A passive UHF RFID laundry tag

Abstract

The present invention relates to a passive UHF RFID laundry tag. The key feature lies in the novel central module, which includes a passive UHF RFID near-field antenna (LOOP) and a passive UHF RFID chip. The near-field antenna and chip are both encapsulated within a module housing of a contactless semiconductor package module. The module housing can be patterned onto a blended fabric. The module housing and a pre-designed UHF far-field antenna made of metal wires are capacitively coupled at the UHF operating frequency to achieve long-distance RFID data exchange. The technical solution of the present invention is to encapsulate the near-field antenna and chip within the module housing to form an independent near-field module. Furthermore, the module housing has high sealing and high strength, which significantly improves the stability of the near-field module during use. This makes the passive UHF RFID laundry tag more adaptable to washing environments such as high temperature, high pressure, high torsional force, and strong corrosiveness, thereby improving the washing performance and service life of the passive UHF RFID laundry tag.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of washing labels, in particular to a passive UHF RFID washing label. Background Art

[0002] Currently, hotels, hospitals, bathhouses and professional laundry companies are faced with the task of handling tens of thousands of pieces of fabric every year, including handover, washing, ironing, sorting and storage. By sewing passive UHF RFID laundry tags into clothing for tracking and positioning, not only can the specific location and status of each piece of clothing be tracked, but additional information such as the number of times it has been used and the deadline for replacement can also be clearly seen, making clothing management more efficient and accurate.

[0003] In related technologies, the working principle of passive UHF RFID laundry tags is: through the near-field module in a specific UHF frequency band, electric field coupling is achieved with the far-field antenna to achieve a certain reading distance. Passive UHF RFID laundry tags need to withstand high-pressure industrial washing, and the near-field module is not directly connected to the far-field antenna. In this way, even if the near-field module is twisted and displaced, it can be reset when the external force is removed, ensuring that its performance is not affected, so it can withstand very large external forces.

[0004] In the related art, the passive UHF RFID washing tag uses non-woven fabric or nylon fabric as the base material, the metal-coated wire is sewn on the base material, and the near-field module is adhered to the base material through a viscose process. The near-field module structure in the related art includes: FPC, a copper-etched antenna covered on the FPC, and a QFN packaged chip electrically connected to the copper-etched antenna to form a loop. The QFN packaged chip is fixed on the FPC through the SMT process, and then sealed with the FPC by black glue to form a COB.

[0005] The passive UHF RFID laundry tag produced using this method uses the SMT process to fix the QFN package chip, the black glue coating process to seal the QFN package chip and FPC, and the adhesive process to attach the COB to the substrate. During washing applications, if any connection part falls off, it will easily cause the passive UHF RFID laundry tag to malfunction, resulting in poor product consistency and stability. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a passive UHF RFID laundry tag, which encapsulates a near-field antenna and a chip in a module housing, and has more stable performance.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a passive UHF RFID laundry tag, comprising: a near-field antenna;

[0008] a chip electrically connected to the near-field antenna;

[0009] A module housing is provided, wherein the near-field antenna and the chip are packaged in the module housing.

[0010] Preferably, both ends of the near-field antenna are connected to the chip respectively, and the near-field antenna and the chip form a closed loop.

[0011] Preferably, the near-field antenna is symmetrically arranged, and the chip is arranged on the symmetry axis of the near-field antenna.

[0012] Preferably, the module housing is square, with a side length ranging from 3.0 to 3.6 mm and a thickness ranging from 0.7 to 0.9 mm.

[0013] Preferably, the module housing has a side length of 3.51 mm and a thickness of 0.78 mm.

[0014] Preferably, the passive UHF RFID washing tag further comprises fabric and a far-field antenna connected to the fabric, the module housing is arranged in the middle of the far-field antenna, and the near-field antenna and the far-field antenna operate through inductive coupling of ultra-high frequency UHF.

[0015] Preferably, the module housing is arranged in the middle of the fabric, and the far-field antenna surrounds the module housing.

[0016] Preferably, the fabric is arranged as a double layer stacked together, and the far-field antenna is arranged between the double layers of the fabric; or, the fabric is arranged as a single layer, and the far-field antenna is arranged on the fabric.

[0017] Preferably, the far-field antenna is made of 180-250 strands of stainless steel wire.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag provided in the above technical solution encapsulates the near-field antenna and chip in a module housing to form an independent near-field module. The module housing has high airtightness and high strength, which significantly improves the stability of the near-field module. This makes the passive UHF RFID laundry tag more adaptable to washing environments such as high temperature, high pressure, high torsional force, and strong corrosiveness, thereby improving the washing performance and service life of the passive UHF RFID laundry tag.

[0020] 2. The near-field module is reduced in thickness and width, which makes the overall shape of the passive UHF RFID laundry tag smaller and easier to hide, thereby improving user comfort.

[0021] 3. The mass production of passive UHF RFID laundry tags in related technologies requires many product processes, a long production cycle, and high costs, which seriously restricts industry promotion and application. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag directly encapsulates the near-field antenna and chip in the module housing, simplifying the production process. The near-field module can be fully automated, reducing production costs, increasing production speed, and improving applicability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the interior of the module housing in an embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 .

[0023] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the interior of the module housing in an embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 .

[0024] Figure 3 FIG. 4 is a top view of the module housing in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 It is a front view of the module housing in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of a passive UHF RFID laundry tag in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] In the figure: 1. Near-field antenna; 11. Arc segment; 12. Square segment; 13. Linear segment; 2. Chip; 3. Module housing; 4. Fabric; 5. Far-field antenna. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is merely illustrative and non-limiting. Various embodiments can be combined with each other to form other embodiments not shown in the following description.

[0029] See also Figure 5In an embodiment of the present invention, a new structural design of a passive UHF RFID laundry tag is provided, comprising a near-field antenna 1, a chip 2, a module housing 3, a fabric 4, a far-field antenna 5, and hot melt adhesive. The fabric 4 is preferably white and can be a blended fabric of cotton and chemical fiber. The far-field antenna 5 is fixed to the fabric 4 by jacquard weaving or hot glue, and another layer of blended fabric is composited to protect the far-field antenna 5 between the two layers of the fabric 4. Laser cutting is performed to ensure that the portions of the far-field antenna 5 at both ends of the fabric 4 are not exposed. The module housing 3 is disposed in the middle of the far-field antenna 4. Preferably, the module housing 3 is disposed in the middle of the fabric 4, and the far-field antenna 5 surrounds the outside of the module housing 3, thereby ensuring stable signal reception when the passive UHF RFID laundry tag is in use. In this embodiment, hot melt adhesive is applied between the two layers of fabric 4, and the far-field antenna 5 and the module housing 3 are both wrapped in the hot melt adhesive to prevent displacement under external force, thereby ensuring stable signal reception when the passive UHF RFID laundry tag is used. At the same time, the passive UHF RFID laundry tag is resistant to corrosion by chemicals and detergents, and is waterproof and resistant to high-temperature washing and high-temperature ironing.

[0030] Among them, see Figure 1-4 The module housing 3 is made of high-performance EMC epoxy material. The near-field antenna 1 and the chip 2 are encapsulated in the module housing 3 to form an independent near-field module. The high-performance EMC epoxy material has high airtightness and high strength, which can significantly improve the stability of the near-field module and ensure that the module housing 3 will not break or deform during use. The two connection points of the chip 2 are electrically connected to the near-field antenna 1, forming a closed loop that can already operate at UHF frequencies. There are no electrical connection solder joints on the outside of the module housing 3. The near-field module itself already has RFID read and write functions (at a distance of 5mm and a power of 30dBm). The near-field antenna 1 uses a gold-plated copper conductor and is attached to the frame inside the module. The chip 2 is a variety of UHF RFID chips that comply with the ISO1800-6 international ultra-high frequency. The near-field module must work together with the far-field antenna 5 to achieve the various functional requirements for the use of passive UHF RFID washing tags. The near-field module couples with the far-field antenna 5 in the electric field of the external UHF 860-960MHz frequency band, thereby achieving a reading distance of 7 meters or more. By activating the chip under UHF ultra-high frequency, various data exchange functions of the UHF RFID chip are realized, achieving the purpose of long-distance data communication.

[0031] Since the near-field antenna 1 and the chip 2 are all encapsulated in the module housing 3, and since the module housing 3 has high airtightness and high strength, the stability of the near-field module is greatly improved, making the passive UHF RFID washing tag more adaptable to environments with high pressure and torsional forces. Specifically, the passive UHF The storage temperature range of RFID washing tags is -20℃~+120℃ (-40°F~+248°F); the washing temperature can reach up to 90℃ (194°F), and the washing time under this temperature condition can reach 15 minutes; the high-temperature drying temperature can reach up to 160℃ (320°F), and the drying time under this temperature condition can reach 3 minutes; the ironing temperature can reach up to 150℃ (302°F), and the ironing time under this temperature condition can reach 12 seconds; the high-pressure dehydration pressure can reach up to 60bars, and the dehydration time under this pressure condition can reach 80 seconds; it can withstand all chemical solvents and detergents in the normal industrial washing process, and the service life and quality assurance can reach 200 industrial washes or 2 years (whichever comes first). The product has passed SGS testing and obtained a test report.

[0032] At the same time, directly encapsulating the near-field antenna 1 and the chip 2 in the module housing 3 also simplifies the production process of the passive UHF RFID laundry tag. The near-field module can be produced in a fully automated manner. Compared with the passive UHF RFID laundry tags in the related art, the production cost of the passive UHF RFID laundry tag is reduced by about 20% and the production speed is increased by about 30%.

[0033] As a preferred embodiment, the near-field antenna 1 is symmetrically arranged, and the chip 2 is arranged on the symmetry axis of the near-field antenna 1 .

[0034] The shape of the near-field antenna 1 can be set in various styles. For details, please refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, both ends of the near-field antenna 1 are connected to the chip 2, and the near-field antenna 1 is bent into a square shape, see Figure 2 In other embodiments, the near-field antenna 1 includes two arc-shaped segments 11, a square segment 12, and two linear segments 13. The two arc-shaped segments 11 are correspondingly arranged on both sides of the chip 2. The square segment 12 has an opening and is arranged outside the chip 2 and the two arc-shaped segments 11. The linear segment 13 connects one end of the arc-shaped segment 11 away from the chip 2 and one end of the square segment 12.

[0035] The module of this design can make various similar internal packaging adjustments according to the size and functional requirements of the washing label. The above are two relatively conventional linear designs of near-field antennas, and the module structure and the linear design of the near-field antenna can be changed.

[0036] Preferably, the module housing 3 is square, with a side length ranging from 3.0-3.6 mm and a thickness ranging from 0.7-0.9 mm. Furthermore, the module housing 3 preferably has a side length of 3.51 mm and a thickness of 0.8 mm. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag can have dimensions of 70 x 15 x 1.2 mm and weigh approximately 0.5 grams each. Furthermore, the independent near-field module is highly versatile and is suitable for passive UHF RFID laundry tags of various sizes, including silicone-encapsulated passive UHF RFID laundry tags.

[0037] In order to further enhance the stability of the passive UHF RFID washing tag, the far-field antenna 5 is made of 180-250 strands of stainless steel wire and rubber-coated wire to avoid corrosion from chemicals during washing, oxidation and erosion from high temperatures, as well as mechanical impacts such as strong mechanical friction, stretching, bending, and folding during washing. Preferably, the far-field antenna 5 is made of 200 strands of stainless steel wire, which is 50% higher than similar products on the market.

[0038] The passive UHF RFID laundry tag can be installed through various methods such as sewing, hot ironing and hanging, and has stable and reliable long-distance reading and group reading functions. It can be widely used in industrial laundry management, linen rental management, uniform management and laundry management, work clothes rental and laundry management, hotel linen and laundry management, hospital linen and laundry management, military clothing management, railway linen management and laundry management, police clothing management, personnel management, fire clothing and soft material management, access control management and other industries requiring softness and pressure resistance, and has good applicability.

[0039] The above embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any non-substantial changes and replacements made by technicians in this field on the basis of the present invention fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. A passive UHF RFID laundry tag, characterized in that: include: Near-field antenna (1); A chip (2) electrically connected to the near-field antenna (1); A module housing (3), wherein the near-field antenna (1) and the chip (2) are encapsulated in the module housing (3); The passive UHF RFID laundry tag further comprises a fabric (4) and a far-field antenna (5) connected to the fabric (4); the module housing (3) is arranged in the middle of the far-field antenna (5); the near-field antenna (1) is coupled to the far-field antenna (5); and the far-field antenna (5) is fixed to the fabric (4) by jacquard or weaving or hot glue. The near-field antenna (1) comprises two arc-shaped segments (11), a square segment (12), and two linear segments (13); the two arc-shaped segments (11) are correspondingly arranged on both sides of the chip (2); the square segment (12) has an opening and is arranged outside the chip (2) and the two arc-shaped segments (11); and the linear segment (13) connects one end of the arc-shaped segment (11) away from the chip (2) and one end of the square segment (12).

2. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the near-field antenna (1) are connected to the chip (2) respectively, and the near-field antenna (1) and the chip (2) form a closed loop.

3. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag according to claim 1, wherein: The near-field antenna (1) is symmetrically arranged, and the chip (2) is arranged on the symmetry axis of the near-field antenna (1).

4. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag according to claim 1, wherein: The module housing (3) is square, with a side length ranging from 3.0 to 3.6 mm and a thickness ranging from 0.7 to 0.9 mm.

5. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag according to claim 1, wherein: The module housing (3) has a side length of 3.51 mm and a thickness of 0.78 mm.

6. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag according to claim 1, wherein: The module housing (3) is arranged in the middle of the fabric (4), and the far-field antenna (5) surrounds the outside of the module housing (3).

7. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag according to claim 1, wherein: The fabric (4) is arranged as a double layer stacked together, and the far-field antenna (5) is arranged between the double layers of the fabric (4); alternatively, the fabric (4) is arranged as a single layer, and the far-field antenna (5) is arranged on the fabric (4).

8. The passive UHF RFID laundry tag according to claim 1, wherein: The far-field antenna (5) is made of 180-250 strands of stainless steel wire.

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