JP7357492B2 - RFID tag, RFID tag manufacturing device, and RFID tag manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an RFID tag, an RFID tag manufacturing apparatus, and an RFID tag manufacturing method.

RFID tags in which an antenna is connected to an IC chip have been known. The RFID tag is capable of outputting information stored in an IC chip to a reader without contact. There are several types of such RFID tags, such as an active type that has its own power source and a passive type that uses radio waves emitted from a reader, such as UHF band or microwave, as energy. Among these, passive type RFID tags are used for various purposes such as distribution and goods management because they are inexpensive.

By the way, when an RFID using a planar antenna is placed near a metal body, radio waves may be affected by the metal body. For this reason, RFID using a planar antenna may have an extremely poor communication range near a metal body. In contrast, it has been found that it is effective to employ an antenna with a three-dimensional structure such as a helical antenna.

A wireless IC device using a helical antenna as a three-dimensional antenna has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Furthermore, an antenna employing a three-dimensional structure has been proposed as a communication antenna (for example, see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-20835 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-330833

Patent Document 1 discloses a resin-molded spiral conductor as a helical antenna. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses mounting a wireless IC chip on a power supply conductor that is also molded with resin. Patent Document 2 discloses forming a feeding pattern on the surface of a dielectric sheet to serve as an antenna element. Moreover, Patent Document 2 proposes an antenna in which a dielectric sheet is attached to the side surface of a columnar, cylindrical, or pyramidal dielectric support. In Patent Document 2, the IC is provided externally.

When the helical antenna is resin-molded as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to manufacture each wireless IC device individually, which may increase the cost of the wireless IC device. Furthermore, as in Patent Document 1, in molding, it is necessary to individually mount the wireless IC chips, which may increase costs. Further, when the IC is provided externally as in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to provide a power feeding point at the end of the dielectric sheet. If the antenna also serves as a power feeding and matching circuit, both ends of the antenna need to be connected to an IC. For this reason, there have been restrictions on the number of turns and the winding diameter of the antenna. Therefore, it would be preferable if the degree of freedom in the number of windings and winding diameter of the antenna could be increased while reducing the cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide an RFID tag, an RFID tag manufacturing apparatus, and an RFID tag manufacturing method that can improve flexibility in the number of windings and winding diameter of an antenna while reducing costs.

The present invention provides an RFID tag, which includes a strip-shaped base material, a conductive filament arranged on at least one surface of the base material, and inclined with respect to the length direction of the base material; The present invention relates to an RFID tag including an IC placed over the striatum.

Further, it is preferable that the distances of the filament from one side of the base material at any two points along the length direction of the base material differ from each other.

Moreover, it is preferable that the filamentous body is inclined in at least a part of the longitudinal direction of the base material.

Further, it is preferable that the filamentous body is folded back at one end of the base material, and the IC is disposed so as to overlap the folded position of the filamentous body.

Moreover, it is preferable that the base material is wound along the length direction.

Further, it is preferable that the RFID tag further includes a cover body that stores the base material, the filament body, and the IC in a wound state, and maintains the wound state.

Moreover, it is preferable that the RFID tag further includes an adjustment section that can adjust the deflection of the base material.

Further, the present invention provides an RFID tag manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the above-mentioned RFID tag, which is capable of pulling out a roll-shaped raw fabric in which sets of the IC and the filament are arranged side by side along the width direction. a cutter that cuts the pulled out raw fabric along the length direction and separates each set of the IC and the filament; The present invention relates to an RFID tag manufacturing apparatus that includes a winding unit that winds up each of the original fabrics.

The present invention also provides an RFID tag manufacturing method for manufacturing the above-mentioned RFID tag, in which a set of the IC and the filament is arranged in parallel along the width direction, and a roll-shaped raw material is pulled out. a paper process, a cutting process of cutting the pulled out raw fabric along the length direction, and a cutting process of separating each set of the IC and the filamentary body, and a cutting process of cutting the drawn raw fabric along the length direction, and a cutting process of separating the pairs of the IC and the filamentary body, and The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an RFID tag, including a winding step of winding each tag.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an RFID tag, an RFID tag manufacturing apparatus, and an RFID tag manufacturing method that can improve flexibility in the number of windings and winding diameter of an antenna while reducing costs.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an RFID tag according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one side of the base material of the RFID tag of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of adjustment by an adjustment section of the RFID tag according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the original fabric of the RFID tag of the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an RFID tag according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an original fabric cut along the length direction of the RFID tag of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an original roll (RFID roll) cut along the width direction of the RFID tag of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing one surface of a base material of an RFID tag according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another example of the base material of the RFID tag of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another example of the base material of the RFID tag of the third embodiment. It is a top view which shows the base material of the RFID tag of a modification. It is a top view which shows the base material of the RFID tag of a modification. It is a top view which shows the base material of the RFID tag of a modification.

Hereinafter, the RFID tag 1, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100, and the RFID tag 1 manufacturing method according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13.
First, an overview of the RFID tag 1 according to each embodiment will be explained.

The RFID tag 1 according to each embodiment is, for example, a tag having a three-dimensional antenna, as shown in FIG. Even if the RFID tag 1 having a three-dimensional antenna is placed near a metal body (not shown), it is possible to communicate while suppressing deterioration of the communication distance. In the RFID tag 1 according to each embodiment, the base material on which the antenna is arranged is wound in multiple layers along one surface, so that the diameter increases by the thickness of the base material each time it is wound. This constitutes a conical spiral antenna. The RFID tag 1 according to each embodiment includes an antenna having a plurality of circumferences with different diameters. Since the frequency bands for obtaining suitable radiation are different in each circumference, a broadband RFID tag 1 can be obtained.

[First embodiment]
Next, the RFID tag 1, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100, and the RFID tag 1 manufacturing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.
The RFID tag 1 according to the present embodiment includes a base material 11, a filament body 12, an IC 13, a cover body 14, and an adjustment section 15, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The base material 11 is made of paper, plastic film, etc., for example. The base material 11 is configured in a strip shape, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the base material 11 is configured to have a rectangular shape. The base material 11 is wound in the length direction. For example, the base material 11 is wound a plurality of times to have a cylindrical shape.

The striatum 12 is a so-called antenna. The filament 12 is made of, for example, a conductive material such as metal. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the filament 12 is arranged on at least one surface of the base material 11 and is inclined with respect to the length direction of the base material 11. In this embodiment, the distances of the filament bodies 12 from one side of the base material 11 in the length direction at any two points in the longitudinal direction of the base material 11 are different from each other. That is, the entire filament 12 is inclined with respect to the length direction of the base material 11. Moreover, in this embodiment, the filamentary body 12 is arranged on the outer surface of the base material 11 to be wound. Thereby, the filamentary body 12 is configured in a spiral shape whose diameter gradually increases from one end side to the other end side. That is, the filament 12 is configured in the shape of a conical spiral antenna whose diameter increases by the thickness of the base material 11 each time the base material 11 is wound.

For example, the IC 13 is arranged to overlap the striatum 12. The IC 13 includes, for example, a resonant circuit (a power supply circuit and a matching circuit). In this embodiment, the IC 13 is arranged on the same surface of the base material 11 as the surface on which the filamentary body 12 is arranged. For example, the IC 13 is arranged close to the center position of the base material 11 in both the length direction and the width direction.

The cover body 14 is made of, for example, a resin material. In this embodiment, the cover body 14 is configured to have a bottomed cylindrical shape with one longitudinal end open. The cover body 14 can accommodate the base material 11, the filamentary body 12, and the IC 13. Furthermore, one longitudinal end, which is an outer peripheral end, of one longitudinal end of the base material 11 housed inside is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the cover body 14 .

The adjustment section 15 is made of, for example, a resin material. In this embodiment, the adjustment section 15 is a rod-shaped body. The adjustment section 15 includes a body section 151 and an enlarged diameter section 152.

The body portion 151 is formed with a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the cover body 14 . Further, the body portion 151 is formed with a length shorter than the length of the cover body 14 . The body portion 151 is inserted into the cover body 14 through the opening thereof. Further, the body portion 151 is arranged with one end on the inner diameter side of one lengthwise end of the base material 11 attached to the circumferential surface. That is, the body 151 is arranged with the base material 11, the filament 12, and the IC 13 wound around it.

The enlarged diameter portion 152 is arranged at one end of the body portion 151. The enlarged diameter portion 152 is formed with a larger diameter than the body portion 151. Further, the enlarged diameter portion 152 is formed with a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the cover body 14 . In this embodiment, the enlarged diameter portion 152 is formed into a substantially conical shape having a bottom portion (not shown) having the same or substantially the same diameter as the outer shape of the cover body 14 . Further, the enlarged diameter portion 152 is arranged so as to be aligned with the axis of the body portion 151 . The enlarged diameter portion 152 is arranged at the open end of the cover body 14 . Further, the enlarged diameter portion 152 is attached to the cover body 14 so as to be rotatable about the axis. In other words, the enlarged diameter portion 152 is attached to the cover body 14 so as to be rotatable about the axis of the body portion 151 .

Next, the operation of the RFID tag 1 will be explained.
The RFID tag 1 is attached to a target object, for example. In response to receiving radio waves from a handy reader (not shown), the RFID tag 1 emits information stored in the IC 13 on radio waves. At this time, the RFID tag 1 emits radio waves from the striatum 12, which is a conical spiral antenna. Therefore, the RFID tag 1 can have a wide band.

When the preferred frequency band is changed, the adjustment section 15 is rotated with respect to the cover body 14. Specifically, the enlarged diameter portion 152 is rotated about the axis relative to the cover body 14. Thereby, the body portion 151 rotates around the axis together with the enlarged diameter portion 152. By rotating the body portion 151 around the axis, the winding diameter of the base material 11 changes. That is, the winding diameter of the filamentary body 12 increases or decreases. For example, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 3, when the trunk 151 is rotated in the direction to wind up the base material, the winding diameter of the filament is reduced. On the other hand, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 3, when the trunk 151 rotates in the direction of unwinding the base material, the winding diameter of the filament increases. A suitable frequency band can be changed by changing the winding diameter of the filament. For example, the winding diameter of the RFID tag 1 can be adjusted using the adjustment unit 15 so that radio waves can be received by a handy reader.

Next, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.
The RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100 includes an original fabric unwinding section 101, a cutter 102, and a winding section 103.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the web unwinding unit 101 retractably holds a roll-shaped web A in which a set of ICs 13 and filament bodies 12 are arranged side by side along the width direction. The raw fabric unwinding unit 101 holds a roll-shaped raw fabric A by, for example, fixing the roll. In this embodiment, in the fabric unwinding section 101, a set of the IC 13 and the filament 12 is arranged also in the direction along the unwinding direction.

The cutter 102 includes, for example, a rotary cutter 112 and a cutting cutter 113. The rotary cutter 112 cuts the passed original fabric A along the length direction (drawing direction). Thereby, the rotary cutter 112 separates each set of the IC 13 and the filamentary body 12. The rotary cutter 112 has, for example, a plurality of blades (not shown) arranged along the width direction of the original fabric A at intervals corresponding to the width of the base material 11. Thereby, the rotary cutter 112 separates the original fabric A in the width direction with a width matching the width of the base material 11, as shown in FIG.

The cutting cutter 113 is arranged after the rotary cutter 112. As shown in FIG. 7, the cutting cutter 113 cuts each of the raw fabrics A cut along the length direction in the width direction at predetermined intervals. The cutting cutter 113 cuts the original fabric A at intervals of 1 m or 3 m, for example. Thereby, the number of turns of the original fabric A can be changed.

The winding units 103 are provided in accordance with the number of separated raw fabrics A. The winding unit 103 winds up each of the separated raw fabrics A. Thereby, the winding unit 103 manufactures a plurality of roll-shaped RFID tags 1 (for example, referred to as RFID roll B) in which a plurality of RFID tags 1 are continuous in a band shape.

Next, a method for manufacturing the RFID tag 1 will be explained.
The method for manufacturing the RFID tag 1 includes a paper passing process, a cutting process, and a winding process.

In the sheet passing process, a roll-shaped raw fabric A in which pairs of ICs 13 and filament bodies 12 are arranged side by side along the width direction as shown in FIG. 4 is set in the fabric unwinding section 101 of the manufacturing apparatus 100. be done. Next, the original fabric A set in the original fabric unwinding section 101 is pulled out and passed through a predetermined location of the manufacturing apparatus 100.

Next, in the cutting step, the drawn out raw fabric A is cut along the length direction. In the cutting process, the original fabric A is cut to separate the IC 13 and striatum 12 pairs.

Next, in the winding process, each of the separated raw fabrics A is wound up. In this way, RFID roll B is manufactured. The RFID tag 1 is constructed by further separating the RFID roll B in the length direction.

According to the RFID tag 1, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100, and the RFID tag 1 manufacturing method of the present embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved.
(1) The RFID tag 1 includes a strip-shaped base material 11 and a conductive filament 12 arranged on at least one surface of the base material 11 and inclined with respect to the length direction of the base material 11. RFID tag 1 includes: Thereby, the RFID tag 1 can be manufactured by simply arranging the filament 12 and the IC 13 on the base material 11, so that costs can be reduced. Further, a conical antenna can be formed simply by winding the base material 11, and the number of windings and the winding diameter can be easily changed by simply changing the winding specifications. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the number of windings and winding diameter of the antenna can be improved. By changing the number of windings and the winding diameter of the antenna, the impedance characteristics and radiation characteristics of the antenna can be changed.

(2) The distances of the filament bodies 12 from one side of the base material 11 in the length direction at any two points in the longitudinal direction of the base material 11 are different from each other. Thereby, a conical spiral antenna having a plurality of circumferences with different diameters can be constructed. Therefore, the RFID tag 1 can have a wider band.

(3) The base material 11 is wound along the length direction. Thereby, a conical spiral antenna can be configured more easily.

(4) The RFID tag 1 houses the base material 11, the filament 12, and the IC 13 in a wound state, and further includes a cover body that maintains the wound state. Moreover, the RFID tag 1 further includes an adjustment section that can adjust the deflection of the base material. The RFID tag 1 further includes a cover body 14 that can accommodate the base material 11, the filamentary body 12, and the IC 13, and has an adjustment section 15 that can adjust the deflection of the base material 11. Thereby, by adjusting the winding direction of the base material 11 using the adjusting section 15, the winding width and the winding diameter can be changed. Therefore, RFID tags 1 having different radiation characteristics can be easily obtained. That is, it is possible to easily change the preferred frequency band for emitting the RFID tag 1, and the versatility of the RFID tag 1 can be improved.

(5) An RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100 that manufactures the RFID tag 1 described above, which is capable of pulling out a roll-shaped raw fabric A in which a set of ICs 13 and filament bodies 12 are arranged side by side along the width direction. A cutter 102 that cuts the drawn-out original fabric A along the length direction and separates each set of IC 13 and filament 12; A winding unit 103 that winds up each of the raw fabrics A is provided. Further, there is a method for manufacturing the RFID tag 1 for manufacturing the above-mentioned RFID tag 1, including a step of pulling out a roll-shaped raw fabric A in which a set of ICs 13 and filament bodies 12 are arranged side by side along the width direction. , a cutting process of cutting the pulled out raw fabric A along the length direction, a cutting process of separating each set of IC 13 and filamentary body 12, and winding up each of the separated raw fabric A. A winding process is provided. Thereby, the RFID tag 1 (RFID roll B) can be easily obtained from the original roll A, and the manufacturing cost of the RFID tag 1 can be reduced. Furthermore, by using the roll-shaped original fabric A, it is possible to use the ICs 13 that are continuously mounted on the base material 11, which is advantageous for mass production compared to the case where the ICs 13 are mounted on a molded antenna. .

[Second embodiment]
Next, the RFID tag 1, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100, and the RFID tag 1 manufacturing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. In the description of the second embodiment, the same components as those of the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the RFID tag 1 according to the second embodiment has the following features: This is different from the first embodiment. The striated body 12 is configured to include, for example, a position that is inclined with respect to the length direction and a position that is not inclined.

The operation of the above RFID tag 1 will be explained.
By winding the base material 11, the filament 12 forms a conical spiral antenna at an inclined position. Further, the filament 12 forms a spiral antenna at a non-slanted position. The striatum 12 affects the reactance at the position of the spiral antenna and contributes to the impedance between the IC 13 and the striatum 12 . The impedance width can be expanded by changing the location where the non-inclined position is formed in accordance with the impedance characteristics of the IC 13. Therefore, even IC13 tags with different impedance characteristics can be used as the RFID tag 1 by changing the antenna pattern.

According to the RFID tag 1, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100, and the RFID tag 1 manufacturing method of the present embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved.
(6) The filamentary body 12 is inclined in at least some portions in the direction along the length direction of the base material 11. Thereby, a conical spiral antenna and a spiral antenna can coexist. Therefore, the RFID tag 1 compatible with the impedance characteristics of the IC 13 can be easily configured.

[Third embodiment]
Next, the RFID tag 1, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100, and the RFID tag 1 manufacturing method according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In describing the third embodiment, the same components as those in the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.
The RFID tag 1, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing device 100, and the RFID tag 1 manufacturing method according to the third embodiment have the following points: This is different from the first and second embodiments. Furthermore, the RFID tag 1, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100, and the RFID tag 1 manufacturing method according to the third embodiment are different from the first and second embodiments in that the IC 13 is disposed in an overlapping manner at the folded position of the filament 12. This is different from the second embodiment.

According to the RFID tag 1, the RFID tag 1 manufacturing apparatus 100, and the RFID tag 1 manufacturing method of the present embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved.
(7) The filamentous body 12 is placed so as to be folded back at one end of the base material 11, and the IC 13 is placed so as to overlap the folded position of the filamentous body 12. This allows the conical spiral antenna to have a longer antenna length. Furthermore, when a metal plate (not shown) is placed in a direction intersecting the axis, the spiral portion functions as a ground for the metal plate, making it less susceptible to the influence of the metal plate. Further, even if there is no metal plate, the spiral portion functions as a ground to some extent, so it is possible to use both a conical antenna and a spiral antenna.

The preferred embodiments of the RFID tag, RFID tag manufacturing apparatus 100, and RFID tag manufacturing method of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified as appropriate. It is possible.
For example, in the embodiment described above, the cover body 14 may include an indicator section (not shown) that indicates the degree of adjustment of the adjustment section 15. The indicator may indicate, for example, the value of the frequency band for setting. By being aligned with the position of the indicator, the adjustment unit 15 may adjust the winding width and number of turns of the filament 12 to the values of the aligned indicator.

Further, in the above embodiment, the base material 11 is wound with the surface on which the filamentous body 12 is arranged facing outward, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The base material 11 may be wound with the surface on which the filamentous body 12 is arranged facing inward.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the filamentous body 12 is folded back and placed at one end of the base material 11, the folded portion of the filamentous body 12 is arranged in a direction along the length direction of the base material 11. It may extend along. As a result, it is possible to configure a pseudo-endfire type RFID tag 1 in which radiation is greater on the side of the inclined filament 12. Further, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the IC 13 is arranged at one corner of the base material 11, and a circular metal plate is arranged at the edge in the width direction of the base material 11 adjacent to the IC 13. It's okay. As a result, an end-fire type RFID tag 1 can be constructed.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the adjusting section is made movable in the circumferential direction of the cover body 14, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the adjustment portion may be configured to be slidable in the length direction of the cover body 14, thereby shifting the axial direction of the filament body 12 along the length direction of the cover body 14.

Further, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the IC 13 may be arranged at one end in the length direction of the base material 11. In this case, the metal plate 16 is placed adjacent to the IC 13 at one end of the base material 11 in the width direction. Thereby, an end-fire type RFID tag 1 can be configured.

Further, in the above embodiment, the IC 13 having a built-in resonant circuit is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the IC 13 does not have a resonant circuit, the RDID tag 1 may further include a resonant circuit 17, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

Further, in the above embodiment, the RFID tag 1 includes the adjustment section 15, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In this case, the base material 11 may be wound and fixed at the outer peripheral end in the length direction with a seal. For example, the base material 11 may be taped to the outer circumferential surface of the outer circumferential end to prevent the base material 11 from collapsing. The adjustment portion 15 may be fixed to the cover body 14 in the same shape. Further, the cover body 14 may suppress unrolling of the base material 11 by bringing the outer peripheral surface of the base material 11 into contact with the inner peripheral surface. By doing so, it is possible to easily mass-produce RFID tags 1 having the same or substantially the same number of turns and the same diameter.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the deflection of the base material 11 is adjusted by rotating the adjustment section 15 with respect to the cover body 14, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The deflection of the base material 11 may be adjusted by rotating the cover body 14 with respect to the adjustment section 15.

1 RFID tag 11 Base material 12 Striatum 13 IC
14 Cover body 15 Adjustment unit 100 Manufacturing device 101 Original fabric unwinding unit 102 Cutter 103 Winding unit A Original fabric

Claims (4)

An RFID tag,
A strip-shaped base material,
a conductive filament arranged on at least one surface of the base material and inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the base material;
an IC placed over the striatum;
Equipped with
The filamentous body is folded back and arranged at one end of the base material,
The IC is an RFID tag placed overlapping the folded position of the striatum. The RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein the base material is wound along the length direction. The RFID tag according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a cover body that stores the base material, the filament body, and the IC in a wound state and maintains the wound state. The RFID tag according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an adjustment section that can adjust the deflection of the base material.

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