JP2005071063A - Ic tag and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an IC tag that is rendered flexible so that it can be stuck to a curved surface of an article and that is sealed in the form of a bag for water resistance, while having sufficient resistance to external forces although being thin. <P>SOLUTION: The IC tag is provided with a flexible electronic component retaining film having electronic components, i.e., an antenna coil that provides data communication without contact by means of an induced electromagnetic field, and an IC for recording authentication information. The electronic component retaining film serving as a center layer is covered on its top and bottom faces with flexible inner protective films each of which is thicker than the electronic components. The outside of each inner protective film is entirely covered with a flexible and thermoplastic outer protective film. The outer peripheral edge of the outer protective film is subjected to thermo compression bonding to seal the IC tag in the form of a bag. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC tag that performs data communication in a non-contact manner using an induction electromagnetic field, and more particularly to a thin IC tag that is suitable for being attached to an article and excellent in water resistance, flexibility, and external force resistance.

  In general, an IC tag used as a data carrier includes an antenna coil and an IC (Integrated Circuit) including a nonvolatile memory, and wirelessly performs data communication with a communication device that generates an induction electromagnetic field.

  For example, in order to advance the automation of physical distribution, it is important to paste an identification slip on an article and efficiently read the authentication information recorded on the pasted individual slip. Conventionally, in order to realize such efficient reading, a bar code label corresponding to authentication information is attached to each slip, and the bar code reader reads the bar code label.

  However, in order to read a bar code label using a bar code reader, it is necessary to accurately associate a certain distance and direction between the two, which is an obstacle to automating and facilitating physical distribution. It was. Furthermore, the amount of information that can be entered on the bar code label is small, and the distribution management range is limited to a narrow area.

  In recent years, therefore, a slip-incorporated IC label that can read an IC in a non-contact manner using an induction electromagnetic field has been developed (for example, see Patent Document 1). If this slip-incorporated IC label is used, an induction electromagnetic field is used between the reading medium and the reading medium, so that the restriction on the distance and the direction between the two is not so much. For example, the authentication information recorded on the slip-internal IC label can be reliably read even from a distance of about 1 meter.

  Normally, this type of slip-internal IC label is affixed to a flat part of an article so as to obtain good reading characteristics. However, depending on the outer shape of the article, as shown in FIG. It may be unavoidable that the internal IC label 52 is stuck on the curved surface portion 54 of the article 53. In this case, it is necessary to bend the slip-internal IC label 52 along the curved surface portion 54, and this is not applicable in the case of the slip-internal IC label 52 having a material inappropriate for bending.

  In addition, the articles may be applied under adverse environmental conditions such as outdoors exposed to wind and rain, and the water resistance of the slip-inner IC label 52 is required in such applications. Furthermore, when the authentication information of the slip-inner IC label 52 is read while the article 53 is being transported, a strong external force may be directly applied to the slip-inner IC label 52 integral with the article depending on the transport method.

  For example, when a slip-internal IC label is affixed to the outer surface of a container pack used for transporting resin pellets, etc., the resin pellets can be left outside while being packed, and after use, they can be struck with a metal rod to drop trash. It is used in harsh environments such as washing, drying at high temperature, and then folding.

  Conventionally, as a method for protecting a slip-incorporated IC label from such environmental factors, the following two protection methods have been adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the first protection method is a film made of resin such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride) on the entire upper and lower surfaces of the slip-inner IC label 62 having the IC 61 integrally therewith. In this method, 63 is laminated as a protective layer and sealed. In this case, water resistance can be improved due to the sealed structure. However, it is not sufficient to cover the IC 61 of the slip-internal IC label 62 with the resin film 63 in order to protect it from external force.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the second protection method is to form the space 75 of the slip-inner IC label 71 while forming a space 75 with hard resin molded products 73 and 74 around the IC 72 mounted on the slip-inner IC label 71. This is a method of sealing the whole and protecting the resin molded products 73 and 74 from hitting the IC 72 even if an external force is applied by forming the space 75. In this case, since the resin molded products 73 and 74 can cover and seal the entire slip-internal IC label 71, an IC tag 76 having excellent water resistance and external force resistance can be obtained. However, the slip-internal IC label 71 used in such a protection method cannot be attached along the curved surface of the article because the resin molded products 73 and 74 are hard.

JP 2001-156110 A

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to the problems of the prior art described above, and is thin but has sufficient external force resistance and high protection performance, and further sealed in a bag shape to have water resistance. And it aims at providing the IC tag which gave the flexibility to the curved-surface part of an article | item and gave flexibility.

  The present invention relates to a flexible electronic component holding film having an electronic component of an antenna coil that performs non-contact data communication using an induction electromagnetic field and an IC that records authentication information, and a size that covers the electronic component holding film. And two upper and lower inner protective films having flexibility greater than that of the electronic component, and two upper and lower outer protective films having flexibility and thermoplasticity covering the upper and lower surfaces of the two upper and lower inner protective films. The IC tag has the electronic component holding film as a central layer, the upper and lower surfaces thereof are covered with the inner layer protective film and the outer layer protective film, and the outer peripheral edge of the outer layer protective film is heat-pressed and sealed in a bag shape. It is characterized by that.

  The IC tag used here can be composed of a non-contact RF (Radio Frequency) tag. The shape may be any shape such as a card shape, a stick shape, or a coin shape, and preferably a thin planar shape suitable for application to an article.

  The electronic component holding film includes an antenna coil and an electronic component such as an IC in which a copper wire is wound in a coil shape on a thin flat resin film, and authentication information recorded on the IC is induced by an induction electromagnetic field. Data communication can be performed in a non-contact manner with an external communication device via the network. Furthermore, by giving flexibility, it becomes possible to bend, and when it is assembled in an IC tag, it can be attached to the curved surface portion of the article.

  The inner layer protective film has a protective layer thicker than the thickness of the electronic components in the stacking direction, and serves as a buffer material so that external force from the vertical direction does not directly hit the electronic components. In addition, it is allowed to bend with flexibility, and can be attached to a curved surface portion when incorporated in an IC tag. For example, a urethane material that has both properties of buffering and flexibility suitable for external force absorption is used.

  The outer layer protective film has a size covering the upper and lower surfaces of the inner layer protective film, and further uses a material having flexibility and thermoplasticity, for example, a resin material such as olefin-based leather. In this case as well, bending is allowed by providing flexibility, and the product can be attached to the curved surface when it is incorporated into an IC tag. Further, since the IC tag is manufactured by sealing the outer layer protective film in a bag shape, the water resistance of the internal electronic component can be ensured.

  According to the present invention, the IC tag has the electronic component holding film as a central layer, and the inner layer protective film laminated at the upper and lower positions absorbs the external force, thereby avoiding a load due to the external force. In addition, since it is sealed in a bag shape with an outer layer protective film on the outer surface of the IC tag, the IC tag does not deteriorate even when used under adverse environmental conditions such as water resistance other than external force. Highly efficient use can be achieved.

  In particular, the IC tag can be configured to be flat and thin by laminating and laminating each film, and each film has flexibility and easily copes with bending deformation, and is a curved surface portion other than the flat portion of the article. But it can be pasted. For example, the entire IC tag may be bent and attached to the curved surface portion of the article along the curved surface. At the time of this pasting, it may be pasted using an adhesive or a double-sided tape. Accordingly, it is possible to attach the curved portion or the like to a position where the pasting place is limited.

  In another configuration of the present invention, when the inner layer protective film is superposed on the electronic component holding film, an IC protecting space portion that does not contact the IC mounted on the electronic component holding film is formed in the inner layer protective film. It is characterized by that.

  The IC protection space portion forms an IC protection space that does not come into contact with the IC by an inner layer protective film around the IC, and has a certain size at a position facing the IC of the inner layer protection film. Can be opened. For this reason, even if the inner layer protective film is pressurized and deformed by receiving an external force, it does not reach the IC by the space portion, so that the external force resistance is improved and the protection performance of the IC can be maintained.

  Another configuration of the present invention is characterized in that the contact surfaces of the inner layer protective film and at least the electronic component holding film as the central layer are overlapped without being fixed.

  In this case, since one electronic component holding film as the central layer and the two upper and lower inner protective films can be sealed and held in the outer protective film without fixing, both films when the IC tag is bent. The surface slips relatively in the direction of bending load. For this reason, it can be easily bent, resulting in a film superposition structure suitable for application to a curved surface portion. Furthermore, even when the bending angle is large or when a repeated bending load is applied, the bending easily follows.

  Moreover, not only between the contact surfaces of the center layer and the inner layer but also between the contact surfaces of the inner layer protective film and the outer layer protective film can be overlapped without being fixed. In this case, the relative sliding motion between the film surfaces becomes more remarkable.

  According to the present invention, a thin planar IC tag can be constructed by superimposing a plurality of layers of films, and each film has flexibility, so it has high bendability and can be applied to other than flat portions. it can. Furthermore, since it is sealed in a bag shape, water resistance is obtained, and the protection performance of the internal electronic components is improved. In addition, a highly reliable IC tag with buffering and external force resistance can be obtained by covering with a plurality of different protective layers.

  An inner layer having flexibility and external force resistance and an outer layer having flexibility and water resistance are laminated and sealed in the vertical direction of the central layer to be protected.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The drawing shows an IC tag. In FIG. 1, this IC tag 11 is used by being affixed to the outer surface of the article described above, and the authentication information of the affixed IC tag 11 is read to manage the article.

  FIG. 2 shows a laminated structure before the IC tag 11 is assembled. An electronic component holding film 12 as a central layer, an upper inner layer protective film 13 facing the upper surface side, and a lower inner layer facing the lower surface side. Five film layers of a protective film 14, an upper outer layer protective film 15 provided on the uppermost surface, and a lower outer layer protective film 16 provided on the lowermost surface are stacked in the vertical direction. The outer peripheral edge portions of the protective films 15 and 16 are heat-pressed and sealed in a bag shape so as to be integrally formed.

  As the electronic component holding film 12, a thin PET resin film 12a having a rectangular flexibility of, for example, about 0.1 mm is used, and a copper wire is spirally formed on the thin PET resin film 12a to perform data communication without contact. And an IC substrate (hereinafter referred to as an IC) 12c, which is connected to the antenna coil 12b and integrates a memory and necessary circuits.

  By using the film having flexibility described above, it becomes possible to bend along a curved surface, and bend when the IC tag 11 is manufactured by being laminated together with films 13 to 16 having flexibility described later. Can be attached to the curved surface.

  The upper inner layer protective film 13 uses a resin material having a size that covers the entire upper surface of the electronic component holding film 12 and a film thickness and flexibility that are thicker than the thickness of the IC 12c (in the thickness direction of the film). For example, a highly functional urethane resin material having a thickness of about 1.4 mm, which has both properties of buffering and flexibility suitable for external force absorption, is provided in a rectangular sheet shape. Therefore, even if an external force is applied here, the high-functional urethane resin material absorbs the external force, and a load due to the external force on the electronic component holding film 12 as a protection target is avoided. Furthermore, by making the protective layer thicker than the thickness of the IC 12c, an external force from above is prevented from being directly applied to the IC 12c. In addition, bending is possible by providing flexibility.

  Further, when the upper inner layer protective film 13 is superimposed on the upper surface of the electronic component holding film 12 and is brought into flat contact with the upper and lower surfaces, the upper upper inner layer is placed on the IC 12c mounted on the lower electronic component holding film 12. A space 13a for protecting the IC is formed so that the protective film 13 does not come into contact with and be damaged. The space portion 13 a may be formed by opening a through hole having a certain size that forms a space around the IC 12 c, for example, at a position facing the IC 12 c of the upper inner layer protective film 13. By forming the space portion 13a, even if the upper inner layer protective film 13 is pressurized and deformed by receiving an external force, the pressure deformed portion does not contact the IC 12c by the space portion 13a, so that the IC 12c can be protected from the external force.

  The lower inner layer protective film 14 has the same material, the same shape and the same protective function as the upper inner layer protective film 13 and is opposed to the lower surface side of the electronic component holding film 12. Further, the lower inner layer protective film 14 is also provided with an IC protecting space 14 a to protect against an external force from the lower surface side of the electronic component holding film 12.

  The upper outer layer protective film 15 has a rectangular size covering the upper surface of the upper inner layer protective film 13, and further uses a material having flexibility and thermoplasticity. For example, an olefin-based leather resin material having a thickness of about 0.3 mm is used. Also in this case, by giving flexibility, smooth bending is allowed and pasting to the curved surface portion is possible.

  Further, by imparting thermoplasticity, as shown in FIG. 3, the entire outer peripheral edge portion 17 of the upper and lower layer protective film 15 and the lower outer layer protective film 16 (described later) opposite to each other is sandwiched with a crimping tool, and 120 ° C. Sealed in a bag by thermocompression bonding. Thus, a bag is formed by the upper and lower protective film 15 and the lower outer protective film 16 of the uppermost lower layer, the electronic component holding film 12, the upper inner protective film 13 and the lower inner protective film 14 inside the bag. The IC tag 11 in which is integrally enclosed is configured.

  The lower outer layer protective film 16 has the same material, the same shape, and the same protective function as the upper outer layer protective film layer 15, and is opposed to the lower surface side of the lower inner layer protective film 14. The outer peripheral edge portions 17 facing each other in the vertical direction are heat-pressed.

  Thus, since the IC tag 11 is configured by sealing in a bag shape with the upper and lower outer layer protective films 15 and 16, the IC tag 11 has water resistance and is excellent in external force resistance. The IC tag 11 does not deteriorate and can be used with high reliability.

  In addition, when the films 12 to 16 constituting the IC tag 11 are laminated, the contact surfaces of the films are provided without being fixed with an adhesive. By enclosing the film surfaces without being fixed, when the IC tag 11 is bent, the film surfaces can be relatively slid and displaced in the direction of the bending load. 11 can be easily bent with a large curvature.

  As a result, the IC tag 11 can be reliably affixed to the curved surface portion even when it is unavoidable to affix the article to the curved surface portion. For this reason, it becomes the IC tag 11 suitable for sticking to a curved-surface part, and even if it is a case where a bending load is added repeatedly, it can apply. In particular, the IC tag 11 can be configured to be flat and thin by simply laminating and laminating each film, so it is easy to handle and mount, and is suitable for mounting in places where the application location is limited including curved surfaces. ing.

  Further, when the IC tag 11 is attached to the curved surface portion, since the films 12 to 16 of all layers have flexibility, the restoring action to the original flat state is small, and the peeling force from the article is low. small. For this reason, the bent state can be stably maintained.

Next, a manufacturing process of the IC tag 11 having such characteristics will be described with reference to FIG.
First, an electronic component holding film 12 provided with an antenna coil 12b and an IC 12c is provided. With the electronic component holding film 12 as a central layer, as shown in FIG. The protective film 13 and the lower inner layer protective film 14 are arranged to overlap each other. At this time, the positions of the IC 12c and the space portions 13a and 14a are aligned and overlapped so that the periphery of the IC 12c can be protected by the space portions 13a and 14a.

  In the superposed state, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), the upper outer layer protective film 15 and the lower outer inner layer protective film 16 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The outer peripheral edge portions 17 of the upper and lower outer layer protective films 15 and 16 that are provided are heat-pressed with a crimping tool and sealed in a bag shape. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4 (C), the IC tag 11 is a thin and excellent bendable tag integrally formed with five flexible film layers.

  The IC tag 11 configured as described above can be attached not only on the flat part of the article but also on the curved surface part, and the application of the IC tag 11 can be expanded. The IC tag 11 attached to the article is read in a non-contact manner by the communication device, and the article is detected and managed based on the read data.

  The present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, but can be applied based on the technical idea shown in the claims, and many embodiments can be obtained.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the laminated structure is configured such that the film surfaces can be slid and moved without being fixed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the IC tag 11 is used under a condition that is not extremely bent, or is repeatedly bent. When used in applications where a load is not applied, the film surfaces can be laminated and configured by bonding and fixing using an adhesive or double-sided tape.

The external appearance perspective view of an IC tag. The disassembled perspective view which shows the lamination | stacking state of each film before the assembly of an IC tag. AA sectional drawing of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the manufacture process of an IC tag. The top view which shows the affixing state to the curved surface part of the conventional slip | hollow interior type | mold IC label. The longitudinal section showing an example of the conventional slip interior type IC label. The longitudinal section showing other examples of the conventional slip interior type IC label.

Explanation of symbols

11 ... IC tag 12 ... Electronic component holding film 12c ... IC
13, 14 ... Inner layer protective film 13a, 14a ... Space part 15, 16 ... Outer layer protective film

Claims (3)

An electronic component holding film having flexibility, including an electronic component of an antenna coil that performs non-contact data communication using an induction electromagnetic field and an IC that records authentication information;
Two upper and lower inner protective films having a size that covers the electronic component holding film and a thickness that is thicker than the electronic component;
Two upper and lower outer protective films having flexibility and thermoplasticity covering the upper and lower surfaces of the two upper and lower inner protective films;
An IC tag in which the electronic component holding film is a central layer, the upper and lower surfaces thereof are covered with the inner layer protective film and the outer layer protective film, and the outer peripheral edge of the outer layer protective film is heat-pressed and sealed in a bag shape. The said inner layer protective film formed the space part for IC protection which does not contact IC mounted in the said electronic component holding film, when this inner layer protective film is piled up on the said electronic component holding film. IC tag. 2. The IC tag according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer protective film is overlapped without fixing at least the contact surface with the electronic component holding film as the central layer.

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