JP5304537B2 - Non-contact IC label - Google Patents

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 equipped with IC chips and antennas have been used for merchandise management in retail stores and rental stores. 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 one antenna by electrically connecting the two by capacitive coupling, thereby enabling good communication (for example, see Patent Document 2).
By the way, some adherends to which non-contact IC labels are attached are made of a light-transmitting material. For example, in the case of a transparent plastic product, the center of a CD / DVD, and in the case of a transparent glass product, a bottle of alcoholic beverages. There are cases where it is affixed and used. When a non-contact IC label is affixed to these adherends, the back side of the label, which is the adhesive surface of the non-contact IC label, can be seen from the transparent adherend side, that is, the connection layer on the back side of the label In addition, the IC chip and the like will be visible.

Further, in the RFID information medium of the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, when viewed from the hologram side, the antenna layer (connection layer) itself is also visible from the gap between the patterned metal thin film layers, and the antenna layer is also viewed from the opposite side. A layer (connection layer) is visually recognized. Furthermore, the antenna layer (connection layer) is made of silver paste ink or the like, and its color is gray. The color of the IC chip mounted on the upper surface is black. Since the black IC chip is mounted on the gray antenna layer, the IC chip is visually noticeable.

  When the antenna layer (connection layer) or the chip is visually recognized, there is a problem that the design is impaired. In addition, if the IC chip is easily visible, the IC chip can be broken or removed from the connection layer by illegally pressing the IC chip part with a finger or nail, or by pushing or hitting it with a hard object. It was a problem.

JP 2002-42088 A WO2008 / 038672 Publication

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when a non-contact IC label is attached to an adherend such as a transparent plastic product or a transparent glass product, the non-contact IC label is formed from the transparent adherend side. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for preventing the connection layer and the IC chip on the back side of the substrate from being seen.

The invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object is characterized in that a functional layer functioning as an OVD , a patterned conductive layer, and a conductive layer are disposed on the label base material and subjected to a demetallization process. A mask layer for improving the design by forming the conductive layer in a desired shape, a first concealing layer, a patterned connection layer capacitively coupled to the conductive layer, and straddling the connection layer And an IC chip electrically connected to each other and a second concealing layer are laminated in this order, and the first concealing layer includes at least the concealment layer and the IC chip so that the connection layer and the IC chip cannot be seen in plan view. It is formed so as to cover the connection layer and the IC chip, the second concealment layer also serves as an adhesive layer, and the connection layer and the IC chip are not visible from the back side of the non-contact IC label. Formed in This is a non-contact IC label characterized by the above.

In the invention according to claim 2, the conductive layer is desired by performing a demetallization treatment on the functional layer functioning as OVD , the patterned conductive layer and the conductive layer on the label base material. A mask layer that is formed into a shape to enhance design , a first concealing layer, a patterned connection layer that capacitively couples to the conductive layer, and an electrical connection across the connection layer An IC chip, a second concealing layer, and an adhesive layer are laminated in this order, and the first concealing layer is a non-contact IC so that the connection layer and the IC chip cannot be seen in plan view. It is formed so as to cover at least the connection layer and the IC chip of a label, and the second concealing layer is at least the connection layer so that the connection layer and the IC chip cannot be seen from the back side of the non-contact IC label. And IC chip This is a non-contact IC label characterized in that it is partially formed so as to cover the tape.

  The invention according to claim 3 provides the non-contact IC label according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hues of the first and second concealing layers are the same color or similar colors. Is.

  The non-contact IC label according to the present invention is located on the back side of the non-contact IC label from the transparent adherend side even when the non-contact IC label is attached to the adherend such as a transparent plastic product or transparent glass product. The connection layer and IC chip are not visible. Therefore, designability and designability are not impaired, and unnecessary pressure is not applied around the IC chip portion.

It is a top view of the non-contact IC label which becomes this invention, Comprising: Only the pattern of a conductive layer is displayed. An example of implementation of the non-contact IC label according to the present invention is expressed as a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. An example of another embodiment of the non-contact IC label according to the present invention is expressed as a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

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

  FIG. 1 is a top view of the IC label 1. 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 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. The label substrate 2 may not necessarily be colorless as long as the lower functional layer 7 and the conductive layer 3 are visible, and may be formed of a colored material having transparency.

  A functional layer 7 that functions as OVD is formed on the surface of the label substrate 2 facing the conductive layer 3. The functional layer 7 is a relief type or volume type hologram in which a three-dimensional image is expressed or a 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 material that causes color shift These thin film laminates are 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 functional layer 7. The conductive layer 3 can be formed into a desired shape by covering with a mask layer (insulating layer) 8 having a desired shape made of polyamideimide or the like and subjected to a demetallization process, thereby improving the design. In the IC label 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the conductive layer 3 is formed in a butterfly design as an example.

  The conductive layer 3 is capacitively connected to the IC chip 6 via the connection layer 4 to enable non-contact communication as an antenna of the IC chip 6 and functions as a reflective layer. Increase visual effects. In particular, when the functional layer 7 is a relief hologram, a diffraction grating or the like, these diffraction effects are enhanced, and there is an effect that a hologram image and a diffraction grating image can be recognized more clearly.

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

The first hiding layer 5 is formed of a non-conductive material so that the conductive layer 3 and the connection layer 4 can be capacitively coupled as will be described later. In this embodiment, the 1st concealment layer 5 is formed by printing nonelectroconductive ink.
As the material for the non-conductive ink, various inks having no conductivity can be used. In particular, when an ink containing an epoxy curable resin or a urethane resin is used, the heat resistance is excellent, so that the shrinkage of the label base material due to heating and pressurization during chip mounting can be suppressed. As the printing method, various known printing methods such as a screen printing method can be used.

The first concealing layer 5 is such that the connection layer 4 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 first concealing layer 5 may be formed so as to cover at least the connection layer 4 and the IC chip, but may be formed on the entire surface. By forming it over the entire surface, it is preferable because the entire region where the conductivity is not provided can be concealed by the concealing layer when viewed from the substrate 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 connection layer 4 and the IC chip 6 are completely covered with the conductive layer 3, non-contact communication of the IC chip 6 cannot be performed. However, by using the concealing layer on the mirror surface, the connection layer 4 is visually recognized. 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 connection layer 4 and the IC chip 6 has only a non-conductive concealing layer, so that communication is possible.

  The connection layer 4 is formed in the shape as shown in FIG. 1, for example, by printing on the lower surface of the masking layer 5 by a known method using a conductive paste such as silver paste ink. The connection layer 4 for assisting the data communication of the IC chip 6 is provided, and the IC chip 6 is not directly connected to the conductive layer by a very thin aluminum vapor deposition film (conductive layer 3) having a thickness of 800 mm. This is because the IC chip 6 cannot be directly mounted. As shown in FIG. 1, the end portion of the connection layer 4 is formed so as to overlap the conductive layer 3 in plan view. The thickness of the printed connection layer 4 is about 5 μm and has little influence on the flatness of the IC label 1.

  The IC chip 6 is made of a single crystal of silicon or the like, and bumps (not shown) are bonded by heating and pressing using an anisotropic conductive adhesive or the like and electrically connected to the connection layer 4. The conductive layer 3 and the connection layer 4 are electrostatic in the range of the ellipse B shown by the wavy line in FIG. 2, using the insulating mask layer 8 and the non-conductive ink concealing layer 5 interposed therebetween as dielectrics. The IC chip 6 is electrically connected by capacitive coupling, and radio wave type non-contact data communication is possible with an external reader. The frequencies used for communication between the IC chip 6 and an external reader are a microwave band (2.45 GHz) and a UHF wave 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.

  A second concealing layer 10 is provided on the entire lower part of the first concealing layer 5 including the IC chip 6 and the connection layer 4, and the lower surface of the IC label 1 is adhered to an adherend such as various articles by its adhesive force. Can be glued to.

  As the second concealing layer 10, a layer that makes the connection layer 4 and the IC chip 6 invisible from the back side of the IC label in addition to the above-mentioned adhesive function is used. 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.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the second hiding layer 10 uses a hiding adhesive layer that also serves as an adhesive layer. The adhesive main material itself of the concealable adhesive layer has a characteristic of absorbing visible light, or a characteristic of absorbing visible light by incorporating an ink such as a pigment or a dye into the adhesive material, or the connection layer 4 and the IC chip 6. Any adhesive material can be used as long as it becomes invisible.

  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 conductor layer 3 is formed using the mask layer 8. The first concealment layer 5 and the connection layer 4 are sequentially formed by printing, the IC chip 6 is mounted on the connection layer 4, and finally the second concealment layer 10 is provided. be able to. For the first hiding layer 5 and the connection layer 4, for example, the first hiding layer 5 is first printed by a multicolor screen printing machine, then the connection layer 4 is printed, and a drying step is performed immediately after the printing. Can be formed efficiently.

FIG. 3 is an example of another embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
In FIG. 3, the second concealing layer 9 is partially provided so as to cover at least the IC chip and the connection layer 4, and an adhesive layer is further provided. The second hiding layer 9 can be the same as the first hiding layer 5.

  Moreover, it is preferable to use the second hiding layer 9 having the same color or the same color as the first hiding layer 5. For example, the color difference ΔEab * is preferably 3 or less. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to absorb light in the adhesive layer by adding the second concealing layer 9, a normal adhesive material that hardly absorbs visible light can be used for the adhesive layer 11 to the adherend.

  Since the second concealing layer 9 is a concealing layer formed after the IC chip 6 is mounted on the connection layer 4, the layer is formed in a non-contact manner in consideration of cracking and peeling off the IC chip 6 after mounting. The lower hiding layer 9 is formed by an ink jet method that can be formed.

  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. IC label 2, label base 3, conductive layer 4, connection layer 5, first concealing layer 6, IC chip 7, functional layer 8, mask layer (insulating layer)
9, second concealing layer 10, second concealing layer 11, adhesive layer

Claims (3)

A functional layer functioning as an OVD , a patterned conductive layer, and a conductive layer formed on the conductive layer, on the label base material, are subjected to a demetallization process to form the conductive layer in a desired shape, thereby improving design. A mask layer; a first concealing layer; a patterned connection layer capacitively coupled to the conductive layer; an IC chip electrically connected across the connection layer; and a second concealment layer And the first concealing layer is formed so as to cover at least the connection layer and the IC chip so that the connection layer and the IC chip cannot be seen in a plan view. The non-contact IC label, wherein the second concealing layer also serves as an adhesive layer, and the connection layer and the IC chip are formed on the entire surface so as to be invisible from the back side of the non-contact IC label. A functional layer functioning as an OVD , a patterned conductive layer, and a demetallization treatment on the conductive layer are formed on the label base material, thereby forming the conductive layer in a desired shape and improving the design. A mask layer; a first concealing layer; a patterned connection layer capacitively coupled to the conductive layer; an IC chip electrically connected across the connection layer; and a second concealment layer And the adhesive layer are laminated in this order, and the first concealment layer includes at least the connection layer and the IC chip of the non-contact IC label so that the connection layer and the IC chip cannot be seen in a plan view. the is formed so as to cover, the second shielding layer is the connecting layer and the IC chip so can not be seen from the back side of the contactless IC label at least the connecting layer and the IC chip partially so as to cover Formed A non-contact IC label characterized by being made.   3. The non-contact IC label according to claim 1, wherein hues of the first hiding layer and the second hiding layer are the same color or similar colors. 4.

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