JP7180268B2 - How to attach IC tags to packaging materials - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method of attaching an IC tag to a packaging material suitable for use in a physical distribution management system incorporating RFID.

In recent years, RFID (radio frequency identifier) has become popular as a system for managing physical distribution. In RFID, a reading device is used to wirelessly communicate with an IC tag integrated with an article in circulation to acquire information unique to the article recorded on the IC tag and manage the article. An IC tag consists of an IC chip and an antenna, and is also called an IC chip with an antenna or an RFID inlet.

In order to integrate an IC tag with an article, the IC tag may be fixed to a packaging material for storing the article during physical distribution. For this purpose, a sheet-like IC tag, which can be easily attached to the packaging material, is suitable. Patent Literature 1 discloses a sheet-like IC tag in which an IC chip is fixed to one surface of an elongate strip-like flexible substrate and a dipole antenna is provided on the other surface.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-514777

As described above, an IC tag has an IC chip and an antenna. When attaching an IC tag to a packaging material, the IC tag is usually prepared by integrating the IC chip and the antenna in advance, and the IC tag is packaged. It will be attached to the material. In this case, a manufacturing process of the IC tag and a process of attaching the IC tag to the packaging material are required, which increases the number of processes. Also, it is required to add special manufacturing equipment for attaching the IC tag to the packaging material. This leads to an increase in manufacturing costs of packaging materials with IC tags, and is an obstacle to the introduction of RFIDs into physical distribution management systems.

The present invention focuses on such a problem, and is an IC tag attachment to packaging material that can suppress an increase in the number of processes and an increase in the number of manufacturing facilities when manufacturing packaging materials with IC tags. We aim to provide a method.

The method of attaching an IC tag to a packaging material according to the present invention includes a step of attaching a sheet-like antenna material having a predetermined size and functioning as an antenna for the IC tag to the packaging material, and an IC strap having an IC chip attached to the packaging material. and a mounting step of mounting in a state of being electrically connected to.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of processes and an increase in manufacturing facilities for manufacturing a packaging material with an IC tag.

It is a side view which shows each process of the attachment method to the packaging material of the IC tag concerning one Embodiment in order of (a), (b), and (c). 1 is a perspective view showing a semi-finished packaging material to which an IC tag according to one embodiment is attached; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a completed packaging material to which an IC tag according to one embodiment is attached; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the attachment state to the packaging material of the IC tag concerning one Embodiment, (a) is a top view, (b) is an enlarged side view. It is a figure which shows the sheet-like base material with which the antenna material concerning one Embodiment was affixed, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a side view. It is a side view which shows the modification of the sheet-like base material with which the antenna material concerning one Embodiment was affixed, (a) shows a 1st modification, (b) shows a 2nd modification, respectively. It is a figure which shows the modification of the attachment state to the packaging material of the IC tag concerning one Embodiment, and is a perspective view which shows the inside of a packaging material. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modification of the state of attaching the IC tag to the packaging material according to the embodiment, and is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the packaging material to which the IC tag is attached (sectional view taken along line BB in part A of FIG. 7). Figure).

An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments shown below are merely examples, and there is no intention to exclude various modifications and application of techniques that are not explicitly described in the following embodiments. Each configuration of this embodiment can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Also, they can be selected or combined as needed.

[Construction of packaging material and IC tag]
A packaging material with an IC tag according to the present embodiment is, for example, a cardboard packaging box 1 as shown in FIGS. However, the packaging material is not limited to a box-like one as in the present embodiment, and may be a bag-like one or a sheet-like one for packaging an article. Moreover, the material of the packaging material is not limited to cardboard and is not limited to paper.

2 shows the packaging box 1 in a semi-finished state, and FIG. 3 shows the packaging box 1 in a completed state. The packaging box 1 has four side portions 11, 12, 13, and 14, and flap portions 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b, 14a, and 14b are folded at both edges of the side portions 11 to 14. It has a top surface portion 15 and a ground portion 16 formed.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the IC tag 2 is an inlet type RFID ID having a strap (substrate) 22 with an IC chip 21 mounted thereon and a sheet-like antenna material 23 functioning as an antenna. A tag, also called an inlay or an RFID inlay. The strap 22 is also called an IC strap 22 . Further, the antenna material 23 is formed with a predetermined size using a thin film of metal such as aluminum or copper.

The IC strap 22 has an IC chip 21 embedded in a base material (strap body) 22a made of resin such as PET and formed into a thin plate. A fine antenna 21a protrudes from each of the opposite edges.

Although resin is applied to the strap main body 22a, the specific resin material is not limited. Moreover, you may apply materials other than a resin material. Also, the shape of the strap body 22a is not limited, but it is preferable if it has a planar mounting surface because it can ensure ease of mounting. However, if it is in the form of a thin plate, the easiness of attachment is enhanced.

The fine antenna 21a is for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the antenna material 23. Even if the IC chip 21 is not in direct contact with the antenna material 23, the IC chip can be transmitted through wireless communication between the fine antenna 21a and the antenna material 23. 21 can transmit and receive signals to and from the outside.

The sheet-like antenna members 23 are provided in pairs separated from each other by a predetermined distance to form a dipole antenna. A fine antenna 21a protruding from the IC chip 21 is arranged so as to approach each of these antenna members 23 respectively.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the antenna material 23 is detachably attached to a base tape (base material) 24 formed as a strip-shaped sheet (tape). ing. Here, the antenna material 23 is formed in a rectangular shape, and the length (length L) along the longitudinal direction of the base tape 24 and the length (width W) along the width direction of the base tape 24 are specified. Dimensionally formed.

A pair of adjacent antenna members 23 are intermittently arranged with a predetermined distance D therebetween. An adhesive 25 is applied in advance to the back surface of the antenna material 23 , and the adhesive 25 allows the back surface of the antenna material 23 to be attached to a predetermined surface of the packaging box 1 at a predetermined location.

The antenna material 23 may be deposited on a base tape (base material) 24 formed as a strip-shaped sheet (tape). Also in this case, the antenna material 23 is formed, for example, in a rectangular shape, and has a length (length L) along the longitudinal direction of the base tape 24 and a length (width W) along the width direction of the base tape 24. It is preferably formed in a predetermined size. In this case, if the adhesive 25 is applied to the back surface of the base tape 24 , the back surface of the base tape 24 on which the antenna material 23 is vapor-deposited by the adhesive 25 is adhered to the predetermined surface of the packaging box 1 at a predetermined location. can be pasted on.

Since the antenna characteristics of the antenna material 23 vary depending on its material and its dimensions such as its thickness T, length L and width W, the material and dimensions of the antenna material 23 are formed according to the required use. Note that the antenna material 23 does not have to be rectangular as long as it is sheet-like.

In the case of a configuration in which the antenna material 23 is attached to the base tape 24, the antenna material 23 is attached intermittently at predetermined intervals D, and as shown in FIG. It may be applied continuously to the tape 24 .

When the antenna material 23 is intermittently attached to the base tape 24, there is an advantage that the antenna material 23 can be separated from the base tape 24 without interfering with subsequent ones. Further, when the antenna material 23 is continuously attached to the base tape 24, the base tape 24 can be saved by the interval D with respect to a certain number of base tapes 24, which has the advantage of easily improving the space efficiency. be.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6(b), when the antenna material 23A is arranged continuously with respect to the base tape 24, the antenna material 23A is tape-shaped and continues in the longitudinal direction like the base tape 24. formed in In this case, if the antenna material 23 is of a vapor deposition type in which the base tape 24 is vapor-deposited, the antenna material 23 having a predetermined size can be obtained by cutting the base tape 24 to a predetermined length L and using it.

Also, if the antenna material 23 is of a sticking type in which the antenna material 23 is affixed to the base tape 24, the antenna material 23A may be separated from the base tape 24 and cut into a predetermined length L for use. When the antenna material 23 is formed in a tape shape as the antenna material 23A in this way, the base tape 24 may be omitted, and the antenna material 23 itself may be adhered by applying an adhesive. In this case, since it is not necessary to cut the antenna material 23 in advance, there is an advantage that preparation efficiency is improved.

Thus, by depositing or attaching the antenna material 23 to the base tape 24, or forming the antenna material 23 into a tape shape, the tape can be prepared by winding it in a roll state. The storage and management of the antenna material 23 are also advantageous, and productivity can be improved by sharing the antenna material 23 while unwinding the tape from the roll.

When the antenna material 23 is vapor-deposited on the base tape 24, the back surface of the base tape 24 is coated with an adhesive 25 that can be peeled off from the surface of the base tape 24 (the side on which the antenna material 23 is vapor-deposited). , the surface side of the base tape 24 can be sucked by, for example, a suction pad or the like, and the base tape 24 can be pressed against a predetermined surface of the packaging box 1 to be attached.

When the antenna material 23 is attached to the base tape 24, the back surface of the antenna material 23 is coated with an adhesive 25 that can be peeled off from the base tape 24, and the front side of the antenna material 23 is attached to, for example, a suction pad. , the antenna material 23 can be peeled off from the base tape 24 and pressed against a predetermined surface of the packaging box 1 to be attached.

In addition, an adhesive may be applied to the back surface of the base tape 24 or the antenna material 23 immediately before sticking. The adhesive applied in this case may be added to the pre-applied adhesive 25 or may replace the pre-applied adhesive 25 .

[How to attach the IC tag to the packaging material]
In this method, the IC tag 2 is completed by bonding the IC strap 22 and the antenna material 23 in advance before being attached to the packaging box 1, and the antenna material 23 is attached to the packaging box 1 as the completed IC tag 2. Then, the IC tag 2 is completed by electrically connecting the antenna material 23 and the IC strap 22 through the process of sequentially attaching the IC strap 22 to the packaging box 1 .

This method is implemented between any steps of the manufacturing process in which the packaging box 1 is manufactured in a manufacturing line (box making machine) (not shown). The production line for the corrugated cardboard packaging box 1 includes, from the upstream side, a paper supply section, a printing section, a paper discharge section, a die cutting section, a folding section, a counter ejector section, etc., and a corrugated cardboard sheet as a material is produced on this production line. While sequentially conveying (see white arrows in FIG. 2), the packaging box 1 is manufactured through the plurality of manufacturing steps described above.

For example, there is a packaging box 1 to which an opening tape is attached. Inside (that is, in the middle of a plurality of manufacturing processes), a tape sticking device for sticking an unsealing tape is provided, and the unsealing tape is stuck to the packaging box 1 of the semi-finished product.
In the method of the present embodiment, the semi-finished antenna material 23 is applied by using such a tape application device, and then the IC strap 22 is attached to the antenna material 23 attached to the packaging box 1. .

Here, the case where the antenna material 23 is attached to the base tape 24 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1(a), first, an antenna material 23 having a predetermined size is attached to a semi-finished packaging box 1 (see FIG. 2) (attachment step). Here, a pre-process (first pre-process) for peeling off the antenna material 23 from the base tape 24 is carried out in advance, and the adhesive 25 on the back surface of the antenna material 23 is applied to a predetermined position on a predetermined surface of the packaging box 1. paste. The antenna members 23 are adhered in pairs with a predetermined interval DD.

When the antenna material 23 is vapor-deposited on the base tape 24, the antenna material 23 together with the base tape 24 is pressed against a predetermined surface of the packaging box 1 through the adhesive 25 on the back surface of the base tape 24 and attached. can be attached.

The predetermined position on the predetermined surface of the packaging box 1 is preferably a location where the IC tag 2 hardly interferes with the transportation of the packaging box 1. Here, as shown in FIGS. Antenna material 23 is attached to .

Further, when the antenna material 23 is formed by cutting the tape-shaped antenna material 23A into a predetermined length, the attaching step is performed by cutting the antenna material 23A into a predetermined length to form the antenna material 23. A pre-process (a second pre-process) to do so and a main process of attaching the formed antenna material 23 to the packaging box 1 may be performed.

Further, the pair of antenna members 23, 23 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the production line here, but it is sufficient that they are paired with a predetermined interval DD, and are arranged side by side in the transport direction of the production line. They may be arranged side by side in other directions.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the IC chip 21 of the IC strap 22 is electrically connected to the antenna material 23 attached to the packaging box 1 of the semi-finished product. Attach the IC strap 22 (attachment step). Here, an adhesive 25 is affixed to the mounting surface 22 b of the IC strap 22 where it is joined to the antenna material 23 , and the IC strap 22 is affixed to the antenna material 23 by the adhesive 25 .

The state in which the IC chip 21 is electrically connected to the antenna material 23 means that each of the fine antennas 21a, 21a projecting from the IC chip 21 is arranged within a predetermined distance from the corresponding antenna material 23. , the corresponding micro-antenna 21a and the antenna member 23 can transmit and receive signals wirelessly without any trouble.

[Action and effect]
According to this method, the packaging box 1 with the IC tag 2 (packaging material with the IC tag) can be easily manufactured by adding the attaching process and the attaching process to the manufacturing process of the packaging box 1 (packaging material). It is possible to suppress an increase in the number of processes for manufacturing a packaging material with an IC tag.

Further, by forming the antenna material 23 in a tape shape, the antenna material 23 is applied to the packaging box 1 (packaging material) by using a tape applying device or the like for applying an opening tape to the packaging box 1 (packaging material). Therefore, it is possible to suppress the expansion of manufacturing facilities for manufacturing packaging materials with IC tags.
As a result, an increase in cost for manufacturing packaging materials with IC tags can be suppressed, and RFID can be easily applied to a physical distribution management system.

The location where the IC tag 2 is attached is not limited to the outer surface of the lower side surface of the packaging box 1 as in the above embodiment, but may be any surface of the packaging box 1, either the outer surface or the inner surface. A location where the IC tag 2 does not easily interfere with the transportation of the packaging box 1 or the storage of articles in the packaging box 1 is preferable. For example, as shown in FIGS. A portion may be used as an attachment location for the IC tag 2 .

In this example, the IC tag 2 is arranged in the gap 17 between the inner surface of the ground portion 16 side and the inner surface of the side portion 13 side of the portion where the side portion 13 and the ground portion 16 (flap portion 13b) are folded in the valley. . The portion where the side portions 11 to 14 and the top surface portion 15 or the ground portion 16 are valley-folded, or the portion where two adjacent surface portions of the side portions 11 to 14 are valley-folded are each along the ruled line. The inner liners of the faces bend toward each other to form a gap 17 .

By attaching the IC tag 2 to the surface of the inner liner on either one of the two surfaces where the gap 17 is formed, the IC tag 2 is arranged in the gap 17, and the IC tag 2 is attached to the packaging box. Since the IC tag 2 is not exposed to the outside of the packaging box 1, it hardly interferes with the transport of the packaging box 1, and since the IC tag 2 does not protrude inside the packaging box 1, it does not interfere with the storage of articles in the packaging box 1. There is an advantage that it becomes difficult to become

In the example shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the IC tag 2 is installed on the inner surface side (specifically, the inner surface side of the ground portion 16) at the portion where the ground portion 16 and the side surface portion 13 are valley-folded. The gaps formed by the inner liners of the respective surface portions approaching each other while being bent along the ruled line are formed not only between the illustrated gap 17 but also between the respective surface portions 11 to 16. An IC tag 2 may be arranged.

〔others〕
The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. In the above embodiment, a dipole antenna having a pair of antenna materials 23 is exemplified, but the present invention can be applied to a monopole antenna having only one antenna material 23. good.
In the above-described embodiment, contact between the IC chip 21 of the IC strap 22 and the antenna material 23 by means of the fine antenna 21a need not be considered. Signals may be exchanged by contact.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the attaching process and the attaching process are performed in the middle of the plurality of manufacturing processes, but the attaching process and the attaching process may be performed on the material before undergoing the plurality of manufacturing processes.

1 packaging box as packaging material 2 IC tag 17 gap 21 IC chip 21a fine antenna 22 IC strap 22a strap main body 23 antenna material 23A antenna material 24 base tape 25 adhesive

Claims (10)

An affixing step of affixing a sheet-shaped antenna material having a predetermined size and functioning as an antenna for an IC tag to a packaging material;
a mounting step of mounting an IC strap having an IC chip in a state of being electrically connected to the antenna material;
The antenna material is vapor-deposited on a base material formed in a tape shape, and the antenna material is formed in the predetermined size and arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the base material at predetermined intervals,
In the pasting step, the base material is sequentially cut into predetermined lengths and pasted onto the packaging material that is sequentially sent, so that the antenna material is adhered to the packaging material together with the base material. A method of attaching an IC tag to a packaging material, characterized in that a pair of the antenna members are attached to the packaging material with a predetermined space corresponding to the size of the IC strap . An affixing step of affixing a sheet-shaped antenna material having a predetermined size and functioning as an antenna for an IC tag to a packaging material;
a mounting step of mounting an IC strap having an IC chip in a state of being electrically connected to the antenna material;
The antenna material is detachably attached to a sheet-like base material,
The attaching step includes a first pre-step of peeling the antenna material from the base material and a main step of attaching the peeled antenna material to the packaging material,
A method of attaching an IC tag to a packaging material, wherein in the main step , a pair of the antenna members are attached to the packaging material with a predetermined space corresponding to the size of the IC strap. The base material is formed in a tape shape, and a plurality of the antenna materials are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the base material in a state of being formed in advance to the predetermined size,
3. The adhesive to the packaging material according to claim 2 , wherein in the attaching step, the antenna material is sequentially peeled off from the base material and attached to the packaging material that is sequentially sent. How to attach an IC tag. 4. The IC tag to the packaging material according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of antenna members are intermittently aligned in the longitudinal direction of the base material in a state of being formed in the predetermined size in advance and attached to the IC tag. installation method. 4. The IC tag to the packaging material according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of antenna materials are formed in advance to have the predetermined size and are continuously aligned in the longitudinal direction of the base material and affixed thereto. installation method. An affixing step of affixing a sheet-shaped antenna material having a predetermined size and functioning as an antenna for an IC tag to a packaging material;
a mounting step of mounting an IC strap having an IC chip in a state of being electrically connected to the antenna material;
The antenna material is formed by cutting a tape-shaped antenna material into a predetermined length,
The attaching step includes a second pre-step of cutting the antenna material into the predetermined length to form the antenna material, and a main step of attaching the formed antenna material to the packaging material. ,
A method of attaching an IC tag to a packaging material, wherein in the main step , a pair of the antenna members are attached to the packaging material with a predetermined space corresponding to the size of the IC strap. The packaging material is manufactured through a plurality of manufacturing processes while sequentially conveying the material,
The method of attaching an IC tag to a packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the attaching step and the attaching step are performed during the plurality of manufacturing steps. The packaging material is manufactured through a plurality of manufacturing processes while sequentially conveying the material,
Attachment of the IC tag to the packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the attaching step and the attaching step are performed on the material before undergoing the plurality of manufacturing steps. Method. 9. Attachment to the packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein in the attaching step, the IC strap is attached to the antenna material attached to the packaging material in the attaching step. How to attach an IC tag. A method of attaching an IC tag to a packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the packaging material is a box or a bag.

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