WO2019031535A1

WO2019031535A1 - Rf tag fixture

Info

Publication number: WO2019031535A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/029701
Authority: WO
Inventors: 詩朗杉村
Original assignee: 株式会社フェニックスソリューション
Priority date: 2017-08-10
Filing date: 2018-08-08
Publication date: 2019-02-14
Also published as: JPWO2019031535A1; JP7045087B2

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an RF tag fixture with which non-directional radio waves can be received even if an RF tag is fixed to a pipe-shaped metal material such as a material for construction, particularly a material for scaffolding. [Solution] An RF tag fixture 300 is for fixing an RF tag inside a pipe-shaped metal material 200. The fixture 300 comprises: a flat plate part 320 that is disposed on an opening end of the metal material 200; and a plate member 340 that extends from the back surface of the flat plate part 320 into the metal material 200 and that serves to support the RF tag 100. A conductive layer 380 that communicates from the flat plate part 320 to the plate member 340 is provided.

Description

Fixing jig for RF tag

The present invention is a fixing jig for an RF tag for fixing an RF tag in a metallic material having a tubular shape in order to efficiently implement usage conditions of a metallic material such as a scaffolding material, management of a history, tracking, etc. About.

Since the scaffolding material is used repeatedly, it deteriorates over time and strength decreases. Therefore, maintenance and management of scaffolding materials is important, and it is also required to grasp and manage the period of use on site. Furthermore, since scaffolding materials are often transported or stored as a bundle or multiple bundles of the same type, it is desirable to use tags that can simultaneously read information on a plurality of scaffolding materials from relatively distant locations There is.

For example, according to Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-158569), product management until products such as scaffolding materials and installation equipment manufactured at a factory are used at a construction site, and products are used at a construction site An RFID tag, a construction site management system using the RFID tag, and a management method are disclosed, which can efficiently manage work management at the time of being carried out and in which management errors are less likely to occur.

The construction site management system 40 described in Patent Document 1 includes a long distance communication RFID 22 of the RFID tag 10, a first reading unit 42, a management server 46, and a communication within a site of a construction site of a communication network. Product management system 40A, which is a product management system consisting of a wide area network within the site to carry a product manufactured in a manufacturing plant to a construction site and using it, an RFID 24 for short distance communication, a second reading means 44, Two systems of a management server 46 and a work management system which is a work management when the product is used at a construction site, which is composed of a building indoor wireless network for networking communication of a construction building in the communication network. It consists of

Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-44066) discloses a rental system for temporary materials that can be processed in various ways without increasing costs.

In the temporary material rental system described in Patent Document 2, each temporary material is provided with an IC tag for specifying each temporary material. The rental system includes a management computer 12 for each function. Connected to the management computer for each function is a reader 35 or the like that is close to the IC tag, receives a signal specifying each temporary material from the IC tag, and transmits the received signal to the management center computer 12, etc. The management computer for each function transmits information for specifying the IC tag read by the reader 35 or the like to the management center computer 12 together with the information for specifying itself to the management center computer 12, and the management center computer 12 receives the information from the management computer for each function. Manage the rental condition of temporary materials based on the information.

According to Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-59249), the materials designated by the house design are securely delivered to the construction site according to the requirements of the construction period, and the materials delivered to the construction site It is disclosed that there is no inconsistency in various points such as product number difference, size difference, color difference, construction period difference, etc. with designated materials, and there is no problem in the field or no construction period delay.

In the housing material order delivery management method described in Patent Document 3, the material information based on the order placement data is written in the IC tag of the material, and the material information is read from the IC tag of the material in the process of distribution to the building site or building site. And confirmation or certification of the material is performed.

However, Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose various types of RF tags, but do not disclose RF tags that attach and operate an FR tag to a metal material.
Radio frequency identification tags that enable communication even when mounted on metal are disclosed in US Pat.
Patent Document 4 (WO 2007/000807) discloses a radio frequency identification tag which is thin, flexible, can communicate even when attached to metal, and can reduce the manufacturing cost.

In the radio frequency identification tag described in Patent Document 4, the inverted F antenna (10) has a radiation element (11), a short pin (12), a feeding portion (13), and a ground base plate (14), and is a film. It is formed flat on the surface of (30). The film (30) is, for example, an insulating film such as polyethylene terephthalate, and the radiation element (11), the short pin (12), and the feeding portion (13) of the inverted F antenna (10) formed on the surface It is stuck so that it may project from metal casings (40), such as apparatus.

Patent Document 5 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-85501) discloses a non-contact IC tag which can communicate with an external device (reader / writer) even when attached to a conductor such as metal.

In the non-contact IC tag described in Patent Document 5, a non-contact IC tag capable of causing non-contact communication with an external device by generating a potential difference between two antennas by electrostatic coupling, which is a conductor 40. Mounting the insulating layer 11, the conductive layer 12 formed on the insulating layer 11, and the IC chip 13D, and forming a part of the conductive layer 12; And an IC chip mounting portion 13 for attaching another portion to the conductor 40, wherein the conductive layer 12 is a first antenna and the conductor 40 is a second antenna.

JP, 2008-158569, A JP 2005-44066 A JP 2004-59249 A WO 2007/000807 JP 2003-85501 A

However, in the radio frequency identification tag disclosed in Patent Document 4, the radiation element (11), the short pin (12), and the feeding portion (13) of the inverted F antenna (10) protrude from the metal housing (40) Since it is necessary to attach as such, the protruding part from the metal case becomes an obstacle and the application of the tag is limited.

The contactless IC tag disclosed in Patent Document 5 has a disadvantage that the communication distance is very short because a potential difference is generated between the two antennas by electrostatic coupling.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a fixing jig for an RF tag which fixes an RF tag to a metal material having a tubular shape such as a building material, particularly a scaffolding material, and can receive nondirectional radio waves. It is to be.
Another object of the present invention is to continuously read RF tags fixed to a plurality of metal materials even when the metal tags are bundled or stacked and the RF tag is behind a metal material. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fixing jig for an RF tag for fixing an RF tag.

(1)
A fixing jig for an RF tag according to one aspect is a fixing jig for an RF tag for fixing an RF tag in a metal material having a tubular shape, and is a flat plate portion disposed at an open end of the metal material. And a plate member extended from the back surface of the flat plate portion to the inside of the metal material to support the RF tag, and a conductive layer communicating from the flat plate portion to the plate member is provided.

In this case, the flat plate portion is disposed in the opening portion of the metal material as the fixing jig, and the RF tag is fixed to the plate member extended from the back surface of the flat plate portion to the inside of the metal material. Further, a conductive layer is provided which electrically conducts from the flat plate portion of the fixing jig to the plate member. As a result, by sticking the RF tag on the conductive layer with the electrically insulating sticking member, a capacitor is formed, and an inductance and a resonant circuit of the RF tag can be formed.
Generally, when the diameter of the metal material is 16 cm or less, when the RF tag is housed in the metal material, there arises a problem that the RF tag can not receive the radio wave of the reader.
However, the radio wave of the reading device can be accurately supplied to the RF tag by the conductive layer communicated from the flat plate portion to the plate member.

That is, the high frequency current captured from the conductive layer is supplied to one of the waveguide elements (first waveguide element) of the RF tag disposed in the closed space in the metal material, and the first conductor of the RF tag is The IC chip circuit connected between the wave element and the other second waveguide element (ground element) of the RF tag is emitted to the metal pipe from the second waveguide element.
Therefore, the whole metal material can act as an antenna. In this way, radio waves from the RF tag can be sent to the reader through the metal material, and radio waves from the reader can be received by the RF tag through the metal material.
As a result, the RF tag can be reliably driven, and reading of the non-directional RF tag with a long communication distance can be performed.

(2)
A fixing jig for an RF tag according to a second aspect of the present invention is the fixing jig for an RF tag according to one aspect, wherein the conductive layer provided on the flat plate portion covers the entire surface of the flat plate portion of the fixing jig. It may be provided.

In this case, since the wide-area conductive layer is exposed to the outside of the metal material, it is possible to efficiently receive the radio wave of the reader.

(3)
A fixing jig for an RF tag according to a third aspect of the present invention is the fixing jig for an RF tag according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the conductive layer is a first conductive layer provided on a plate member; The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer may be electrically connected to each other including the second conductive layer provided from the back surface to the front surface of the flat plate portion.

In this case, since the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are electrically connected, the RF tag attached to be overlapped with the first conductive layer can efficiently receive the radio wave of the reader. .

(4)
A fixing jig for an RF tag according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the fixing jig for an RF tag according to the third aspect, wherein an outer peripheral distance of the second conductive layer provided on the surface of the flat portion is the same as that of the RF tag. It may be designed to satisfy any one of λ / 4, λ / 2, 3λ / 4, and 5λ / 8 with respect to the wavelength λ of radio waves of frequency.

In this case, the radio wave from the reader can be reliably received by the second conductive layer. As a result, the operation of the RF tag can be ensured.

(5)
A fixing jig for an RF tag according to a fifth invention is a fixing jig for any one of the RF tags according to the first to fourth inventions, wherein the fixing jig is provided on at least one of a flat plate portion and a plate member; The apparatus may further include a fixing member that forms an air space of a set distance between the RF tag and the metal material by abutting on the inner circumferential surface of the tubular shape.

When the fixing jig is fixed to the metal material, an air layer having a set interval is formed between the RF tag fixed to the plate member and the metal material by the fixing member. This air layer acts as a dielectric layer for the capacitor configuration. That is, the RF tag, the air layer, and the metal material constitute a capacitor to form a resonant circuit. As a result, when the RF tag is driven, the metal material becomes an antenna and can transmit and receive with the reader.
Therefore, even when metal materials such as a plurality of pipes are bundled or stacked and stored, it is possible to reliably read the information of the RF tag fixed inside each metal material.

(6)
A fixing jig according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the fixing jig for any one of the RF tags according to the first aspect to the fifth aspect, wherein the metal material may be a building material.

In this case, by fixing the fixing jig to the building material and fixing the RF tag to the plate member of the fixing jig, it is possible to easily manage history information such as the storage condition of the building material. That is, since the reading device reads the material information from the RF tag fixed to the metal material, it can manage the movement, storage, etc. of the metal material.

(7)
The fixing jig for an RF tag according to the seventh invention is the fixing jig for an RF tag according to the sixth invention, wherein the building material may be a scaffolding material including a pipe.

In this case, it is possible to easily manage history information such as the storage status of a scaffolding material such as a pipe.

(8)
In a fixing jig for an RF tag according to an eighth invention, in the fixing jig for an RF tag according to one aspect to the fifth invention, the metal material may be a high-pressure pipe.

In this case, it is possible to easily manage history information such as the storage status of high pressure piping.

It is a typical sectional view showing an example of a fixing jig for RF tags concerning this embodiment, and a state where an RF tag fixed to the fixing jig was inserted and fixed in a pipe. It is a typical perspective view showing an example of the fixed jig for RF tags concerning this embodiment, and the RF tag fixed to the fixed jig. It is a schematic cross section which shows an example of the state which fixed the fixing jig for RF tags shown in FIG. 1, and RF tag to the pipe. It is a typical perspective view showing an example of RF tag. It is a typical perspective view showing an example of the RF tag which shows the back side. It is a typical expanded view showing an example of RF tag. It is a figure which shows an example of the equivalent circuit of the pipe to which the RF tag apparatus of FIG. 1 was fixed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the effect | action of the pipe to which the RF tag apparatus of FIG. 1 was fixed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Moreover, in the case of the same sign, their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description about them shall not be repeated.

This Embodiment
FIG. 1: inserts the fixing jig 300 for RF tags for fixing the RF tag 100 concerning this Embodiment into the opening part 210 of the pipe 200 as a metal material which has a tube shape with the RF tag 100, and fixes it. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the fixed state, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the fixing jig 300 for the RF tag according to the present embodiment and the RF tag 100 attached to the fixing jig 300. FIG.

The fixing jig 300 for an RF tag of the present invention is to be fixed to a metal material 200 having a tubular shape. Here, the metal material 200 is a member having conductivity, and as a specific example, the metal material 200 is made of any metal material such as a steel material or an aluminum material.

The application of the metal material 200 is not limited, but may be, for example, a building material, a civil engineering material, an automobile material, a plant material, or the like. Materials for civil engineering and plant use include high-pressure piping, and materials for construction use include materials for scaffolding such as pipes, clamps and frameworks. In this embodiment, pipes (steel pipe, single An example in which the fixing jig 300 of the present invention is attached to a pipe) will be described below.

The pipe 200 includes one having both ends open, one having an end on at least one side of the pipe deformed, and one having a connecting member such as a flange welded to the end on at least one side of the pipe.

(Fixing jig 300 for RF tag)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fixing jig 300 for an RF tag of the present invention is to be fixed to a pipe 200 as a metal material.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fixing jig 300 mainly includes a flat plate portion 320 and a plate member 340. The plate member 340 is provided to extend into the pipe 200 from the back surface side (back surface side) of the flat plate portion 320. That is, the flat plate portion 320 of the fixing jig 300 is formed along the opening 210 of the pipe 200, and the plate member 340 has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 200.
Further, in the present embodiment, the plate member 340 is provided with the fixing member 360.

In the present embodiment, the flat plate portion 320 and the plate member 340 are integrally formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be formed as another part and adhered.

(Flat portion 320)
The shape of the flat plate portion 320 in the present embodiment mainly has a disk shape. The shape of the flat plate portion 320 is not limited. The shape of the flat plate portion 320 may be a shape in which one end of a disc-shaped peripheral edge is cut out as shown in FIG. The shape of the flat plate portion 320 can be, for example, a substantially disc shape so as to conform to the shape of the opening 210 of the pipe 200.

The size of the flat plate portion 320 is formed to a size enough to close the opening 210 of the pipe 200. The outer shape of the flat plate portion 320 may be approximately the same as the inner diameter of the pipe 200, or larger or smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe 200.

(Plate member 340)
In the present embodiment, the plate member 340 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The width dimension of the plate member 340 is set to be substantially the same as the inner diameter of the pipe 200 or slightly smaller than the inner diameter.
That is, the plate member 340 may have a size that can be inserted into the pipe 200.

(Fixing member 360)
The fixing member 360 can be provided on at least one of the flat plate portion 320 and the plate member 340. When the fixing jig 300 is inserted into the pipe 200, the fixing member 360 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the pipe 200 by abutting on the inner peripheral surface of the pipe 200.

In the present embodiment, the fixing member 360 is provided on the plate member 340. The fixing member 360 may be fixed to both the plate member 340 and the flat plate portion 320, or may be fixed to the flat plate portion 320.
In the present embodiment, the fixing member 360 is vertically provided on the lower surface of the plate member 340 so as to be orthogonal to the plate member 340.

Further, in the fixing member 360, a C surface is formed at the corner of the insertion side end of the fixing member 360 so as to be easily inserted into the inner surface of the pipe 200. In addition, it is not limited to C side, R side etc. may be sufficient.
In the present embodiment, the fixing member 360 is orthogonal to the plate member 340 on the lower surface of the plate member 340. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the arrow F in FIG. It is good if it can generate the force of

The fixing jig 300 may be integrally formed of the plate member 340, the flat plate portion 320 and the fixing member 360, or another member may be joined to form the fixing jig 300.
When the fixing jig 300 is integrally formed, it is preferable to form it by resin with some flexibility. In particular, the fixing member 360 is preferably formed of a resin having deformability and / or elasticity.

A support surface 340 a for supporting the RF tag 100 is formed on one surface of the plate member 340, and a fixing member 360 is provided on the other surface of the plate member 340. Then, the RF tag 100 is supported by the support surface 340 a of the plate member 340 of the fixing jig 300.

In the present embodiment, the

conductive layers

380 and 382 communicating with the plate member 340 from the flat plate portion 320 of the fixing jig 300 are provided. Specifically, the first conductive layer 380 is provided on the support surface 340 a of the plate member 340 of the fixing jig 300, and the second conductive layer 382 is provided from the back surface to the front surface of the flat plate portion 320.
More specifically,

conductive layers

380 and 382 are provided continuously over the upper surface of plate member 340 (the surface on the side supporting RF tag 100), the back surface of flat plate portion 320, and the upper surface and front surface of flat plate portion 320. ing.

The conductive layer 380 includes a first conductive layer 380 formed on the plate member 340, a second conductive layer 382 a formed on the back surface of the flat plate portion 320, a second conductive layer 382 b formed on the upper surface of the flat plate portion 320, and It has a second conductive layer 382 c formed on the front surface of the flat plate portion 320. The first conductive layer 380, the second conductive layer 380a, the second conductive layer 382b, and the second conductive layer 382c are formed in electrical communication.

Here, the second conductive layer 382 c may be provided over the entire front surface side of the flat plate portion 320, but may be provided only on a part of the front surface of the flat plate portion 320.
In this embodiment, the second conductive layer 382 c is provided over the entire front surface of the flat plate portion 320.
By providing the conductive layer 382c over the entire surface of the flat plate portion 320, the conductive layer 382c is exposed in a wide area, so that radio waves of the reading device can be efficiently received.

Further, the outer peripheral distance of the second conductive layer 382c provided on the surface of the flat plate portion 320 is λ / 4, λ / 2, 3/2/4, 5λ / 8 with respect to the wavelength λ of the radio wave of the frequency of the RF tag. Preferably, it is designed to satisfy any one. In this case, radio waves from the reader can be reliably received by the second conductive layer 382 c. As a result, the operation of the RF tag can be ensured.
The shape of the second conductive layer 382 c is such that the outer peripheral distance of the second conductive layer 382 c is any of λ / 4, λ / 2, 3/2, 4/4, 5λ / 8 with respect to the wavelength λ of radio waves of the frequency of the RF tag. Various changes can be made as long as one is satisfied. For example, the shape is not limited to the substantially circular shape illustrated in FIG. 2, and may be any shape such as a rectangular shape, a regular polygon, a polygon, a spiral shape, or a coil shape.

The

conductive layers

380 and 382 can be formed of a metal thin film. For example, the

conductive layers

380 and 382 can be formed by adhering a metal foil such as copper foil or aluminum foil from the upper surface of the plate member 340 over the back surface, the upper surface, and the front surface of the flat portion 320. The

conductive layers

380 and 382 can also be formed by printing a conductive material such as a metal paste on these members. Furthermore, the

conductive layers

380 and 382 can also be formed by known etching techniques or plating.

In this embodiment, a part of the outer peripheral edge of the flat plate portion 320 is cut away to form a flat surface 322. The second conductive layer 382 b is formed on the flat surface 322. When the conductive layer 380 is formed of a conductive tape, the conductive tape is pasted from the flat plate portion 320 of the fixing jig 300 to the plate member 340 so as to pass over the flat surface 382. As a result, the first conductive layer 380 and the second conductive layer 382 can be formed. By forming the

conductive layers

380 and 382 in such a form, the productivity of the fixing jig 300 can be enhanced.

The RF tag 100 can be attached to the fixing jig 300 by a known method. For example, the RF tag 100 can be adhered to the fixing jig 300 using an electrically insulating adhesive, an adhesive, a double-sided adhesive tape, or the like.
For example, the RF tag 100 can be attached on the plate member 340 of the fixing jig 300 (that is, on the first conductive layer 380) using an electrically insulating attachment member. Thus, the RF tag 100 can be supported by the plate member 340.

(RF tag 100)
Next, the configuration of the RF tag 100 supported by the fixing jig 300 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the RF tag 100 includes an antenna 10, and an IC chip 80 connected to the feeding unit 50 and operating based on radio waves transmitted by a reader (not shown).

(Antenna 10)
The antenna 10 includes a first waveguide element 20, a second waveguide element 30, a first insulating base 40, a feeding portion 50, and a short circuit portion 60.

The first insulating base 40 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and has an upper surface (first main surface) and a lower surface (second main surface) opposite to the first main surface. The first insulating base 40 is, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be in the shape of a disk, or it may be curved in a circular arc. Preferably, the first insulating base 40 has a shape corresponding to the surface shape of the fixing jig 300 at the position where the RF tag 100 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first waveguide element 20 is provided on the top surface of the first insulating base 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the second waveguide element 30 is provided on the lower surface of the first insulating base material 40. Each of the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 has a rectangular shape, and is formed by etching or pattern printing of a metal thin film such as aluminum.

The first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 have the same shape. In the present application, "the same shape" is not limited to the same one in a strict sense, and a case where a slight difference occurs due to the structure of the antenna is included in the "same shape". For example, in the case where an IC chip 80 described later is provided on the same plane as the first waveguide element 20, for example, as shown in FIG. It is necessary to provide the recess 25 in the part. In this case, the shapes of the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 are not exactly the same. However, since the first waveguide element 20 has a rectangular shape similar to the second waveguide element 30, the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 have the same shape.

The feeding unit 50 is provided on the side surface of the first insulating base 40, and one end of the feeding unit 50 is electrically connected to the second waveguide element 30. The short circuit portion 60 is provided on the side surface of the first insulating base material 40, one end thereof is electrically connected to the first waveguide element 20, and the other end is electrically connected to the second waveguide element 30. .
As shown in FIG. 4, the feed unit 50 and the short circuit unit 60 are members provided parallel to each other on the sheet 70 at intervals so as to be bridged between the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30. It is.

The feed unit 50 and the short circuit unit 60 may not be provided in parallel to each other. Further, the feeding part 50 and the shorting part 60 may be formed simultaneously with forming the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 at the same time. Alternatively, the end portions may be joined to the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 after the feed part 50 and the short circuit part 60 are separately formed.

As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the first waveguide element 20, the second waveguide element 30, the feeding part 50 and the short circuit part 60 are formed on the insulating sheet 70, and It is attached to the outer surface of the first insulating substrate 40 via the sheet 70 which is bent at the side portion of the insulating substrate 40.
That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the flexible sheet 70 in which the first waveguide element 20, the second waveguide element 30, the feeding portion 50, and the shorting portion 60 are formed on one side, the feeding portion 50 and the shorting portion The antenna 10 can be easily manufactured by bending the portion 60 together and attaching it to the front and back surfaces of the first insulating base 40.

As the material of the sheet 70, it is possible to use a flexible insulating material such as PET, polyimide, polyvinyl chloride or the like. The thickness of the sheet 70 is not particularly limited, but is generally about several tens of μm. In addition, the surface of each of the

waveguide elements

20 and 30 may be subjected to an insulating coating process.

Further, although the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 are formed on the sheet 70 (base material), they need not necessarily be formed on the sheet 70. For example, the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 may be formed alone. Alternatively, the sheet 70 may be peeled off after the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 are formed on the sheet 70.

A plate-like inverted F antenna is configured by the first insulating base material 40, the first waveguide element 20, the second waveguide element 30, the feeding portion 50, and the short circuit portion 60. The plate-like inverted F antenna receives radio waves transmitted from a reader (not shown). When the first waveguide element 20 absorbs radio waves, the second waveguide element 30 acts as a conductor ground plane. On the other hand, when the second waveguide element 30 absorbs radio waves, the first waveguide element 20 acts as a conductor ground plane. That is, depending on the usage of the RF tag 100, the

waveguide elements

20 and 30 can perform both functions of the waveguide element and the conductor ground plane.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the first waveguide element 20, the sum A of the lengths of the side edges 20a to 20f around the first waveguide element 20 is any one of λ / 4, λ / 2, 3λ / 4, 5λ / 8. It is designed as. Here, λ is the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the reader. The wavelength λ of the radio wave is not particularly limited as long as it can be used as the RF tag 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the second waveguide element 30 is designed such that the sum B of the lengths of the peripheral sides 30 a to 30 d is substantially equal to the sum A.

As described above, the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 have the same shape, and the sum A and B of the lengths of the sides around the

waveguide elements

20 and 30 is λ / 4, It is approximately equal to either λ / 2, 3λ / 4, 5λ / 8. Thus, the resonant frequency of the plate-like inverted F antenna can be easily set.

The planar shape of each of the

waveguide elements

20 and 30 is not limited to a rectangular shape, as long as the sum A and B of the lengths of the sides around each of the

waveguide elements

20 and 30 is any of the above values. For example, the central portion of each of the

waveguide elements

20 and 30 may be cut into a square shape.

Alternatively, an insulator may be used as the first insulating base 40. As a result, it is possible to secure an opening area of a certain size and to improve the sensitivity of the plate-like inverted F antenna. For example, it is possible to use expanded polystyrene as the first insulating substrate 40.

Also, the first insulating base 40 may be a dielectric. For example, a dielectric having a relative permittivity of 1 or more and 20 or less can be used as the first insulating base 40. When a dielectric (for example, ceramic) having a large dielectric constant is used, the capacitance of the capacitor 93 is increased, so that the opening area of the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 is reduced. It can be miniaturized. However, since the gain of the antenna 10 is reduced, the distance (communication distance) in which communication with the reading device is possible is shortened. When a relatively long communication distance such as several meters or more is required, a dielectric having a small dielectric constant is used as the first insulating substrate 40. In this case, the relative dielectric constant is preferably 5 or less.

In the antenna 10 of the above-described configuration, a resonant circuit that resonates in the frequency band of a radio wave transmitted from the reader and received by the plate-like inverted F antenna is configured. This resonant circuit is composed of an inductor pattern L and a capacitor (first capacitor) 93 (see FIG. 7).
Here, the inductor pattern L includes the first waveguide element 20, the short circuit part 60, the second waveguide element 30, and the feeding part 50, and the capacitor 93 includes the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30. And the first insulating base 40. This resonant circuit enables the plate-like inverted F antenna to receive radio waves (carrier waves) transmitted from the reader with high sensitivity, so that the reading performance of the RF tag can be improved. Furthermore, the power supply voltage generated by an IC chip 80 described later can be increased.

(Method of manufacturing antenna)
Next, a method of manufacturing the antenna 10 will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 6, along the direction H orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the feeding portion 50 and the shorting portion 60, the feeding portion 50 and the shorting portion 60 respectively correspond to the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element The first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 are made to face each other by bending in the vicinity of the junction with the electrode 30.
Next, the first waveguide element 20 is attached to the upper surface of the first insulating base 40 with an adhesive or the like, and the second waveguide element 30 is attached to the lower surface of the first insulating base 40. Thereby, the plate-like inverted F antenna as the antenna 10 can be manufactured.

As described above, the antenna 10 functioning as a plate-like inverted F antenna bends the feeding portion 50 and the shorting portion 60 to form the first waveguide element 20 and the second guiding on the front and back surfaces of the first insulating base 40. It manufactures by affixing wave element 30 each. Therefore, the structure of the antenna can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced, as compared with the case of the conventional patch antenna provided with the coaxial line or the strip line for feeding.

(IC chip)
The IC chip 80 is provided between the first waveguide element 20 and the feeding portion 50 as shown in FIG. The IC chip 80 is disposed on the upper surface side of the first insulating base material 40 (on the same plane as the first waveguide element 20).
The IC chip 80 may be disposed on the side surface of the first insulating base 40 as long as it is within the range of functioning as a plate-like inverted F antenna. Alternatively, an external power supply may be connected to the IC chip 80, and the IC chip 80 may be operated by the voltage supplied from the external power supply.

The IC chip 80 operates based on the radio wave of the reading device received by the plate-like inverted F antenna of the antenna 10.
Specifically, the IC chip 80 first rectifies a part of the carrier wave transmitted from the reader, and generates a power supply voltage necessary for the IC chip itself to operate. Then, the IC chip 80 operates the non-volatile memory in which the control logic circuit in the IC chip 80, unique information of the pipe 200 (metal material) and the like are stored by the generated power supply voltage.
In addition, the IC chip 80 operates a communication circuit or the like for transmitting and receiving data to and from the reader.

Some IC chips 80 include a capacitor inside, and the IC chip 80 has stray capacitance. Therefore, when setting the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit, it is preferable to consider the equivalent capacitance inside the IC chip 80. In other words, the resonant circuit preferably has a resonant frequency set in consideration of the inductance of the inductor pattern L, the capacitance of the capacitor 93, and the equivalent capacitance in the IC chip 80. Furthermore, the capacitance of the second capacitor is taken into account, as will be described later.

Thus, the RF tag 100 includes the antenna 10 and the IC chip 80. The RF tag 100 receives the radio wave (carrier wave) transmitted from the reader by the antenna 10 of the RF tag 100. Then, the identification data etc. of the pipe 200 recorded in the IC chip 80 are put on the reflected wave and returned to the reader. This allows the RF tag 100 to communicate with the reader without bringing the reader into contact with the RF tag 100.

(Fixing fixing jig 300 to pipe 200)
In order to fix the fixing jig 300 having the above configuration to the pipe 200, a plate member 340 of the fixing jig 300 supporting the RF tag 100 (hereinafter, also referred to as an RF tag device 110) is manufactured, and then It can be done like

The plate member 340 and the fixing member 360 of the RF tag device 110 are inserted (or press-fitted) into the pipe 200 from the opening 210 of the pipe 200, and the flat plate portion 320 is brought into contact with the open end face of the pipe 200.

When the RF tag device 110 is inserted into the pipe 200, the RF tag device 110 can be relatively easily inserted into and attached to the pipe 200 because the fixing member 360 of the fixing jig 300 is slightly deformed. . In addition, after the RF tag device 110 is mounted in the pipe 200, the plate member 340 is moved in the inner surface direction of the pipe 200 (the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 1) by the restoring force of the fixing member 360. A force acts on the plate member 340. The both ends of the plate member 340 are pressed against the inner surface of the pipe 200 by the upward biasing force. As a result, the plate member 340 is fixed at the set position in the pipe 200.

That is, when the plate member 340 and the fixing member 360 of the fixing jig 300 are inserted into the pipe 200 from the opening 210 of the pipe 200, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. The lower end portion of the member 360 abuts on the inner surface of the pipe 200, and the back surface side of the flat plate portion 320 abuts on the open end of the pipe 200.

The fixing jig 300 contacts the inner surface of the pipe 200 at at least three points of both ends of the plate member 340 and the lower end of the fixing member 360. Therefore, even when the pipe 200 receives an impact from the outside, the fixing jig 300 does not move in the pipe 200, and separation of the fixing jig 300 from the pipe 200 can be prevented.

Here, a conductive layer 380 in communication with the plate member 340 from the flat plate portion 320 of the fixing jig 300 is provided. When the RF tag 100 is attached on the conductive layer 380 by the electrically insulating attachment member 390, a capacitor is formed via the attachment member 390. The conductive layer 380 functions as an antenna because the RF tag 100 and the

conductive layers

380 and 382 perform capacitive coupling via a dielectric formed of the adhesion member 390. Therefore, the RF tag 100 can be made omnidirectional with a long communication distance.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described based on FIG.
The second conductive layer 382 of the fixing jig 300 receives the radio wave (carrier) transmitted from the reader. The high frequency current captured from the second conductive layer 382 (functioning as a radiation element) is the first waveguide element 20 of the RF tag 100 using an F type antenna or an L type antenna installed in a closed space in the pipe 200. Supplied to (function as a radiating element).
The IC chip circuit connected between the first waveguide element 20 of the RF tag 100 and the second waveguide element 30 of the RF tag 100 (functioning as a ground element) Element) to the metal pipe 200. Thus, the entire pipe 200 can be an antenna, and the entire pipe 200 can be operated as an antenna.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an air layer 270 is formed between the RF tag 100 fixed on the plate member 340 and the pipe 200. The air layer 270 functions as a dielectric layer for the capacitor configuration. As described above, since the fixing position of the fixing jig 300 with respect to the pipe 200 is defined, the distance between the air layers 270 is a desired setting distance. Thus, the characteristics of the RF tag are stabilized.

In order to further restrict the movement of the fixing jig 300 in the pipe 200 and to make the distance between the air layers 270 constant, the fixing jig 300 may be configured as follows.
Only the distal end portion of the plate member 340 and / or the lower end portion of the fixing member 360 may be formed of a deformable member.
Specifically, an urging member such as a spring or a leaf spring is provided on the fixing member 360, and the flat plate portion 320 is urged toward the inner surface of the pipe (the direction of arrow F in FIG. 1) by the urging force of these members. You may do so.

(Equivalent circuit)
FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of an equivalent circuit of the pipe 200 to which the RF tag device 110 shown in FIG. 1 is fixed.
As shown in FIG. 8, the equivalent circuit of the RF tag 100 includes an inductor pattern L, a capacitor 93, and an IC chip 80. The inductor pattern L, the capacitor 93 and the IC chip 80 constitute a resonant circuit that resonates in the frequency band of the radio wave transmitted from the reader.
The resonant frequency f [Hz] of this resonant circuit is given by equation (1). The value of the resonance frequency f is set to be included in the frequency band of the radio wave transmitted from the reader.

In equation (1), La: inductance of inductor pattern L, Ca: capacitance of capacitor 93, Cb: equivalent capacitance inside IC chip 80.

Here, some of the IC chips 80 include capacitors inside, and the IC chips 80 have stray capacitances. Therefore, when setting the resonance frequency f of the resonance circuit, it is preferable to consider the equivalent capacitance Cb inside the IC chip 80.
That is, the resonant circuit preferably has a resonant frequency f set in consideration of the inductance of the inductor pattern L, the capacitance of the capacitor 93, and the equivalent capacitance Cb inside the IC chip 80. As Cb, for example, a capacitance value published as one of specification specifications of an IC chip to be used can be used.

As described above, by considering the equivalent capacitance Cb inside the IC chip 80, the resonant frequency f of the resonant circuit can be accurately set in the frequency band of the radio wave. As a result, the reading performance of the RF tag 100 can be further improved. Further, the power supply voltage generated by the IC chip 80 can be further increased.

Furthermore, in the pipe 200 to which the RF tag device 110 is attached, since the air layer 270 is formed between the RF tag 100 and the pipe 200, the RF tag 100, the air layer 270 and the pipe 200 form a capacitor (second capacitor ) And form a resonant circuit. As a result, the RF tag 100 can transmit and receive with the reader.
The distance between the RF tag 100 and the inner surface of the pipe 200 is set in accordance with the resonant wavelength. Therefore, the capacity of the capacitor does not change. The capacitance of the second capacitor can be equal to or greater than the internal equivalent capacitance of the IC chip 80.

As shown in FIG. 8, the second capacitor 270 is connected in series with a capacitor 93 (first capacitor) formed of the first waveguide element 20, the second waveguide element 30, and the first insulating base material 40. There is. Therefore, the combined capacitance of the first capacitor 93 and the second capacitor 270 may change, and the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit of the RF tag 100 may change significantly.

Specifically, when the capacitance of the capacitor 270 is much smaller than the capacitance of the capacitor 93, the combined capacitance is greatly reduced compared to the capacitance of the capacitor 93. This means that when the RF tag 100 is disposed in the pipe 200, the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit of the RF tag 100 largely changes, and the reading performance of the RF tag 100 is degraded.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the capacitance of the capacitor 270 can be made equal to or more than the equivalent capacitance inside the IC chip 80. As a result, the combined capacitance of the capacitor 93 and the capacitor 270 can be prevented from being significantly reduced, and the performance degradation of the RF tag 100 can be suppressed. The capacitance of the capacitor 270 is preferably twice or more the equivalent capacitance inside the IC chip 80.

In addition, in order to protect the fixing jig 300 for RF tags attached to the open end of the pipe 200, a cap covering the fixing jig 300 may be attached to the end of the pipe 200. The cap can be formed of an electrically insulating member, for example, one made of synthetic resin.

In the present invention, the RF tag device 110 corresponds to "RF tag device", the RF tag 100 corresponds to "RF tag", the IC chip 80 corresponds to "IC chip", and the inductor pattern L is "inductor" Corresponds to “pattern”, capacitor 93 corresponds to “capacitor”, antenna 10 corresponds to “antenna”, pipe 200 corresponds to “metal material”, “building material”, “scaffolding material”, “pipe” Correspondingly, the

conductive layers

380 and 382 correspond to the “conductive layer”, the fixing jig 300 corresponds to the “fixing jig”, the flat plate portion 320 corresponds to the “flat plate portion”, and the plate member 340 is “plate member The fixing member 360 corresponds to the “fixing member”.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention is as described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be understood that various other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, actions and effects according to the configuration of the present invention are described, but these actions and effects are only examples and do not limit the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 antenna 20 1st waveguide element 30 2nd waveguide element 50 electric power feeding part 60 short circuit part 80 IC chip 93 capacitor 100 RF tag 110 RF tag apparatus 200 pipe 270 air layer 300 fixing jig 320 flat plate part 340 plate member 360 fixing member 380 Conductive layer 382 Conductive layer 390 Sticking member

Claims

A fixing jig for an RF tag for fixing an RF tag in a metal material having a tubular shape, comprising:
A flat plate disposed at the open end of the metal material;
A plate member extended from the back surface of the flat plate portion to the inside of the metal material and supporting the RF tag;
A fixing jig for an RF tag, comprising a conductive layer in communication with the plate member from the flat plate portion.
The fixing jig for an RF tag according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer provided on the flat plate portion is provided over the entire surface of the flat plate portion.
The conductive layer includes a first conductive layer provided on the plate member, and a second conductive layer provided from the back surface to the front surface of the flat plate portion, and the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are provided. The fixing jig for the RF tag according to claim 1, wherein the layers are electrically connected.
The outer peripheral distance of the second conductive layer provided on the surface of the flat plate portion is any of λ / 4, λ / 2, 3/2, 4/5, 5/8 with respect to the wavelength λ of radio waves of the frequency of the RF tag The fixture for an RF tag according to claim 3, designed to satisfy one.
A fixing member provided on at least one of the flat plate portion and the plate member and forming an air layer of a set interval between the RF tag and the metal material by abutting on the inner peripheral surface of the tube shape of the metal material The fixture for the RF tag according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:
The fixing jig for the RF tag according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the metal material is a building material.
The fixture for RF tags according to claim 6, wherein the building material is a scaffolding material including a pipe.
The fixing jig for an RF tag according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the metal material is a high pressure pipe.