WO2019031536A1

WO2019031536A1 - Rf tag device

Info

Publication number: WO2019031536A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/029703
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: JPWO2019031536A1; JP7121403B2

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an RF tag device which has a long communication distance and a wide open surface area and with which reading can be effectively carried out with a reading device even if the RF tag is attached to a pipe-shaped metal material such as high-pressure piping. [Solution] An RF tag device 110 is attached to a pipe-shaped metal material 200. The RF tag device 110 comprises a fixture 300, and an RF tag 100. The fixture 300 comprises: a flat plate part 320 that is attached to an opening end of the pipe-shaped metal material 200; and one or a plurality of locking pieces 330 that extend from the back surface of the flat plate part 320 into the pipe-shaped metal material 200, and that are locked to the inner peripheral surface of the pipe-shaped metal material 200. The RF tag 100 is fixed to the surface of the flat plate part 320.

Description

RF tag device

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an RF tag device for managing, with RF tags, inventory control of metal materials having a tubular shape such as high pressure piping, physical distribution management and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to an RF tag device that can be effectively read by a reader with a long communication distance and a wide opening area even when the RF tag is attached to a metal material having a tubular shape.

BACKGROUND In recent years, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is used in a management system that performs inventory management of products, parts and the like, physical distribution management, and the like. In a system using this RFID technology, wireless communication is performed between an RF tag and a reader / writer (hereinafter referred to as a reader), and identification information and the like stored in the RF tag are read by the reader.
For example, Patent Document 1 (WO 2007/000807) discloses a radio frequency identification tag which is thin, flexible, can be communicated even when attached to metal, and can reduce the manufacturing cost.

In the radio frequency identification tag described in Patent Document 1, 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 2 (Japanese Patent 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 2, 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.

Patent Document 3 (WO2009 / 069199) relates to a metal pipe managed by an RF tag, in which a slot having a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction is opened, and on the inside, a feeding portion for feeding the slot and the feeding portion It is disclosed about what this metal pipe is managed by RF tag by comprising so that it may function as an antenna of RF tag by attaching an RF tag which has an IC chip connected to.

The RF tag described in Patent Document 3 is provided inside a metal pipe in which a slot having a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction is opened, and a feeding portion for feeding the slot to cause the metal pipe to function as an antenna. An IC (Integrated Circuit) chip provided inside the metal pipe and connected to the power feeding unit.

WO 2007/000807 JP 2003-85501 A WO2009 / 069199

However, in the radio frequency identification tag disclosed in Patent Document 1, 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 described above, it can not be attached to a metal material having a tubular shape such as a high pressure pipe, since the part protruding from the metal casing becomes an obstacle.

The noncontact IC tag disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a disadvantage that the communication distance is very short because a potential difference is generated between the two antennas by electrostatic coupling.
In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3, since it is necessary to provide a slot in a metal pipe, it can not be applied to a metal material in which the slot can not be provided.

The main object of the present invention is that, even when an RF tag is attached to a metal material having a tubular shape such as high-pressure piping, an RF tag device which can be read effectively by a reader because the communication distance is long and the opening area is wide. To provide.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an RF tag device capable of simultaneously reading RF tags fixed to a plurality of metal materials even when bundling a plurality of metal materials or stacking a plurality of metal materials. It is.

(1)
The RF tag device according to one aspect is an RF tag device attached to a metal material having a tubular shape, the RF tag device includes a fixing jig and an RF tag, and the fixing jig has a tubular shape A flat plate portion attached to the open end of the metal material, and one or a plurality of engagement members extended from the back surface of the flat plate portion into the metal material having a tubular shape and engaged with the inner peripheral surface of the metallic material having a tubular shape And an RF tag fixed on the surface of the flat plate portion.

In this case, the RF tag is fixed to the fixing portion of the flat plate portion of the fixing jig, and the fixing jig is attached to the metal material such that the locking piece of the fixing jig is locked to the inner peripheral surface of the metal material. Here, by attaching the RF tag to the flat plate portion of the fixing jig with the electrically insulating attachment 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, in the present invention, since the RF tag can be exposed while being fixed to the outside of the metal material, the radio wave of the reader can be reliably received.

That is, the radio wave from the reader is received by one of the waveguide elements (first waveguide element) of the RF tag, and the first waveguide element of the RF tag and the other second waveguide element of the RF tag ( The IC chip circuit connected between the ground element and the ground element is discharged from the second waveguide element to the metal pipe via the fixing jig. That is, since the RF tag and the fixing jig perform capacitive coupling via a dielectric made of a bonding member, the fixing jig functions as an antenna.

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.

Therefore, when metal pipes such as multiple pipes are bundled or stacked and stored, the RF tag attached to each metal pipe even if the RF tag is hidden behind the metal pipe and can not receive radio waves. You can read the history information etc. of

(2)
An RF tag device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the RF tag device according to one aspect, wherein the RF tag includes an antenna and an IC chip that operates based on radio waves transmitted from the reader, and the antenna is an insulating layer. The first waveguide element and the second waveguide element, the feeding portion whose one end is electrically connected to the second waveguide element, and the one end electrically connected to the first waveguide element; And a short-circuit portion whose other end is electrically connected to the second waveguide element, and transmitted from the reader by the insulating layer, the first waveguide element, the second waveguide element, the feeding portion and the short-circuit portion. And an inductor pattern including a first waveguide element, a short circuit part, a second waveguide element, and a feeding part, and a first waveguide element, a second waveguide element, and an insulating layer. A resonant circuit that resonates in the frequency band of radio waves by the configured capacitor There may be composed.

In this case, the RF tag includes an antenna and an IC chip. The RF tag receives a radio wave (carrier wave) transmitted from an antenna of the reader at a waveguide element (antenna) of the RF tag. Then, identification data etc. of the metal material recorded in the IC chip is put on the reflected wave and returned to the reader. This allows the RF tag to communicate with the reader without contacting the reader with the RF tag.

(3)
An RF tag device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the RF tag device according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the one or more locking pieces bias the inner circumferential surface of the metallic material having a tubular shape. It may consist of a biasing member.

In this case, when the fixing jig is attached to the metal material, the fixing jig can be easily attached to the metal material by elastically deforming the locking piece, or after the fixing jig is attached to the metal material Since the stop piece is urged against the inner circumferential surface of the metal material, the fixing jig can be securely attached to the metal material.

(4)
In the RF tag device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the RF tag device according to the first aspect to the third aspect, the metal material may be high-pressure piping.

In this case, since the reading device reads the material information from the RF tag attached to the high pressure pipe, the movement of the high pressure pipe, storage, and the like can be managed.

It is a typical sectional view showing an example in the state where the RF tag device concerning this embodiment was attached to the opening end of high-pressure piping. It is a typical perspective view from the surface side which shows an example of RF tag device concerning this embodiment. It is a typical perspective view from the back side which shows an example of RF tag device concerning this embodiment. 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 high voltage | pressure piping to which the RF tag apparatus of FIG. 1 was attached.

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 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a state in which the RF tag device 110 according to the present embodiment is attached to the open end 210 of the high pressure pipe 200, and FIG. 2 and FIG. It is a typical perspective view showing an example of this RF tag device 110.

The RF tag device 110 of the present invention is attached to the open end 210 of a metallic material 200 having a tubular shape. Here, the metal material 200 is a member having conductivity, and is usually made of a metal material such as a steel material or an aluminum material.

The application of the metal material 200 having a tubular shape is not limited, but may be, for example, materials for civil engineering, materials for plants, materials for automobiles, materials for construction, and the like. In the present embodiment, an example in which the RF tag device 110 of the present invention is attached to high pressure piping used as civil engineering materials and plant materials will be described below.

The high-pressure piping 200 includes one having both ends open, one having at least one end of the high-pressure piping deformed and processed, and one having a connecting member such as a flange welded to at least one end of the high-pressure piping.

(RF tag device 110)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the RF tag device 110 includes a fixing jig 300 and an RF tag 100.

(Fixing jig 300)
The fixing jig 300 is a flat plate portion 320 attached to the open end portion 210 of the high pressure pipe 200, extends from the back surface of the flat plate portion 320 into the high pressure pipe 200, and is engaged with the inner circumferential surface of the high pressure pipe 200 1 And a plurality of locking pieces 330.

That is, the flat plate portion 320 of the fixing jig 300 is formed along the opening of the high pressure pipe 200, and the locking piece 330 has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the high pressure pipe 200.

(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 can be, for example, a substantially disc shape so as to fit the shape of the opening of the high pressure pipe 200.
The size of the flat plate portion 320 is formed to a size enough to close the opening of the high pressure pipe 200. The outer shape of the flat plate portion 320 is formed slightly larger than the outer shape of the high pressure pipe 200.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, two locking pieces 330 are provided in a direction orthogonal to the surface direction of the flat plate portion 320 at opposing positions on the periphery of the flat plate portion 320. . Although the shape of the locking piece 330 is formed in a rectangular shape, the shape of the locking piece 330 can be designed arbitrarily, such as triangular. The width and length of the locking piece 330 can also be designed arbitrarily. At locations where the locking pieces 330 are not formed, recesses 322 are formed at opposing positions around the flat plate portion 320.
Alternatively, a protrusion may be formed on the locking piece 330, and the inner circumferential surface of the high pressure pipe 200 may be locked by the protrusion.

The distance between the two opposing locking pieces 330 is set to be approximately equal to the inner diameter of the high pressure pipe 200. As a result, when the locking piece 330 has a predetermined linear width, it can be fixed to the R portion of the inner peripheral surface of the high pressure pipe 200.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the present embodiment, the fixing jig 300 is manufactured by processing a conductive plate material such as a disk-shaped metal plate. The fixing jig 300 is formed by cutting and raising a locking piece 330 which is locked to the inner peripheral surface of the high-pressure pipe 200 around the conductive plate material. The locking piece 330 may be provided with one or two locking pieces 330 around the flat plate portion 320, or may be provided with three or four or more locking pieces 330.

The manufacturing of the fixing jig 300 can be performed as follows.
Two parallel slits are formed from the periphery of the plate at four locations around the conductive plate. Next, the locking piece 330 is made to project in the direction orthogonal to the plane of the plate by bending the region surrounded by the two slits at right angles in one direction of the plate.

Further, parallel slits are formed around the plate material at locations where the locking pieces 330 are not formed, and the concave portions 322 are formed by removing the area surrounded by the two slits.

The RF tag 100 is fixed to the surface side of the fixing jig 300 configured in this way (the side exposed to the outside when the fixing jig 300 is attached to the open end of the high-pressure pipe 200).

The RF tag 100 is fixed to the flat plate portion 320 of the fixing jig 300 such that both ends of the RF tag 100 are disposed in the region between the locking piece 330 and the recess 322 of the fixing jig 300.

The RF tag 100 can be fixed 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 to the flat plate portion 320 of the fixing jig 300 using an electrically insulating adhesion member.

(RF tag 100)
Next, the configuration of the RF tag 100 fixed to 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 100 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.

(Attachment of the RF tag device 110 to the high pressure pipe 200)
In order to attach the RF tag device 110 having the above configuration to the high pressure piping 200, the following can be performed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the RF tag device 110 can be easily attached to the open end portion 210 of the high-pressure pipe 200 by inserting and locking the pair of locking pieces 330 in the opening of the high-pressure pipe 200.

In the case where the fixing jig 300 is attached to the high pressure pipe 200, the locking piece 330 is preferably made of an urging member which urges the inner peripheral surface of the high pressure pipe 200 in the direction of the outer peripheral surface. The locking piece 330 is also preferably resilient.
When inserting the pair of locking pieces 330 into the opening of the high pressure pipe 200, the pair of locking pieces 330 are elastically deformed inward, so that the pair of locking pieces 330 slide along the inner surface of the high pressure pipe 200. As shown in FIG. 1, it can be locked on the inner peripheral surface of the high pressure pipe 200.

After the fixing jig 300 is attached to the high pressure pipe 200, the locking piece 330 is in pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface of the high pressure pipe 200 by the restoring force of the pair of locking pieces 330. Therefore, even when the high pressure piping 200 receives an impact from the outside, the fixing jig 300 is not easily removed from the high pressure piping 200.

When the fixing jig 300 is attached to the high pressure pipe 200, the peripheral end of the flat plate portion 320 abuts on the end face of the high pressure pipe 200 to substantially close the opening of the high pressure pipe 200.

When the RF tag device 110 is attached to the high pressure pipe 200, the inside of the high pressure pipe 200 can be ventilated through the recess 34 formed in the RF tag device 110. Further, a tool or the like can be inserted into the high pressure pipe 200 through the recess 34 and the RF tag device 110 can be easily removed from the high pressure pipe 200.

(Equivalent circuit)
FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of an equivalent circuit of the high pressure pipe 200 to which the RF tag device 110 shown in FIG. 1 is attached.
As shown in FIG. 7, 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 high-pressure pipe 200 to which the RF tag device 110 is attached, the RF tag 100 is attached to the flat plate portion 320 of the fixing jig 300 by the electrically insulating adhesive member, thereby obtaining a capacitor (second capacitor) 270 Can be formed to form a resonant circuit with the inductance of the RF tag 100.

As shown in FIG. 7, 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 high-pressure 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.

The radio wave from the reader is received by one of the waveguide elements (first waveguide element) 20 of the RF tag 100, and the first waveguide element 20 of the RF tag 100 and the other second waveguide of the RF tag 100 are received. The circuit of the IC chip 80 connected between the wave element (ground element) 30 passes through, and is discharged from the second waveguide element 30 to the high pressure pipe 200 via the fixing jig 300. That is, since the RF tag 100 and the fixing jig 300 perform capacitive coupling via a dielectric made of a bonding member, the fixing jig 300 functions as an antenna.

Thus, the entire high pressure pipe 200 can operate as an antenna. In this manner, radio waves from the RF tag 100 can be sent to the reading device via the high pressure pipe 200, and radio waves from the reading device can be received by the RF tag 100 via the high pressure pipe 200.
As a result, the RF tag 100 can be reliably driven, and reading of the RF tag 100 with a nondirectional property and a long communication distance can be performed.

In order to protect the RF tag device 110 attached to the open end of the high pressure pipe 200, a cap covering the RF tag device 110 may be attached to the end of the high pressure 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" The capacitor 93 corresponds to a “capacitor”, the antenna 10 corresponds to an “antenna”, the high pressure pipe 200 corresponds to a “high pressure pipe”, a “pipe-shaped metal material”, and the fixing jig 300 Corresponds to the “fixing jig”, the flat plate portion 320 corresponds to the “flat plate portion”, and the locking piece 330 corresponds to the “locking piece”.

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 feed part 60 short circuit part 80 IC chip 93 capacitor 100 RF tag 110 RF tag apparatus 200 high voltage | pressure piping 300 fixing jig 320 flat plate part 330 latching piece

Claims

An RF tag device attached to a metal material having a tubular shape, comprising:
The RF tag device
A fixing jig,
Including an RF tag,
The fixing jig is a flat plate portion attached to the open end of the metal material having the tubular shape;
And one or more locking pieces extending from the back surface of the flat plate portion into the metallic material having the tubular shape and engaged with the inner peripheral surface of the metallic material having the tubular shape,
The RF tag apparatus which fixes the said RF tag on the surface of the said flat plate part.
The RF tag has an antenna,
An IC chip that operates based on radio waves transmitted from the reader;
The antenna is
A first waveguide element and a second waveguide element provided via an insulating layer;
A feeding unit whose one end is electrically connected to the second waveguide element;
A short circuit part electrically connected at one end to the first waveguide element and electrically connected at the other end to the second waveguide element;
The insulating layer, the first waveguide element, the second waveguide element, the power feeding unit, and the short circuit unit are configured to receive radio waves transmitted from the reading device.
An inductor pattern formed of the first waveguide element, the short circuit part, the second waveguide element, and the feeding part, and the first waveguide element, the second waveguide element, and the insulating layer The RF tag device according to claim 1, wherein a resonant circuit that resonates in a frequency band of the radio wave is configured by a capacitor.
The RF tag device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more locking pieces comprise a biasing member that biases the inner circumferential surface of the metal material having the tubular shape.
The RF tag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the metal material is a high pressure pipe.