JP2011090444A - Non-contact ic label - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact non-contact IC label that secures a communication distance by increasing radiating efficiency of an antenna, and is provided with optical effects. <P>SOLUTION: First and second labels are attached on each of both surfaces of an adherend. The first label is configured by laminating, on a first label base material, an optical function layer, a patterned first conductive layer and a mask layer positioned on the first conductive layer, a shield layer, a patterned second conductive layer capacitively coupled with the first conductive layer, an IC chip electrically connected across the second conductive layer, and an adhesive layer, in this order. The second label is configured by laminating, on a second label base material, the patterned conductive layer and the adhesive layer in this order. The first conductive layer or second conductive layer of the first label and the conductive layer of the second label are partially overlapped in thickness direction to be capacitively coupled through the adherend. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact IC label that includes an optical change device that exhibits an optical visual effect and that can send and receive data to and from an external data reader without contact.

  Conventionally, non-contact IC labels having an IC chip and an antenna are used for merchandise management in retail stores, rental stores, and the like. In this method, a non-contact IC label is attached to a product to be managed, and data stored in an IC chip is read and written by a dedicated data read / write device, and product entry / exit management, inventory management, lending management, and the like are performed. Since the IC chip is provided, not only the product code but also a wealth of information such as arrival date and person in charge can be recorded and managed together with the product.

  Non-contact type IC labels include short-distance communication and long-distance communication. However, in article management, etc., compared to non-contact type IC labels for short-distance communication using electrostatic coupling or electromagnetic induction, A non-contact IC label using a microwave having a long distance of 1 to 2 m is advantageous.

  In addition, as non-contact IC labels become widespread, an optical variable device (hereinafter referred to as “OVD”) is combined with the non-contact IC label. OVD is a general term for multilayer thin films that change color depending on the viewing angle by overlapping holograms, diffraction gratings, and thin films with different optical characteristics that can express stereoscopic images and special decorative images using light interference. Since these OVDs give a unique impression such as a three-dimensional image and a color change, they have an excellent decorative effect, and are used for general printed materials such as various packaging materials, picture books, catalogs and the like. For non-contact IC labels, OVD is used as an anti-counterfeiting means because it requires advanced manufacturing techniques, and is also used for credit cards, securities, certificates and the like in the same sense.

By combining the data read / write function of the above-mentioned non-contact IC label with the anti-counterfeiting function and decoration effect of OVD, a label having a higher level of anti-counterfeiting effect, or a combination of anti-counterfeiting effect or decoration effect and product management function There is an advantage that it can be configured.
As an example, a non-contact type data transmitter / receiver has been proposed in which a part of a metal thin film subjected to hologram processing is removed by etching, laser irradiation, etc., and the remaining conductive metal part is an antenna pattern (for example, the following patent document) 1).

Also, a patterned metal thin film subjected to hologram processing and an IC chip and an antenna layer (connection layer) connected to the IC chip via an insulating layer are provided on the metal thin film, and the antenna layer (connection layer) and the metal thin film are provided. An RFID information medium has been proposed in which the antenna layer and the metal thin film function together as a single antenna and can perform good communication by being electrically connected to each other by capacitive coupling (see, for example, Patent Document 2 below) )
The adherend to which the non-contact IC label of the present invention is affixed mainly includes securities, cards, certificates, guarantees, passports, etc. if it is security related, and cigarettes, drugs, There is a box for cosmetics.

The non-contact IC label is an antenna element obtained by demetalizing a metal reflection film (deposition film) of a hologram (a process for partially removing a light reflective film such as metal). Due to the nature of non-contact IC labels, antennas pursuing functions are not attached like wireless devices, and labels that have an IC chip mounted are used to increase the antenna element to increase the radiation efficiency of the label. It is not possible to increase the size of the object due to restrictions such as the size of the adherend and the design of the attachment surface of the adherend, and there is a tendency that a smaller label size is preferred. However, there was a conflicting problem of securing the communication distance.

JP 2002-42088 A WO2008 / 038672 Publication

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and it is providing the technique which can make the size of the non-contact IC label affixed on the surface of a to-be-adhered body small, and can ensure a required communication distance.

  The invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object includes an optical functional layer, a patterned first conductive layer, and a mask layer positioned on the conductive layer on the first label base material, A concealing layer; a patterned second conductive layer capacitively coupled to the first conductive layer; an IC chip electrically connected across the second conductive layer; and an adhesive layer However, the first label that is laminated in this order, and the second label in which the patterned conductive layer and the adhesive layer are laminated in this order on the second label base material are bonded to each other. The first conductive layer or the second conductive layer of the first label and the conductive layer of the second label are partly thick through the adherend, respectively. It is a non-contact IC label characterized by being stacked in the vertical direction and capacitively coupled.

  Further, the invention according to claim 2 is the optical functional layer, the patterned first conductive layer, the mask layer located on the conductive layer, the concealing layer, on the first label base material, A patterned second conductive layer that is capacitively coupled to the first conductive layer, an IC chip that is electrically connected across the second conductive layer, and an adhesive layer are stacked in this order. An optical functional layer, a patterned conductive layer, a mask layer located on the conductive layer, and an adhesive layer were laminated on the first label, the second label substrate, and the adhesive layer in this order. A second label is attached to each of the front and back surfaces of the adherend, and the first conductive layer or the second conductive layer of the first label is interposed between the adherend and the second label. A non-contact IC label characterized in that the conductive layer of the label is partially overlapped in the thickness direction and is capacitively coupled One in which the.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, an emboss is provided in a portion where the first conductive layer of the first label and the conductive layer of the second label are overlapped in the thickness direction. The non-contact IC label according to claim 1 and claim 2 is characterized.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the first conductive layer of the first label and the conductive layer of the second label penetrate through all layers in a portion where they overlap in the thickness direction. A non-contact IC label according to claim 1 or 2, wherein punch holes are provided.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the non-contact IC label according to claim 1, wherein the second conductive layer is a conductive paste ink.

  The non-contact IC label according to the present invention improves the visual effect of the optical functional layer, and the metal reflective film (deposited film) of the conductive layer, which is also an antenna element, includes a primary label (first label) and a secondary label (second label). The label size of the main label on which the IC chip to be attached to the surface of the adherend is mounted can be reduced, and the antenna of the sub label is attached. Necessary communication distance can be secured by the effect of the element.

  Furthermore, by providing the sub-label (second label) with an optical functional layer, an excellent decorative effect can be provided on the back side of the adherend.

  Further, embossing may be provided in a portion where the first conductive layer of the first label and the conductive layer of the second label are overlapped in the thickness direction, or a punch hole penetrating all the layers. By providing this, it is possible to display characters and figures with embossing and punch holes, and the optical functional layer of the main label and the optical functional layer of the sub-label are destroyed by this processing. The label cannot be used again.

  Furthermore, by making the second conductive layer into a conductive paste ink, it is provided by printing and can be easily manufactured.

It is an upper surface perspective view in the state where the non-contact IC label is stuck on the front and back of the adherend. It is expressed as a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the non-contact IC label (FIG. 1). It is a surface view in the state where the main label of the non-contact IC label was stuck on the surface of the adherend. It is a back view in the state where the sub label of the non-contact IC label was stuck on the back of the adherend. The antenna part of a non-contact IC label is expressed as a figure. It is a figure of the state which divided | segmented the antenna of FIG. It is the figure which piled up the antenna divided | segmented in FIG. 6 in the center part.

Hereinafter, a non-contact IC label which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view showing a state where the main label 1 and the sub label 11 are attached to the front and back of the adherend 10. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
The label substrate 2 is made of a transparent resin or the like that allows the optical functional layer 7 and the conductive layer 3 to be visually recognized. Specifically, for example, a transparent sheet-like material made of a resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene copolymer synthetic resin (ABS), or the like is preferably used. it can. Note that the label substrate 2 may not necessarily be colorless and may be formed of a colored material having transparency as long as the lower optical functional layer 7 and the conductive layer 3 can be visually recognized.
An optical functional layer 7 that functions as OVD is formed on the surface of the label substrate 2 facing the conductive layer 3. The optical function layer 7 represents a stereoscopic image, a relief type or volume type hologram whose color changes depending on the viewing angle, a diffraction grating image in which a plurality of types of diffraction gratings are arranged as pixels, a ceramic or metal that causes color shift A thin film laminate of materials is appropriately selected and formed by a known method. Among these, in consideration of mass productivity and cost, a relief hologram (diffraction grating) or a multilayer thin film type is preferable.

  The conductive layer 3 is formed as a deposited film by depositing a metal such as aluminum on the optical function layer 7. The conductive layer 3 can be formed in a desired shape by covering with a mask layer (insulating layer) 8 having a desired shape made of polyamideimide or the like and applying a demetallization treatment.

  The conductive layer 3 is capacitively connected to the IC chip 6 via the print antenna 4 formed by a printing method using conductive ink, and enables non-contact communication as an antenna of the IC chip 6. Since it functions as an optical reflection layer, the visual effect exhibited by the optical functional layer 7 is enhanced. In particular, when the optical functional layer 7 is a relief hologram, a diffraction grating, or the like, these diffraction effects are enhanced, and there is an effect that the hologram image and the diffraction grating image can be visually recognized more clearly.

  On the lower surface of the mask layer 8 and the lower surface of the label substrate 2, a concealing layer 5 for making the printed antenna 4 and the IC chip 6 invisible under visible light when the main label 1 is viewed from above (plan view). Is provided.

  The concealing layer 5 is made of a non-conductive material so that the conductive layer 3 and the printed antenna 4 can be capacitively coupled as will be described later. In this embodiment, the masking layer 5 is formed by printing non-conductive ink.

  The concealing layer 5 is used so that the printed antenna 4 and the IC chip 6 cannot be seen in plan view. For example, it may reflect visible light of a predetermined wavelength to exhibit a specific color, or may be black that absorbs visible light of all wavelengths. Further, visible light having all wavelengths may be reflected.

The concealing layer 5 may be formed so as to cover at least the printed antenna 4 and the IC chip 6, but may be formed on the entire surface. By forming it on the entire surface, it is preferable because the entire region where the conductivity is not provided can be concealed by the concealing layer 5 when viewed from the label substrate 2 side, and the position of the IC chip becomes more difficult to understand.
Those that reflect visible light of all wavelengths have a mirror-like appearance, and cannot be distinguished from the conductive layer 3 under visible light. If the upper surfaces of the printed antenna 4 and the IC chip 6 are completely covered with the conductive layer 3, non-contact communication of the IC chip 6 becomes impossible. However, by using a mirror- like concealing layer, the printed antenna 4 is visually observed. Although it seems that the upper surface of the IC chip 6 is completely covered with the conductive layer 3, the upper surface of the printed antenna 4 and the IC chip 6 has only a non-conductive concealing layer, so that communication is possible.
Examples of materials that reflect visible light of all wavelengths include metal inks such as aluminum foil, tin foil, and stainless steel foil, mica foil, and silver ink mainly composed of metallic pigments such as plate-like iron oxide.

  The printed antenna 4 is formed in the shape as shown in FIG. 1, for example, by printing on the lower surface of the masking layer 5 using a conductive paste such as silver paste ink by a known method.

  The IC chip 6 is made of a single crystal of silicon or the like, and is electrically connected to the printed antenna 4 via bumps. Between each, it mounts by heat-pressure adhesion | attachment using anisotropic conductive adhesive etc.

The conductive layer 3 and the printed antenna 4 are composed of an insulating mask layer 8 and a non-conductive ink concealing layer 5 interposed between the dielectric layer and a dielectric layer in the range of a broken line ellipse B shown by a broken line in FIG. The IC chip 6 is electrically connected by capacitive coupling, and radio wave type non-contact data communication is possible with an external reader. A frequency band used for communication between the IC chip 6 and an external reader is a microwave band (2.45 GHz) or a UHF band (840 to 960 MHz).

  As the IC chip 6, one with different identification information (unique ID, hereinafter referred to as “UID”) may be used. The UID is made up of, for example, numbers, English letters, symbols, or a combination thereof, and the corresponding UID is stored in the memory of each IC chip. When such an IC chip is used, traceability of the IC chip (or an IC label with the IC chip) can be ensured by reading and using the UID.

  An adhesive layer 9 is provided on the entire lower portion of the concealing layer 5 including the IC chip 6 and the printed antenna 4, and is adhered to the surface of the adherend 10 by the adhesive force.

  The main label 1 configured as described above has an optical functional layer 7 formed on one surface of a label substrate 2, a metal vapor deposition film is formed on the optical functional layer 7, and a mask layer 8 is used as a conductive layer. 3 is formed in a desired shape, and the concealing layer 5 and the printed antenna 4 are sequentially provided by printing, the IC chip 6 is mounted on the printed antenna 4, and finally the adhesive layer 9 is provided.

  The concealing layer 5 and the print antenna 4 are efficiently formed by, for example, first printing the concealment layer 5 on a multi-color screen printing machine, then printing the print antenna 4 and then performing a drying process immediately after the printing. it can.

  The sub label 11 adhered to the back surface of the adherend 10 has a layer structure in which the hiding layer 5, the printed antenna 4, and the IC chip 6 are removed from the main label 1, and is a known OVD label. That is, the optical functional layer 14 is formed on one surface of the label base 12, a metal vapor deposition film is formed on the optical functional layer 14, and the conductive layer 13 is formed in a desired shape using the mask layer 15. It can be manufactured by providing an adhesive layer 16 on the substrate.

  The conductive layer 3 of the main label 1 and the conductive layer 13 of the sub-label 11 are capacitively coupled via the adherend 10 at the portion indicated by a broken line ellipse C in FIG. 2, and the conductive layer 3 and the conductive layer 13 are electrically connected. One antenna.

  The adherend 10 is intended for paper, plastics, etc. having a thickness of about 0.1 to 2 mm. The limitation on the thickness is due to coupling loss due to capacitive coupling in the broken line ellipse C, and the conductive layer 3 Depending on the area of the opposing surface of the conductive layer 13 and the dielectric constant of the adherend 10, the label size needs to be small due to the security of the present invention and the property of the non-contact IC label used for brand protection. This is because the coupling loss increases when the thickness of the adherend 10 is 2 mm or more.

FIG. 3 shows a state where the main label is attached to the surface of the adherend 10. The hologram of the optical functional layer 7 located on the concealing layer 5 and the conductive layer 3 which is a reflection layer is visible, and has an appearance close to that of a conventional hologram label.
FIG. 4 shows a state where the sub label is pasted on the back surface of the adherend 10. A conventional hologram label is affixed and cannot be seen as a sub-label of a non-contact IC label at first glance.

Although not shown in the figure, as a measure for preventing tampering such as re-labeling of this non-contact IC label, a character or figure is used by using a male type and a female type at a portion where the main label 1 and the sub label 11 of the broken line ellipse C overlap. It is also possible to perform embossing such as. It is also possible to express characters, figures, etc. with fine punch holes penetrating all layers. Since the optical functional layer 7 of the main label 1 and the optical functional layer 14 of the sub-label 11 are destroyed by this processing, it is difficult to replace the label.

  Although not shown in the drawing, the sub-label 10 adhered to the back surface of the adherend 10 may have a layer structure in which the optical functional layer 14 and the mask layer (insulating layer) 15 are removed. In this case, since the optical functional layer 14 is not provided, the conductive layer 3 does not need to be a reflective film. Therefore, any conductive material such as a thin film such as aluminum or copper may be used. Further, since there is no mask layer (insulating layer) for the demetalization process, the antenna shape as the sub-label 11 is formed by using a blade, a laser, or the like including the label substrate 12. Further, the label substrate 12 can be made into a thin protective layer and thermally transferred by a method such as hot stamping. This layer configuration is mainly applied to the inside of a box of tobacco, medicine, cosmetics, etc., where the back surface of the adherend is not exposed.

  Next, characteristics and performance of the antenna shown in the embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5 is a diagram in which the antenna portion in the non-contact IC label is extracted. Both the conductive layer 3 and the printed antenna 4 function as antennas. An IC chip 6 is mounted on the printed antenna 4, and an impedance matching circuit that matches the impedance on the antenna side and the internal impedance on the IC chip side is formed as a slit pattern near the IC chip 6. The printed antenna 4 is a U-shaped antenna as shown in the figure, and includes a connection pad 17 for electrostatic coupling with the conductive layer 3.
The antenna shown in FIG. 5 is a modified dipole antenna obtained by modifying a general half-wave dipole antenna. As with conventional hologram labels, in order to maximize the optical effects such as stereoscopic images, special decorative images, and color changes that are characteristic of holograms, a certain area is required on a surface that is not chipped or cut. An expression plane is necessary, and the antenna designed to obtain this expression plane is the modified dipole antenna shown in FIG.
The performance of the modified dipole antenna shown in FIG. 5 is that the antenna gain of the standard half-wave dipole antenna is 2.14 dBi, whereas the antenna of the present invention has a 2.45 GHz specification and a label length of 42 mm and a width. : The antenna gain was about 1.5 dBi with a size of 12 mm. Since the antenna portion of the printed antenna 4 is folded back on both sides, it is considered that the overall radiation efficiency is lowered and the antenna gain is lowered.

However, this non-contact IC label does not require long-distance reading communication distance performance like an RFID tag used in logistics, etc., and only needs a communication distance that can be read closely by a handy reader. Even if the gain is about 1.5 dBi, there is no problem.
Next, antenna division and coupling shown in the embodiment will be described.
A broken line D in the central portion of the conductive layer 3 is a cut portion for dividing the antenna, and FIG. 6 shows a state where the conductive layer 3 is cut. The antenna is extended by the length of the arrow indicated by the F portion of the separated right antenna, and the portions where the E portion and the F portion are extended are overlapped as indicated by a broken line ellipse E in FIG. In the present invention, the E portion and the F portion are overlapped via the adherend and electrically coupled as described above at the portion of the broken line ellipse G. As a result, even if the antenna is divided, FIG. Antenna performance equivalent to that of the antenna before division shown in FIG. 5 can be obtained. However, in this case, it is a premise that there is no coupling loss in capacitive coupling.

  The cut portion of the broken line D of the conductive layer 3 may be at any position as long as the capacitive coupling can be performed without loss and the portion of the broken line ellipse G does not affect the IC chip 6 and the impedance matching circuit. The size can be reduced as much as possible.

In this description, the conductive layer 3 is cut and cut off and the antenna is extended and overlapped via the adherend. However, if capacitive coupling can be achieved without loss, the E part and F part of the conductive layer 3 are used. The broken line ellipse G may have any shape.

  In this description, the conductive layer 3 is divided and combined, but the printed antenna 4 can be similarly divided and combined.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, According to the content and the objective of a non-contact IC label, it can optimize suitably in the structure, material, etc.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main label 2 ... Label base material 3 ... Conductive layer (reflection film)
4 ... Print antenna 5 ... Hiding layer 6 ... IC chip 7 ... Optical functional layer 8 ... Mask layer (insulating layer)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Adhesive layer 10 ... Adhered body 11 ... Sub label 12 ... Label base material 13 ... Conductive layer (reflection film)
14 ... Optical functional layer 15 ... Mask layer (insulating layer)
16: Adhesive layer 17: Connection pad

Claims (5)

On the first label substrate, an optical functional layer, a patterned first conductive layer, a mask layer located on the conductive layer, a concealing layer, the first conductive layer and the capacitive A first label in which a patterned second conductive layer bonded to the IC chip, an IC chip electrically connected across the second conductive layer, and an adhesive layer are laminated in this order;
A second label in which a patterned conductive layer and an adhesive layer are laminated in this order on the second label substrate,
Attached to the front and back of the adherend,
The first conductive layer or the second conductive layer of the first label and the conductive layer of the second label are partially stacked in the thickness direction through the adherend, Non-contact IC label characterized by being capacitively coupled. On the first label substrate, an optical functional layer, a patterned first conductive layer, a mask layer located on the conductive layer, a concealing layer, the first conductive layer and the capacitive A first label in which a patterned second conductive layer bonded to the IC chip, an IC chip electrically connected across the second conductive layer, and an adhesive layer are laminated in this order;
On the second label base material, an optical functional layer, a patterned conductive layer, a mask layer located on the conductive layer, and a second label in which an adhesive layer is laminated in this order,
Attached to the front and back of the adherend,
The first conductive layer or the second conductive layer of the first label and the conductive layer of the second label are partially stacked in the thickness direction through the adherend, Non-contact IC label characterized by being capacitively coupled.   The emboss is provided in the part which the said 1st electroconductive layer of said 1st label and the electroconductive layer of the said 2nd label were piled up in the thickness direction. Item 3. A non-contact IC label according to item 2.   A punch hole penetrating all the layers is provided in a portion where the first conductive layer of the first label and the conductive layer of the second label are overlapped in the thickness direction. The non-contact IC label according to claim 1 or 2.   The non-contact IC label according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second conductive layer is a conductive paste ink.

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