JP7402720B2 - Antenna pattern manufacturing method and antenna pattern - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an antenna pattern and an antenna pattern applied to an RFID inlay.

In recent years, in the fields of product manufacturing, management, distribution, etc., so-called RFID tags that are compatible with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, which transmits and receives information through non-contact communication from IC chips on which product information and identification information are written, have become popular. , RFID media such as RFID labels are becoming widespread.

As a manufacturing method for the antenna pattern used in the above-mentioned RFID medium, a metal sheet made of aluminum or the like is adhered to a base material using an adhesive, and a die roll having a blade shape of a predetermined antenna shape is used to form an antenna from the metal sheet. After cutting out the shape, there is a method in which unnecessary parts of the metal sheet other than the antenna are removed from the base material, leaving the antenna shape on the base material (see Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2017/159222

In the manufacturing method described in Patent Document 1, when the unnecessary portion of the metal sheet is removed from the base material, the meander (meandering portion) of the antenna is dragged along with the unnecessary portion to be removed, so that the unnecessary portion of the metal sheet is removed from the base material. Manufacturing defects such as misalignment or peeling off from the base material along with unnecessary parts may occur.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to suppress manufacturing defects in antennas when manufacturing antenna patterns.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an antenna pattern applied to an RFID inlay, in which a continuous body formed by bonding a metal sheet to a long base material with an adhesive is conveyed in the conveyance direction. a step of cutting the outer circumferential line of the antenna; a step of pressing a predetermined position of the antenna toward the base material to form an embossed portion; and a step of removing unnecessary portions of the metal sheet that do not constitute the antenna; A method of manufacturing an antenna pattern is provided.

According to the present invention, the embossed portion is formed by pressing a predetermined position of the antenna toward the base material. In the embossed portion, the metal sheet constituting the antenna is pushed into the adhesive, so the adhesive strength between the metal sheet and the base material is increased. Therefore, when removing unnecessary parts of the metal sheet, manufacturing defects such as a part of the antenna bonded to the base material being dragged by the unnecessary part and causing positional shift, or peeling off from the base material together with the unnecessary part can be prevented. can do.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an antenna pattern according to the present embodiment and an RFID inlay including the antenna pattern. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the die roll used for manufacturing the antenna pattern based on this embodiment. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV shown in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an antenna and an embossed portion formed on a continuum C. It is a schematic diagram explaining a removal process.

[Antenna pattern]
An antenna pattern 1 and an RFID inlay 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an antenna pattern 1 and an RFID inlay 10 including the antenna pattern 1 according to the present embodiment.

The antenna pattern 1 according to this embodiment includes a base material 2 and an antenna 3 bonded to the base material 2. Further, the RFID inlay 10 has an IC chip 4 mounted on the antenna 3 of the antenna pattern 1.

The base material 2 may be any material that can be laminated with metal foil to serve as an antenna using a general-purpose adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive, such as paper such as high-quality paper or coated paper, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, or polyethylene. , a single resin film such as polyethylene naphthalate, or a multilayer film formed by laminating a plurality of these resin films can be used.

The thickness of the base material 2 is 25 μm or more from the viewpoint of strength for forming the antenna 3 on the base material 2 and mounting the IC chip 4, and from the viewpoint of ease of manufacturing in the manufacturing apparatus 100 described later. It is preferably 300 μm or less.

When paper is used as the base material 2, the thickness can be set to 50 μm or more and 260 μm or less within the above range, and is usually preferably 80 μm. Moreover, when using a resin film as a base material, it can be 25 micrometers or more and 200 micrometers or less within the said range. The thickness of the base material 2 can be appropriately selected within the above range depending on the design and use of the RFID medium as a product manufactured using the RFID inlay 10.

The antenna 3 is formed of a metal sheet made of metal foil.

Examples of metals applicable to the antenna 3 include copper and aluminum. From the viewpoint of reducing manufacturing costs, it is preferable to use aluminum.

Further, from the viewpoint of the entire thickness of the RFID inlay 10 or the entire thickness when formed on the RFID medium, and manufacturing cost, the thickness of the metal foil is preferably 3 μm or more and 25 μm or less. In this embodiment, aluminum foil with a thickness of 20 μm is used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the antenna 3 is adhered to the base material 2 with an adhesive A such as an acrylic adhesive, a urethane adhesive, a silicone adhesive, or a rubber adhesive.

As shown in FIG. 1, the antenna 3 includes a loop portion 31 on which the IC chip 4 is mounted, an IC chip connection portion 32 to which the IC chip 4 is connected, and a symmetrical direction from the loop portion 31 (X direction in FIG. 1). The capacitor hats 35 and 36 are provided with meanders 33 and 34 that extend outward, and capacitor hats 35 and 36 that are connected to the ends of each meander 33 and 34, respectively. That is, the antenna 3 constitutes a dipole antenna.

The meander 33, 34 has a meandering shape having a portion along the X direction (hereinafter referred to as the horizontal route portion 351) and a portion along the direction intersecting the X direction (hereinafter referred to as the Y direction) (hereinafter referred to as the vertical route portion 352). It is formed. An embossed portion 5 is formed on the meander 33, 34.

In this embodiment, the antenna 3 is designed to have a pattern having an antenna length and an antenna width corresponding to the UHF band (300 MHz to 3 GHz, particularly 860 MHz to 960 MHz).

The antenna pattern 1 according to this embodiment has an embossed part 5 recessed toward the base material 2 in a part of the antenna 3. The embossed portion 5 protrudes toward the base material 2 and enters the adhesive A. Thereby, the antenna 3 can be firmly adhered to the base material 2.

In this embodiment, the embossed portion 5 is formed in a horizontal path portion 351 along the X direction. The embossed portion 5 can be formed, for example, by pressing the antenna 3 toward the base material 2 using a roller on which a convex portion is formed.

The RFID inlay 10 can be configured by connecting the IC chip 4 to the IC chip connecting portion 32 of the antenna pattern 1 having the above configuration using an anisotropically conductive material or the like.

Furthermore, the RFID inlay 10 can be formed into RFID media such as labels, tags, wristbands, tickets, cards, etc. by bonding an exterior base material or by subjecting the RFID inlay 10 to further processing. .

<Effect>
In the case of an antenna in which the overall size of the antenna pattern 1 is small and the shape of the meander 33, 34 is carefully designed, the line width of the metal sheet in the meander portion is narrow and the adhesive area with the base material 2 becomes small. , poor adhesion is likely to occur.

In contrast, in the antenna pattern 1 according to the present embodiment, the embossed portion 5 is formed in the horizontal path portion 351 of the antenna 3. Since the embossed portion 5 protrudes toward the base material 2 and enters the adhesive A, the antenna 3 is more firmly adhered to the base material 2 via the adhesive A on the flat surface than when the antenna 3 is adhered to the base material 2 via the adhesive A. be able to.

Therefore, manufacturing defects such as the antenna 3 being misaligned with respect to the base material 2 or peeling off from the base material 2 can be prevented.

[Method for manufacturing antenna pattern]
Next, a method for manufacturing the antenna pattern 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a manufacturing apparatus 100 for manufacturing the antenna pattern 1 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the method for manufacturing the antenna pattern 1 according to the present embodiment includes an adhesive coating process P1 (hereinafter referred to as process P1) and a metal sheet arrangement process P2 (hereinafter referred to as process P2). , a cutting process P3 (hereinafter referred to as process P3) and a removing process P4 (hereinafter referred to as process P4).

In step P1, adhesive A is applied while conveying the elongated base material 2.

In step P2, a continuous body of metal foil (hereinafter referred to as metal sheet M) is bonded to a long base material 2 coated with adhesive A to obtain a continuous body C.

In step P3, while conveying the continuous body C in the conveyance direction T, the outer circumferential line of the antenna 3 is cut, and a predetermined position of the antenna 3 is pressed toward the base material 2 to form an embossed portion 5.

In step P4, unnecessary portions Ma of the metal sheet M that do not constitute the antenna 3 are removed.

First, process P1 will be explained.

Process P1 is executed by the adhesive coating unit 110, as shown in FIG.

The adhesive coating unit 110 applies adhesive A to the elongated base material 2 fed out from the feeding roller 101 in an area where the antenna 3 is planned to be placed and which is inside the outer circumferential line of the antenna 3. Place.

The adhesive coating unit 110 includes an adhesive tank 111 that stores adhesive A, a feeding roller 112 that feeds out the adhesive A from the adhesive tank 111, and a feeding roller 112 that receives the adhesive A from the feeding roller 112 and applies the adhesive A to a long substrate. It has a plate roller 113 for transferring onto the material 2 and an impression cylinder 114.

Examples of the adhesive A that can be used in step P1 include acrylic adhesives, urethane adhesives, silicone adhesives, rubber adhesives, and the like. In this embodiment, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet curable adhesive from the viewpoint of applying the adhesive A to the substrate 2 to be transported using a flexo printing or letterpress printing method. For this reason, the adhesive coating unit 110 includes a UV lamp 115 that irradiates the adhesive A with ultraviolet light.

The plate roller 113 is a plate on which a convex pattern 113a corresponding to the shape of the adhesive A applied to the elongated base material 2 is formed, which is wound around a plate cylinder. A plurality of convex patterns 113a are formed on the plate roller 113. The plurality of convex patterns 113a are arranged side by side in the feeding direction and the width direction of the plate roller 113. Thereby, the adhesive A for a plurality of antennas can be transferred and coated onto the base material 2 at the same time.

Each convex pattern 113a has a shape that fits inside the outer circumferential line of the antenna 3 disposed on the base material 2. Here, the coating position of the adhesive A is positioned so that the margin on the upstream side in the conveyance direction is wider than the margin on the downstream side in the conveyance direction inside the outer circumferential line of the antenna 3.

The thickness of the adhesive A to be applied is preferably 3 μm or more and 25 μm or less. If it is 3 μm or more, sufficient adhesion force can be obtained when adhering the metal sheet M to the base material 2, and if it is 25 μm or less, it will not protrude outside the outer circumferential line of the antenna 3 due to pressure. Moreover, if it is 25 μm or less, it can be quickly fixed when the adhesive A is irradiated with ultraviolet light.

Further, in this embodiment, from the viewpoint of holding the antenna 3 on the base material 2, the adhesive force of the adhesive A is preferably 500 gf/25 mm or more in a 180° peel test (JIS Z 0237 2009). , more preferably 800 gf/25 mm or more. More preferably, it is 1000 gf/25 mm or more. The upper limit of the adhesive force is preferably 2000 gf/25 mm.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, before step P1, for positioning when transferring the adhesive A to the base material 2 and positioning the cut when forming the cut of the antenna 3. A step of printing a reference mark to be used as a reference is executed.

Next, process P2 will be explained.

Step P2 is performed by the metal sheet placement unit 120, as shown in FIG.

The metal sheet arrangement unit 120 has a pressure roller 121 and a support roller 122. In the metal sheet arrangement unit 120, the metal sheet M conveyed by a conveyance path different from the conveyance path of the base material 2 is superimposed on the surface of the base material 2 coated with the adhesive A, and is overlapped with the pressure roller 121. It is inserted between the support roller 122 and bonded to the base material 2.

In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, since the adhesive A is not present outside the outer circumferential line of the antenna 3, the metal sheet M is not adhered to the base material 2 except for the area where the antenna 3 is formed.

As the metal constituting the metal sheet M, any conductive metal that is normally used for forming an antenna pattern can be used. In this embodiment, aluminum foil is used from the viewpoint of reducing manufacturing costs.

Further, from the viewpoint of the entire thickness of the RFID inlay 10 or the entire thickness when formed on the RFID medium, and manufacturing cost, the thickness of the metal sheet M is preferably 3 μm or more and 25 μm or less. In this embodiment, aluminum foil with a thickness of 20 μm is used.

Next, process P3 will be explained.

Process P3 is performed by the cutting unit 130, as shown in FIG.

The cutting unit 130 includes a die roll 131 that forms a cut for the antenna 3 in the metal sheet M, and an anvil roller 132 that backs up the die roll 131.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a die roll 131 used for manufacturing the antenna pattern 1 according to this embodiment. Further, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV shown in FIG. 3. Arrow T shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 indicates the rotation direction of the die roll 131. This corresponds to the transport direction T in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a part of the surface of the die roll 131 in an enlarged manner. A convex blade portion 131 a having the shape of the outer circumferential line of the antenna 3 is formed on the die roll 131 . The convex blade portion 131a is a flexible die.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the die roll 131 has a convex blade part 131a and a convex part 131b, so that the direction in which the meander 33, 34 in the antenna 3 expands (X direction) coincides with the width direction of the continuum C. It is designed to allow

That is, the convex blade part 131a and the convex part 131b are formed so that the direction (Y direction) that intersects the direction in which the meander 33 and 34 spread (X direction) coincides with the conveying direction T.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the antenna 3, a portion extending in a direction intersecting the conveying direction T, that is, a convex portion forming the lateral path portion 351 of the meander 33, 34 in the die roll 131. A convex portion 131b for forming the embossed portion 5 is formed between the blade portions 131a.

The convex blade portion 131a is designed to have a height D that allows it to cut the metal sheet M and reach the base material 2. Moreover, the convex portion 131b is designed to have a height d that allows pressing the metal sheet M toward the base material 2 and forming the concave embossed portion 5 without cutting the metal sheet M. Here, D>d.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the antenna 3 and the embossed portion 5 formed on the continuous body C. In step P3, the die roll 131 and anvil roller 132 having the convex blade part 131a and the convex part 131b shown in FIG. A cutting line Lc can be formed to partition the antenna 3 and the antenna 3. Further, an embossed portion 5 protruding toward the base material 2 can be formed on the horizontal path portion 351 of the antenna 3.

Next, process P4 will be explained.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating process P4. FIG. 6 shows how the unnecessary portion Ma of the metal sheet M is separated from the continuous body C in which the shape of the antenna 3 is cut. In FIG. 6, an unnecessary portion Ma of the metal sheet M is indicated by a broken line.

Step P4 is performed by the removal unit 140, as shown in FIG.

The removal unit 140 includes a peel roller 141 and a guide roller 142. The unnecessary portion Ma of the metal sheet M is placed along a part of the peel roller 141, and the conveying direction of the unnecessary portion Ma is changed to the direction opposite to the conveying direction T of the continuous body C and upward (in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 6).

In this embodiment, the adhesive A is not attached to the unnecessary portion Ma, and the adhesive A is applied only to the area where the antenna 3 is planned to be placed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, when the unnecessary portion Ma of the metal sheet M is pulled away from the continuous body C in the direction of the arrow R, the antenna 3 bonded with the adhesive A is left on the base material 2.

In this embodiment, the antenna pattern 1 in which the embossed portion 5 is formed at a predetermined position of the antenna 3 can be manufactured through the above steps P1 to P4.

Thereafter, the IC chip 4 is mounted at a predetermined position of the antenna 3 of the antenna pattern 1, thereby obtaining the RFID inlay 10. For example, the IC chip 4 can be bonded to the antenna 3 using an anisotropic conductive material or the like.

<Effect>
In the case of the antenna 3 in which the overall size of the antenna pattern 1 is small and the shape of the meander 33, 34 is designed more finely, the line width of the metal sheet in the meander 33, 34 portion is narrow, and the line width of the metal sheet in the meander 33, 34 portion is narrow, and the line width of the metal sheet in the meander 33, 34 portion is narrow. Since the bonding area becomes small, the bonding strength is insufficient, and bonding failures such as the meander 33 and 34 lifting or peeling tend to occur.

On the other hand, according to the manufacturing method of the antenna pattern 1 according to the present embodiment, in the cutting step P3, the shape of the antenna 3 is cut out from the metal sheet M, and the shape of the antenna is cut out in the direction intersecting the conveying direction T. The embossed portion 5 is formed in the portion extending in the X direction, that is, in the lateral path portion 351 of the meander 33, 34.

Since the embossed portion 5 protrudes toward the base material 2 side, it is pushed into the adhesive A. Thereby, the antenna 3 can be more firmly adhered to the base material 2 via the adhesive A in the planar portion than when the antenna 3 is adhered to the base material 2 via the adhesive A.

Further, in the removal step P4, as schematically shown in FIG. 6, the unnecessary portion Ma of the metal sheet M is separated in the opposite direction to the conveyance direction T and upward (in the direction of arrow R).

For this reason, stress in the pull-off direction (direction of arrow R) tends to concentrate on the horizontal path portion 351 extending in a direction intersecting the conveying direction T of the antenna 3, and poor adhesion tends to occur.

On the other hand, according to the method for manufacturing the antenna pattern 1 according to the present embodiment, the embossed portions 5 are formed in the horizontal path portions 351 of the meander 33 and 34 in the cutting step P3. This ensures adhesive strength in areas where stress concentration is likely to occur during the removal step P4.

Therefore, manufacturing defects such as misalignment of the antenna 3 with respect to the base material 2 or peeling from the base material 2 in the removal step P4 of removing the unnecessary portion Ma can be suppressed.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the adhesive A is not attached to the unnecessary portion Ma, it is not necessary to remove the adhesive A from the unnecessary portion Ma after collecting the unnecessary portion Ma, and the recycling processing is performed. It becomes easier. Thereby, the unnecessary portion Ma can be reused as the metal sheet M.

[Other embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely show a part of the application examples of the present invention, and the purpose is to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configuration of the above embodiments. isn't it.

In this embodiment, the shape of the antenna 3 in the antenna pattern 1 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG.

In step P3, the convex blade portion 131a can be formed of a carving blade, a planting blade, etc. in addition to a flexible die.

Further, in this embodiment, the convex portion 131b shown in FIG. 4 may be formed downstream in the transport direction T from the intermediate position between the convex blade portions 131a. In this case, the embossed portion 5 is formed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction T in the line width of the meander 33, 34.

Thereby, in the antenna 3, the downstream side of the portion extending in the direction (X direction) intersecting the transport direction T is firmly adhered to the base material 2. Therefore, the effect of preventing the antenna 3 from floating or peeling off is enhanced.

The process of cutting the outer periphery of the antenna 3 while conveying the continuous body C in the conveyance direction T, and the process of pressing a predetermined position of the antenna 3 toward the base material 2 to form the embossed part 5 are performed in separate units. It may be executed by

By performing these steps in the same step P4 as in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent misalignment between the outer circumferential line of the antenna 3 and the embossed portion 5.

In this embodiment, the shape (orientation) of the antenna 3 cut out in the continuum C is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3 . That is, in the die roll 131, the convex blade portion 131a and the convex portion 131b may be formed in such a direction that the direction in which the meander 33, 34 expands (X direction) coincides with the conveyance direction T of the continuous body C.

In this case, the embossed portion 5 is formed in a portion of the antenna 3 that extends in a direction intersecting the transport direction T, that is, in the vertical path portion 352 of the meander 33, 34.

In this case as well, as in the example shown in FIG. 3, the antenna 3 and the base material 2 can be firmly bonded, and the portion of the antenna 3 extending in the direction intersecting the transport direction T is prevented from lifting or peeling. Effects can be obtained.

In FIG. 6, a continuous body C is shown in which a plurality of antenna patterns 1 are arranged in a line in the transport direction T. The arrangement of antenna pattern 1 is not limited to that shown in FIG. It may be a wide continuum C in which a plurality of antenna patterns 1 are formed in a plurality of rows along the transport direction T.

In this case, the die roll 131 is also configured to have a wide width, and has a plurality of rows of convex blade portions 131a and convex portions 131b lined up in the width direction.

In this embodiment, a case has been described in which the antenna 3 is a dipole antenna for the UHF band inlet, but it may be a coil antenna for the HF band.

1 Antenna pattern 2 Base material 3 Antenna 4 IC chip 5 Embossed part 10 RFID inlay 31 Loop part 32 IC chip connection part 33, 34 Meander 35, 36 Capacitor hat 100 Manufacturing equipment 101 Feeding roller 102 Take-up roller 110 Adhesive coating unit 111 Adhesive tank 112 Feeding roller 113 Plate roller 113a Convex pattern 114 Impression cylinder 115 UV lamp 120 Metal sheet arrangement unit 121 Pressing roller 122 Support roller 130 Cutting unit 131 Die roll 131a Convex blade portion 131b Convex portion 132 Anvil roller 140 Removal Unit 141 Peel roller 142 Guide roller 150 Pair roller 151 Nip roller 152 Followed roller 351 Horizontal path portion 352 Vertical path portion C Continuous body M Metal sheet Ma Unnecessary portion Lc Cutting line P1 Adhesive coating process P2 Metal sheet placement process P3 Cutting process P4 Removal process R Opposite direction and above the transport direction T Transport direction

Claims (7)

A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern applied to an RFID inlay, the method comprising:
A process of cutting the outer circumferential line of the antenna while transporting a continuous body made of a long base material and a metal sheet pasted with an adhesive in the transport direction;
Pressing a predetermined position of the antenna toward the base material to form an embossed part;
removing a portion of the metal sheet that does not constitute the antenna;
A method of manufacturing an antenna pattern comprising: A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to claim 1, comprising:
The predetermined position is a portion of the antenna that extends in a direction intersecting the transport direction,
Method of manufacturing antenna pattern. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:
The cutting of the outer peripheral line and the formation of the embossed portion are performed in the same process.
Method of manufacturing antenna pattern. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Before the step of cutting the outer circumferential line of the antenna, a step of disposing the adhesive in a predetermined area of the outer circumferential line of the antenna formed on the elongated base material while conveying the elongated base material. and,
arranging a metal sheet constituting the antenna on the elongated base material on which the adhesive is arranged;
Equipped with
Method of manufacturing antenna pattern. An antenna pattern that configures an RFID inlay by connecting an IC chip,
base material and
an antenna formed of a metal sheet and adhered to the base material with an adhesive;
Equipped with
an embossed portion protruding toward the base material at a predetermined position of the antenna;
antenna pattern. The antenna pattern according to claim 5,
The antenna is
a loop portion to which the IC chip is connected;
a pair of meanders extending in a symmetrical direction from the loop portion;
A dipole antenna comprising:
The embossed portion is formed at least on the meander.
antenna pattern. The antenna pattern according to claim 6,
The meander has a portion along the symmetrical direction and a portion along a direction intersecting the symmetrical direction,
The embossed portion is formed in a portion along the symmetrical direction,
antenna pattern.

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