JP2011018318A - Reversible thermosensitive recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a high-quality electronic information recording element-embedded reversible thermosensitive recording medium in which, even when image erasure and formation are performed at a high speed of 3 IPS or higher, white voids and image fading do not occur in the formed image areas each corresponding to the surrounding area of the electronic information recording sheet, to the electronic information recording element, to the antenna circuit and to the conductive member, and image erasure can be completely performed.SOLUTION: The reversible thermosensitive recording medium includes: a reversible thermosensitive recording layer, a sheet-shaped base provided adjacent to the reversible thermosensitive recording layer, an electronic information recording module having a convex-shaped electronic information recording element and an antenna circuit both disposed on the module substrate, and an adhesive layer for bonding the sheet-shaped base and the electronic information recording module. The sheet-shaped base has a concave part on a surface opposite to a surface on which the reversible thermosensitive recording layer is formed, and the electronic information recording element is inserted into the concave part of the sheet-shaped base.

Description

  The present invention relates to a reversible thermosensitive recording medium having an electronic information recording unit.

IC cards are cash cards, credit cards, prepaid cards; transportation systems such as railways, buses, ETC, etc .; subscriber cards such as digital broadcasting and third-generation mobile phones; library window services, student ID cards, employee ID cards, and basics for residents Introduced in a wide range of industries, such as ledger cards, has begun to be used in a variety of fields, from everyday life to business, but with the current socio-economic activities, the amount of waste generated has increased. Yes.
Therefore, by reviewing the conventional economic society and lifestyles such as mass production, mass consumption, mass disposal, etc., and promoting efficient use and recycling of materials, the consumption of resources is reduced, and a recycling-oriented society with less impact on the environment. There is an urgent need to form.

For example, a reversible thermosensitive recording medium incorporating an electronic information recording element (hereinafter also referred to as “IC chip module” or “IC chip”) rewrites the internal information of the IC chip and records the recorded information. Since it can be displayed as a visible image on a reversible thermosensitive recording medium, the amount of waste generated can be reduced.
A reversible thermosensitive recording medium incorporating such an IC chip module has been used as an instruction sheet for a work book, a parts management slip, a process management slip, etc. in the manufacturing industry. Specifically, after the instruction sheet is wound around a round bar-shaped part or used in a card case, the instruction sheet is repeatedly rewritten.
When forming an image on the instruction sheet and erasing the image formed on the instruction sheet, the instruction sheet is pressed against a heating device such as a thermal head of a printer, an erasing bar, an erasing roller, or an erasing plate. For this reason, when the instruction sheet is rewritten, it is necessary to prevent the IC chip module from being damaged and to prevent the adhesive from flowing out from the bonding portion between the IC chip module and the reversible thermosensitive recording medium. Furthermore, it is desired that the instruction sheet has flexibility and good image quality.
Also, some intensive bending to the gripping shape when the tag is picked up manually during the extraction operation from the tag placed on the table surface or inside the tag holder of the BOX outer frame It is also desired that the tag shape can be handled flexibly and flexibly without breakage and can be handled easily.
Furthermore, it is assumed that it will be inserted into the printer immediately after gripping, and printing / erasing will be performed. Therefore, there is a demand for both a configuration that reduces jamming and poor conveyance.
In addition, by increasing the number of loaded sheets as much as possible, it is also required to reduce the number of times and time required for accessing the printer in order to reduce the work man-hours on site.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15, conventionally, as one of the oversheets, a reversible developer usually containing a colorless or light leuco dye and a reversible developer that causes the leuco dye to develop color by heating and decolorize by reheating. IC card incorporating IC chip module (electronic information recording element) 112 using reversible thermosensitive recording sheet 114 having at least one sensitive thermosensitive layer 114c, and the other oversheet (film base material) incorporating the IC card 111) and a reversible thermosensitive recording sheet 114, an IC card is proposed in which a core material 113 is provided by injection molding, and both sheets are thermally bonded via the core material 113 (see Patent Documents 1 to 5). ).
In FIG. 15, reference numeral “114a” indicates a protective layer, and reference numeral “114b” indicates an intermediate layer.

  However, in these proposed IC cards, since the IC chip module 112 is provided on the surface on the reversible thermosensitive recording sheet 114 side, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is non-uniformly pressed due to the presence of the IC chip module 112. As a result, an uneven portion is formed. As a result, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium cannot be heated uniformly by the heating device, and during recording, the heat conduction in the reversible thermosensitive recording medium cannot be kept uniform, and the image recorded on the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is uneven. Will occur. In addition, when information is erased, unevenness occurs in the portion of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium that contacts the heating device, resulting in erasure failure. Further, since a convex portion is formed at a portion where the IC chip module 112 is provided in the reversible thermosensitive recording medium, the IC chip module 112 is pressurized by a heating device via the reversible thermosensitive recording medium, and the IC chip module 112 is pressed. However, there is a problem that the film is peeled off or damaged from the reversible thermosensitive recording medium.

Various methods for solving these problems have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 6 to 10). However, in these methods, there is a problem that the reversible thermosensitive recording medium with an IC chip module becomes a thick and hard card, resulting in a high rigidity and no flexibility.
For this reason, a configuration has been proposed in which the IC chip module is provided on the opposite side of the reversible thermosensitive recording sheet via the IC chip substrate (see, for example, Patent Documents 11 and 12).
However, the unevenness of the surface of the electronic information recording element (hereinafter also referred to as “inlet”) having the electronic information recording element, the antenna circuit, and the conducting member is not caused only by the electronic information recording element, but the antenna circuit, And the conducting member also generates surface irregularities. In this antenna circuit, a jumping circuit is formed on the antenna circuit side and the back surface side of the antenna circuit board and connected by a conductive member. At this time, when the conductive member on the back surface side, the antenna circuit side and the back surface side are made to pass through with a laser or the like, a portion called a caulking portion is generated. In order to make the surface of the conductive member and the caulking portion on the back side uneven, the reversible thermosensitive recording sheet can be provided even if only the IC chip is provided on the opposite side of the reversible thermosensitive recording sheet via the IC chip substrate. The side irregularities are not solved. In particular, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 12 includes a jumper wire that is electrically short-circuited on the back surface of the antenna circuit board. Even when such a jumper wire exists on the reversible thermosensitive recording sheet side, There is a problem that recording failure and erasing failure occur in a reversible thermosensitive recording medium.

In order to solve the above problems, the applicant of the present application has previously proposed a reversible thermosensitive recording medium disclosed in Patent Document 13 and Patent Document 14. These proposals allow the electronic information recording element to protrude into the through-hole of the sheet so that it does not protrude beyond the thickness of the sheet, and the surface of the reversible thermosensitive recording sheet that does not have a reversible thermosensitive recording layer is provided. In the case where the electronic information recording sheet is opposed to the antenna circuit board, the electronic information recording element, the antenna circuit, and the surface not having the conducting member, the solution is achieved. When the transport speed of the printer is 2IPS, Recording failure and erasure failure can be improved.
However, even in these proposals, when image erasure and recording are performed at high speed (3IPS or more), the rewrite image quality (no blurring) in the electronic information recording sheet (including the IC chip area, the antenna circuit area, and the conductive member area) There is a problem in that an improvement effect of printing and erasing that remains unerasable cannot be obtained, and coloring defects occur.
Therefore, conventionally, the rewrite image quality on the electronic information recording sheet has been improved at the printer conveyance speed 2 IPS, but the rewrite image quality improvement effect has not been obtained in the image erasing and recording at the high conveyance speed 3 IPS. Is the situation.
This is because as the speed increases, the amount of heat from the erasing head of the printer is less likely to be transmitted to the surface of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium. In order to improve this, when the erasing temperature is raised in order to improve erasability, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is overheated by a high amount of heat from the erasing head, and recording is performed on the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in that state. The rapid cooling effect necessary for color development cannot be obtained, that is, the color development becomes difficult by entering the erase mode. For this reason, if there are irregularities such as an IC chip, antenna circuit, caulking connecting the antenna circuit and the IC chip on the surface of the electronic information recording section (an irregularity of about 50 μm is formed with the base material portion) and a level difference, it is due to poor contact with the thermal head. Due to the heat insulation effect of air, heat is not transmitted, so that there is a problem that the rapid cooling effect cannot be obtained and the color is not developed.
The reversible thermosensitive recording medium is also used in the field of physical distribution and the like, and in order to reduce costs such as shortening the working time, image erasure and recording at a high speed (printing speed of the printer is 3 IPS or more) is required. There is a need to do.

  Therefore, even if image erasing and recording are performed at a high speed of 3 IPS or higher, recording without white spots and blurring in the area surrounding the electronic information recording sheet, the electronic information recording element area, the antenna circuit area, and the conductive member area, and the remaining unerased The present situation is that it is desired to provide a reversible thermosensitive recording medium with a high quality electronic information recording element.

  Also, some intensive bending to the gripping shape when the tag is picked up manually during the extraction operation from the tag placed on the table surface or inside the tag holder of the BOX outer frame It is also desired that the tag shape can be handled flexibly and flexibly without breakage and can be handled easily. Furthermore, it is assumed that it will be inserted into the printer immediately after gripping, and printing / erasing will be performed. Therefore, there is a demand for both a configuration that reduces jamming and poor conveyance. In addition, when printing a batch of reversible thermosensitive recording media at once, the number of stacked sheets is increased as much as possible, so that the number of access to the printer and the access time can be shortened, thereby reducing the work man-hours in the field. It is requested.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the conventional problems and achieve the following objects. That is, according to the present invention, even when image erasing and recording are performed at a high speed of 3 IPS or higher, recording without white spots and blurring in the area surrounding the electronic information recording sheet, the electronic information recording element area, the antenna circuit area, and the conductive member area An object of the present invention is to provide a high-quality reversible thermosensitive recording medium excellent in print quality that can be erased without erasure.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have conducted intensive studies and obtained the following knowledge.
A heating member (thermal head) of a reversible thermal recording printer such as an IC card or an RF tag generally has a contact surface that is flat in the width direction and R in the traveling direction. In addition, the IC card and the RF tag media substrate can be applied with curls and surface irregularities as much as possible so that the temperature distribution can be applied uniformly by contacting the heat-sensitive member uniformly by pressing and pressing a roll-shaped heating member. Flatness with little is required. Many products have been commercialized so far in order to achieve flatness, increasing rigidity and curling and wavy due to media strength.
The inventors have found a configuration that does not impair color development and erasure quality regardless of the high-speed printing and thermal head shape accuracy, from the opposite idea of imparting rigidity.
That is, the total thickness of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is halved and the total thickness of the media is reduced to make the entire reversible thermosensitive medium flexible, so that the reversible thermosensitive medium is in sliding contact with the thermal head of the reversible thermosensitive recording. We have discovered a configuration that facilitates uniform surface contact even with high-speed printing and erasing transport movement under the thermal head by making the surface flexible.

Moreover, the following knowledge was acquired in the further examination.
In other words, even with surface irregularities and waves of 110 μm or less that do not affect the printing / erasing quality, adhesion between the hard base materials is visually observed from the direction in which the backlight is installed obliquely deep to make the irregular shadows easy to see. The unevenness of the agent layer may be reflected and may appear on the surface of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer.
By removing the base material layer of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium, the shape stress is released on the back side, and the unevenness on the surface of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer conforms to the flatness of the base material. Can be extinguished.
Further, in a film laminated with a multilayer film or a release liner, curling is likely to occur due to a difference in stress and heat shrinkage remaining in each material after molding. This occurs due to the difference in tension applied to the front and back substrates at the time of bonding the front and back substrates, and the difference in substrate expansion / contraction due to temperature / humidity effects. It is necessary to take measures such as changing the polarity of the curl by setting the temperature of the casting machine.
However, the total thickness of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is halved and the total thickness of the media is reduced to make the entire reversible thermosensitive medium flexible, so that the reversible thermosensitive medium is in sliding contact with the thermal head of the reversible thermosensitive recording. By softening the surface, even if the balance between the front and back base materials is lost and curls are generated, the flatness of one base material will be applied at the moment when the release paper is peeled off. Calm down. Also, even a single unit may curl due to moisture absorption, etc., but by using an adhesive layer on the back side that has good air permeability, the effect of humidity on the front and back sides is made uniform to prevent curling and make flatness easy. It was found that it can be obtained.
By improving the flexibility, the base material is flexible even when bent, and it plays a role of making a bend with a curvature that suppresses the occurrence of intensive and acute bending at the IC caulking portion. Therefore, it has been found that it is possible to reduce the load on the IC caulking portion.
In addition, the flexibility is improved because the tag shape flexibly corresponds to the shape to be gripped when handling the tag by hand when removing the tag from the tag or BOX tag holder on the surface. It has been found that sex can be imparted.

The present invention is based on the above findings of the present inventors, and means for solving the above problems are as follows. That is,
<1> a reversible thermosensitive recording layer, a base sheet disposed adjacent to the reversible thermosensitive recording layer, an electronic information recording section having a convex electronic information recording element and an antenna circuit on a circuit board; An adhesive layer that adheres the base sheet and the electronic information recording portion, and the base sheet has a recess on a surface opposite to a surface on which the reversible thermosensitive recording layer is disposed, The electronic information recording unit is a reversible thermosensitive recording medium in which the electronic information recording element is inserted into a recess of the base sheet.
<2> The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to <1>, wherein a distance between a side surface of the concave portion and a side surface of the electronic information recording element is 6.0 mm or less in the width direction of the concave portion.
<3> The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of <1> to <2>, wherein a distance between the bottom surface of the recess and the top of the electronic information recording element is 0 μm to 50 μm in the depth direction of the recess. It is.
<4> The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein a gap between the concave portion and the electronic information recording element is filled with an adhesive layer.
<5> The adhesive layer is disposed so as to cover the entire surface opposite to the surface on which the electronic information recording element of the electronic information recording unit is disposed, and the thickness of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is uniform. <1> to the reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of <4>.
<6> Further, the reversible thermosensitive material according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein one or more functional layers are disposed on the opposite side of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer via the base sheet and the adhesive layer. It is a recording medium.
<7> The reversible feeling according to any one of <1> to <6>, wherein the adhesive layer has a processing temperature of 60 ° C. to 90 ° C. during application and adhesion, and a viscosity of 1 × 10 ⁵ CPS or less. It is a thermal recording medium.
<8> The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of <1> to <7>, wherein the exposed layer disposed on the side opposite to the reversible thermosensitive recording layer via the base sheet contains an antistatic agent. .
<9> The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of <1> to <7>, wherein the adhesive layer contains an antistatic conductive filler.
<10> The depth of the recess is 150 μm or less, and in the width direction of the recess, the distance between the side surface of the recess and the side surface of the electronic information recording element is 1.5 mm or less. > A reversible thermosensitive recording medium.
<11> The depth of the recess is 110 μm or less, and in the width direction of the recess, the distance between the side surface of the recess and the side surface of the electronic information recording element is 6.0 mm or less. > A reversible thermosensitive recording medium.
<12> When the maximum height R _max in the plane is the surface roughness, the surface roughness on the exposed surface of the exposed layer disposed on the side opposite to the reversible thermosensitive recording layer via the base sheet is 7 μm to The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of <1> to <11>, which is 70 μm.
<13> The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of <1> to <12>, wherein the total thickness is 500 μm or less.
<14> The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of <1> to <13>, wherein a bending deformation load representing flexibility is 28 gf or less.

  According to the present invention, the conventional problems can be solved, the object can be achieved, and the area around the electronic information recording sheet and the electronic information recording element area can be obtained even when image erasing and recording are performed at a high speed of 3IPS or higher. Further, it is possible to provide a reversible thermosensitive recording medium excellent in print quality capable of recording without white spots and blurring in the antenna circuit region and the conductive member region, and capable of erasing without unerased.

FIG. 1A is a plan view illustrating an example of an electronic information recording unit. FIG. 1B is a side view showing an example of an electronic information recording unit. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a reversible thermosensitive recording medium 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the manufacturing process of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 100. FIG. 5 is an apparatus configuration diagram showing an example of high-precision positioning and bonding of an electronic information recording element (IC chip portion) and a recess. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a printer that forms and erases an image on a reversible thermosensitive recording medium. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of a printer that forms and erases an image on a reversible thermosensitive recording medium. FIG. 8 shows imaging data in a printing state at the conveyance speed 3 IPS of the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1. FIG. 9 shows image data of a printing state at the conveyance speed 3 IPS of the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 3. FIG. 10 shows imaging data in a printing state at the conveyance speed 3 IPS of the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 2. FIG. 11 shows imaging data in a printing state at the conveyance speed 3 IPS of the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 4. FIG. 12 shows image data of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Example 1 in the restored state. FIG. 13 shows image data of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Comparative Example 1 in the restored state. FIG. 14 is image data obtained by enlarging the half-folded portion in FIG. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional reversible thermosensitive recording medium. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a conventional reversible thermosensitive recording medium. FIG. 17A is imaging data showing a print state of a full solid (black solid) image of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Example 1. FIG. 17B is imaging data showing a halftone image printing state of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Example 1. FIG. 18A is imaging data showing a print state of a full solid (black solid) image of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Comparative Example 1. FIG. 18B is imaging data showing a halftone image printing state of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Comparative Example 1. FIG. 19 is a graph showing the relationship between the adhesive application temperature and the curl amount. FIG. 20 is a graph showing a decrease in temperature based on the passage of time. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for measuring the flexibility of a reversible thermosensitive recording medium using a load measuring device.

  The reversible thermosensitive recording medium of the present invention includes at least a reversible thermosensitive recording layer, a base sheet, an electronic information recording section, and an adhesive layer, and further has an arbitrary function arranged according to the purpose. It has a functional layer and other layers.

-Reversible thermosensitive recording layer-
The reversible thermosensitive recording layer is a thermosensitive recording layer whose color tone changes reversibly, and contains a reversible thermosensitive recording material whose color state changes reversibly with temperature. The color state of the reversible thermosensitive recording material changes depending on a combination of changes in transmittance, reflectance, absorption wavelength, scattering degree, and the like.

The reversible thermosensitive recording material is not particularly limited as long as the transparency and color tone are reversibly changed by heat, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, for example, a first temperature higher than normal temperature. The material which will be in the state of a 1st color and will be in the state of a 2nd color by heating at 2nd temperature higher than 1st temperature, and cooling after that is mentioned. Among these, a material whose color state changes between the first temperature and the second temperature is particularly preferable.
Specifically, a material that becomes transparent at the first temperature and becomes cloudy at the second temperature (see JP-A-55-154198), develops color at the second temperature, and disappears at the first temperature. Material to be colored (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 4-224996, 4-247985, and 4-267190), a material that becomes cloudy at a first temperature and becomes transparent at a second temperature ( JP-A-3-169590), a material that develops black, red, blue, etc. at a first temperature and decolors at a second temperature (JP-A-2-188293, JP-A-2-188294) For example). Among these, a system in which an organic low-molecular substance such as a higher fatty acid is dispersed in a resin base material or a system using a leuco dye and a developer is particularly preferable.

There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said leuco dye, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a phthalide compound, an azaphthalide compound, a fluorane compound, etc. are mentioned. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.
The developer is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. For example, JP-A-5-124360, JP-A-6-210554, JP-A-10-95175, etc. What is disclosed is mentioned. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.
The developer includes a structure having a color developing ability for developing a leuco dye in a molecule (for example, a phenolic hydroxyl group, a carboxylic acid group, a phosphate group, etc.) and a structure for controlling the cohesive force between molecules (for example, , A structure in which long-chain hydrocarbon groups are linked). These structures may be linked via a divalent or higher valent linking group having a hetero atom. Further, the long chain hydrocarbon group may have the same linking group and / or aromatic group.

  Examples of such a developer include those disclosed in JP-A-9-290563 and JP-A-11-188969. Among these, at least one of the compounds represented by the following general formulas (1) and (2) is preferable. Since these developers have very high sensitivity, when the same image density is output, the applied energy can be reduced by about 10% to 30% compared to the conventional developer. If the applied energy is small, the thermal decomposition of the developer is mitigated, and the damage to the surface of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium and the medium itself is also mitigated. Can improve the quality.

However, in the general formula (1), X and Y each independently represent a divalent organic group having a hetero atom. R ¹ represents a substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon group. R ² represents a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group. a represents an integer of 1 to 3, b represents an integer of 1 to 20, and c represents an integer of 0 to 3.
However, in said general formula (2), Z represents the bivalent organic group which has a hetero atom. R ³ represents a substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon group. R ⁴ represents a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group. d represents an integer of 1 to 3.

In the general formulas (1) and (2), X, Y, and Z each independently represent a divalent organic group having a hetero atom, and in particular, a divalent organic group containing a nitrogen atom or an oxygen atom is Preferable examples include divalent organic groups having at least one group represented by the following structural formula.

Specific examples of the divalent organic group having a hetero atom include groups represented by the following structural formulas.

Among these, a group represented by the following structural formula is particularly preferable.

In the said General formula (1) and (2), R < ¹ > and R < ³ > represents the C1-C20 bivalent hydrocarbon group which may be substituted by the substituent.
Preferred examples of R ¹ and R ³ include those represented by the following structural formulas.
However, q, q ′, q ″, and q ′ ″ in the structural formulas represent integers that satisfy the carbon numbers of R ¹ and R ³ , respectively. Among them, - _(CH 2) q- are particularly preferred.

In the general formulas (1) and (2), R ² and R ⁴ represent an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 24 carbon atoms which may be substituted with a substituent, and preferably 8 to 18 carbon atoms. .
The aliphatic hydrocarbon group may be linear or branched, and may have an unsaturated bond. Examples of the substituent bonded to the hydrocarbon group include a hydroxyl group, a halogen atom, and an alkoxy group. Note that when the sum of the carbon atoms of R ¹ and R ² , R ³ and R ⁴ is 7 or less, the stability of color development and decoloring properties are lowered.
Preferred examples of R ² and R ⁴ include the following.
However, q, q ′, q ″, and q ′ ″ in the above formulas represent integers that satisfy the carbon numbers of R ² and R ⁴ , respectively. Among _{them, - (CH 2) q-} CH 3 are particularly preferred.

If necessary, the reversible thermosensitive recording layer may further contain additives for improving or controlling coating characteristics and coloring / decoloring characteristics. Examples of the additive include a surfactant, a conductive agent, a filler, an antioxidant, a coloring stabilizer, and a decoloring accelerator.
The reversible thermosensitive recording layer preferably contains a leuco dye, a developer and an additive together with a binder resin. The binder resin is not particularly limited as long as these materials can be bound onto the base sheet. Among these, a resin cured with heat, ultraviolet (UV), electron beam (EB) or the like is preferable in order to improve durability during repetition, and a resin cured with a curing agent is particularly preferable. . Thereby, a gel fraction can be improved.
The resin that can be thermally cured is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. For example, acrylic polyol resin, polyester polyol resin, polyurethane polyol resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, cellulose acetate propionate , Cellulose acetate butyrate, and the like.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said hardening | curing agent, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, Isocyanate is preferable. Examples of the isocyanate include hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), xylylene diisocyanate (XDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI); adduct type, burette type, and isocyanurate of these isocyanates with trimethylolpropane. Type, blocked isocyanate, and the like. Among these, hexamethylene diisocyanate, its adduct type, burette type, and isocyanurate type are preferable. However, the entire amount of the curing agent may not be cured. That is, an unreacted curing agent may be present in the reversible thermosensitive recording layer. At this time, a curing catalyst may be used to promote the curing reaction.

The reversible thermosensitive recording layer preferably has a gel fraction of 30% or more, more preferably 50% or more, and still more preferably 70% or more. If the gel fraction is less than 30%, the repeated durability may decrease.
Here, the gel fraction can be measured by immersing the coating film in a highly soluble solvent. Specifically, the reversible thermosensitive recording layer is peeled from the substrate sheet, and the initial mass of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer is measured. Next, the reversible thermosensitive recording layer is placed in a 400-mesh metal mesh, soaked in a solvent in which the uncured binder resin is soluble for 24 hours, and then vacuum-dried, and the mass after drying is measured. Thereby, a gel fraction can be calculated | required from following Numerical formula 1.

<Formula 1>
Gel fraction (%) = (mass after drying) / (initial mass) × 100
At this time, the calculation is performed excluding the mass of components (such as organic low molecular weight particles) other than the binder resin in the reversible thermosensitive recording layer. In addition, when the mass of the organic low molecular substance particles is not known in advance, the area ratio per unit area, the binder resin, and the organic content are obtained by observing a cross section of a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), or the like. The mass ratio may be calculated from the specific gravity of the low molecular substance particles to calculate the mass of the organic low molecular substance particles.

In the reversible thermosensitive recording layer, the mass ratio of the binder resin to the color forming component is preferably 0.1 to 10. If the mass ratio is less than 0.1, the heat intensity of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer may be insufficient, and if it is greater than 10, the color density may be lowered.
The reversible thermosensitive recording layer can be formed by applying a coating solution in which a leuco dye, a developer, an additive, a binder resin, and a solvent are uniformly dispersed.
Examples of the solvent include alcohols, ketones, ethers, glycol ethers, esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and the like.
The coating liquid can be prepared using a dispersion apparatus such as a paint shaker, a ball mill, an attritor, a three roll mill, a keddy mill, a sand mill, a dyno mill, or a colloid mill. At this time, each material may be dispersed in a solvent using a dispersing device, or a material in which each material is dispersed may be mixed. Further, each material may be dissolved by heating and then precipitated by rapid cooling or slow cooling.
Coating methods include blade coating method, wire bar coating method, spray coating method, air knife coating method, bead coating method, curtain coating method, gravure coating method, kiss coating method, reverse roll coating method, dip coating method, die coating method Etc.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the thickness of the said reversible thermosensitive recording layer, According to the objective, it can select suitably, 1 micrometer-20 micrometers are preferable, and 3 micrometers-15 micrometers are more preferable. If the thickness is less than 1 μm, the color density may decrease and the contrast of the image may decrease. If the thickness exceeds 20 μm, the heat distribution of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer will increase and the color temperature will not be reached and no color will develop. Part may occur, and the target color density may not be obtained.

-Base sheet-
The base sheet is disposed adjacent to the reversible thermosensitive recording medium, and a recess is formed on a surface opposite to the surface on which the reversible thermosensitive recording layer is disposed. The concave portion is formed so that a convex electronic information recording portion arranged on the electronic information recording portion (inlet) can be inserted.

  The substrate sheet is not particularly limited in shape, structure, size, etc., and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, the shape includes a film shape, a sheet shape, In addition, examples of the planar shape include a quadrangle and a circle, and examples of the structure include a single layer structure and a laminated structure. The size can be appropriately selected depending on the application.

As the base sheet, for example, a resin sheet, a rubber sheet, a synthetic paper, a metal sheet, a glass sheet, or a composite thereof can be used. Among these, a resin sheet is particularly preferable.
Examples of the resin sheet include a polyethylene terephthalate sheet, a polycarbonate sheet, a polystyrene sheet, and a polymethyl methacrylate sheet. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together. Among these, a polyethylene terephthalate sheet is particularly preferable.

The base sheet may be appropriately synthesized or a commercially available product may be used.
The thickness of the base sheet is selected in consideration of the depth of the concave portion because a concave portion is formed so that a convex electronic information recording portion can be inserted, and is preferably 20 μm to 300 μm, preferably 50 μm to 188 μm is more preferable.

--Recess-
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a shape of the said recessed part, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, The depth of 20 micrometers-260 micrometers is preferable.
When the concave portion has such a shape, there is no white spot or blur and an extremely excellent print quality can be obtained.

Further, there is no particular limitation on the interval in the width direction of the recess between the recess and the electronic information recording element, but when the depth of the recess is 150 μm, the side surface of the recess and the electronic information recording element The distance from the side surface is preferably 0 mm to 1.5 mm, more preferably 0 mm to 1.0 mm, and particularly preferably 0 mm to 0.5 mm.
If it exceeds 1.5 mm, the probability of white spots and blurring gradually increases.
As another preferred embodiment, when the depth of the recess is 110 μm, the distance between the side surface of the recess and the side surface of the electronic information recording element is preferably 0 mm to 6.0 mm, more preferably 0 mm to 4.0 mm. 0 mm to 2.0 mm is particularly preferable.
If it exceeds 6 mm, the probability of white spots and blurring gradually increases.
In addition, the space | interval in the width direction of the said recessed part between the said recessed part and the said electronic information recording element means the width dimension of the part used as a space | gap in the state which inserted the said electronic information recording element in this recessed part.

The distance in the depth direction of the recess between the recess and the electronic information recording element is not particularly limited, but the distance between the bottom surface of the recess and the top of the electronic information recording element is 0 μm to 50 μm. Preferably, 0 μm to 20 μm is more preferable. In this range, image omission can be improved.
When the distance is less than 0 μm, the electronic information recording element protrudes toward the base sheet side, and the surrounding area of the electronic information recording element may become poorly colored during recording. If the thickness exceeds 50 μm, the electronic information recording element may be concave on the back side, and the electronic information recording element area may become defective in color during recording.

When a gap exists between the recess and the electronic information recording element, it is preferable that the gap is filled with an adhesive layer.
With such a configuration, since the gap, that is, the unevenness present in the medium can be completely filled and uniform adhesion to the thermal head of the medium surface can be ensured, Even if the shape is a shape having a depth of 260 μm and a width of 6 mm, it is possible to obtain excellent print quality without white spots and blurring.
However, due to the coloring principle of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer in which the black color develops deeply in the place where it is rapidly cooled after heating, compared with the PET base material layer containing titanium dioxide in the component, it does not contain metal, The print quality deterioration factor is more fundamental in the configuration where the adhesive part, which is a component with low thermal conductivity, does not take a large area directly under the reversible thermosensitive recording layer, and the structure where the counterbore area is narrower than the IC part. This is a configuration with few prints and good print quality.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a formation method of the said recessed part, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, laser processing etc. are mentioned.

-Electronic information recording section-
The electronic information recording unit (sometimes referred to as “inlet”) includes a convex electronic information recording element (IC chip) and an antenna circuit on a circuit board, and a caulking unit, and if necessary, other It has the member of.

Here, FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B show an example of the electronic information recording part used by this invention, FIG. 1A is a top view, FIG. 1B is a side view.
This electronic information recording unit (inlet) 10 forms a coiled antenna circuit 10c on a circuit board 10a such as a plastic film, and forms an LC resonance circuit with the coil and a capacitive element to generate radio waves of a constant frequency. While receiving, the information of the electronic information recording element 10b can be transmitted and returned to the transmission source. In general, the communication frequency is appropriately selected from a frequency band such as 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 2.45 GHz, 5.8 GHz (microwave), and UHF band. 10d is a crimping part.

The antenna circuit 10c can be formed by etching a metal film laminated on the circuit board 10a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a covered electric wire (such as an enameled wire) is placed on the same surface. The antenna circuit 10c may be formed by printing a so-called conductive paste on the circuit board 10a or embedding it in the antenna circuit board.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a base material used for the said circuit board 10a, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, rigid types, such as paper phenol, glass epoxy, a composite, a polyimide, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene A flexible type such as nylon, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), paper, and synthetic paper, and a composite type of both can be used.
The thickness of the circuit board is not particularly limited, but is preferably 15 μm to 360 μm. For the purpose of thinning the reversible thermosensitive recording medium and improving flexibility, the electronic information recording element 10 b having a lower height is preferred. However, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium can be thinned, and the adhesive layer to be covered and coated can be made thinner with the thinner inlet base and antenna, and from the viewpoint of processing workability, cost, etc., 15 μm to 100 μm Is more preferable.

A metal foil as an antenna circuit is laminated on the base material of the electronic information recording unit. As the metal foil, a copper foil, an aluminum foil, an iron foil, etc. can be used. The thickness is preferably 6 μm to 50 μm. The shape is not particularly limited, and may be any of square, rectangle, circle, and ellipse.
The thickness (height) of the electronic information recording element 10b is not particularly limited, but is preferably 200 μm or less, and more preferably 25 μm to 140 μm. Further, in order to protect the electronic information recording element 10b, a protective film such as a polyimide film, a polyester film, or paper can be adhered. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the thickness of the said protective film, 10 micrometers-60 micrometers are preferable.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as such an electronic information recording part 10, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, the product made by UPM, the product made by OMRON, the product made by Alien Technology, the product made by Sony Corporation, the product made by Fujitsu Ltd. Inlet made by Hitachi, Texas Instruments, Fujii, DNP, Toppan, etc. can be used.

-Adhesive layer-
The adhesive layer is a layer that bonds the base sheet and the electronic information recording part (inlet).
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as an adhesive agent used for the said adhesive bond layer, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a urea resin, a melamine resin, a phenol resin, an epoxy resin, a vinyl acetate type resin, vinyl acetate- Acrylic copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, acrylic resin, polyvinyl ether resin, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polystyrene resin, polyester resin, polyurethane resin, polyamide resin, chlorine Polyolefin resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, acrylic acid ester copolymer, methacrylic acid ester copolymer, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, cyanoacrylate resin, silicone resin, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer , EVA resin, and the like.
Among these, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, acrylic resin, silicone resin, polyurethane resin, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer, and EVA resin are preferable, and acrylic resin is particularly preferable.

Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as thickness of the said adhesive bond layer, +0 micrometer-+150 micrometers are preferable when the thickness equivalent to the thickness from the base material bottom face of an electronic information recording part to the plane of an antenna circuit (thickness of an antenna part) is set to +0 micrometer. +0 μm to +100 μm are more preferable, and +0 μm to 60 μm are particularly preferable.
When the thickness is less than the thickness of the antenna portion, the thickness of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is not sufficiently uniform, and the print quality is deteriorated.
Regarding the upper limit of the thickness, for example, when the thickness of the antenna layer is more than +150 μm with respect to the thickness of 100 μm and the adhesive layer has a thickness exceeding 250 μm, the heating device is used to provide a reversible feeling. When printing or erasing the thermal recording medium, the adhesive layer may be melted by the thermal pressure from the thermal head, and the protrusion may occur.

Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as a processing method of the said adhesive bond layer, After apply | coating the composition solution containing the said adhesive agent, the processing method heated and adhere | attached is mentioned.
When processing by the said processing method, as said adhesive bond layer, it is preferable that the processing temperature at the time of application | coating and adhesion | attachment is 60 to 90 degreeC, and a viscosity is 1 * 10 < ⁵ > CPS or less.
That is, by reducing the coating temperature and viscosity of the adhesive layer, the curl amount in the resulting reversible thermosensitive recording medium can be kept low, and the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in the next step has a desired size. The temperature of the adhesive layer can be quickly lowered to a temperature (about 60 ° C.) at which cutting can be performed in the step of cutting, and production efficiency can be greatly improved.
Examples of the adhesive that forms such an adhesive layer include PUR HM adhesive Perfectlock MR900RI (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as PUR) manufactured by Henkel Technologies Japan Co., Ltd.
The lower limit of the processing temperature is about 65 ° C., and the lower limit of the viscosity is about 1 × 10 ⁵ CPS. If the value is higher than these values, sufficient processing May not be possible.

As the adhesive layer, the base sheet and the electronic information recording unit are bonded, and further, the entire surface of the electronic information recording unit opposite to the surface on which the electronic information recording element is disposed is covered. It is preferable to be arranged. In this case, it is preferable to form the electronic information recording portion as a uniform layer so that the shape of the electronic information recording portion does not appear, and to keep the thickness of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium uniform.
When the adhesive layer is disposed so as to cover the entire surface opposite to the surface on which the electronic information recording element of the electronic information recording unit is disposed, the structure is made flexible by making the base material one side. On the other hand, a medium configuration that is a uniform layer without bubbles with good print quality by covering the electronic information recording part with a highly fluid adhesive, and also a layer that also protects the electronic information recording part can do.

When the adhesive layer is an exposed layer, the adhesive layer preferably contains an antistatic conductive filler.
Including a conductive filler for antistatic leads to prevention of double feeding in the printer due to sticking and improvement of the handling characteristics of the stacked tags.
The antistatic conductive filler is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include inorganic fillers and organic fillers.
Examples of the inorganic filler include carbonates, silicates, metal oxides, and sulfuric acid compounds.
Examples of the organic filler include silicone resin, cellulose resin, epoxy resin, nylon resin, phenol resin, polyurethane resin, urea resin, melamine resin, polyester, polycarbonate, styrene resin, acrylic resin, polyethylene, formaldehyde resin, Examples include polymethyl methacrylate.

-Functional layer-
One or more functional layers are disposed on the opposite side of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer via the base sheet and the adhesive layer as necessary.
The functional layer is not particularly limited, and may be necessary according to an arbitrary purpose such as maintenance of curl balance, decoration, prevention of tampering with the electronic information recording unit (IC unit), and improvement of the strength of the electronic information recording unit area. A layer exhibiting a corresponding function can be appropriately selected.
Moreover, a back layer is mentioned as said functional layer.

--Back layer--
The back layer is disposed for the purpose of preventing curling.
Examples of the constituent material of the back layer include heat, ultraviolet rays, electron beams and the like, preferably a resin cured using ultraviolet rays. In addition, as a material that can be cured using heat, ultraviolet rays, electron beams, or the like, the same material as the reversible thermosensitive recording layer can be used, and it can be cured in the same manner.
The method for forming the back layer is the same as that for the reversible thermosensitive recording layer. At this time, the shrinkage between the side on which the reversible thermosensitive recording layer is provided and the side on which the back layer is provided is reduced. It is preferable to apply so as to achieve a balance. Thereby, after all the layers are applied, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium can be flattened.

In addition to the resin, the back layer may contain an organic filler, an inorganic filler, a lubricant, a coloring pigment, an antistatic agent, an ultraviolet absorber, and the like.
Examples of the inorganic filler include carbonates, silicates, metal oxides, and sulfate compounds.
Examples of the organic filler include silicone resin, cellulose resin, epoxy resin, nylon resin, phenol resin, polyurethane resin, urea resin, melamine resin, polyester, polycarbonate, styrene resin, acrylic resin, polyethylene, formaldehyde resin, poly Examples include methyl methacrylate.
Examples of the ultraviolet absorber include compounds having a salicylate structure, a cyanoacrylate structure, a benzotriazole structure, a benzophenone structure, and the like.
Examples of the lubricant include synthetic waxes, vegetable waxes, animal waxes, higher alcohols, higher fatty acids, higher fatty acid esters, amides and the like.
The thickness of the back layer is preferably 0.1 μm to 10 μm.

In the reversible thermosensitive recording medium thus configured, the exposed layer disposed on the opposite side of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer via the base sheet can be an adhesive layer, a back layer, or the like. .
In the exposed surface of the exposed layer, when the maximum height in the plane was a surface roughness of R _max, examples of the surface roughness is not particularly limited, 7Myuemu～70myuemu are preferred.
With such surface roughness, even if moisture adheres to the exposed surface depending on the usage environment, double feeding due to water sticking can be prevented.
That is, when the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is printed at once, it is required to reduce the number of access to the printer, shorten the access time, and reduce the work man-hour by increasing the number of stacked sheets as much as possible. At this time, by setting the surface roughness, even if moisture adheres to the exposed surface, double feeding due to water sticking is prevented, the number of accesses to the printer is reduced, and the access time is shortened. The number of man-hours can be reduced, the access time can be shortened, the work time can be reduced.

The sticking force between the reversible thermosensitive recording media can be measured as follows.
That is, after the two reversible thermosensitive recording media are wetted with water, they are passed through a roll and brought into close contact with each other. Maximum load when each of the two reversible thermosensitive recording media is held at a clamp of a tensile tester (manufactured by Imada Co., Ltd., Digital Force Gauge MAX 5 Kgf) at a drawing speed of 300 mm / min. Can be measured as
At this time, the sticking force between the reversible thermosensitive recording media is preferably 5 N or less.
If it exceeds 5N, double feed due to water sticking may occur.

-Other layers-
Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as said other layer, The protective layer which may be provided in the surface opposite to the surface where the said base material sheet of the said reversible thermosensitive recording layer is arrange | positioned is mentioned. An intermediate layer may be disposed between the protective layer and the reversible thermosensitive recording layer.

--Protective layer--
The constituent material of the protective layer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include resins cured using heat, ultraviolet rays, electron beams, etc. Among them, resins cured using ultraviolet rays or electron beams are particularly preferable. .
Examples of the resin that can be cured using the ultraviolet rays (electron beam) include urethane acrylate-based, epoxy acrylate-based, polyester acrylate-based, polyether acrylate-based, vinyl-based, unsaturated polyester-based oligomers; Examples thereof include monomers such as functional and polyfunctional acrylates, methacrylates, vinyl esters, ethylene derivatives, and allyl compounds.
In addition, when making it bridge | crosslink using an ultraviolet-ray, it is preferable to use a photoinitiator and a photoinitiator. Further, as the resin that can be thermally cured, the same resin as that of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer can be used, and the resin can be similarly cured.
The thickness of the protective layer is preferably 0.1 μm to 10 μm.

--Intermediate layer--
The intermediate layer improves adhesion of the protective layer to the reversible thermosensitive recording layer, prevents alteration of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer by applying a coating solution for the protective layer, and adds an additive in the protective layer to the reversible thermosensitive recording layer. Provided to prevent migration. Thereby, the preservability of an image can be improved.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a constituent material of the said intermediate | middle layer, The resin hardened using a heat | fever, an ultraviolet-ray, an electron beam, etc., a thermoplastic resin is mentioned.
The thermosetting resin or thermoplastic resin is not particularly limited. For example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl butyral, polyurethane, saturated polyester, unsaturated polyester, epoxy resin, phenol resin, polycarbonate, polyamide Etc.
The resin cured using heat, ultraviolet rays, electron beams or the like is not particularly limited, and the same resin as the reversible thermosensitive recording layer can be used and can be cured in the same manner.
In addition, as a formation method of the said intermediate | middle layer, the formation method similar to the said reversible thermosensitive recording layer can be mentioned.

Furthermore, the intermediate layer may contain a filler, an ultraviolet absorber, or the like, if necessary.
As content of the filler in the said intermediate | middle layer, 1 volume%-95 volume% are preferable, and 5 volume%-75 volume% are more preferable.
Moreover, as content of the ultraviolet absorber in the said intermediate | middle layer, it is preferable that it is 0.5 mass%-10 mass% with respect to the said resin.
Moreover, as thickness of the said intermediate | middle layer, 0.1 micrometers-20 micrometers are preferable, and 0.3 micrometer-3 micrometers are more preferable.

Each of the intermediate layer and the protective layer laminated on the reversible thermosensitive recording layer preferably contains a resin having low oxygen permeability. This makes it possible to suppress oxidation of the leuco dye and the developer in the reversible thermosensitive recording layer.
An under layer may be provided between the reversible thermosensitive recording layer and the base sheet. Thereby, the color development sensitivity of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer and the adhesion between the reversible thermosensitive recording layer and the substrate sheet can be improved.
Moreover, you may provide the photothermal conversion layer which absorbs the laser beam for color-developing the said reversible thermosensitive recording layer and converts light into heat using a laser beam.
Furthermore, a heat insulating layer such as an air layer may be provided to prevent heat dissipation.

The total thickness of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium of the present invention thus formed is preferably 150 μm to 500 μm, more preferably 250 μm to 400 μm, and particularly preferably 270 μm to 300 μm.
When the total thickness exceeds 500 μm, the flexibility is impaired and the effect of improving the head adhesion cannot be exhibited. Further, when the thickness is 580 μm or more, clogging occurs in the conveyance system of the printer.
If the total thickness is less than 150 μm, the film becomes too thin and insufficiently pressed against the thermal head, resulting in poor printing.

There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a bending deformation load showing the softness | flexibility of the said reversible thermosensitive recording medium, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, Less than 45 gf is preferable and 28 gf or less is more preferable.
The bending deformation load representing the flexibility can be measured as follows.
First, a tag sample having a size of 200 mm in length and 85 mm in width is placed in a flat, unweighted place where a space between rectangular pedestals is opened in parallel with a span of 100 mm. Using a general spring balance (Max 500 gf, push probe diameter Φ3 mm bar), press the center of the tag (50 mm position between spans of 100 mm, 42.5 mm position from the center end of 85 mm wide) from top to bottom. Then, the load at the time of deformation is measured 10 mm downward in the height direction (see FIG. 21).

-First embodiment-
As shown in FIG. 2, a reversible thermosensitive recording medium 100 according to the first embodiment includes a reversible thermosensitive recording layer 2, a substrate sheet 1 disposed adjacent to the reversible thermosensitive recording layer 2, and a circuit. The electronic information recording part 10 which has the convex-shaped electronic information recording element 10b and the antenna circuit 10c on the board | substrate 10a, and the adhesive bond layer 4 which adhere | attaches the base material sheet 1 and the said electronic information recording part 10 are comprised. The
Here, the substrate sheet 1 has a recess 5 formed on the surface opposite to the surface on which the reversible thermosensitive recording layer 2 is disposed. The electronic information recording unit 10 is arranged such that the electronic information recording element 10 b is inserted into the recess 5 of the base sheet 1. The adhesive layer 4 is disposed so as to cover the entire surface opposite to the surface on which the electronic information recording element 10b of the electronic information recording unit 10 is disposed, and is formed so that the exposed surface is a uniform layer. ing.
According to such a reversible thermosensitive recording medium 100, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 100 is thinned, and the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 100 is softened. Close contact grounding when pressing against the erasing roller and erasing plate becomes easy. As a result, it is possible to eliminate contact unevenness from the top surface due to the thermal head or erase bar and contact unevenness from the bottom surface due to the platen roller. Is stabilized.
Therefore, even if image erasing and recording are performed at a high speed of 3 IPS or more, in the uneven areas such as the surrounding area of the electronic information recording unit 10, the surrounding area of the electronic information recording element 10b, the surrounding area of the antenna circuit 10c, and the conductive member area. Recording without white spots and blurring and erasing without unerased can be performed, and excellent print quality can be obtained.
Furthermore, the softening suppresses the concentrated bending load of the IC caulking portion against bending, and also suppresses local bending, resulting in flexible shape restoration with little disconnection failure in the IC caulking portion. It is done. In addition, when gripping in work or the like, it is easy to become familiar with the hand, and handling properties are improved.
In addition, the electronic information recording element 10b is inserted into the concave portion 5 of the base sheet 1, so that the steps and irregularities due to the electronic information recording portion 10b can be eliminated, and the entire reversible thermosensitive recording medium is flattened. This also makes it possible to improve image erasure and recording quality at a high speed of 3IPS or higher.

The manufacturing method of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 100 according to the first embodiment is as follows.
First, with respect to the other side of the base sheet 1 provided with the reversible thermosensitive recording layer 2 on the one side, the concave portion 5 is formed by a laser in such a size that the electronic information recording element 10b on the electronic information recording unit 10 to be inserted later can be accommodated. Form.
Depending on the height and width dimensions and height of the electronic information recording element 10b, the recess 5 is larger than the size of the electronic information recording element 10b by 1.5 mm or less, more preferably 1.0 mm or less. The depth of the recess 10b is 50 μm or less deep, more preferably 20 μm or less deeper than the height of the electronic information recording element.
Next, the adhesive layer 4 is preliminarily applied to the entire position where the electronic information recording unit 10 on the other surface side of the base sheet 1 is mounted, and the electronic information recording element 10b is inserted into the recess 5, and the adhesive layer 4, the electronic information recording unit 10 is mounted.
On the other hand, the adhesive layer 4 is coated on a release paper having a uniform paper thickness, and the surface of the adhesive layer 4 faces the surface of the base sheet 1 on which the electronic information recording unit 10 is mounted. Then, it is inserted into a roller, and the adhesive is made to flow by the accuracy and surface property of the gap between the rollers to perform adhesion. FIG. 4 shows the configuration after passing through the roller and making the total thickness uniform.
At this time, the pressure is applied by the roller to such an extent that the electronic information recording unit 10 is not damaged. As a result, the adhesive layer 4 fluidized and filled so as to cover the electronic information recording unit 10 can absorb the thickness of the electronic information recording unit 10 and eliminate the void around the electronic information recording unit 10. Next, the release paper 30 is removed and cut into an optimum size, whereby the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 100 having a uniform total thickness without surface irregularities is manufactured.

-Second Embodiment-
In the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 200 in the second embodiment, the entire electronic information recording unit 10 is not covered by the adhesive layer 4, and the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is composed of the electronic information recording unit 10 and the adhesive layer 4. 200 faces are formed.
In such a reversible thermosensitive recording medium 200 according to the second embodiment, an arbitrary functional layer can be disposed on the surface constituted by the electronic information recording unit 10 and the adhesive layer 4.

A method for manufacturing the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 200 according to the second embodiment is as follows.
First, with respect to the other side of the base sheet 1 provided with the reversible thermosensitive recording layer 2 on one side, the concave portion 5 is formed by a laser in such a size that the electronic recording element 10b on the electronic information recording unit 10 to be inserted later can be accommodated. Form.
Next, the adhesive layer 4 is thickly applied in advance to the entire position where the electronic information recording unit 10 on the other surface side of the base sheet 1 is mounted, and the electronic information recording element 10b is inserted into the recess 5 for adhesion. The electronic information recording unit 10 is mounted through the agent layer 4.
On the other hand, on the surface side of the base sheet 1 on which the electronic information recording unit 10 is mounted, a release paper having a uniform paper thickness is inserted into a roller so as to overlap, and the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 200 is pressed between the rollers to increase the thickness. The adhesive layer 4 is spread and bonded until the surface level of the adhesive layer 4 applied to the bottom of the electronic information recording unit 10 becomes the same level as the surface of the electronic information recording unit 10. At this time, the roller is pressurized to such an extent that the electronic information recording element 10b is not damaged.
Thus, the thickness of the electronic information recording unit 10 is absorbed and the void portion around the electronic information recording sheet is eliminated by the adhesive layer 4 that is fluidized and filled around the electronic information recording unit 10 at the same level. Can do.
Next, the release paper 30 is removed, and the surface of the electronic information recording unit 10 is not covered with the adhesive layer 4 and is cut to an optimal size, whereby the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 200 having a uniform total thickness without surface irregularities is obtained. Manufactured.

-Manufacturing method by continuous operation-
Further, referring to FIG. 5, the electronic information recording element 10b (IC part) on the electronic information recording part (inlet) 10 is positioned with high accuracy, and the insertion into the concave part 5 on the back surface of the base material sheet 1 is intermittently operated. A manufacturing method performed by continuous operation instead of positioning by the method will be described.
The continuous inlet sheet 160 is transferred on the surface of the vacuum drum 150 rotating in a cylindrical shape. Here, the suction of the vacuum drum 150 is always ON, and instant suction starts when the inlet sheet 160 is advanced.
Immediately before the suction, the alignment mark 156 (or IC part) on the inlet is detected by the position detection sensor 151a of the inlet alignment mark, and then is moved by a certain distance based on the detection result and arranged at a constant angle position of the vacuum drum 150. As the inlet position advances with the rotation of the vacuum drum 150, the sheet is fed by the nip roll 157 at the same speed as the vacuum drum 150, and the pull from the infeed side (nip roll 157 side) to the inlet is eliminated. Misalignment of the inlet position is prevented.

Next, in order to cut the rotating inlet sheet 160 into single sheets, the CO ₂ laser marker 152 is used to scan in a straight line at high speed and cut into strips. The inlet sheet 160 on the curved surface of the vacuum drum 150 is thus cut on the vacuum drum 150 to form the inlet 10. Due to the sheet feeding mechanism, the deviation of the inlet is not generated even in a state where a cutting residue generated during the cutting time is generated.
Assuming that the inlet sheet is cut across 0.2 s, at the moment 0.1 s after the start of cutting, the half-cut portion is free, but the remaining half is not cut, and the original sheet When the feed speed on the original sheet side is not the same as the rotation speed of the drum because it is integrated, for example, when the feed is slow, a pulling force is applied to the remaining part of the cutting in the direction of the original sheet, and it is positioned on the vacuum drum. The placed inlet rotates and misaligns. Here, such a state is referred to as uncut portion.
In addition, in order to perform cutting while rotating so that the cut surface is a straight line (in the axial direction of the vacuum drum 150) on the product, the rotation speed of the vacuum drum 150 is input by an encoder, and the laser marker 152 is automatically tracked. And move it diagonally.
In addition, since the inlet arranged on the vacuum drum 150 forms a curved surface, the automatic galvano lens mechanism in the laser can also follow the Z-axis direction, or the vacuum drum 150 having a large curvature can be used. Thus, the Z-axis position difference, that is, the focal height difference is reduced to 10 mm or less, preferably 5 mm or less, and cutting is performed at the average Z-axis position without Z-axis tracking.

The position of the inlet 10 after being cut without misalignment is confirmed by the inlet position detection sensor 151b, and at the same time, the recess 5 is provided in the base substrate 153 flowing under the vacuum drum 150, and the bottom of the vacuum drum 150 The position difference between the IC part 10b and the recessed part 5 is confirmed immediately before bonding by confirming the recessed mark 5 or the aligned mark 155 on the base substrate 153 corresponding to the recessed part 5 with the position detection sensor 151c of the aligned mark. It becomes possible to do.
The position difference is corrected and rotated on the vacuum drum 150. At this time, for a new inlet that enters the vacuum drum during the correction rotation of the position of the IC unit 10b, the condition for transferring the correction pulse by ± is transferred and placed at a fixed angle position is not disturbed. To do.
The base material 153 is pressed against the position-corrected inlet 10 against the vacuum drum 150 side with a rubber press roller, and is pressed from the end of the inlay on the R surface with a drum-to-roll press. The IC part 10b is inserted into the recess 5 and the inlet is bonded.

As the positional deviation, it is necessary to suppress the deviation in the width direction between the base substrate 153 side and the inlet 10b side. First, the base substrate 153 side will be described.
1. Basic conveyance accuracy: roll parallelism / S wrap threading and roll surface roughening width misalignment prevention grip This prevents the meandering of the base sheet by unwinding from the roll. S wrap is a sheet by passing the sheet path through the letter S to the two rollers (if there are two rollers of the same height, wrap the first one from the top and wrap the second from the bottom) When tension is applied to the roller, a grip force is generated on the roller. Further, the clipping force can be generated similarly by simply roughening the roll surface, thereby preventing lateral displacement and meandering.
2. High-speed tracking: Preventing slack and meandering caused by tension fluctuations by tension pick control Loosening the tension makes the base material free, which easily causes lateral displacement. For this reason, a stable width direction position and straightness of the substrate are maintained by tension pick control that makes a delicate reaction to the behavior of the substrate.
3. 3. Reduce the amount of misalignment radically by designing the shortest distance between laser counterbore process and attach process to within 1m. End positioning of laser counterbore process to attach process with guide rail or roll upper width positioning ring These guide rails and ring guides on the roll have a function of defining the end of the substrate and preventing lateral displacement.
5. For IC insertion, the positioning effect on the guide rail is improved by always using a thick substrate having a substrate rigidity such as 188 μm to 250 μm as the base substrate.
The affixing pitch in FIG. 5 can be arbitrarily variably designed depending on the length of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium as a product and the length of the ear portion (punching allowance) required between the reversible thermosensitive recording media.

Next, the inlet 10b side will be described.
1. Basic conveyance accuracy: roll parallelism out / S wrap through and roll surface roughening width misalignment prevention grip As with the base base material 153 side, this makes it possible to straighten the base sheet unwinding from the roll. Prevent meandering. S wrap is a sheet by passing the sheet path through the letter S to the two rollers (if there are two rollers of the same height, wrap the first one from the top and wrap the second from the bottom) When tension is applied to the roller, a grip force is generated on the roller. Further, the clipping force can be generated similarly by simply roughening the roll surface, thereby preventing lateral displacement and meandering.
2. High-speed tracking: Preventing slack and meandering caused by tension fluctuation by tension pick control. Like the base base material 153 side, loosening the tension makes the base material free. Become. For this reason, a stable width direction position and straightness of the substrate are maintained by tension pick control that makes a delicate reaction to the behavior of the substrate.
3. 3. End positioning of laser counterbore process to attach process with guide rail or roll upper width positioning ring Unwinder unwinding width position setting / variety by fine adjustment jig, centering is supported as needed for inlay width difference between LOTs.
The IC chip position may be different from the end of the inlet base material due to the slit variation for each inlet material. Before attaching the inlet material to the unwinder, check the dimensions of the inlet base end-IC chip position and Use a jig that has been finely adjusted and dimensioned to position the upper width of the unwinder.

As for the displacement in the advancing direction and the displacement in the width direction between the concave portion and the IC portion 10b, the amount of XY displacement is confirmed and detected using a CCD camera installed at the position after bonding. This XY misalignment correction can be easily dealt with by fine adjustment based on the XY misalignment automatic feedback transfer based on the laser mark position program of the CO ₂ laser marker 152.
By such high-precision positioning, the interval in the width direction of the concave portion 5 between the IC portion (electronic information recording element) 10b to be inserted and the concave portion 5, for example, the vertical and horizontal dimensions are 1.0 mm to Positioning and insertion can be performed without any problem even with a small concave size of 1.5 mm or less.
In addition, the formation of the concave portion 5 that is not a through hole using laser processing or micromill processing enables the depth of the concave portion to be arbitrarily adjusted only by adjusting the setting conditions. Thereby, the difference between the insertion height of the IC portion (electronic information recording element) 10b to be inserted into the recess 5 and the depth of the recess 5 (in the depth direction of the recess 5 between the recess 5 and the electronic information recording element 10b). It is possible to cope with the difference between the gaps of 0 μm to 50 μm, preferably 0 μm to 20 μm.

In order to form an image using the reversible thermosensitive recording medium of the present invention, the image may be once cooled to a color development temperature or higher and then rapidly cooled.
Specifically, when heating with a thermal head or laser light for a short time, the reversible thermosensitive recording layer locally rises in temperature, so that the heat is immediately diffused and rapid cooling occurs, resulting in a colored state.
On the other hand, in order to erase the image, it may be heated and cooled for a long time using a heat source, or may be temporarily heated to a temperature slightly lower than the coloring temperature. When heated for a long time, the temperature rises in a wide range of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer, so that the subsequent cooling is slowed and the color disappears.
In this case, a heat roller, a heat stamp, hot air, or the like may be used as the heat source. Further, by adjusting the voltage applied to the thermal head and the pulse width, the applied energy may be slightly reduced from that during image formation. If this method is used, an image can be formed and erased with only a thermal head, and so-called overwriting becomes possible.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a printer that forms and erases an image on the reversible thermosensitive recording medium of the present invention.
In this printer, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 50 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow, and is discharged out of the system through the ceramic bar 51, the conveying roller 52, the thermal head 53, and the platen roll 54. In this case, the image is erased by the ceramic bar 51 and the image is formed by the thermal head 53 and the platen roll 54.
FIG. 7 shows another example of a printer that forms and erases an image on the reversible thermosensitive recording medium of the present invention. In this printer, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 60 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow, and is discharged out of the system through the heat roll 61, the thermal head 62, the platen roll 63, and the conveyance roller 64. In this case, the image is erased by the heat roll 61 and the image is formed by the thermal head 62 and the platen roll 63.

The transport speed of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium 50 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. However, in the present invention, even if image erasing and recording are performed at a high speed of 3IPS or higher, electronic information recording is possible. It is possible to perform recording without white spots and blurring, and erasing without unerased in the sheet peripheral area, the electronic information recording element area, the antenna circuit area, and the conductive member area.
In addition, a reversible thermosensitive recording medium and a printer are configured so that image formation and erasure are accurately performed by heat treatment. In addition, when the printer is small, image formation and erasure are performed continuously, so that the image formation and erasure are accurately performed by adjusting the heating energy during the heat treatment. ing.

  Since the reversible thermosensitive recording medium of the present invention has both a reversible thermosensitive recording layer and an electronic information recording element (IC chip), information written on the IC chip is displayed on the reversible thermosensitive recording layer. Can be easily confirmed, and convenience is improved. The reversible thermosensitive recording medium of the present invention is a sheet processed into a general document size such as an input / output ticket, a frozen food container, an industrial product, a sticker for various chemical containers, a logistics management application, a manufacturing process management, a document management application, etc. Can be widely used.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

(Reversible thermosensitive recording part 1)
On the other side of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer (thickness 30 μm) in the base sheet (reversible thermosensitive recording sheet A: Ricoh Co., Ltd. (CR film 630BD), thickness 188 μm) provided with a reversible thermosensitive recording layer on one side. On the other hand, a concave portion was formed by a laser with a size that can accommodate a convex electronic information recording element on an electronic information recording portion to be inserted later (dimension of the concave and vertical □ mm dimension: 1.0 mm, depth of the concave portion: 110 μm).
For the purpose of comparing the printability of a flexible tag and a rigid tag, and in order to ascertain the good print condition that a print defect occurs if there is a gap of several millimeters or more, The electronic information recording part is not mounted and the adhesive is not filled.
On the other hand, an adhesive having a thickness of 80 μm to 85 μm is coated on a release paper having a uniform paper thickness, and the release surface of the release paper is directed to the side where the concave portion of the base sheet is formed, and the release is performed. The paper was inserted into the rollers in a stacked manner, and the adhesive was flowed depending on the accuracy of the gap between the rollers and the surface property, thereby performing adhesion. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the electronic information recording portion and the adhesive in the recess were omitted, and the total thickness was made uniform by passing it through a roller. Bonding was performed under the condition that there was no crushing margin with a roller and no adhesive flowed into the recess.
Next, after removing the release paper, the reversible thermosensitive recording part 1 having a uniform total thickness of 300 μm was manufactured by cutting into an optimal size.

  The details of the reversible thermosensitive recording sheet A (base material sheet with a reversible thermosensitive recording layer) used for the production of the reversible thermosensitive recording section 1: manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd. (CR film 630BD) are as follows.

-Production of reversible thermosensitive recording layer-
The following composition was pulverized and dispersed using a ball mill so that the average particle size was 0.1 μm to 1.0 μm.
2-anilino-3-methyl-6dibutylaminofluorane (leuco dye): 1 part by mass Electron-accepting compound (developer) represented by the following structural formula: 4 parts by mass
Dialkylurea (Nippon Kasei Co., Ltd., Hallene SB) 1 part by mass Acrylic polyol resin 40% by weight solution (Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., LR327) 10 parts by mass Methyl ethyl ketone 80 parts by mass To the obtained dispersion, 4 parts by mass of isocyanate (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd., Coronate HL) was added and stirred well to prepare a reversible thermosensitive recording layer coating solution. Next, the obtained reversible thermosensitive recording layer coating solution was coated on a 100 μm thick cloudy polyester film (E28G, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) using a wire bar and dried at 100 ° C. for 2 minutes. The reversible thermosensitive recording layer having a thickness of 12 μm to 13 μm (only the reversible thermosensitive recording layer (single layer (excluding protective layer and intermediate layer))) was provided by heating at 24 ° C. for 24 hours.

-Production of protective layer-
The following composition was pulverized and dispersed using a ball mill so that the average particle size was 2 μm to 3 μm to prepare a protective layer coating solution.
・ Compound represented by the following structural formula (1) (manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., KAYARAD DPHA (solid content: 100 mass%)) — 4 parts by mass ・ Compound represented by the following structural formula (2) (Japan) KAYARAD DPCA-60, manufactured by Kayaku Co., Ltd. 21 parts by mass Compound of the above structural formula (1) / Compound of the above structural formula (2) = 1.6 / 8.4
However, in the structural formulas (1) and (2), X represents a pentaerythritol group or a dipentaerythritol group. Y is _{-CH 2 O -, - CH 2} CH 2 O -, - CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 O -, - CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 O -, - CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 O _{-, - CH 2 CH (CH} 3) O -, - CO-CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 O- represents a bond, Z is -H, represents a -CO-CH = CH _2. a represents 1 to 5, b represents 1 to 5, and c represents 1 to 12.
Silica (Mizusawa Chemical Co., Ltd., P-526) ... 2 parts by mass Photopolymerization initiator (Nippon Ciba Geigy, Irgacure 184) ... 1 part by massIsopropyl alcohol ... 60 parts by mass -Toluene: 10 parts by mass The obtained protective layer coating solution was coated on the heat-sensitive recording layer with a wire bar, dried by heating at 90 ° C for 1 minute, and then under an ultraviolet lamp with an irradiation energy of 80 W / cm. Crosslinking was performed to provide a protective layer having a thickness of 3 μm. Thus, a reversible thermosensitive recording sheet A [manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd. (CR film 630BD)] was produced.

(Reversible thermosensitive recording part 2)
In the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1, the same as the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1, except that the vertical and horizontal □ mm dimensions of the concave portion were changed from 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm and the depth of the concave portion was changed from 110 μm to 150 μm. A reversible thermosensitive recording part 2 was produced.

(Reversible thermosensitive recording part 3)
In a base sheet (reversible thermosensitive recording sheet A: manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd. (CR film 630BD), thickness 188 μm) provided with a reversible thermosensitive recording layer on one side, the other side of the thermosensitive recording layer (thickness 30 μm) Then, a concave portion was formed by a laser in such a size that a convex electronic information recording element on an electronic information recording portion to be inserted later could be accommodated (length and width □ mm dimension of the concave portion; 1.0 mm, depth of the concave portion: 110 μm).
For the purpose of comparing the printability of a flexible tag and a rigid tag, and in order to grasp the good print condition that a print defect occurs if there is a gap of several mm or more, The electronic information recording part is not mounted and the adhesive is not filled.
On the other hand, an adhesive having a thickness of 130 μm to 135 μm is applied onto a PET substrate having a thickness of 250 μm, and the adhesive surface side of the PET substrate is directed to the surface side on which the concave portion of the base sheet is formed. The PET base material was inserted into a roller so as to overlap, and adhesion was performed by flowing an adhesive depending on the accuracy and surface property of the gap between the rollers. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the electronic information recording portion and the adhesive in the recess were omitted, and the total thickness was made uniform by passing it through a roller. Bonding was performed under the condition that there was no crushing margin with a roller and no adhesive flowed into the recess.
Next, the reversible thermosensitive recording part 3 having a uniform total thickness of 600 μm was manufactured by cutting into an optimum size.

(Reversible thermosensitive recording part 4)
In the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 3, the same manner as the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 3 except that the vertical and horizontal □ mm dimensions of the concave portion were changed from 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm and the depth of the concave portion was changed from 110 μm to 150 μm. A reversible thermosensitive recording part 4 was produced.

(Evaluation)
The following evaluation was performed about the reversible thermosensitive recording parts 1-4.

<Evaluation of print quality>
-Comparison between reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1 and reversible thermosensitive recording unit 3-
Using a RP-K8520HF-5A1 printer manufactured by Shinko Electric Co., Ltd., all solid images were erased and printed under conditions of a conveyance speed of 3IPS or 2IPS and an erasing temperature of 170 ° C.
For the reversible thermosensitive recording part 1, the dimension of the concave and vertical dimensions of the base sheet is from 0.7 mm to 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 3.5 mm. The thickness was changed to 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm, and 6.0 mm sequentially.
For the reversible thermosensitive recording part 3, the dimension of the concave and vertical dimensions of the base sheet is from 0.7 mm to 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 3.5 mm, It carried out by changing to 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm, and 6.0 mm sequentially.
The printing states of the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1 and the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 3 were visually observed and evaluated according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 1-1 below. Further, FIG. 8 shows the image data of the print state at the transport speed 3IPS of the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1, and FIG. 9 shows the image data of the print state at the transport speed 3IPS of the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 3.

〔Evaluation criteria〕
◯: There was no unprintable area or print blur, and the image was good.
(Triangle | delta): The area | region and printing blur which cannot be printed lightly were observed.
X: An area that cannot be clearly printed or a print blur was observed.

-Comparison between reversible thermosensitive recording unit 2 and reversible thermosensitive recording unit 4-
The reversible thermosensitive recording unit 2 and the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 4 are the same as the comparison method between the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1 and the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 3 except that the evaluation target is changed as follows. And the white spots were evaluated.
That is, for the reversible thermosensitive recording part 2, the dimension of the concave and vertical dimensions of the base sheet is from 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm, The change was made sequentially to 6.0 mm.
For the reversible thermosensitive recording part 4, the dimension of the concave and vertical dimensions of the base sheet is from 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm, The change was made sequentially to 6.0 mm.
The results are shown in Table 1-2 below. Further, FIG. 10 shows image data in the print state at the conveyance speed 3IPS of the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 2, and FIG. 11 shows image data in the print state at the conveyance speed 3IPS of the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 4.

As can be understood from Table 1-1, the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1 and the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 3 have better print quality than the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 1 can clearly print in black under all the conditions of the concave and vertical □ mm dimensions and 0.7 mm to 6 mm.
As for the reversible thermosensitive recording part 3, as shown in FIG. 9, black printing is possible at 0.7 mm and 1.0 mm where the concave and vertical square dimensions are small. Is not completed and printing is defective.

As can be seen from Table 1-2 above, the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 2 and the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 4 have better print quality than the reversible thermosensitive recording unit 2.
Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the reversible thermosensitive recording part 2 is capable of black printing under all conditions of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the recess, 1.0 mm to 6 mm, particularly 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm. Under certain conditions, it can clearly print black.
In the reversible thermosensitive recording section 4, as shown in FIG. 11, black printing could not be performed and printing failure occurred under all conditions of the concave and vertical □ mm dimensions and 1.0 mm to 6 mm.

Further, as shown in Table 1-1 and Table 1-2, the depth in the concave portion is simulated to be 110 μm or less, and a void is formed in the state where an IC chip (electronic information recording element) is inserted into the concave portion. A reversible thermosensitive recording medium having a width dimension of the portion (a distance between a side surface of the concave portion and a side surface of the electronic information recording element) of 6.0 mm or less, a depth in the concave portion of 150 μm or less, and the concave portion; Reversible thermosensitive recording medium in which the width dimension of the portion that becomes a gap in the state where the IC chip (electronic information recording element) is inserted in the gap (the distance between the side surface of the recess and the side surface of the electronic information recording element) is 1.5 mm or less In FIG. 5, a result showing that particularly excellent print quality was obtained was obtained.
Further, from the results of Table 1-1 and Table 1-2, when the transport speed is 2IPS, none of the reversible thermosensitive recording units 1 to 4 has a problem in print quality, but when the transport speed is 3IPS, the reversible thermosensitive. It was found that the printing quality was excellent in the case of the recording parts 1 and 2.

Example 1
-Production of reversible thermosensitive recording medium-
Based on the configuration of the reversible thermosensitive recording units 1 and 2, a reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Example 1 was produced as follows.
The substrate sheet (reversible thermosensitive recording sheet A: manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd. (CR film 630BD): thickness 188 μm) provided with a reversible thermosensitive recording layer (thickness 30 μm) on one side is inserted later. A concave portion was formed by a laser in such a size that the convex electronic information recording element on the electronic information recording portion could be accommodated (length and width □ mm dimension of the concave portion; 2.7 mm, depth of the concave portion: 150 μm).
The recess is formed larger than the size of the electronic information recording element according to the vertical and horizontal dimensions and height of the electronic information recording element (the distance between the side surface of the recess and the side surface of the electronic information recording element in the width direction of the recess; 0.75 mm to 1.5 mm), and the depth of the recess was formed deeper than the height of the electronic information recording element (the distance between the bottom of the recess and the top of the electronic information recording element in the depth direction of the recess; 0 μm) .
Next, on the other surface side of the base sheet on which the concave portion is formed, an adhesive is applied in advance to the entire position where the electronic information recording portion is mounted, and the electronic recording element is inserted into the concave portion and bonded. An electronic information recording unit was mounted through the agent layer. Here, the inner wall side of the recess is not filled with an adhesive.
On the other hand, an adhesive having a thickness of 80 μm to 85 μm is coated on a release paper having a uniform paper thickness, and the adhesive surface side of the release paper with respect to the surface side on which the electronic information recording portion of the base sheet is mounted Then, the release paper was inserted into the roller so that it overlapped, and the adhesive was made to flow by the accuracy and surface property of the gap between the rollers. In addition, the structure of FIG. 4 is produced by passing through a roller and making the total thickness uniform.
Next, after removing the release paper, it was cut into an optimal size, and a reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Example 1 having a total thickness of 300 μm and uniform was manufactured.
The back surface of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Example 1 is an adhesive surface to which the roughness of the release paper surface after the release paper has been removed is transferred to the release paper to be used. since roughness was selected ones _{R max} about 13 .mu.m, backside _roughness, became _R max _13μm~15μm (see table 7).

(Comparative Example 1)
Next, as Comparative Example 1, a reversible thermosensitive recording medium 300 (see FIG. 16) manufactured under the conditions described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-229911 will be described. In this reversible thermosensitive recording medium 300, an IC chip protrudes in the through hole of the core sheet in the direction of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer.
First, the core sheet 310 having the adhesive layer 40 (Crisper PET K1212 manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.) is prepared with a through hole 350 formed in a size that can accommodate the IC chip 10b of the electronic information recording sheet having the adhesive layer 41. Further, a sheet 320 (Crisper PET K1212 manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.) is disposed in the adhesive layer 41 in a state where the entire electronic information recording sheet 10 is accommodated. Next, a medium substrate sheet 330 (white PET E-28G manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc. is supplied via an adhesive layer 41 serving as a lowermost base substrate as a layer configuration, and a medium substrate sheet 330 and a roller, The sheet 320 is bonded and the electronic information recording sheet 10 is bonded so that the IC chip 10 b of the electronic information recording sheet 10 fits in the through hole 350 of the core sheet 310.
Further, a substrate sheet 1 (reversible thermosensitive recording sheet A: manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd. (CR film 630BD): thickness 130 μm) provided with a reversible thermosensitive recording layer 2 (thickness 30 μm) as the outermost layer on one side is supplied. Then, the core sheet 310 in which the through holes 350 are formed is sequentially bonded via the adhesive layer 40. At this time, the roller is pressurized to such an extent that the IC chip is not damaged. After the five sheets were bonded, the total thickness was approximately 600 μm, and the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Comparative Example 1 was produced by cutting to an optimum size.
Further, the back surface of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Comparative Example 1 was a PET base material sheet, which was a smooth surface of the base material itself, and the back surface roughness was R _max 3.5 μm.
The following conditions were the same for comparison with Example 1.
・ Vertical and horizontal □ mm dimensions of through hole recess: 2.7 mm, depth of through hole recess: 150 μm
The distance between the side surface of the recess and the side surface of the electronic information recording element in the width direction of the recess; 0.75 mm to 1.5 mm, and the distance between the bottom surface of the recess and the top of the electronic information recording element in the depth direction of the recess ; 0 μm

(Evaluation of white spots)
Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 Using a RP-K8520HF-5A1 printer manufactured by Shinko Electric Co., Ltd., erasing and printing all solid images by inputting a color gradation setting value of 255 under the conditions of a conveyance speed of 3IPS and an erasing temperature of 170 ° C. In addition, the halftone image is erased and printed by inputting the color gradation setting 123 value, and the printing state in the IC chip area, the inlet peripheral area, the antenna circuit area, and the conductive member area of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium Were visually observed and evaluated according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 2 below.
〔Evaluation criteria〕
◯: There was no unprintable area or print blur, and the image was good.
(Triangle | delta): The area | region and printing blur which cannot be printed lightly were observed.
X: An area that cannot be clearly printed or a print blur was observed.

However, the evaluation in parentheses indicates the evaluation of the printing state in the halftone image.

(Evaluation of shape restoration time)
For the reversible thermosensitive recording media in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the shape restoration time was measured and evaluated.
The shape restoration time is measured by measuring the initial curl of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium, picking both pieces of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium with a finger, bending it, and returning the bent part to the initial curl. This was done by measuring. The results are shown in Table 3 below.

As shown in Table 3 above, in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, Example 1 has a shorter time required for shape restoration, and excellent shape restoration property is obtained.
Therefore, even when a reversible thermosensitive recording medium is gripped and curled or wavy when it is inserted into a printer for printing / erasing operations, it can be used for printing / erasing operations with its shape restored. Therefore, problems such as printing failure, conveyance failure, jam, etc. can be solved.

(Evaluation of handling and folding durability)
The reversible thermosensitive recording media in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were adjusted to a commonly used size of 200 mm in length × 105 mm in width, and bending durability and handling properties were evaluated.
Specifically, the length of 200 mm is half-folded and curled, and the pressing force (gf) is measured with a pressing clamp force measuring instrument until the surface of the half-folded portion and the center portion of the length of 100 mm × width of 105 mm is in close contact did. Further, using a R (mm) ruler, the minimum curvature of the half-curled curled portion was measured and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 4 below.
Moreover, the imaging data of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Example 1 in the restored state after the measurement is shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 13 shows imaging data of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Comparative Example 1 in a restored state after the measurement. Further, FIG. 14 shows imaging data obtained by enlarging the half-folded portion in FIG.

As can be seen from Table 4 above, in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, Example 1 has a lower pressing force (gf) and better shape change. Therefore, when gripping a reversible thermosensitive recording medium, It is easy to adjust to the hand and has excellent handling properties.
Further, in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the minimum curvature of the curled portion that is half-folded in Example 1 is larger, and a pliable round curl is obtained. In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium of Example 1 returns to a flat shape without any habit after restoration, whereas as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. In the reversible thermosensitive recording medium of Example 1, the fold (kinksuji, fold height 10 mm) remained after restoration, and was unable to be used.
As described above, in the reversible thermosensitive recording medium of Example 1, even when the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is gripped during the operation such as placing the flat surface and extracting the reversible thermosensitive recording medium from the tag holder on the BOX surface, There is no bending, bending, or cracking, and the shape flexibly corresponds to the gripping shape, so that there is no deterioration in quality due to force concentration on the caulking portion, and it is possible to improve handling properties.

(Evaluation of warpage and punching)
Using adhesive (PUR HM Adhesive Perfect Lock MR900RI made by Henkel Technologies Japan Co., Ltd.) with a viscosity of less than 100,000 cps at 60 ° C to 90 ° C, when applying and bonding the adhesive layer By setting the processing temperature to 60 ° C. to 90 ° C., curling of the substrate due to heat application during processing was prevented by low-temperature processing, and at the same time the amount of shrinkage of the adhesive was reduced to similarly reduce curling. .
Table 5 shows the reversible thermosensitive recording medium of Example 1 using Toyobo's Crisper porous PET K2323 188 μm thickness as the base sheet, and the base sheet on the side opposite to the surface coated with the reversible thermosensitive recording layer. After applying PUR HM adhesive Perfectlock MR900RI manufactured by Henkel Technologies Japan Co., Ltd. at a thickness of 80 μm to a surface of 70 ° C., 80 ° C., 100 ° C., and 130 ° C. to obtain a total thickness of 300 μm. The result of measuring warpage of 200 × 85 mm size is shown.
FIG. 19 is a graph showing the relationship between the coating temperature of the adhesive and the curl amount, and the result is a line represented by reversible thermosensitive recording sheet 220 μm + PUR 80 μm. The lower the coating temperature, the lower the warp value and the better value.
In addition, the same warpage confirmation test was carried out in the combination of 100 μm of PET (white PET E-28G manufactured by Toray) and PUR of 20 μm, and the combination of Crisper porous PET base material of 250 μm and PUR of 150 μm. Table 6 and FIG. As shown in Fig. 5, the lower the coating temperature, the lower the warp value and the better value.

Warpage evaluation method:
Laser displacement meter KEYENCE LK-G155 is used, the tag sample is placed on a flat table, and the thickness of the tag itself is recognized by the displacement meter as 0 mm in a state where it is pressed against a flat surface. The warpage is evaluated by measuring the tag shape around a total of 6 points at 3 points in the 200 mm length direction and 2 points at both ends with a width of 85 mm. The maximum value of 6 points is taken as the warp value.
Punching evaluation:
After applying the composition sample of Example 1 using a hot-melt adhesive (PUR HM adhesive Perfect Lock MR900RI manufactured by Henkel Technologies Japan Co., Ltd.) and changing only the application temperature of the hot-melt adhesive. An evaluation of the punching time was performed.
The time until punching was compared with the time until the tag surface temperature was lowered from the coating temperature, and when the temperature was lowered and solidified along with the temperature drop, the temperature fell below 58 ° C.
In the conventional configuration, the time required from the application at 130 ° C. to the punching was 48 seconds, but in the configuration of the present invention, the time from the application at 80 ° C. to the punching could be shortened to 18 seconds or less. As a result, the process of the apparatus was shortened, the installation space was reduced, and the apparatus cost was reduced.

(Back surface roughness R _max and adhesion tensile force)
As a reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, and a general PET sheet having an antistatic coating as a reference product, the back surface roughness R _max and the adhesion tensile force were measured. The results are shown in Table 7 below. The measurement was performed on a tag sample having a length of 200 mm × width of 85 mm, and the reversible thermosensitive recording medium in Example 1 was measured twice (A, B).
As shown in Table 7, with respect to Example 1, a reversible thermosensitive recording medium was obtained in a preferable back surface roughness (7 μm to 70 μm). Moreover, about Example 1, the adhesive tension force can be reduced with respect to the comparative example 1 and a reference product.

(Evaluation of flexibility)
The reversible thermosensitive recording units 1 to 4 and the reversible thermosensitive recording media of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were evaluated for flexibility as follows.
Flexibility measurement method:
First, a tag sample having a size of 200 mm in length and 85 mm in width is placed in a flat, unweighted place where a space between rectangular pedestals is opened in parallel with a span of 100 mm. Using a general spring balance (Max 500 gf, push probe diameter Φ3 mm bar), press the center of the tag (50 mm position between spans of 100 mm, 42.5 mm position from the center end of 85 mm wide) from top to bottom. Then, the load at the time of deformation is measured 10 mm downward in the height direction (see FIG. 21).
-Measurement results-
Example 1 19 gf
Comparative Example 1 167 gf
Reversible thermosensitive recording part 1 19 gf
Reversible thermosensitive recording part 2 18gf
Reversible thermosensitive recording part 3 165 gf
Reversible thermosensitive recording part 4 163gf
As can be understood from this, the structure in which the concave portion is provided in the base material sheet of the present invention has excellent flexibility.

  The reversible thermosensitive recording medium of the present invention has a good print quality, a high speed of shape restoration, and is excellent in bending durability and handling properties. Therefore, the reversible thermosensitive recording medium with an electronic information recording part (IC chip) is widely used. As a recording medium, for example, it can be widely used for various uses such as entrance / exit tickets, stickers for frozen food containers, industrial products, various chemical containers, logistics management applications, manufacturing process management applications, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base sheet 2 Recording layer 4, 40, 41 Adhesive layer 5 Recessed part 10 Electronic information recording part 10a Circuit board 10b Electronic information recording element (IC chip)
10c Antenna circuit 10d Caulking section 50, 60, 100, 200, 300 Reversible thermosensitive recording medium 51 Ceramic bar 52, 64 Conveying roller 53, 62 Thermal head 54, 63 Platen roll 61 Thermal roll 111 Film base 112 IC chip module 113 Core material 114 Reversible thermosensitive recording sheet 114a Protective layer 114b Intermediate layer 114c Reversible thermosensitive layer 150 Vacuum drum 151a, 151b, 151c Position detection sensor 152 Laser marker 153 Base substrate 155 Match mark 156 Inlet match mark 157 Nip roll 160 Inlet sheet 310 Core sheet 320 Sheet 330 Media base sheet 350 Through-hole

JP-A-11-154210 JP 2000-94866 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-251042 JP 2001-63228 A JP 2002-103654 A JP 11-91274 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-59037 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-85938 JP 2003-141486 A JP 2003-141494 A JP 2005-250578 A JP 2006-344207 A JP 2008-162077 A JP 2008-229911 A

Claims (14)

A reversible thermosensitive recording layer; a base sheet disposed adjacent to the reversible thermosensitive recording layer; an electronic information recording section having a convex electronic information recording element and an antenna circuit on the circuit board; An adhesive layer that bonds the material sheet and the electronic information recording unit,
The base sheet has a recess on the surface opposite to the surface on which the reversible thermosensitive recording layer is disposed,
The reversible thermosensitive recording medium, wherein the electronic information recording unit is arranged with the electronic information recording element inserted into a recess of the base sheet.   2. The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to claim 1, wherein in the width direction of the concave portion, the distance between the side surface of the concave portion and the side surface of the electronic information recording element is 6.0 mm or less.   3. The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to claim 1, wherein a distance between a bottom surface of the concave portion and a top portion of the electronic information recording element is 0 μm to 50 μm in a depth direction of the concave portion.   The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a gap between the concave portion and the electronic information recording element is filled with an adhesive layer.   The adhesive layer is disposed so as to cover the entire surface opposite to the surface on which the electronic information recording element of the electronic information recording unit is disposed, and the thickness of the reversible thermosensitive recording medium is uniform. 5. The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of 4 above.   The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising one or more functional layers disposed on the opposite side of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer via the base sheet and the adhesive layer. The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer has a processing temperature of 60 ° C. to 90 ° C. during application and adhesion, and a viscosity of 1 × 10 ⁵ CPS or less.   The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising an antistatic agent in an exposed layer disposed on the opposite side of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer via the base sheet.   The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the adhesive layer contains an antistatic conductive filler.   10. The reversible feeling according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the recess is 150 μm or less, and a distance between the side surface of the recess and the side surface of the electronic information recording element is 1.5 mm or less in the width direction of the recess. Thermal recording medium.   10. The reversible feeling according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the concave portion is 110 μm or less, and an interval between the side surface of the concave portion and a side surface of the electronic information recording element is 6.0 mm or less in the width direction of the concave portion. Thermal recording medium. When the maximum height R _max in the plane is the surface roughness, the surface roughness on the exposed surface of the exposed layer disposed on the opposite side of the reversible thermosensitive recording layer via the base sheet is 7 μm to 70 μm. The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 11.   The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 12, having a total thickness of 500 µm or less. The reversible thermosensitive recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein a bending deformation load representing flexibility is 28 gf or less.