WO2019111710A1

WO2019111710A1 - Component management card

Info

Publication number: WO2019111710A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/042970
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: 2017-12-05
Filing date: 2018-11-21
Publication date: 2019-06-13
Also published as: JP7133232B2; JPWO2019111710A1

Abstract

[Problem] The present invention addresses the problem of providing a component management card whereby components stored in a component box can be managed, and long distance communication with a readout device can be achieved. [Solution] A component management card 210 is removably held by a holding section 230 attached to the outer surface of a component box 200 storing components therein. The component management card has: a component management card main body 220 formed of a resin; a RF tag 100 embedded in the component management card main body 220; and a metal plate 250 that is disposed in the component management card main body 220 or on the outer surface of the component management card main body 220 in a state of having a resin layer of the component management card main body 220 between the RF tag 100 and the metal plate, said metal plate being on the component box 200 side of the RF tag 100. The RF tag 100 includes at least an antenna 110 and an IC chip 80 that operates on the basis of radio waves transmitted from a readout device, and a waveguide plate, which is provided to the RF tag 100, and the metal plate 250 are electrically connected to each other via a constant capacitance.

Description

Parts management card

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a part management card for managing parts used in manufacturing of an assembly, and more particularly to a part management card capable of accurately managing parts inventory in a manufacturing line of an assembly.

When managing parts inventory, a system has been developed to manage the inventory of each part by attaching an RF tag to each part stored in the warehouse. However, in order to manage the parts inventory accurately, it is necessary to manage the parts inventory in the assembly production line as well as the management in the warehouse.

If RF tags are attached to individual parts to manage the inventory of parts, the cost of the RF tags and the cost of attaching them to the parts are high. Therefore, attach the RF tags to the parts box that contains the parts to manage inventory of the parts. A system to perform is being developed.

For example, Patent Document 1 (WO 2008/038434) discloses an invention of a component management program, a component management method, and a component management apparatus capable of accurately managing a component stock in a manufacturing line.

In the invention described in Patent Document 1, in order to manage the parts on the manufacturing line, manufacture is started based on the part configuration information of the part configuration information storage part and the manufacturing order of the manufacturing order DB for the withdrawal part of the parts management system. Identify the parts to be used for the assembled product, the number of uses, and the material supply box, and update the drawdown material supply box DB from the number of parts of the material supply box data corresponding to the specified material supply box. Further, the tracking unit detects entry / exit to / from the line of the material supply box based on the information of the UHF band RFID tag, and the state reflecting unit reflects the movement of the material supply box on the material supply box DB. Also, the extraction unit writes the updated log of the material supply box DB into the material supply box log storage unit, and the operation monitoring unit based on the update log of the material supply box log storage unit. Stay in the area, monitor the number of parts, etc. Also, the editing unit notifies the warehouse management system based on the update log of the material supply box log storage unit.

According to Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-51601), in the rental system for carriers that can be reused in physical distribution, after the manager (for example, the lender) side is first stocked in one delivery base of the user, Since the storage and retrieval are repeatedly performed among a plurality of delivery bases of the user, etc., they are often lost during that time, and it is disclosed that the system is greatly affected.

In the carrier management system described in Patent Document 2, the carrier 11 delivered from the management side to the user side writes the identification code by the data writer when the management side takes it out and attaches the wireless RF tag or printing To be individually managed by the identification code of the identification medium such as the management card 5 attached, and the user side data regarding the returned carrier should be deleted using the warehousing information file sent from the management side Is configured to be able to

Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-118572) discloses a card-type RFID card used in a parts arrangement system using an EDI system.

In the card type RFID described in Patent Document 3, the orderer 100 generates the kanban data 12 and transmits the kanban data 12 to the EDI server computer 101. The order receiver 200 receives the kanban data 12 from the EDI server computer 101 and supplies the data writer 14 with the kanban data 12. The data writer 14 writes the kanban data 12 to the recycled erased kanban 24 and issues the kanban 16 and attaches it to the part 18 to be delivered. The orderer 100 uses the antenna 72 to read the parts management card attached to the delivered part 18. The kanban 16 is formed on a standard size RFID card, and is held by a holder 52 provided on the outer surface of the parts box 200 in which the parts 18 are stored at the time of delivery to the orderer 100.

WO 2008/038434 JP, 2009-51601, A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2011-118572

However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, the RFID tag is attached to the material supply box with the spacer interposed. In addition, parts pick-up board is stuck on the material supply box. Therefore, it takes time and effort to install those RFID tags and cards. Furthermore, it is not possible to manage the parts contained in the metal parts box.

In the invention of Patent Document 2, a management card with an IC tag is attached to a carrier, and the management card can not be easily removed from the carrier. Furthermore, also in Patent Document 2, it is not possible to manage the parts housed in the metal parts box.

Although Patent Document 3 discloses the use of a metal component box, in order to suppress reflection and absorption of radio waves by the metal box, sticking a radio wave absorbing sheet on the back of the kanban. Is required. Therefore, there is a disadvantage that the communication distance by the reader is short.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is to provide a component management card capable of managing components contained in a component box and having a long communication distance by a reader.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a component management card capable of managing components contained in a component box even if the component box is made of metal and having a long communication distance by the reader.

(1)
The component management card according to one aspect is a component management card which is removably held by a holding portion attached to the outer surface of the component box in which the components are accommodated, the component management card body made of an insulator, Component management card body or component with the RF tag embedded in the component management card body and the component tag side of the RF tag via the insulator layer of the component management card body on the component box side of the RF tag And a metal plate disposed on the outer surface of the management card body.
The card body is mainly made of one or more electrically insulating resins such as polypropylene, ABS, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polyvinyl chloride, etc., materials having insulating properties such as hard paper board or hard glass, or materials of these It can form by shape | molding in plate shape using the composite material which combined the material.
The RF tag includes at least an antenna and an IC chip that operates based on radio waves transmitted from the reader, and a waveguide plate provided on the RF tag and the metal plate electrically have a constant capacitance. Connected.

In this case, since the waveguide plate provided on the RF tag of the card and the metal plate are electrically connected via a fixed capacitance, the metal plate can be used as a part of the antenna. Therefore, a large opening area can be provided, and the sensitivity of the RF tag can be improved. Therefore, when the component management card is held by the holding unit attached to the outer surface of the component box, it is possible to read an RF tag which is nondirectional and has a long communication distance.

(2)
The part management card according to the second aspect of the invention is a part management card which is removably held by a holder attached to the outer surface of the metal part box in which the parts are accommodated, and is a part made of an insulator. The RF tag includes a management card body and an RF tag embedded in the component management card body, and the RF tag includes at least an antenna and an IC chip that operates based on radio waves transmitted from the reader. And a holding unit so as to electrostatically couple a waveguide plate provided in the RF tag and the component box.

In this case, when the component management card is held by the holding unit attached to the outer surface of the metal component box, the holding unit is such that the waveguide plate provided on the RF tag of the card and the component box are electrostatically coupled. The component box can be used as part of the antenna since it Therefore, a large opening area can be provided, and the sensitivity of the RF tag can be improved. Moreover, reading by the reader can be performed from the periphery of the component box.

(3)
A component management card according to a third aspect of the present invention is the component management card according to the aspect of the present invention, wherein the component box is made of metal and the waveguide plate provided on the RF tag electrostatically couples the component box May be held by the holder.

In this case, when the component management card is held by the holding portion of the component box, the metal plate of the card and the component box are electrically connected, and as described above, the waveguide plate of the card and the metal plate are electrically coupled. Communication performance is stabilized since connection is made via a fixed capacity.
(4)
The part management card according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the part management card according to the first aspect to the third aspect, wherein the waveguide plate may be an antenna.

In this case, the structure of the RF tag can be simplified, and the radio waves of the reader can be efficiently received.
(5)
The component management card according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the card according to the first aspect to the third aspect, wherein the waveguide plate may be a waveguide element provided in the antenna.

In this case, the structure of the RF tag can be simplified, and the radio waves of the reader can be efficiently received.

(6)
A component management card according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the component management card according to the first aspect to the fifth aspect, wherein the antenna has a first main surface and a second main surface on the opposite side of the first main surface. Provided on the side surface of the insulating base material, the first waveguide element provided on the first main surface, the second waveguide element provided on the second main surface, and the second waveguide element Are provided on the side surface of the insulating base, and one end is electrically connected to the first waveguide element, and the other end is electrically connected to the second waveguide element. A plate-like inverted F antenna configured to receive a radio wave transmitted from the reading device, the insulating base material, the first waveguide element, the second waveguide element, the feed section, and the short circuit section. An inductor pattern formed of a first waveguide element, a short circuit part, a second waveguide element, and a feed part, and a first waveguide element and a second waveguide element And by a capacitor formed by the insulating substrate, the resonance circuit resonating at a radio frequency band may be configured.

In this case, since the plate-like inverted F antenna can receive the radio wave transmitted from the reader with high sensitivity by the resonance circuit, the reading performance of the RF tag can be improved. Since the power supply voltage generated by the IC chip connected to the antenna can be increased, radio waves from the reading device can be efficiently received.

(7)
A component management card according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the card according to the sixth aspect, wherein an outer peripheral distance of the waveguide element is λ / 4, λ with respect to a wavelength λ of radio waves of the frequency of the RF tag. It may be designed to satisfy any one of / 2, 3 λ / 4, 5 λ / 8.
In this case, the resonant frequency of the plate-like inverted F antenna can be easily set.

(8)
A component management card according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the component management card according to the fifth aspect, wherein the antenna comprises a resonant circuit that resonates in a frequency band of radio waves by the inductor pattern and the internal capacitance of the IC chip. May be

In this case, the inlet portion and the antenna are formed by bonding, and a resonance circuit is formed by the capacitance inside the IC chip and the inductor pattern. As a result, downsizing or thinning can be realized.

(9)
A component management card according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the component management card according to the eighth aspect, wherein the antenna peripheral distance is other than nλ with respect to the wavelength λ of the wave number of the UHF band RFID frequency (n is an integer) ), Λ / 4, λ / 2, 3 λ / 4, 5 λ / 8 may be designed.

In this case, the peripheral distance of the antenna is designed to correspond to one of wavelengths other than nλ (n is an integer), λ / 4, λ / 2, 3λ / 4, 5λ / 8 with respect to wavelength λ. As a result, communication sensitivity can be dramatically improved, and nondirectional radio waves can be received.

(10)
A component management card according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the component management card according to the eighth and ninth aspects, wherein at least the IC chip and the inductor pattern portion may be wrapped by a non-conductive material.

In this case, since at least the IC chip and the inductor pattern are enclosed by a non-conductive material, short-circuiting of the IC chip and the inductor pattern can be prevented even when contacting the conductor.

(11)
The parts management card main body according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the part management card according to the first aspect to the tenth aspect of the present invention, wherein the parts management card may be a hard disk used in the parts management system.

Generally, in parts management systems such as the kanban production method, paper kanbans are created based on kanban information, paper kanbans are attached to parts to be delivered and delivered, and the orderer receives parts and acceptance based on paper kanbans. When the conduct is done, the receipt and acceptance are finished and the parts are consumed, the paper board is discarded as a loose board.
A large amount of paper is consumed every day because paper bags are used for each of the parts needed for daily production. In order to reduce the burden on the environment, it is required to reduce the amount of scrapped paper.
According to the eighth invention, the movement of parts is managed using the UHF band RFID tag held by the holding part of the parts box, and the parts inventory in the line is managed by managing the number of parts for each parts box. It can be managed accurately. In addition, it is possible to provide RFID kanban that can be operated efficiently, and to reduce the disposal of paper kanban.

(12)
A parts management apparatus according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is a parts management comprising: a metal parts box in which parts are stored; and a part management card removably held by a holding unit attached to an outer surface of the parts box. The component management card has a component management card body made of insulator, and an RF tag embedded in the component management card body, and the RF tag includes at least an antenna, and a reader. An IC chip that operates based on radio waves transmitted from the IC and electrostatically couples the waveguide plate provided in the RF tag and the component box when the component management card is held by the holding unit It is.

In this case, when the component management card is held by the holding portion attached to the outer surface of the metal component box, the waveguide plate provided on the RF tag of the card and the component box are electrostatically coupled. The box can be used as part of an antenna. Therefore, a large opening area can be provided, and the sensitivity of the RF tag can be improved. Moreover, reading by the reader can be performed from the periphery of the component box. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 3, it is not necessary to attach the radio wave absorption sheet to the back surface of the card, and the manufacturing cost of the card can be reduced.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a state in which the component management card according to the first embodiment is held by the holder of the component box. It is a typical perspective view after making a holding part hold a card. It is a typical principal part sectional view showing an example of the state where the part management card concerning a 1st embodiment was made to hold to a parts box. It is a schematic perspective view of the components box concerning other embodiment. It is typical principal part sectional drawing which shows an example of the state which hold | maintained the card | curd for component management in the holding | maintenance part of the components box shown in FIG. It is a schematic perspective view of the components management card shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the component management card shown in FIG. 6; It is a typical perspective view showing an example of RF tag of the surface side. It is a typical perspective view showing an example of RF tag on 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 card | curd for component management with which the metal plate of FIG. 1 was stuck. It is a figure which shows an example of the equivalent circuit of the metal components box by which the card | curd for component management of FIG. 1 was hold | maintained. It is a typical principal part perspective view which shows an example of the RF tag used for the card | curd for component management concerning other embodiment. It is a schematic plan view of the RF tag shown in FIG. It is a schematic plan view of the antenna part of RF tag shown in FIG. It is a schematic enlarged view of the circuit member of RF tag shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of a component management card in which the RF tag shown in FIG. 13 is embedded. It is a schematic perspective view which shows an example of the surface side of RF tag of other embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which shows an example of the back surface side of RF tag shown in FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows an example of the antenna of RF tag shown in FIG. It is a typical expanded view of the antenna of RF tag shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the result of the reading experiment of RF tag. It is a schematic cross section of the insulating base material used for RF tag of further another embodiment. It is a schematic cross section of the insulating base material used for RF tag of further another embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of RF tag. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the relationship between the frequency zone | band of RF tag of FIG. 25, and communication distance. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of RF tag of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of RF tag of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of RF tag of FIG.

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.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a state in which the component management card 210 according to the present embodiment is held by the holding unit 230 of the component box 200. FIG. 2 is a component management according to the present embodiment. It is a typical principal part sectional view showing an example in the state where card 210 was made to be held by holding part 230.
The component management card 210 according to the present embodiment is removably held by the holding portion 230 attached to the outer surface of the component box 200 in which the component is housed.

(Parts box 200)
The component box 200 is a box formed to such an extent that one or a plurality of components are accommodated. For example, it may be a metal plate made of metal such as steel or aluminum, a metal mesh, a metal box manufactured by processing a metal pipe, or a resin box, a wood-based box, a cardboard box, etc. It may be.
Furthermore, it may be a box made of a composite member in which those materials are combined. The surface of the component box 200 may be coated with a coating such as an anticorrosion treatment, an oxide layer, or a resin layer.
The part box 200 also includes a part plate, and also includes a box with a lid.
In the present embodiment, the component box 200 is formed of a metal box having an open upper surface having a bottom plate 202 and four side plates 204 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The holder 230 is attached to the outer surface of the side plate 204 of the component box 200.

The configuration of the holding unit 230 is not limited and may be any configuration as long as it can hold a component management card (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a card) 210. For example, the sheet can be formed into a bag shape to constitute the holding portion 230.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the holding portion 230 adheres the left and right edges and the lower edge of the transparent or translucent plastic sheet to the outer surface of the side plate 204 of the component box 200. It is formed in the shape of a bag whose upper side is open.
An opening 232 is formed above the holding portion 230 between the side plate 204 and the sheet of the holding portion 230, and the card 210 can be inserted into the holding portion 230 from the opening 232 and held.

Although the holding portions 230 are usually attached to the outside of the opposite side plates 204 of the component box 200, the holding portions 230 are provided on the outer surface of one, three or four side plates 204 of the component box 200. May be
The holding portion 230 is not limited to a bag, but may have various forms and any shape as long as it has a function of holding or temporarily fixing or fixing the card 210 on the outer surface of the side plate 204 of the component box 200. It may be.

Next, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a component box 200 according to another embodiment, and FIG. 5 shows a state in which the component management card 210 is held by the holding portion 230 of the component box 200 shown in FIG. It is a typical principal part sectional view showing an example of.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the holding portion 230 includes a pair of L-shaped

locking members

240 and 240 fixed to the side plate 204 at predetermined intervals, and the side plates on the lower side of the locking member 240. You may comprise from the holding member 242 fixed to 204. FIG. In this case, a space for holding the card 210 is formed by the pair of locking

members

240 and 240 and the outer surface of the holding member 242 and the side plate 204.

(Parts management card 210)
6 is a schematic perspective view of the component management card 210 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the component management card 210 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the component management card 210 includes a resin component management card main body 220 and an RF embedded in the component management card main body 220 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a card main body). And a tag 100.
The size and the shape of the component management card 210 are set so as to be removably held by the holding unit 230. In the present embodiment, the card body 220 is formed of a substantially square resin plate.

As described above, the card body 220 of this embodiment is formed mainly by forming one or more kinds of electrically insulating resin such as polypropylene, ABS, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polyvinyl chloride or the like into a plate. be able to. The RF tag 100 can be embedded in the card body 220 by injection molding or the like. The thickness of the card body 220 can be about 0.3 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, and the preferable thickness is about 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

The embedded position of the RF tag 100 is not limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the RF tag 100 can be embedded at the central position in the thickness direction of the card body 220. In that case, the distance (thickness of the resin layer) t between the outer surface of the RF tag 100 and the outer surface of the card 210 can be set in the range of 0.05 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less, more preferably 0.1 mm It is the range of 0.2 mm or less.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the RF tag 100 is disposed at the lower corner of the insulator card body (hereinafter simply referred to as a card body) 220, but the disposition position of the RF tag 100 in the card body 220 is It may be a corner, a center or any position of the card body 220.

On the surface of the card 210, a display 212 capable of printing card details printed by a thermal printer or the like can be formed. The card description includes at least a part of information of the data of the card 210. For example, there are the orderer's name, the orderer's name, the place of delivery, and the part number of delivered parts. The card 210 may record only the ID, and the above information may be recorded in the server.

Furthermore, the metal plate 250 may be attached to the back surface side of the card body 220 (the component box side when the card is held by the holding unit). The metal plate 250 is formed in the same shape as the card body 220. In order to attach the metal plate 250 to the back side of the card body 220, the metal plate 250 may be attached to the back side of the card body 220 using an adhesive, or when the card body 220 is formed. May be integrally formed. As a metal plate, there are a steel plate, an aluminum plate, a copper plate, an arbitrary conductor, and the like.

Furthermore, instead of being attached to the back side of the card body 220, the metal plate 250 may be embedded in the card body 220. In this case, the metal plate 250 is embedded in the card body 220 on the component box 200 side of the RF tag 100 with the resin layer of the RF tag 100 and the card body 220 interposed therebetween. That is, the RF tag 100 and the metal plate 250 are electrically insulated by the resin layer.

The data of the component management card 210 stored in the RF tag 100 described above is read without contact from a position several meters away, for example, by radio waves (for example, radio waves in the UHF band) emitted from the antenna of the reader. Can.
The configuration of the RF tag 100 embedded in the card body 220 will be described in detail below.

(RF tag 100)
Next, FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the RF tag 100 on the front side, and FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the RF tag 100 on the back side. It is a typical expanded view showing an example of 100.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the RF tag 100 includes at least an antenna 110 and an IC chip 80 that operates based on radio waves transmitted from a reader (not shown).

(Antenna 110)
The antenna 110 includes a first waveguide element 20, a second waveguide element 30, an insulating base 140, a feeding portion 50 and a short circuit portion 60.

The base material of insulator (hereinafter referred to as insulating base material) 140 has an upper surface (first main surface) and a lower surface (second main surface) on the opposite side of the first main surface. The insulating base 140 is formed, for example, in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, but is not limited to such a shape. For example, it may be in the shape of a disk, or it may be curved in a circular arc. Preferably, the insulating base 140 has a shape corresponding to the surface shape of the component management card main body 220 at the position where the RF tag 100 is embedded.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first waveguide element 20 is provided on the upper surface of the insulating base 140. As shown in FIG. 9, the second waveguide element 30 is provided on the lower surface of the insulating base 140. 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.

A notch 25 is formed in a part of the short side of the first waveguide element 20, and an IC chip 80 is disposed in the notch 25. The IC chip 80 includes the first waveguide element 20 and the feeding portion 50. It is connected to be bridged between.

The feeding unit 50 is provided on the side surface and / or the upper surface (or the lower surface) of the insulating base 140, 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 insulating base 140, one end of which is electrically connected to the first waveguide element 20, and the other end of which is electrically connected to the second waveguide element 30.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the feeding portion 50 and the shorting portion 60 are 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 a member provided.

The feed unit 50 and the short circuit unit 60 may not be provided in parallel to each other. Moreover, when forming the 1st waveguide element 20 and the 2nd waveguide element 30, you may form the feed part 50 and the short circuit part 60 integrally with them simultaneously. 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.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the first waveguide element 20, the second waveguide element 30, the feeding part 50 and the shorting part 60 are formed on the insulating sheet 70. The sheet is attached to the outer surface of the insulating base 140 via the sheet 70 which is bent at the side of the insulating base 140.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, 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 110 can be easily manufactured by bending the portion 60 together and attaching it to the front and back surfaces of the insulating base 140.

As a material for forming the sheet 70, a flexible insulating material such as PET, polyimide, polyvinyl chloride or the like can be used. 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 first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 may be subjected to an insulating film treatment.

In the present embodiment, the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 are formed on the sheet 70 (base material) in this manner, but it is not necessary to be necessarily formed on the sheet 70. Absent. For example, the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 may be formed alone. Alternatively, after the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 formed on the sheet 70 are transferred to the insulating base 140, the sheet 70 may be peeled off.

The insulating base material 140, the first waveguide element 20, the second waveguide element 30, the feeding portion 50 and the short circuit portion 60 constitute a plate-like inverted F antenna.
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 (also referred to as a ground portion). 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, the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 can perform both functions of the waveguide element (antenna) and the conductor ground plane (ground) according to the usage mode of the RF tag 100. .
Although the inverted F antenna is described in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any other antenna.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the first waveguide element 20, the total length A of the side edges 20a to 20f around the first waveguide element 20 is either 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. 9, the second waveguide element 30 is designed such that the sum B of the lengths of the side edges 30 a to 30 d around the second waveguide element 30 is substantially equal to the sum A.

As described above, the sum A and B of the lengths of the sides around the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 is either λ / 4, λ / 2, 3λ / 4, 5λ / 8. Almost equal to Thus, the resonant frequency of the plate-like inverted F antenna can be easily set.

If the sum A and B of the lengths of the sides around the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 is any of the above values, the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element The planar shape of 30 is not limited to the rectangular shape. For example, the central portions of the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 may be cut into a square shape.

Alternatively, an insulator may be used as the insulating base 140. 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 insulating substrate 140.

Also, the insulating base 140 may be a dielectric. As the insulating base 140, for example, a dielectric having a relative dielectric constant of 1 or more and 20 or less can be used. When a dielectric (for example, ceramic) having a large dielectric constant is used, the capacitance of the capacitor is increased, so the opening area of the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 is reduced, and the RF tag 100 is miniaturized. Can be However, since the gain of the antenna 110 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 insulating substrate 140. In this case, the relative dielectric constant is preferably 5 or less. An embodiment using foamed polystyrene having a small dielectric constant will be described later.

The antenna 110 configured as described above constitutes 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. This resonant circuit is composed of an inductor pattern L and a capacitor (first capacitor) 93 (see FIG. 11).

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 insulating base 140. 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 the IC chip 80 can be increased.

(IC chip)
The IC chip 80 is provided between the first waveguide element 20 and the feeding unit 50 as shown in FIG. The IC chip 80 is disposed on the upper surface side of the insulating base 140 (on the same plane as the first waveguide element 20).
The IC chip 80 may be disposed on the side surface of the insulating base 140 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 reader received by the plate-like inverted F antenna of the antenna 110.
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 control logic circuit in the IC chip 80 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. Furthermore, it is possible to operate a non-volatile memory in which unique information and the like of the component box 200 are stored.

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 110 and the IC chip 80. The RF tag 100 receives the radio wave (carrier wave) transmitted from the reader at the antenna 110 of the RF tag 100. Then, the identification data etc. of the component box 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.

(Equivalent circuit)
FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of an equivalent circuit of the component management card 210 to which the metal plate 250 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is attached. FIG. 12 is a view showing an example of the equivalent circuit in a state in which the component management card 210 is held by the holding portion 230 of the component box 200. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, 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 card 210 to which the metal plate 250 is attached, the card is placed between the waveguide plate (second waveguide element 30) of the RF tag 100 embedded in the card body 220 and the metal plate 250. By forming the electrical insulating layer of the main body 220, a capacitor (second capacitor) 270 is formed, and a resonance circuit can be formed with the inductance of the RF tag 100.

As shown in FIG. 11, the second capacitor 270 is connected in series to a capacitor 93 (first capacitor) formed of the first waveguide element 20, the second waveguide element 30, and the insulating base 140. 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 on the metal plate 250 via the insulating layer, the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit of the RF tag 100 changes significantly, 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 higher 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. More preferably, it is 2 times or more and 10 times or less.

The radio wave from the reader is received by one of the waveguides (first waveguide element) 20 of the RF tag 100.
Then, an IC chip circuit connected between the first waveguide element 20 of the RF tag 100 and the other second waveguide element (ground element) 30 of the RF tag 100 is passed through the card from the second waveguide element 30. It is discharged to the metal plate 250 through the insulating layer of the main body 220.
That is, since the RF tag 100 and the metal plate 250 perform capacitive coupling via the insulating layer (dielectric), the metal plate 250 functions as an antenna.

Thus, the metal plate 250 can operate as an antenna. In this way, the radio wave from the RF tag 100 can be sent to the reading device through the metal plate 250, and the radio wave from the reading device can be received by the RF tag 100 through the metal plate 250. .
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.

Furthermore, when the component management card 210 is held by the holding portion 230 of the metal component box 200, as shown in FIG. 12, the waveguide plate (waveguide element of the RF tag 100 embedded in the card body 220) ) And the component box 200, in addition to the formation of the electrical insulating layer of the card body 220, the metal plate 250 and the insulating layer of the coating formed on the outer surface of the component box 200. A capacitor (third capacitor) 272 is formed between the component box 200 and the metal component box 200, so that a resonant circuit can be formed with the inductance of the RF tag 100.

As shown in FIG. 12, the third capacitor 272 is connected in series to the first capacitor 93 and the second capacitor 270. Therefore, the combined capacitance of the first capacitor 93, the second capacitor 270, and the third capacitor 272 may change, and the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit of the RF tag 100 may change significantly.

Specifically, when the capacitance of the third capacitor 272 is much smaller than the capacitances of the second capacitor 270 and the first capacitor 93, the combined capacitance is smaller than the capacitances of the first capacitor 93 and the second capacitor 270. It falls sharply. This means that when the RF tag 100 is disposed in the component box 200 via the insulating layer, the coupling capacitance resonance frequency of the RF tag 100 changes significantly, and the reading performance of the RF tag 100 is degraded.

Therefore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the capacitance of the third capacitor 272 can be equal to or higher than the capacitance of the second capacitor 270 and the equivalent capacitance inside the IC chip 80.
Thus, the combined capacitance of the first capacitor 93, the second capacitor 270, and the third capacitor 272 can be prevented from being significantly reduced, and the performance degradation of the RF tag 100 can be suppressed. The capacitance of the second capacitor 270 and the capacitance of the third capacitor 272 are preferably at least twice the equivalent capacitance inside the IC chip 80.

The radio wave from the reader is received by one of the waveguide plates (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 IC chip circuit connected between the wave elements (ground elements) is discharged from the second waveguide element 20 to the metal component box 200 through the insulating layer of the component management card body 220. That is, since the RF tag 100 and the component box 200 perform capacitive coupling via the insulating layer (dielectric), the component box 200 functions as an antenna.

Thus, the component box 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 component box 200, and radio waves from the reading device can be received by the RF tag 100 via the component box 200. .
In this way, when the card 210 is held by the holding unit 230, the component management device of the present invention is configured in which the waveguide plate provided in the RF tag 100 and the component box 200 are electrostatically coupled.
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.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment is shown in FIG. 13 to FIG. In this embodiment, the configuration of the RF tag 100 is different from that of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic principal part perspective view showing an example of the RF tag 100 used for the component management card 210 according to still another embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view of the RF tag 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view of the antenna unit 300 of the RF tag 100 shown in FIG.

The RF tag 100 according to the present embodiment is formed by bonding the circuit member 400 to the antenna unit 300 via the insulating layer 420. Since the insulating layer 420 is interposed between the antenna unit 300 and the circuit member 400, a capacitor is formed therebetween.

(Antenna unit 300)
The antenna unit 300 is made of a metal plate, and has a first area 310, a second area 320, and a third area 330 made of strip members. As a metal which comprises a metal plate, you may use iron, copper, aluminum, silver, nickel, those alloys, etc. From the viewpoint of conductivity, processability and cost, the metal of the metal plate is preferably aluminum. The thickness of the metal plate is 0.3 mm or more and 1 mm or less from the viewpoint of strength.

(Circuit member 400)
FIG. 16 is a schematic enlarged view of the circuit member 400 of the RF tag shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 16, the circuit member 400 includes an IC chip 80 and a circuit 410 forming an inductor pattern L. The circuit 410 has a shape having a cutout in which a part of the ring-shaped circuit portion 411 is cut out. Specifically, it consists of a C-shape of alphabet letters. The circuit portion 411 includes a side 411a, a side 411b, a side 411c, a side 411d, and a side 411e. Note that although the circuit 410 has been described for the case where a part of the circuit portion 411 is cut out, the present invention is not limited to this, and an insulating portion may be used instead of the cutout portion.

In the present embodiment, the circuit 410 is made of a thin film of aluminum. The thin film in the present embodiment is formed to have a thickness of 3 μm to 35 μm. The circuit 410 is formed by a technique such as etching or pattern printing.

An IC chip 80 is provided to bridge the notch of the circuit 410 of the circuit member 400. In the present embodiment, in the circuit member 400, the impedance of the inductor pattern L can be made constant due to the internal area S of the circuit section 411.

The IC chip 80 operates based on the radio wave of the reading device received by the antenna unit 300 of the RF tag 100.
Specifically, the IC chip 80 according to the present embodiment first rectifies a part of the carrier wave transmitted from the reader to generate a power supply voltage necessary for the IC chip 80 itself to operate. Then, the IC chip 80 operates the non-volatile memory in which the control logic circuit in the IC chip 80, the unique information of the component box 200, 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.

(Insulating layer 420)
The insulating layer can have the same configuration as the insulating base 140 shown in the first embodiment.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is desirable that the width T1 of the first region 310 of the antenna unit 300 is formed to be 1 to 4 times the width T411 of the circuit unit 411 of the circuit member 400. It is desirable that the width T2 of the second region 320 of the antenna unit 300 be one or more and four or less times the width T412 of the circuit unit 411 of the circuit member 400.

Further, it is desirable that the width T 413 of the circuit portion 411 of the circuit member 400 be one or more and four times or less the width T 412 of the circuit portion 411 of the circuit member 400.
As a result, the circuit member 400 can be easily attached to the antenna unit 300.

FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view of the component management card 210 in which the RF tag 100 shown in FIG. 13 is embedded.
As shown in FIG. 17, the card 210 is configured by embedding the RF tag 100 having the above configuration in the card body 220. The equivalent circuit of this card 210 is the same as that of FIG.

Third Embodiment
In the third embodiment, the shapes of the feeding portion and the short circuit portion of the antenna 110 of the RF tag are different from those of the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the front surface side of the RF tag 100 according to still another embodiment, and FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the back surface side of the RF tag 100 shown in FIG. is there. FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the antenna 110 of the RF tag 100 shown in FIG. 18, and FIG. 21 is a schematic developed view of the antenna 110 of the RF tag 100 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 18 to FIG. 21, the basic configuration of the antenna 110 of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.
That is, the antenna 110 includes an insulating base 140 having a first main surface and a second main surface on the opposite side of the first main surface, a first waveguide element 20 provided on the first main surface, and a second A second waveguide element 30 provided on the main surface, a feeding portion 50 provided on a side surface on the long side of the insulating base 140 and having one end electrically connected to the first waveguide element 20, an insulating group A short circuit portion 60 provided on the side surface of the short side of the material 140, having one end electrically connected to the first waveguide element 20 and the other end electrically connected to the second waveguide element 30; ing.

The insulating base material 140, the first waveguide element 20, the second waveguide element 30, the power feeding unit 50, and the short circuit unit 60 constitute a plate-like inverted F antenna 110 that receives radio waves transmitted from the reader.
In addition, an inductor pattern formed of the first waveguide element 20, the short circuit part 60, the second waveguide element 30, and the feeding part 50, and the first waveguide element 20, the second waveguide element 30, and the insulating base 140 A resonant circuit that resonates in a frequency band of radio waves is configured by the configured capacitor.

The first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 are each formed in a rectangular shape having a long side and a short side.

The first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 are connected by a short circuit portion 60 on the short side of the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30.
The feeding portion 50 is continuously provided at a location near the short side of the first waveguide element 20 on the long side. As shown in FIG. 21, the feeding unit 50 has a first feeding unit 51 continuous from the main body of the first waveguide element 20 and a second feeding unit 52 continuous from the first feeding unit 51. The first feeding portion 51 is formed of a relatively narrow conductor, and the second feeding portion 52 is formed of a rectangular conductor elongated along the longitudinal direction of the first waveguide element 20.
Furthermore, a rectangular notch 32 is formed on the short side of the first waveguide element 20. A connecting portion 34 is formed at the end on the short side of the first waveguide element 20 by the notch 32.

In the third embodiment, the feeding portion 50 is formed on a surface different from the shorting portion 60. As a result, the area of the short circuit portion 60 can be increased. That is, the width LL of the short circuit portion 60 shown in FIG. 18 can be increased. As a result, the resonance resistance is reduced, and the current flowing through the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 can be adjusted. As a result, it is possible to adjust the Q value determined from the bandwidth of the frequency.

As shown in FIG. 20, the first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 are bent in two at the location of the short circuit portion 60 and the bent first waveguide element 20 and the second waveguide element 30 An insulating base 140 is disposed therebetween. The first waveguide element 20 is attached to the first main surface of the insulating base 140, and the second waveguide element 30 is attached to the second main surface of the insulating base 140. Thereby, the short circuit part 60 is arrange | positioned and affixed on the side surface of the short side of the insulation base material 140. As shown in FIG.

Further, the feeding portion 50 is bent so as to overlap the second waveguide element 30 from the side surface on the long side of the insulating base 140, and the feeding portion 50 is a side surface on the long side of the insulating base 140 and the second waveguide It is attached to the element 30.
Then, the IC chip 80 is disposed in the notch 32 formed in the first waveguide element 20, and the IC chip 80 is disposed between the connecting portion 34 of the first waveguide element 20 and the main body of the first waveguide element 20. It is connected to be bridged.

The insulating base 140 can be formed of expanded polystyrene. In this embodiment, rectangular polystyrene foam is used. As the expanded polystyrene, one having uniform closed cells internally can be used. The insulating base material 140 having such a configuration has an equal dielectric constant in the thickness direction.

Although it is most preferable originally to use air as the insulating base material 140, the first waveguide element 20 (the antenna part and the second waveguide element 30 (ground part) is maintained at a predetermined distance, and both contacts are made In order to prevent this, it is preferable to use expanded polystyrene having 90% by volume or more of air, more preferably closed-cell expanded polystyrene having 95% by volume to 99% by volume of air.

By using expanded polystyrene, the spatial distance between the first waveguide element 20 (also referred to as an antenna part) and the second waveguide element 30 (also referred to as a ground part) can be maintained at a predetermined distance. As such a space | interval, 0.5 or more and 3.0 mm or less are preferable.

The relative dielectric constant of the insulating base 140 is preferably in the range of 1% to 20%. More preferably, it is 1.01% or more and 1.20% or less, most preferably 1.01% or more and 1.10% or less, and most preferably 1.02% or more and 1.08% or less.
When using expanded polystyrene as the insulating substrate 140, the expanded ratio of expanded polystyrene is preferably 15 times or more and 60 times or less (in this case, the relative dielectric constant is 1.01% or more and 1.10% or less).

When ceramic (specific permittivity exceeds 5% and 9% or less) is used as the insulating base 140, the opening area of the antenna portion and the ground portion is reduced, and the communication distance is reduced. It can be miniaturized.
On the other hand, when a material having a dielectric constant of 1% or more and 5% or less (particularly 1.01% or more and 1.20% or less) such as expanded polystyrene is used as the insulating base 140, the opening area of the antenna portion and the ground portion The communication distance can be extended from several meters to several tens of meters.

The thickness of the insulating base 140 made of expanded polystyrene is preferably in the range of 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less.
In the present embodiment, the insulating substrate 140 is made of expanded polystyrene, but is not limited to this, and may be an insulator, such as polyethylene, polyimide, thin foam (borer), etc. Other foams or materials may be used.

As described above, the RF tag antenna 110 according to the present embodiment uses expanded polystyrene as the insulating base material 140 of the RF tag antenna 110, so it is possible to secure an opening area of a certain size. The sensitivity of the plate antenna can be improved.
Furthermore, the insulating substrate 140 may have a foam shape, may have one or more cavities, and may be made of a composite material in which different materials are mixed or laminated.
When the RF tag 100 is housed in the case, the same material as the insulating base material 140 may be provided inside the case, and in the present embodiment, expanded polystyrene may be provided inside the case. That is, the expanded polystyrene may be adhered to the surface of the RF tag 100 on which the IC chip 80 is mounted and the first main surface side, and may be stored in the case.

(Experimental result)
FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing the results of the reading experiment of the RF tag 100 described in FIG. 18 to FIG.

The reference numeral 100M in FIG. 22 indicates the relationship between the theoretical reading distance (m) (vertical axis) and the frequency (horizontal axis) in the reading experiment using the reading device from the surface side of the RF tag 100 according to the present embodiment. The indicated curve, reference numeral 101M, is a curve showing the relationship between the theoretical reading distance (m) and the frequency in the reading experiment using the reading device from the back side of the RF tag 100 according to the present embodiment.

Reference numeral 100N is a curve showing the relationship between the theoretical reading distance (m) and the frequency when reading experiments using the reader from the surface side of the applicant's inverted F antenna type RF tag (trade name 06), reference numeral 101N These are the curves which showed the relation of the theoretical reading distance (m) to the frequency at the time of reading experiment using a reading device from the back side of applicants' reverse F antenna type RF tag (brand name 06).

As shown in FIG. 22, the RF tag 100 according to the present embodiment can be read at a distance of 13 m when the reader is used from the front side (solid line 100 M).
On the other hand, when the reader is used from the back side of the RF tag 100 (solid line 101M), it can be read at a distance of 7 m.

As a result, in the case of the RF tag 100 of the applicant of the present invention, the RF tag 100 according to the present embodiment uses the reader from the front side (broken line 100N) and uses the reader from the back side. It was found that the performance was equal to or higher than that of the case (dotted line 101N).

(Modification 1 of RF tag 100: an example using expanded polystyrene having different dielectric constants in the thickness direction as the insulating base 140)

As the insulating substrate 140, foamed polystyrene having different dielectric constants in the thickness direction of the insulating substrate 140 can also be used.

FIG. 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the RF tag 100. As shown in FIG.
The insulating base 140 is formed of a laminate in which a plate-shaped foam polystyrene material 145 and a plate-shaped resin material 146 are stacked. Although the foam polystyrene material 145 is laminated on the antenna unit 120 side, the resin material 146 may be laminated on the antenna unit 120 side.

The size lengths of both the expanded polystyrene material 145 and the resin material 146 are designed to be the same. Although ABS can be used as a resin raw material, it is not limited to this, You may use polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polyvinyl chloride, a ceramic, paper etc. as a resin raw material.

Specifically, in the expanded polystyrene material 145, when the wavelength λ1 is calculated with the relative dielectric constant εa = 1.0 of the expanded polystyrene material 145 and the frequency of 900 MHz, the antenna portion 120 attached to the expanded polystyrene material 145 is not affected by the relative dielectric constant Therefore, the wavelength .lambda.1 becomes λ1 = (300 / 920MHz) / 1 2 ≒ 333mm.

On the other hand, in the resin material 146, when the wavelength λ2 is calculated as the relative dielectric constant εb = 5.0, the frequency 900 MHz, and the propagation speed 300 Mm / s of the resin material 146, the wavelength λ2 of the resin material 146 is λ2 = (300 / 920 MHz) / 5 ² 149149 mm.

Here, since the value λ1 of the antenna unit 120 is 333 mm, resonance occurs at 402 MHz, which is a longer wavelength of 333/149 ≒ 2.23 times. That is, it looks the same as that in which the ground portion 130 of 744 mm is formed.
As a result, it can be made to be the same as the state which attached RF tag 100 to metal plate 250, and can realize RF tag 100 which has sufficient communication distance corresponding to metal or non metal. The insulating base 40 may be configured by laminating three or more layers of materials having different dielectric constants.

(Modification 2 of RF tag 100: an example using expanded polystyrene having different dielectric constants in the thickness direction as the insulating base 140)
FIG. 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another example of the RF tag 100. As shown in FIG.

Insulating substrate 140 has a front surface 141 and a back surface 142. One or more holes 143 having a diameter decreasing from the front surface 141 to the back surface 142 are formed. The holes 143 are not limited to those whose diameter is continuously reduced but also include those whose diameter is reduced stepwise. According to such a configuration, it is possible to obtain the insulating base 140 having different relative dielectric constants in the thickness direction of the insulating base 140. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 24, the insulating base material 140 in which the relative dielectric constant gradually decreases toward the antenna unit 120 is obtained.

In the present embodiment, the stepped or conical hole 143 is described, but the shape of the hole is not limited to this. It may be a cylindrical, square cylindrical or elliptical cylindrical hole that does not penetrate from the front surface 141 to the back surface 142, or a conical cylindrical or pyramid cylindrical cylinder that does not penetrate from the front surface 141 to the back surface 142 Or, it may be an elliptical cone-shaped hole.
Further, unlike the case where the shape of the hole 143 is a cylinder or a convex portion, a ring-shaped hole 143 forming a cylinder or a convex portion may be provided. That is, one or more cylinders or projections may be provided from between the second main surface and the first main surface.
Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the hollow portion of the hole may change from the front surface 141 to the back surface 142. For example, on the front surface 141 side, it may be a star-shaped hole, and the cross-sectional shape of the hole may be circular toward the back surface 142 side.
Moreover, in FIG. 24, although the case where the diameter of the hole 143 was the same was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, the diameter of the hole 143 may be the same, and may differ.

As described above, by changing the relative dielectric constants on the front surface 141 side and the back surface 142 side, the ground portion 130 apparently appears to be longer than a predetermined one. A sufficiently equipped RF tag 100 can be realized.

(Still another example of the RF tag 100)
FIG. 25 is a schematic view showing another example of the RF tag 100. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 25, the RF tag 100 comprises a plate-like antenna. The RF tag 100 is preferably made of a metal conductor having a thickness of 5 mm or less, and more preferably made of a metal conductor having a thickness of 2 mm or less. Alternatively, they may be formed by metal deposition or the like.
As shown in FIG. 25, a long rectangular long hole is formed along the short side at a position near the short side end of the rectangular antenna. Furthermore, a part of the band-shaped portion on the short side of the antenna formed by the elongated hole is cut out, and a communicating portion in which the elongated hole communicates with the outside is formed. The inductance L is formed by the long hole, and the IC chip 80 is mounted on the communication portion of the strip portion.

As for the antenna length, it is preferable that the sum of length A + length B + length C + length D be 3/4 λ of the center frequency from the central axis of the inductance L (broken line in the figure).

FIG. 26 is a schematic view showing an example of the relationship between the frequency band of the RF tag 100 of FIG. 25 and the communication distance.
As shown in FIG. 26, in the RF tag 100 of FIG. 25, when the center frequency is set to 894 MHz, the value of the inductance L when the equivalent capacitance of the IC chip 80 is 1.5 pF is around 21 nH.
The equivalent capacitance of the IC chip 80 is not limited to 1.5 pF, and may be 0.2 pF or more and 5 pF or less. For example, it may be 0.6 pF.

As shown in FIG. 26, when the center frequency is 894 MHz, a communication distance of about 7 m can be obtained even at 860 MHz in Europe, and a communication distance of about 8 m can be obtained even at 930 MHz in Japan and the United States. all right.

FIG. 27 is a schematic view showing another example of the RF tag 100 of FIG.
The RF tag 100 shown in FIG. 27 may form the RF tag 100 of FIG. 25 by sticking a part of the RF tag portion 100a including the inductance L and the IC chip 80 to a plate-like antenna.
That is, the RF tag 100 shown in FIG. 25 may not be formed of one metal conductor, but may be formed by connecting a plurality of members.
That is, the total length of the antenna is set to be outside an integral multiple of the frequency. For example, it is set to be less than 1λ or more than 1λ. In the case of 1λ, 2λ, nλ (n is an integer), power can not be supplied.

28 and 29 are schematic views showing an example of the structure of the card 210. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 28, in the structure of the card 210, the rewrite sheet 201 is attached to one side of the RF tag 100 shown in FIGS. 25 and 27, and the protective material 203 is attached to the other side of the RF tag 100. It may be done.
Thus, a card 210 can be formed and used for the component box 200 described in FIGS. 1 to 5.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 29, it is preferable that a non-conductor 205 be wrapped around the RF tag portion 100a (see FIG. 27) of at least a part of the RF tag 100. As a result, the inductance L and the frequency characteristics of the IC chip 80 can be stabilized.

As described above, since the metal plate 250 and / or the component box 200 can be used as an antenna and can have a large opening area, the sensitivity of the RF tag 100 can be improved.

In addition, since the metal plate 250 and / or the component box 200 can be used as an antenna, non-directional reading by the reader becomes possible.

In the present invention, the component box 200 corresponds to a "component box", the holding unit 230 corresponds to a "holding unit", the component management card 210 and the card 210 correspond to a "component management card", and component management Card body 220 and card body 220 correspond to "component management card body", metal plate 250 corresponds to "metal plate", RF tag 100 corresponds to "RF tag", and antenna 110 is "antenna" The IC chip 80 corresponds to an "IC chip", and the waveguide element, the first waveguide element 20, and the antenna unit 300 correspond to a "waveguide plate".

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.

Reference Signs List 20 first waveguide element 30 second waveguide element 50 feeding section 60 short circuit section 80 IC chip 93 capacitor 100 RF tag 110 antenna 200 component box 210 component management card 220 component management card body 230 holding unit 250 metal plate 300 antenna Department

Claims

A parts management card which is removably held by a holding part attached to the outer surface of the parts box in which the parts are accommodated,
Parts management card body made of insulator,
An RF tag embedded in the component management card body;
The RF tag is disposed inside the component management card body or on the outer surface of the component management card body with the insulator layer of the component management card body interposed between the component tag and the RF tag on the component box side And a metal plate,
The RF tag includes at least an antenna and an IC chip that operates based on radio waves transmitted from a reader.
A component management card, wherein a waveguide plate provided on the RF tag and the metal plate are electrically connected via a fixed capacity.
A parts management card which is removably held by a holding part attached to the outer surface of a metal parts box in which parts are accommodated,
Parts management card body made of insulator,
And an RF tag embedded in the component management card body,
The RF tag includes at least an antenna and an IC chip that operates based on radio waves transmitted from a reader.
A component management card, which is held by the holding unit such that a waveguide plate provided on the RF tag and the component box are electrostatically coupled.
The parts box is made of metal,
The component management card according to claim 1, wherein the component management card is held by the holding unit such that a waveguide plate provided in the RF tag and the component box are electrostatically coupled.
The component management card according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the waveguide plate is the antenna.
The component management card according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the waveguide plate is a waveguide element provided in the antenna.
The antenna is
An insulating base material having a first main surface and a second main surface on the opposite side of the first main surface;
A first waveguide element provided on the first main surface;
A second waveguide element provided on the second main surface;
A feeding portion provided on a side surface of the insulating base material and having one end electrically connected to the second waveguide element;
A short circuit portion provided on the side surface of the insulating base, one end of which is electrically connected to the first waveguide element, and the other end of which is electrically connected to the second waveguide element;
The insulating base material, the first waveguide element, the second waveguide element, the power feeding unit, and the short circuit unit constitute a plate-like antenna that receives a radio wave transmitted from a reader.
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 base material The component management card according to claim 5, wherein a resonant circuit that resonates in a frequency band of the radio wave is configured by the capacitor.
An outer peripheral distance of at least one of the first waveguide element and the second waveguide element is λ / 4, λ / 2, 3λ / with respect to the wavelength λ of radio waves of the frequency of the RF tag. The part management card according to claim 6, designed to satisfy any one of 4, 5 λ / 8.
The component management card according to claim 5, wherein the antenna has a resonant circuit that resonates in a frequency band of the radio wave by the inductor pattern and the internal capacitance of the IC chip.
The peripheral distance of the antenna is any one of other than n λ (n is an integer), λ / 4, λ / 2, 3 λ / 4, 5 λ / 8 with respect to the wavelength λ of the wave number of the UHF band RFID frequency. The part management card according to claim 8, designed to be applicable.
10. The component management card according to claim 8, wherein at least the IC chip and the inductor pattern portion are wrapped by a non-conductive material.
The parts management card according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the parts management card is a Kanban used in a parts management system.
A component management apparatus comprising: a metal component box in which components are accommodated; and a component management card removably held by a holding unit attached to an outer surface of the component box, the component management card comprising:
The parts management card is
Parts management card body made of insulator,
And an RF tag embedded in the component management card body,
The RF tag includes at least an antenna and an IC chip that operates based on radio waves transmitted from a reader.
A component management apparatus, wherein a waveguide plate provided on the RF tag and the component box are electrostatically coupled when the component management card is held by the holding unit.