WO2008077990A1 - A transponder tag and a system - Google Patents

A transponder tag and a system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2008077990A1
WO2008077990A1 PCT/FI2006/050586 FI2006050586W WO2008077990A1 WO 2008077990 A1 WO2008077990 A1 WO 2008077990A1 FI 2006050586 W FI2006050586 W FI 2006050586W WO 2008077990 A1 WO2008077990 A1 WO 2008077990A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
substrate
antenna
chip
transponder tag
synthetic material
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/FI2006/050586
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Mark Zeltinger
Original Assignee
Upm Raflatac Oy
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Upm Raflatac Oy filed Critical Upm Raflatac Oy
Priority to PCT/FI2006/050586 priority Critical patent/WO2008077990A1/en
Publication of WO2008077990A1 publication Critical patent/WO2008077990A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
    • H01Q1/22—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles
    • H01Q1/2208—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems
    • H01Q1/2225—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
    • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
    • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
    • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
    • G06K19/077—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
    • G06K19/07749—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/40—Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a transponder tag comprising a substrate, the substrate having a face side and a reverse side, an antenna formed on the face side of the substrate, and an integrated circuit on a chip electrically connected to the chip.
  • the present invention also relates to a system comprising a main container and subcontainers, which are filled at least partially, inside the main container.
  • Transponders are used in secure supply chains in order to control the supply chain.
  • the functioning of the transponders is often disturbed because packaging materials or contents of packages cause detuning or attenuation, and as a consequence, the transponder does not work properly.
  • different retail products have different dielectric characteristics and therefore different effects on electrical components, such as transponders. For example, packages containing liquid are problematic. It is possible that the transponders do not work at all on metal surfaces or on some other surfaces which have high RF losses.
  • Another problem relates to packages which comprise a main container, e.g. a box, and subcontainers, e.g. boxes, bags, or bottles, which are packed tightly inside the main container.
  • the problem is especially difficult when the subcontainers are at least partially filled with liquid. It may be necessary to provide the subcontainers with transponder tags so that the whole contents of the main container can be identified at the same time by utilizing the radio frequency technique. However, when the subcontainers are tightly packed against each other, the transponders do not work properly, and it is possible that the full information on the contents of the main container remains unknown.
  • a representative example is a box made of expanded plastic containing plastic blood bags.
  • transponder tag which is characterized in that both sides of the substrate, the antenna and the chip are covered with porous synthetic material.
  • the porous synthetic material is that the pores of the material form a gas layer, such as an air layer, around the transponder tag so that the communication between the reader device and the transponder is undistorted.
  • the pores usually contain air, but it is also possible that the material contains closed pores which are filled with some gaseous material different from air.
  • the transponder tag comprises a substrate which has a face side and a reverse side. On the face side of the substrate there is a transponder which comprises an antenna and an integrated circuit on a chip.
  • the electrically operating RFID circuit of the transponder is an electric oscillating circuit (RCL circuit) operating at a determined frequency.
  • the antenna can be a coil, an antenna based on the dipole antenna technique or any other planar antenna technique.
  • the antenna and the chip are electrically connected to each other, i.e. the chip may be electrically or capacitively connected to the antenna, and it can be attached to the antenna either directly or via a module which comprises the chip and the required electrical contacts.
  • the transponder operates at UHF or HF frequencies, typically at HF frequencies. The most typical transponder is a transponder which operates at 13.56 MHz.
  • the substrate may consist of a plastic material, such as polyester, and it may be transparent or opaque.
  • the antenna is formed on the face side of the substrate for example by etching, printing, electrolysis, plating, or by some other additive techniques, or by combining the above-mentioned techniques.
  • the antenna is preferably made of aluminum, copper, silver, or a conductive polymeric material.
  • the antenna may comprise etched coil windings and a printed conductive bridge.
  • the coil windings may be made of copper and the conductive bridge of silver.
  • the antenna is preferably an integral part of the substrate, i.e. the antenna is directly formed on the surface of the substrate e.g. by etching or printing.
  • the porous synthetic material covers the substrate from its both sides.
  • the antenna formed on the surface of the substrate and the chip attached to the antenna are naturally also covered with the synthetic porous material.
  • the porous material may be attached as separate sheets to both sides of the substrate, for example by using adhesive, or the porous material may form a pouch into which the substrate is introduced. After introducing the substrate into the pouch, it is possible that the pouch is sealed, or the pouch is left open.
  • the porous synthetic material is typically made of polyolefin, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, but also materials such as expanded plastics, such as polyurethane or polystyrene are possible.
  • the synthetic material shall contain pores or bubbles.
  • the volume of the pores or bubbles of the total volume of the synthetic material may range from 1.5 to 10 vol.-%, typically 2 to 4 vol.-%.
  • the average size of the pores may range from 0.5 to 1.5 mm 3 , typically from 0.8 to 1.2 mm 3 .
  • the used materials are materials which possess such characteristics as a low dielectric constant and a low loss factor.
  • the transponder tag is useful in connection with blood bags.
  • suitable uses include containers which contain, for example, water, cleaning liquids, milk, oil, liquid chemicals, such as ethanol, acetone, ferric (lll)chloride, or certain gels or products including gels.
  • Fig. 1 shows a transponder tag in an exploded perspective view.
  • the transponder tag comprises a substrate 2 having a face side and a reverse side.
  • An antenna 5, in this case a coil antenna, is located on the face side of the substrate 5.
  • An integrated circuit on a chip 4 is electrically connected to the antenna 5.
  • the thickness of the sheets ranges typically from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, generally from 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm.
  • the density of the porous polyethylene sheet is between 0.915 g/cm 3 and 0,930 g/cm 3 .
  • the size of the pores is preferably from 0.5 to 1.5 mm 3 .
  • a box made of polystyrene and having a lid has been filled with 5 to 15 blood bags.
  • the blood bags may locate randomly inside the box.
  • Each blood bag is provided with a transponder tag which comprises a substrate, an antenna and an integrated circuit on a chip.
  • the integrated circuit on the chip is electrically connected to the antenna. Information on, for example, the blood group has been saved on the chip.
  • the outer surfaces of the transponder tag are covered with porous synthetic material having a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 mm.
  • the porous synthetic material may be polyolefin, such as a polyethylene having a density of 0.915 to 0.93 g/cm 3 , i.e. the polyethylene material comprises air pores.
  • One outer surface is attached to the blood bag and the other outer surface forms an air layer between two blood bags which rest against each other.
  • the polystyrene box is conveyed through a reader gate.
  • the reader gate activates the transponders so that the transponders emit signals simultaneously to the reader.
  • the information read from the chips can be seen from a display unit connected to the reader device, or the information can be stored electronically in a suitable device.
  • the transponder tag of the invention the whole contents of the box can be read simultaneously without removing the lid.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transponder tag comprising a substrate (2), the substrate (2) having a face side and a reverse side, an antenna (5) formed on the face side of the substrate (2) and an integrated circuit on a chip (4) electrically connected to the chip (4). Both sides of the substrate (2), the antenna (5) and the chip (4) are covered with a porous synthetic material (1,3). The present invention also relates to a system comprising a main container and subcontainers. Each subcontainer has been provided with the transponder tag.

Description

A transponder tag and a system
The present invention relates to a transponder tag comprising a substrate, the substrate having a face side and a reverse side, an antenna formed on the face side of the substrate, and an integrated circuit on a chip electrically connected to the chip. The present invention also relates to a system comprising a main container and subcontainers, which are filled at least partially, inside the main container.
Transponders are used in secure supply chains in order to control the supply chain. The functioning of the transponders is often disturbed because packaging materials or contents of packages cause detuning or attenuation, and as a consequence, the transponder does not work properly. Furthermore, different retail products have different dielectric characteristics and therefore different effects on electrical components, such as transponders. For example, packages containing liquid are problematic. It is possible that the transponders do not work at all on metal surfaces or on some other surfaces which have high RF losses.
Another problem relates to packages which comprise a main container, e.g. a box, and subcontainers, e.g. boxes, bags, or bottles, which are packed tightly inside the main container. The problem is especially difficult when the subcontainers are at least partially filled with liquid. It may be necessary to provide the subcontainers with transponder tags so that the whole contents of the main container can be identified at the same time by utilizing the radio frequency technique. However, when the subcontainers are tightly packed against each other, the transponders do not work properly, and it is possible that the full information on the contents of the main container remains unknown. A representative example is a box made of expanded plastic containing plastic blood bags.
The above-mentioned problems can be avoided by using a transponder tag which is characterized in that both sides of the substrate, the antenna and the chip are covered with porous synthetic material.
The benefit of the porous synthetic material is that the pores of the material form a gas layer, such as an air layer, around the transponder tag so that the communication between the reader device and the transponder is undistorted. Usually, the pores contain air, but it is also possible that the material contains closed pores which are filled with some gaseous material different from air.
The transponder tag comprises a substrate which has a face side and a reverse side. On the face side of the substrate there is a transponder which comprises an antenna and an integrated circuit on a chip. The electrically operating RFID circuit of the transponder is an electric oscillating circuit (RCL circuit) operating at a determined frequency. The antenna can be a coil, an antenna based on the dipole antenna technique or any other planar antenna technique. The antenna and the chip are electrically connected to each other, i.e. the chip may be electrically or capacitively connected to the antenna, and it can be attached to the antenna either directly or via a module which comprises the chip and the required electrical contacts. The transponder operates at UHF or HF frequencies, typically at HF frequencies. The most typical transponder is a transponder which operates at 13.56 MHz.
The substrate may consist of a plastic material, such as polyester, and it may be transparent or opaque. The antenna is formed on the face side of the substrate for example by etching, printing, electrolysis, plating, or by some other additive techniques, or by combining the above-mentioned techniques. The antenna is preferably made of aluminum, copper, silver, or a conductive polymeric material. For example, the antenna may comprise etched coil windings and a printed conductive bridge. The coil windings may be made of copper and the conductive bridge of silver. The antenna is preferably an integral part of the substrate, i.e. the antenna is directly formed on the surface of the substrate e.g. by etching or printing. The porous synthetic material covers the substrate from its both sides. The antenna formed on the surface of the substrate and the chip attached to the antenna are naturally also covered with the synthetic porous material. The porous material may be attached as separate sheets to both sides of the substrate, for example by using adhesive, or the porous material may form a pouch into which the substrate is introduced. After introducing the substrate into the pouch, it is possible that the pouch is sealed, or the pouch is left open.
The porous synthetic material is typically made of polyolefin, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, but also materials such as expanded plastics, such as polyurethane or polystyrene are possible. The synthetic material shall contain pores or bubbles. The volume of the pores or bubbles of the total volume of the synthetic material may range from 1.5 to 10 vol.-%, typically 2 to 4 vol.-%. The average size of the pores may range from 0.5 to 1.5 mm3, typically from 0.8 to 1.2 mm3. Typically, the used materials are materials which possess such characteristics as a low dielectric constant and a low loss factor.
As already mentioned above, the transponder tag is useful in connection with blood bags. However, other suitable uses include containers which contain, for example, water, cleaning liquids, milk, oil, liquid chemicals, such as ethanol, acetone, ferric (lll)chloride, or certain gels or products including gels.
In the drawing,
Fig. 1 shows a transponder tag in an exploded perspective view.
The transponder tag comprises a substrate 2 having a face side and a reverse side. An antenna 5, in this case a coil antenna, is located on the face side of the substrate 5. An integrated circuit on a chip 4 is electrically connected to the antenna 5.
Sheets 1 , 3 made of porous synthetic material, such as porous polyethylene, are attached to the both sides of the substrate 5. The thickness of the sheets ranges typically from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, generally from 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm. The density of the porous polyethylene sheet is between 0.915 g/cm3 and 0,930 g/cm3. The size of the pores is preferably from 0.5 to 1.5 mm3.
Example.
A box made of polystyrene and having a lid has been filled with 5 to 15 blood bags. The blood bags may locate randomly inside the box. Each blood bag is provided with a transponder tag which comprises a substrate, an antenna and an integrated circuit on a chip. The integrated circuit on the chip is electrically connected to the antenna. Information on, for example, the blood group has been saved on the chip.
The outer surfaces of the transponder tag are covered with porous synthetic material having a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The porous synthetic material may be polyolefin, such as a polyethylene having a density of 0.915 to 0.93 g/cm3, i.e. the polyethylene material comprises air pores. One outer surface is attached to the blood bag and the other outer surface forms an air layer between two blood bags which rest against each other.
The polystyrene box is conveyed through a reader gate. The reader gate activates the transponders so that the transponders emit signals simultaneously to the reader. The information read from the chips can be seen from a display unit connected to the reader device, or the information can be stored electronically in a suitable device. Thus, thanks to the transponder tag of the invention, the whole contents of the box can be read simultaneously without removing the lid.

Claims

Claims:
1. A transponder tag comprising a substrate (2), the substrate (2) having a face side and a reverse side, an antenna (5) formed on the face side of the substrate (2) and an integrated circuit on a chip (4) electrically connected to the chip (4), characterized in that both sides of the substrate (2), the antenna (5) and the chip (4) are covered with a porous synthetic material (1 ,3).
2. The transponder tag according to claim 1 , characterized in that the porous synthetic material consists of polyethylene.
3. The transponder tag according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the amount of the pores ranges from 1.5 to 10 percent of the total volume of the porous synthetic material.
4. The transponder tag according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the thickness of the porous synthetic material ranges from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.
5. A system comprising a main container and subcontainers, which are filled at least partially, inside the main container, characterized in that each subcontainer has been provided with the transponder tag of claim 1.
6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that the main container and the subcontainers are made of a synthetic material.
7. The system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the subcontainers are plastic blood bags filled with blood.
PCT/FI2006/050586 2006-12-22 2006-12-22 A transponder tag and a system WO2008077990A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/FI2006/050586 WO2008077990A1 (en) 2006-12-22 2006-12-22 A transponder tag and a system

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/FI2006/050586 WO2008077990A1 (en) 2006-12-22 2006-12-22 A transponder tag and a system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2008077990A1 true WO2008077990A1 (en) 2008-07-03

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2016050452A1 (en) * 2014-09-30 2016-04-07 Fresenius Hemocare Netherlands B.V. Identification tag, blood bag system and method of producing a blood bag system
US9345637B2 (en) 2012-11-08 2016-05-24 Fenwal, Inc. RFID tag and blood container/system with integrated RFID tag
WO2018167633A1 (en) * 2017-03-14 2018-09-20 Stora Enso Oyj Beverage capsule package comprising an rfid/nfc tag

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2000174532A (en) * 1998-12-04 2000-06-23 Lintec Corp Planar antenna structure and data carrier
EP1083519A2 (en) * 1999-09-09 2001-03-14 Supersensor (Proprietary) Limited Method of mounting RF transponders on containers
US20020100547A1 (en) * 2000-12-04 2002-08-01 Yupo Corporation Tag and label comprising same
US20040094949A1 (en) * 2002-11-14 2004-05-20 Savagian Michael D. In-mold radio frequency identification device label
US20050140512A1 (en) * 2003-12-25 2005-06-30 Isao Sakama Wireless IC tag, and method and apparatus for manufacturing the same
JP2005267227A (en) * 2004-03-18 2005-09-29 Mitsubishi Materials Corp Rfid tag, concrete test piece with the tag, and rfid system for concrete quality management
JP2005309811A (en) * 2004-04-22 2005-11-04 Mitsubishi Materials Corp Rfid tag and rfid system
WO2006045395A1 (en) * 2004-10-22 2006-05-04 Kabushiki Kaisha Sato A method for applying a rfid tag carrying label on an object
US20060220868A1 (en) * 2004-07-20 2006-10-05 Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. Radio frequency identification tag package

Patent Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2000174532A (en) * 1998-12-04 2000-06-23 Lintec Corp Planar antenna structure and data carrier
EP1083519A2 (en) * 1999-09-09 2001-03-14 Supersensor (Proprietary) Limited Method of mounting RF transponders on containers
US20020100547A1 (en) * 2000-12-04 2002-08-01 Yupo Corporation Tag and label comprising same
US20040094949A1 (en) * 2002-11-14 2004-05-20 Savagian Michael D. In-mold radio frequency identification device label
US20050140512A1 (en) * 2003-12-25 2005-06-30 Isao Sakama Wireless IC tag, and method and apparatus for manufacturing the same
JP2005267227A (en) * 2004-03-18 2005-09-29 Mitsubishi Materials Corp Rfid tag, concrete test piece with the tag, and rfid system for concrete quality management
JP2005309811A (en) * 2004-04-22 2005-11-04 Mitsubishi Materials Corp Rfid tag and rfid system
US20060220868A1 (en) * 2004-07-20 2006-10-05 Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. Radio frequency identification tag package
WO2006045395A1 (en) * 2004-10-22 2006-05-04 Kabushiki Kaisha Sato A method for applying a rfid tag carrying label on an object

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9345637B2 (en) 2012-11-08 2016-05-24 Fenwal, Inc. RFID tag and blood container/system with integrated RFID tag
US9579253B2 (en) 2012-11-08 2017-02-28 Grifols Worldwide Operations Limited RFID tag and blood container/system with integrated RFID tag
US10285906B2 (en) 2012-11-08 2019-05-14 Fenwal, Inc. RFID tag and blood container/system with integrated RFID tag
US11324662B2 (en) 2012-11-08 2022-05-10 Fenwal, Inc. RFID tag and blood container/system with integrated RFID tag
WO2016050452A1 (en) * 2014-09-30 2016-04-07 Fresenius Hemocare Netherlands B.V. Identification tag, blood bag system and method of producing a blood bag system
WO2018167633A1 (en) * 2017-03-14 2018-09-20 Stora Enso Oyj Beverage capsule package comprising an rfid/nfc tag

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