly when the IC tag 1 is attached to clothes, the circuit part 2 can be protected against pressure and external forces such as beating or kneading forces applied to the IC tag 1, and moisture during washing and cleaning. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC tag including an IC chip and a protective material that protects a circuit unit having a function of communicating with the outside.

  In a facility such as a ticket gate of a station, a ski resort, or a golf course, a technique of detecting an IC tag possessed or worn by a user without contact and reading information recorded on an IC chip inside the tag, so-called Research on non-contact ID recognition technology has been actively conducted in recent years.

  Among these, RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) that emits a microwave of a certain frequency from an antenna of a reader / writer and returns an ID code stored in the IC chip to the reader / writer when the microwave is irradiated to the IC doug. ) Is being put to practical use.

  This RFID system transmits and receives data using microwaves in the 2.456 GHz band, has the advantage of having a long communication distance of 0 to 1.5 m even when there is no battery due to external noise, and there is no battery in the Doug. There is no need to replace the battery and it can be used by embedding or sewing it into clothing or personal items.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 shown below disclose techniques for embedding an IC chip and an antenna for communication between the inside of a button and performing product management and customer management in cleaning and the like using the IC chip.

  Further, Patent Documents 3 and 4 shown below disclose an invention in which a protective member for protecting a circuit unit formed on a substrate is provided. Patent Document 3 discloses an invention for waterproofing a circuit unit by sealing the circuit unit in a case made of a resin sheet. Patent Document 4 discloses an invention in which a circuit unit placed on a substrate is sealed with a sealing resin.

JP-A-9-61520 JP 2002-42100 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-41154 JP-A-8-310173

  However, the inventions disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above can be applied only to clothes with buttons, and cannot be used for managing the entire product. In addition, when an IC chip is built in the button, the size and shape of the button can be restricted, and the button that matches the clothing cannot be selected, which is a factor that impairs the design of the clothing. In addition, it is a factor that impairs the design of clothes that the size and shape of buttons with and without IC chips must be the same.

  In addition, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 is an invention that only considers waterproofing of the circuit unit. For example, no consideration is given to a protective measure against external force applied when the circuit unit is attached to clothes or the like. Not.

  In addition, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 4 is intended to improve the mechanical strength of the circuit unit, but it is considered how to protect the circuit unit without giving a sense of incongruity to a person when worn on clothes. Absent. Further, only one side of the circuit is sealed with a sealing resin, and no consideration is given to attachment to clothes.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an IC tag that can be used by being sewn on clothes.

  In order to achieve such an object, an IC tag according to claim 1 is provided with an IC chip, a circuit unit having a function of communicating with the outside, a urethane resin bonded to both upper and lower surfaces of the circuit unit, and the urethane And a silicone film coated on the entire surface of the resin.

  By bonding the urethane resin to the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit portion, the IC tag can be protected by a urethane resin protective material having excellent flexibility, elasticity, and heat resistance. Moreover, water resistance can be added to the protective material by coating the surface of the urethane resin with a silicone film. In particular, when the IC tag is attached to clothing, the IC tag can be protected from external forces such as pressure, hitting, and squeezing applied to the IC tag by washing and cleaning, and moisture.

  The IC tag according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the IC tag according to claim 1, the thickness of each urethane resin bonded to the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit portion is 0.3 mm or more.

  When a bending force is applied to the IC tag, the urethane resin has a thickness of 0.3 mm or more, and the folded urethane resin overlaps to act as a cushion, so the IC tag inside the urethane resin has a bending radius. Maintain and keep bent. Therefore, the IC tag is not broken or cut off in the middle.

  The IC tag according to claim 3 includes a circuit unit on which an IC chip is mounted and has a function of communicating with the outside, and a laminate of nylon and polyethylene formed on both upper and lower surfaces of the circuit unit. The body is arranged such that the polyethylene is on the circuit part side and fixed to the circuit part by thermocompression bonding.

  By laminating a laminate of nylon and polyethylene on both sides of the IC tag, it is possible to obtain an IC tag having a protective material that is particularly resistant to a solvent used for dry cleaning.

  In the present invention, the IC tag can be protected by a urethane resin protective material excellent in flexibility, elasticity, and heat resistance by bonding urethane resin to the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit portion. Moreover, water resistance can be added to the protective material by coating the surface of the urethane resin with a silicon film. In particular, when the IC tag is attached to clothing, the IC tag can be protected from external forces such as pressure, hitting, and squeezing applied to the IC tag by washing and cleaning, and moisture.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, the configuration of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional structure of the IC tag 1. As shown in FIG. 1A, in this embodiment, an IC tag 1 in which a urethane sheet 3 is bonded and protected on both upper and lower surfaces of a thin sheet-like circuit portion 2 and the entire surface thereof is coated with a silicone film 31. It is said. Adhesion of the urethane resin 3 to the circuit portion 2 is performed by an adhesive (preferably a silicone adhesive) 30.

  In addition, the bulge in the center shown in FIG. 1A is the thickness of the potting material enclosing the entire IC chip 4 in order to fix the IC chip 4 mounted on the film-like circuit board to the circuit board. . Potting material prevents impact, vibration, moisture, and corrosion on the IC chip 4. Here, the configuration of the sheet-like circuit portion 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1B shows a plan view of the IC tag 1 as viewed from above. In the circuit unit 2, an IC chip 4 for storing data is mounted on a film-like circuit board, and a loop antenna 5 for transmitting and receiving the data in a contactless manner is patterned by a printed wiring technique. Further, although different depending on the application, a film for protecting the circuit board from water, dust and the like usually seals the circuit board. When the radio wave from the reader / writer passes through the loop antenna 5, the circuit unit 2 communicates with the transmission / reception circuit in the IC chip, and receives the requested recording information from the reader / writer to the reader / writer. Output.

  By attaching the IC tag 1 to clothes, etc., it can be used for merchandise management such as prevention of loss or theft of clothes. However, when the IC tag 1 is attached to clothes, washing and cleaning are problematic. It becomes. When clothes are rubbed, struck by washing or cleaning, and pressed by dehydration, the IC tag 1 is subjected to the same impact, causing the circuit part 2 to break.

  For example, when the antenna portion of the circuit portion 2 is bent or cut, the radio wave transmission / reception function is remarkably deteriorated not only when the antenna portion is bent but also when the antenna portion is bent. In addition, although the circuit unit 2 is sealed with a film for the purpose of waterproofing and dustproofing, the antenna function does not operate due to moisture of the clothes being wet, and transmission / reception becomes impossible.

  The urethane resin 3 provided in the present embodiment has elasticity, flexibility, and heat resistance. By coating the entire surface with a silicone film 31 having excellent water repellency, water repellency, elasticity, heat resistance, flexibility To achieve the function. When the IC tag 1 is provided on clothes or the like, it is necessary to take measures against moisture caused by washing or sweating, but the urethane resin 3 bonded to the circuit portion 2 and the silicone film 31 that coats the entire surface are waterproof. Since it is excellent, the IC tag 1 is protected from moisture due to washing and cleaning, and the communication function of the circuit unit 2 is not deprived. Further, the circuit portion 2 can be protected from heat by the heat resistance function of the urethane resin 3 against heat at the time of drying after washing.

  Further, the functions of flexibility and elasticity provided in the urethane resin 3 protect the circuit unit 2 from stagnation and tapping during washing and cleaning. When an external force is applied by stagnation or tapping at the time of cleaning or washing, the circuit unit 2 may be bent as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the urethane resin 3 and the silicone film 31 have a thickness of about 0.3 mm to 2.0 mm in order to prevent the circuit portion 2 from being bent or cut from an applied impact (external force). Considering the protective effect of the IC tag 1, the thickness of the urethane resin 3 and the silicone film 31 is preferably as thick as possible. However, if the thickness is too thick, a person feels uncomfortable when wearing the clothing with the IC tag 1. For this reason, the upper limit of the thickness of the urethane resin 3 and the silicone film 31 is set to 2.0 mm.

  Further, the lower limit of 0.3 mm is the thickness of the urethane resin 3 and the silicone film 31 that are required at a minimum so that the circuit portion 2 is not bent by an external force applied to the IC tag 1 during washing or cleaning. . The lower limit value is set so that even if a force is applied to the IC tag 1 from the outside and the urethane resin 3 and the silicone film 31 are bent, the circuit portion 2 is not bent. As shown in FIG. 3, even if the urethane resin 3 and the silicone film 31 are completely bent by an external force, the urethane resin bent inwardly overlaps and acts as a cushion, thereby forming a sheet-like circuit portion 2. Can maintain a curved state with a predetermined bending radius. Therefore, the circuit unit 2 is not broken or cut off in the middle.

  Here, a method of attaching the IC tag 1 to clothes will be described with reference to FIG. When the IC tag 1 is attached to the clothes, it is preferable to attach the IC tag 1 to the clothes so that the protective material of the urethane resin 3 does not directly touch the human body. FIG. 4A shows the configuration of the IC tag 1 sandwiched between cloths. As shown in FIG. 4A, the skin-side cloth 6 and the undergarment-side cloth 7 are opposed to each other, and the IC tag 1 is tightly attached between the cloths. As a method for fixing the IC tag 1, the cloth and the cloth are sewn together with a thread so that the IC tag 1 does not rub. Moreover, the adhesive material which can be adhere | attached on underwear is provided in the outer surface of the underwear side cloth 7, and it adheres to underwear. For example, a double-sided adhesive sheet is used as the adhesive. The release paper on one side of the double-sided adhesive sheet with release paper attached on both sides is peeled off and adhered to the undergarment side cloth 7. The release paper on the other side is peeled off and attached to the underwear when the IC tag 1 is attached to the underwear (FIG. 5 shows a state where the IC tag 1 is attached to the clothes).

  Further, as means for tightly fixing the IC tag 1 between the skin side cloth 6 and the undergarment side cloth 7, not only sewing with a thread but also an adhesive between the skin side cloth 6 and the undergarment side cloth 7, for example. The IC tag 1 may be disposed and heated with an iron or the like to be bonded and fixed. In addition, the method of attaching the IC tag 1 to clothes is not only a method of tightly fixing the skin side cloth 6 and the underwear side cloth 7, but omits the underwear side cloth 7 as shown in FIG. The IC tag 1 may be arranged at a position where clothes are attached, and the skin side cloth 6 may be covered from above, and the skin side cloth 6 may be sewn to the clothes with a thread.

  In this way, in this embodiment, the urethane resin 3 is bonded and protected on both the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit portion 2, and the entire surface is coated with the silicone film 31, so that the external force and the external pressure applied by cleaning, washing, etc. can be prevented. Thus, the IC tag 1 can be protected.

  Moreover, when the thickness of the urethane resin 3 and the silicone film 31 is set to about 0.3 mm to 2.0 mm, when the IC tag 1 is attached to clothing or the like, a strange feeling can be given to a person when the clothing is worn. Absent. Further, it is possible to prevent a problem that the sheet-like circuit portion 2 is cut or bent by an external force applied by washing, cleaning, or the like.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, a laminate of nylon 10 and polyethylene 11 is formed on the sheet-like circuit portion 2 instead of the urethane resin 3 and the silicone film 31 used in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, a laminated body in which nylon 10 and polyethylene 11 are laminated is arranged so that polyethylene 11 is on the circuit part 2 side, and the laminated body is fixed to the circuit part 2 by thermocompression bonding. The polyethylene 11 serves as an adhesive that bonds the nylon 10 and the circuit portion 2 by heat applied during thermocompression bonding. The resin inside the laminate is not limited to polyethylene 11. Polyester or the like can be used as long as the softening temperature is lower than that of the outer nylon.

  In this embodiment, a protective material is formed for the purpose of protecting the circuit portion 2 from dry cleaning. Three types of solvents such as Freon 255, perchlorethylene, and petroleum solvents are generally used during dry cleaning. By selecting nylon 10 and polyethylene 11 that are resistant to these solvents, dry cleaning can be performed. This prevents a problem that the IC tag 1 (circuit unit 2) is broken.

  Further, in the case of dry cleaning, there is no dehydration step by pressurization that has the greatest influence on the circuit unit 2. For this reason, even if the thickness of one side of the laminate formed on the circuit portion 2 is as thin as 60 μm, the protective function of the circuit portion 2 can be sufficiently achieved. Since the thickness of the protective material can be reduced, it can be sewn to a thin fabric in summer without any sense of incongruity.

  The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the IC tag of Example 1, The sectional view is shown by (A), and the top view is shown by (B). It is a figure which shows the state by which the IC tag 1 was bent by external force. It is a figure which shows the state by which the IC tag 1 was bent by external force. It is a figure for demonstrating the method of attaching an IC tag to clothes. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the IC tag to clothes. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an IC tag according to Embodiment 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 IC tag 2 Circuit part 3 Urethane resin 4 IC chip 5 Loop antenna 6 Skin side cloth 7 Underwear side cloth 10 Nylon 11 Polyethylene 30 Adhesive 31 Silicone film

Claims (3)

A circuit part equipped with an IC chip and having a function of communicating with the outside;
Urethane resin bonded to the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit part;
An IC tag comprising: a silicone film coated on the entire surface of the urethane resin. 2. The IC tag according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of each urethane resin bonded to the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit portion is 0.3 mm or more. A circuit part equipped with an IC chip and having a function of communicating with the outside;
Nylon and polyethylene laminate formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit part,
The IC tag is characterized in that the laminated body is arranged so that the polyethylene is on the circuit part side and fixed to the circuit part by thermocompression bonding.

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