WO2016049845A1

WO2016049845A1 - A wireless transmission device

Info

Publication number: WO2016049845A1
Application number: PCT/CN2014/087927
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jingtian XI; Hailong Zhu; Chilun MAK; Chunwai LEUNG
Original assignee: Hong Kong R&D Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management Enabling Technologies Limited
Priority date: 2014-09-30
Filing date: 2014-09-30
Publication date: 2016-04-07

Abstract

A wireless transmission device comprising a body defining a mounting portion, a first end and a second end, a holder having a storage chamber integrally formed at one end of the first or second ends, and an attachment portion at another end of the first or second ends.

Description

A WIRELESS TRANSMISSION DEVICE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a wireless transmission device and particularly， although not exclusively， to a fastener that includes a RFID element.

BACKGROUND

As technology has evolved in the recent years， it is more common than ever to digitalise assets for streamlined asset management. However， in order to fully digitalise and manage a large amount of assets of various categories， such tasks will usually require every single asset to be identified accordingly.

For example a park management will have to keep records of the plants， infrastructures and even animals in the park for most efficient allocation of resource including frequency of watering and frequency of maintenance. However， it is a rather challenging task to use paper-based medium to record such a large amount of information. Accordingly， there is a need to create a system that can be used to provide identification functions and cheap to adopt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention there is provided a wireless transmission device comprising a body defining a first end and a second end， a holder having a storage chamber integrally formed at one end of the first or second ends， and an attachment portion at another end of the first or second ends.

The wireless transmission device in accordance with a first aspect of the invention is advantageous as it is useful for facilitating digital information exchange with ease.

In an embodiment of the first aspect， the holder further comprises an outer sidewall having at least one engageable surface.

In an embodiment of the first aspect， the storage chamber's depth is not necessarily identical to the outer sidewall's height.

In an embodiment of the first aspect， the storage chamber further comprises a RFID device.

In an embodiment of the first aspect， the RFID device is disposed in the storage chamber by an encapsulation medium.

In an embodiment of the first aspect， the encapsulation medium is a different material than the body's material.

In an embodiment of the first aspect， the body's cross sectional profile is different to the holder's cross sectional profile.

In an embodiment of the first aspect， the attachment portion further comprises means for penetration of a surface.

In an embodiment of the first aspect， the body is made of plastic， metallic material or composite material.

In accordance with a second aspect of this invention， there is provided a method for attaching a RFID device to a surface for wireless transmission of information， the method comprises using a storage formed with penetration capabilities and a storage chamber for mounting with the RFID device.

Further aspects will become apparent to the skilled person from the description and appended claims which are given by the way of example only to illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described， by way of example， with reference to the accompanying drawings in which：

Figure 1 is an overall view of a wireless transmission device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention；

Figure 2 is a side view of the device of Figure 1；

Figure 3 is a top view of the device of Figure 1；

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a wireless transmission device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention；

Figure 5 is a side view of the device of Figure 4；

Figure 6 is a top view of the device of Figure 4；

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a wireless transmission device cap in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention；

Figure 8 is the side view of the cap of Figure 7；

Figure 9 is a cropped top view of the cap of Figure 7； and，

Figure 10 is an overall view of the preferred embodiment of the current invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following description is given by way of example only to illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. In particular， the language and terminology used herein is for descriptive purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope or functionality of the invention. The invention may be employed in various combinations or embodiments utilizing various elements and means not explicitly described herein， but within the knowledge and skill of one ordinarily skilled in the art.

In accordance with the embodiment as shown in Figures 1 to 3， there is illustrated a wireless transmission device 100 comprising a body defining a first end and a second end， a holder having a storage chamber integrally formed at one end of the first or second ends， and an attachment portion at another end of the first or second ends.

In this embodiment the wireless transmission device 100 includes a body that defines a first end 104 and a second end 106. The wireless transmission device 100 in this embodiment is a fastener (e.g. nail or bolt) and may be made of a metallic material. However， in other embodiments the wireless transmission device can have a form factor of a screw， a bolt and other types of fasteners that can be made from materials such as metal alloys and resilient materials such as plastic.

The device 100 further includes a holder 108 that is integrally formed with one of the first or

second ends

104， 106 and an attachment portion 110 that is formed on the body 102 at another end of the first or

second ends

104， 106 opposite the holder.

As shown in this example embodiment， the holder 108 of the device 100 has a storage chamber 112 formed generally in the center of the holder. The storage chamber 112 has a rectangular profile in this embodiment but other profiles may also be used， such as circular or square profiles. The holder 108 may be made of the same material as the body 102 but in other embodiments the holder can be made of different materials other than the one used for the body. A top surface adjacent the opening of the storage chamber 112 is a striking surface 116 that is for using a hammer for attaching the device 100 of this embodiment to a surface. In other embodiments the striking surface 116 can be formed with a layer of coating for improved hardness or aesthetic reasons.

The storage chamber 112 of the holder 108 is used to house a communication device， such as a RFID element. Preferably， this RFID element is a RFID tag 114 as shown in Figures 1 to 3. In order to house a RFID tag 114， the storage chamber 112 has a certain depth h， which in this embodiment does not necessarily equate to the overall height of the holder 108 h'. The RFID tag 114 is housed within the storage chamber 112 and the space not filled between the storage chamber and the RFID tag is injected with an encapsulation medium (not shown in Figures 1 to 3) . Such an encapsulation medium protects the RFID tag 114 and prevents the undesirable interference between the RFID tag 114 and the holder 108.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are， therefore， to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

In another embodiment as shown in Figures 4 to 6 there is shown a wireless transmission device 400 in the form factor of a bolt. The device 400 may have a plurality of engageable surface 404 integrally formed on the circumference of the holder 406 as opposed to having a striking surface. These engageable surfaces 404 allow a user to use a spanner or any clamping tools to operate the device 400 to penetrate a surface. The benefit of having engageabfe surfaces 404 is that the RFID element is less prone to be damaged due to impact.

With particular reference to Figure 5， the end of the attachment portion 402 includes penetration means 500 for penetration of a surface. The penetration means in this embodiment is a tapered flat bit that is integrally formed with the device body 502 for more concentrated insertion. The penetration means can also be a sharp drill bit or a hollow bit depending on the surface to be penetrated.

In one embodiment， a user may use the wireless transmission device for keeping record of certain information of a particular object. For example， in one scenario the user may use a plurality (or just one) of the wireless transmission device to fasten sheet metals onto a surface. The wireless transmission devices may include some forms of RFID devices such as semi-powered or non-powered RFID tags that can be used to store digitalised information. For example the information stored on RFID tags of the wireless transmission devices may be related to the specificities of the objects being fastened such as the date of the fastening and the person responsible.

In another embodiment， a user may use the wireless transmission device for identification of various assets. For example， a user may choose to fasten a wireless transmission device containing a RFID device to an asset such as a tree. The RFID device may contain specific information regarding each asset and another person may use a RFID reader for accessing the information stored. The purpose of such identification includes more efficient management of assets as a user is now able to identify and become aware of any special requirements of a particular asset. In this case， the tag can contain information regarding the age of the tree so as to prevent lumberjacks to harvest premature trees.

In an alternative embodiment with reference to Figures 7-9， there is shown a holder 700 of a wireless transmission device. The holder 700 is consisting of at least one cap portion 702 having at least one storage chamber 703 that housing a RFID tag 704. The cap portion 702 is shown to be a largely square shape but it can also be formed as other shapes such as hexagonal， rectangular and circular.

As shown in Figure 7， the cap portion 702 has at least three dimension parameters. The first dimension parameter is Lg which represents the length of the cap portion 702. The second dimension parameter is Wg， which represents the width of the cap portion 702. The last set of parameter in this embodiment is Ha+Hs+Hb， which is the overall thickness of the cap portion 702.

The below tabulated results are obtained from extensive simulations of the relationship between the first two parameters of the cap portion 702 (i.e. Lg and Wg) ， radiation efficiency and boresight directivity. As the results have shown， the area of the cap portion 702 may be directly proportional to the boresight directivity of some embodiments of the wireless transmission device. However， the radiation efficiency may not be directly proportional to the area of the cap portion 702 as its efficiency peaks at 100mm by 100mm cap portion 702 dimension then falls as the area keeps increasing.

Table 1

With reference to Figure 8， there is shown a cross sectional view of the storage chamber 703 and the RFID tag 704. There are three other dimension parameters being elaborated and they are Ha， which is the height difference between the top surface of the storage chamber 703 and the top surface of the RFID device 704； Hs is the height of the RFID tag from the bottom surface of the storage chamber 703； Hb is the distance between the bottom surface of the storage chamber 703 and the bottom surface of the holder 700.

The results below regarding the radiation efficiency and boresight directivity are obtained from exhaustive simulations of some embodiments of the present invention. A negative Ha value indicates that the antenna portion of the RFID device 704 is protruding beyond the cap portion 702. Even though the simulation results are showing that the radiation efficiency increases as the RFID antenna portion is closer or protruding from the storage chamber 703， the directivity may not be affected significantly.

Table 2

Ha (mm)	-1.2	-0.9	-0.6	-0.3	0	0.3	0.6	0.9	1.2
Ha (mm)	-1.2	-0.9	-0.6	-0.3	0	0.3	0.6	0.9	1.2	Rad effi@f0 (％)	4.20	3.96	3.65	3.48	3.30	3.02	2.82	2.55	2.36
Boresight D@f0 (dBi)	5.70	5.59	5.56	5.58	5.66	5.67	5.68	5.63	5.57	Rad effi@f0 (％)	4.20	3.96	3.65	3.48	3.30	3.02	2.82	2.55	2.36

With reference to Figure 9 a localised top view of the storage chamber 703 containing a RFID tag 704 is shown to elaborate another three dimension parameters. In this embodiment， the storage chamber 703 is in the form of a socket and therefore as Figure 9 has shown， W_socket may represent the width of the socket 703 and L_socket may represent the length of the socket 703. Parameter U may represent the distance between the inner sidewall 900 of the socket 703 and the RFID device. Even though the socket 703 and the RFID device 704 are depicted to be polygonal shapes but because other shapes such as circular or oval shapes may be used， the above dimension parameters are subjected to modification. Although different area-related formulas may be used， the antenna directivity characteristic should follow the trend of the values as shown in the table below， which is that the smaller value the dimension parameter U is， the higher the boresight directivity will be.

Table 3

U (mm)	2.5	4	5.5	∞
U (mm)	2.5	4	5.5	∞	Rad effi@f0(％)	1.64	2.31	2.88	5.48
Boresight D@f0 (dBi)	5.64	5.59	5.56	5.55	Rad effi@f0(％)	1.64	2.31	2.88	5.48

In this embodiment as shown in Figure 10， a possible configuration of the wireless transmission device is manufactured and shown. The wireless transmission device 1000 in this embodiment is in the form of a nail tag 1000， which has a holder portion 1001 on one end of the nail tag 1000. The holder portion 1001 may be used to contain a RFID device such as a RFID tag 1002 that is covered by an encapsulation material 1003 for enhanced durability and integrity of the device. The encapsulation material 1003 is also used to provide insulation between the RFID device 1002 and the holder 1001 so as to prevent undesirable interference.

The encapsulation material 1003 may also be made from a non-conductive material such as plastic or ceramic. The encapsulation material 1003 can also be injected into the holder so as to generate a holder dimension conforming shape to prevent moistures from entering and accumulating near the RFID device 1002.

In this embodiment， the nail tag 1000 may have a nail portion 1004 for penetration and attachment to a subject such as the body of a plant. The nail portion 1004 may be formed with a very sharp end so a user may not even need an impact tool such as a mallet for attaching the nail tag. Such a design is beneficial as the possibility of damaging either the plant or the RFID device 1002 is greatly reduced and the operational health and safety is improved for the user.

In one example， a gardener may use the nail tag 1000 for identification of different plants in a garden. The gardener may use a mallet (or any other types of hammer) for forcing (e.g. pounding) the end of a nail tag 1000 cautiously so as to attach the nail tag to a plant. Once the nail tag 1000 is attached to a plant， the gardener may use a RFID device for “writing” information onto the RFID tag of the nail tag 1000 with regard to the plant that the nail tag is attached to. Once the information is saved on the tag， the gardener may from now on use a RFID reader to access that particular information and decide an appropriate action such as trimming， watering or pest control. Such a system is advantageous as it does not only reduce the possible waste of resource from excessive watering or excessive pest control material. This system can also be used to collect and generate statistical data for streamlining the management of the assets (e.g. plants) .

In another example， a user may use the wireless transmission device on infrastructures in order to make maintenance a more accessible task. As the device may be in the form of a bolt， a user may replace an ordinary bolt with the device in bolt form. A user will use a socket for driving a bolt into a hole for fastening maybe a plurality of thin structures together or simply fastening a structure onto a service. The wireless transmission device is advantageous for such applications because a user may now simply use a RFID reader to access the date and other relevant information of the wireless transmission device/fastener to accurately estimate if a replacement or oiling (or any other maintenance procedures) is required as opposed to dissembling the whole assembly apart.

Any reference to prior art contained herein is not to be taken as an admission that the information is common general knowledge， unless otherwise indicated.

Claims

A wireless transmission device comprising：

a body defining a first end and a second end，

a holder having a storage chamber integrally formed at one end of the first or second ends， and

an attachment portion at another end of the first or second ends.
The wireless transmission device of claim 1 wherein the holder further comprises an outer sidewall having at least one engageable surface.
The wireless transmission device of claims 1 to 2 wherein the storage chamber's depth is different to the outer sidewall's height.
The wireless transmission device of claims 1 to 3 wherein the storage chamber further comprises a RFID device.
The wireless transmission device of claim 4 wherein the RFID device is disposed in the storage chamber by an encapsulation medium.
The wireless transmission device of claim 5 wherein the encapsulation medium is made from a different material than the body's material.
The wireless transmission device of any preceding claims wherein the body's cross sectional profile is different to the holder's cross sectional profile.
The wireless transmission device of any preceding claims wherein the attachment portion further comprises means for penetration of a surface.
The wireless transmission device of any preceding claims wherein the body is made of plastic， metallic material or composite material.
A method for attaching a RFID device of any preceding claims to a surface for wireless transmission of information， the method comprises using a storage formed with penetration capabilities and a storage chamber for mounting with the RFID device.
The method for attaching a RFID device to a surface for wireless transmission of information of claim 10， wherein the surface a RFID device attaches onto includes one of an organic surface， a composite surface or a metallic surface.
The method for attaching a RFID device to a surface for wireless transmission of information of claim 11， wherein the RFID device is mounted with a body that is made of a different materials than the RFID device such as metal， composite or plastic.
The method for attaching a RFID device to a surface for wireless transmission of information of claim 12， wherein the body includes an attachment portion for securely attaching to a surface， characterised in the attachment portion includes a length of patterns such as screw threads or a sharp portion for enhanced penetration effect.
The method for attaching a RFID device to a surface for wireless transmission of information of claim 13， wherein the body can be impacted into a surface through penetration or the body can be turned into a surface and securely attached to the surface through the screw threads.