JP5206589B2 - Non-contact IC label - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact IC label including an optical change device that exhibits an optical visual effect and capable of non-contact data communication with an external data reader.

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. This is a non-contact IC label, the product to be managed is attached as an adherend, the data stored in the IC chip is read and written by a dedicated data read / write device, and the product entry / exit management, inventory management, lending management, etc. are performed Is. Since the IC chip is provided, not only the product code but also abundant information such as the arrival date and the person in charge can be managed together with the product. Particularly in article management, non-contact IC labels using microwaves are often used because the communication distance is as long as 1 to 2 m compared to those using electrostatic coupling or electromagnetic induction.

Further, as non-contact IC labels become widespread, it is expected that an optical change 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. Furthermore, since OVD requires advanced manufacturing techniques, it is also used for credit cards, securities, certificates, etc. as a means for preventing forgery.

Combining the above-mentioned contactless IC label and OVD, realizes a higher level of forgery prevention effect by combining the data read / write function of the contactless IC label with the anti-counterfeiting function and decoration effect of OVD. Or there exists an advantage that the label which has a decoration effect and a merchandise management function can be comprised.
As an example, a non-contact type data transmitter / receiver has been proposed in which hologram processing is performed on a required position of a thin metal plate provided with a conductive metal layer and the conductive metal layer is used as an antenna pattern (for example, see Patent Document 1 below). ).

  Conventionally, the antenna of a non-contact IC label is a half-wave dipole antenna in principle, and an antenna element having a length corresponding to the wavelength of the operating frequency is ideally required. In the case of 2.45 GHz, the antenna is about 60 mm. The antenna element is about 30 mm on the left and right at the center of the chip. There is also a method of reducing the size of the non-contact IC label at the expense of antenna sensitivity (gain). In this case, however, there is a problem that the communication distance with the reader device is shortened.

  Further, the conventional non-contact IC label uses an antenna element by demetalizing the metal reflection film (deposition film) of the hologram (a process for partially removing a light reflective film such as metal). Due to its nature, it is difficult to attach an antenna that pursues its function like a wireless device, and design is always given priority as a product label, so basically the antenna element remains unchanged without changing the design of the design I was trying.

However, as shown in FIG. 1 as a conventional example, the metallized film subjected to the demetallization process that functions as an antenna needs to be continuous without any break, and the enclosed portion of A as shown in FIG. In the case of a simple antenna design, there is a problem that the metal reflection film portion corresponding to B in FIG. 2 cannot be used as an antenna element. This has become a serious limitation on antenna design as a label.

JP 2002-42088 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even if a part of the metallized film subjected to the demetallization process acting as an antenna is cut off, the part of the cut metal reflective film is also an antenna element. It aims at providing the non-contact IC label which can be utilized as.

In order to achieve the above object in the present invention, a non-contact IC label according to claim 1 is:
A non-contact IC label having an IC chip capable of data communication without contact with an external reader, a transparent label base material, an optical change device provided on a lower surface of the label base material, and the optical change device A plurality of conductive layers which are bonded to the lower surface of the IC chip and are provided on the same surface and function as a part of the antenna of the IC chip; And the first connection layer for electrically connecting to a part of the conductive layer and the IC chip are not directly joined, and the plurality of conductive layers that are not in contact with each other are electrically connected. A second connection layer, and provided between the conductive layer and the first connection layer and the second connection layer, the conductive layer and the first connection layer and the second connection Layer and the electricity by capacitive coupling An insulating layer for bonding to the conductive layer, the first connection layer, and the second connection layer, and the first connection layer and the second connection layer from above the label substrate. An insulating concealing layer that makes it impossible to see the connection layer under visible light;
It is provided with.

  The contactless IC label according to claim 2 is characterized in that the first connection layer and the second connection layer are provided on the same surface and are formed of the same conductive material.

  The non-contact IC label according to claim 3 is configured such that the conductive layer and the first connection layer, and the conductive layer and the second connection layer are overlapped in the thickness direction or all or one of the surfaces facing each other. There is no concealing layer in the part.

According to the non-contact IC label of the present invention, the function suitable for authentication by being able to mechanically read the data in the IC chip of the non-contact IC tag, and the optical characteristics by the advanced technology of the optical change device A non-contact IC label having both functions suitable for security measures related to manufacturing difficulties and excellent design properties can be obtained. In addition, even if a part of the metallized film that has been demetalized to act as an antenna is cut off, the part of the metallized film that has been cut off can be used as an antenna element. It can be greatly relaxed.

It is a figure of the conventional antenna design example in which the antenna element is continuous without a break. It is a figure of the conventional antenna design example in which a part of antenna element was cut. It is a top view which shows the non-contact IC label of embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing in CC line of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the DD line | wire of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the DD line | wire of FIG. 3 at the time of improving a coupling loss in this invention. It is a top view of the application example of the non-contact IC label in this invention.

  Hereinafter, a non-contact IC label according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “IC label”) will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the IC label 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The shape of the antenna is a shape called a meander line antenna in which the conductor is meandered to increase the line length.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG.

  3 and 4, the label substrate 2 is made of a transparent resin or the like that allows the conductive layer 3 (3 a to 3 d) to be visually recognized when viewed from above the label substrate 2. 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. In addition, the label base material 2 may not necessarily be colorless as long as the lower conductive layer 3 can be visually recognized, and may be formed of a colored material having transparency.

A functional layer 7 that functions as the optical change device (OVD) is formed on the lower surface of the label substrate 2 and on the surface facing the conductive layer 3. The functional layer 7 has a layered structure in which a three-dimensional image is expressed or a color shift in which the color changes depending on the viewing angle. Diffraction grating images such as grating images and pixelgrams, ceramics that cause color shift, thin film laminates of metal materials, and the like are appropriately selected and formed by known methods. Among these, in consideration of mass productivity and cost, a relief hologram (diffraction grating) or a multilayer thin film type is preferable.
The “lower surface” refers to a surface on the side facing the adherend when the non-contact IC label is attached to the adherend such as an article.

The conductive layer 3 is formed as a deposited film by depositing a metal such as aluminum on the functional layer 7. The conductive layer 3 is covered with an insulating layer 8 (mask layer) having a desired shape made of polyamideimide or the like, and can be formed into a desired shape by performing a demetallization process to enhance the design. In the IC label 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, as an example, the conductive layer 3 is formed in a design in which four rectangles are placed vertically in parallel.

  The conductive layer 3 is connected to the IC chip 6 through the first connection layer 4 to enable non-contact communication of the IC chip 6 and enhance the visual effect exhibited by the functional layer 7 of the OVD. Can do. In particular, when the functional layer 7 is a relief hologram, a diffraction grating, or the like, these diffraction effects are enhanced, so that a more beautiful design is obtained and there is an effect for preventing forgery.

  When the IC label 1 is viewed from above (on a plan view), the first connection layer 4 and the second connection layer 5 (on the bottom surface of the label base 2 and the conductive layer 3 and the insulating layer 8) 5a, 5b) and a concealing layer 9 for making the IC chip 6 invisible under visible light.

The concealing layer 9 can be electrically connected by generating capacitive coupling in a region where the conductive layer 3 and the first connection layer 4 and the second connection layer 5 overlap in the thickness direction. Further, it is made of a non-conductive material. In the embodiment of the present invention, the concealing layer 9 is formed by a printing method using non-conductive ink.

  The appearance of the hiding layer 9 under visible light is not particularly limited as long as the first connection layer 4, the second connection layer 5, and the IC chip 6 are not visible 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 9 of various modes as described above can be used properly depending on the purpose. For example, if a specific color is exhibited, the color of the adherend such as the article to which the IC label 1 is adhered and the color of the concealing layer 9 are made to be the same, so that the conductive layer has four rectangular designs. Only 3 is adhered to the adherend. Therefore, the design can be enhanced so as to give the user a more natural impression.
On the other hand, a material that reflects visible light of all wavelengths has a mirror-like appearance and cannot be distinguished from the conductive layer 3 under visible light. If the upper surfaces of the first connection layer 4 and the IC chip 6 are completely covered with the conductive layer 3, the IC chip 6 cannot be contactlessly communicated. 4 and the IC chip 6, the first connection layer 4 and the IC chip 6 can be embedded integrally with the conductive layer 3 in appearance under visible light.

  The first connection layer 4 and the second connection layer 5 are printed on the lower surface of the concealment layer 9 using a conductive paste such as silver paste ink by a known method, for example, as shown in FIG. It is formed in a band shape. In this way, the reason why the method of using the concealing layer 9 in the first connection layer 4 that assists data communication of the IC chip 6 is adopted is that the current technology uses a very thin aluminum vapor deposition film (conducting layer) with a film thickness = 800 mm. This is because the IC chip 6 cannot be directly mounted on 3). As shown in FIG. 3, the end portion of the connection layer 4 is formed so as to overlap the conductive layer 3b and the conductive layer 3c in plan view. The printed first connection layer 4 has a thickness of about 5 micrometers (μm) and has little influence on the flatness of the IC label 1.

  The insulating layer 8 (mask layer) is formed on the lower surface of the conductive layer 3, and generates capacitive coupling as a dielectric together with the concealing layer 7, whereby the conductive layer 3 and the second connection layer 5 are formed. Can be electrically connected.

  The IC chip 6 is made of silicon single crystal or the like, and is mounted by being electrically connected to the first connection layer 4 by bonding a bump (not shown) by heat and pressure using an anisotropic conductive adhesive or the like. ing. The conductive layers 3b and 3c and the first connection layer 4 are electrically connected mainly by capacitive coupling, with an insulating insulating layer 8 and a non-conductive ink concealing layer 9 interposed between them as dielectrics. The IC chip 6 is connected, and can perform non-contact data communication of an electric wave system with an external data reading device (reader device). The frequency used for communication between the IC chip 6 and an external reader is a microwave band (2.45 GHz) and a UHF wave band (850 to 950 MHz).

  As shown in FIG. 3, both end portions of the second connection layer 5a are formed so as to overlap the conductive layer 3a and the conductive layer 3b in the thickness direction in plan view. In this overlapped region, the conductive layer 3a and the conductive layer 3b are electrically connected by generating capacitive coupling in the region of the ellipse E indicated by the wavy line through the second connection layer 5a. The conductive layer 3a can be used as an antenna element.

In the capacitive coupling, the capacitance is determined mainly by the area of the electrodes, the interval between the electrodes, the dielectric constant of the sandwiched dielectric, and the like. The insulating layer 8 (mask layer) made of polyamideimide or the like has a thickness of about 1 micrometer (μm), and the masking layer 9 has a thickness of about 4 micrometers (μm).

When non-conductive ink is used for the masking layer, the dielectric constant is 2 to 4, and the areas of the conductive layers 3a to 3d are extremely small according to the design requirements of the optical change device, that is, the electrode area is When it is extremely small, there is a possibility that the capacitance becomes insufficient and coupling loss occurs.
In that case, a configuration as shown in FIG. 6 can be considered. The concealing layer 9 of the non-conductive ink formed by the printing method is not formed in the range of the ellipse E indicated by the wavy line, that is, the portion where the connection layer 5a and the first conductive layer 3a and the conductive layer 3b overlap. The distance between the connection layer 5a, the conductive layer 3a, and the conductive layer 3b is reduced, and the coupling loss can be improved.

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 10 is provided on the entire lower portion of the concealing layer 9 including the IC chip 6, the first connection layer 4 and the second connection layer 5, and the lower surface of the IC label 1 is attached to various articles by the adhesive force. It can adhere to the adherend.

  In the IC label 1 configured as described above, the functional layer 7 is formed on one surface of the label substrate 2, the metal vapor deposition film is formed on the functional layer 7, and the conductive layer 3 is formed using the insulating layer 8. It is formed in a desired shape, and further, the concealing layer 9, the first connection layer 4, and the second connection layer 5 are provided in order by printing, the IC chip 6 is mounted on the first connection layer 4, and finally the adhesive layer 10 can be produced. For the concealment layer 9, the first connection layer 4, and the second connection layer 5, for example, the concealment layer 9 is first printed by a multicolor screen printer, and then the first connection layer 4 and the second connection layer are printed. It can form efficiently by printing the layer 5 and putting a drying process immediately after the printing.

FIG. 7 shows a plan view of an application example of the present invention.
As shown in the drawing, the design is such that eight circular conductive layers 3 are scattered, and by connecting all the conductive layers 3 with a plurality of second connection layers 5, All can be used as antenna elements, and a meander line antenna similar to that shown in FIG. 3 can be produced.

  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.

1 Non-contact IC label 2 Label substrate 3 Conductive layer (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d)
4 First connection layer (for IC chip connection)
5 Second connection layer (5a, 5b) (for antenna element connection)
6 IC chip 7 Functional layer (optical change device)
8 Insulating layer (mask layer)
9 Hiding layer 10 Adhesive layer

Claims (3)

A non-contact IC label having an IC chip capable of non-contact data communication with an external reader,
A transparent label substrate,
An optical change device provided on the lower surface of the label substrate;
A plurality of conductive layers that are joined to the lower surface of the optical change device and provided on the same surface and function as a part of the antenna of the IC chip;
A first connection layer provided on the lower surface of the conductive layer, joined and electrically connected to the IC chip, and electrically connected to a part of the conductive layer;
A second connection layer for electrically connecting the plurality of conductive layers that are not directly joined to the IC chip and are not in contact with each other;
The conductive layer is provided between the first connection layer and the second connection layer, and the conductive layer and the first connection layer and the second connection layer are electrically connected by capacitive coupling. An insulating layer for mechanical bonding;
Provided between the conductive layer and the first connection layer and the second connection layer, the first connection layer and the second connection layer are visually recognized from above the label base material under visible light. An insulating concealment layer that makes it impossible,
A non-contact IC label comprising:   The contactless IC label according to claim 1, wherein the first connection layer and the second connection layer are provided on the same surface and are formed of the same conductive material.   The conductive layer and the first connection layer, and the conductive layer and the second connection layer are overlapped in the thickness direction, and the concealing layer is not present in all or a part of the opposing surfaces. The non-contact IC label according to claim 1.

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