IC Tags

Abstract

The IC tag of the present invention includes: a sheet-like tag body, which has an outer shape extending in the long side direction and the short side direction orthogonal to the long side direction; and a reinforcing component configured in a manner to cover the periphery of the tag body along the short side direction, the tag body includes: an IC chip; an antenna for electrically transmitting and receiving information stored in the IC chip; and a sheet-like substrate supporting the IC chip and the antenna, the reinforcing component is formed of a material having a Shore D hardness less than that of the substrate, and is configured in a manner to at least cover the IC chip.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an IC tag. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, as a type of IC tag, various inlets have been proposed, which are provided with an antenna pattern for radio wave communication and an IC chip on a substrate made of plastic or paper. In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses an IC tag in which reinforcing members made of a hard material such as fiber-reinforced resin are arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of the inlet to protect the IC chip.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5139239. Summary of the invention

[0006] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, in the above-mentioned IC tag, the reinforcing member is formed of a hard material. Therefore, although the IC chip can be protected, there is a problem that when the IC tag is bent, the reinforcing member is broken due to the bending.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an IC tag that can protect an IC chip and prevent a reinforcing member from being damaged.

[0009] Technical solutions to the problem

[0010] The IC tag of the present invention includes: a sheet-like tag body, which has an outer shape extending in the long side direction and the short side direction orthogonal to the long side direction; and a reinforcing component configured in a manner to cover the periphery of the above-mentioned tag body along the above-mentioned short side direction, and the above-mentioned tag body includes: an IC chip; an antenna for electrically transmitting and receiving information stored in the above-mentioned IC chip; and a sheet-like substrate supporting the above-mentioned IC chip and the antenna, and the above-mentioned reinforcing component is formed of a material having a Shore D hardness lower than the Shore D hardness of the above-mentioned substrate, and is configured in a manner to at least cover the above-mentioned IC chip.

[0011] In the IC tag, the length of the reinforcing member in the long-side direction may be smaller than the length in the short-side direction.

[0012] In the IC tag, the reinforcing member may be formed with at least one slit or groove extending in the longitudinal direction.

[0013] In the IC tag, at least one pair of the slits or grooves may be formed, and the pair of slits or grooves may be arranged so as to sandwich the IC chip in the short-side direction.

[0014] In the IC tag, the tag body may further include: a sheet-shaped cover member that covers the IC chip and the antenna between the cover member and the substrate; and an adhesive or bonding agent that bonds the cover member and the substrate together.

[0015] In the above IC tag, the reinforcing member may be formed of an elastic body.

[0016] In the IC tag, the elastomer may contain glass fiber.

[0017] Effects of the Invention

[0018] According to the IC tag of the present invention, it is possible to protect the IC chip and prevent the reinforcing member from being damaged. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the IC tag of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Top view of the IC tag.

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 AA line cross-sectional view of the IC tag.

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 BB line cross-sectional view of the IC tag.

[0023] Figure 5 is a top view of the insert.

[0024] Figure 6 Yes means Figure 1 A side view of the IC tag bent in the long side direction.

[0025] Figure 7 Yes means Figure 1 A side view of the IC tag bent in the short side direction.

[0026] Figure 8 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the IC tag in the short side direction.

[0027] Fig. 9 Yes means Figure 1 A top view of another example of an IC tag.

[0028] Fig.10 Yes means Figure 1 A top view of another example of an IC tag.

[0029] Fig.11 Yes means Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of another example of an IC tag. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] <1. Overview of IC Tags>

[0031] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the IC tag of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 : is a three-dimensional diagram of the IC tag of this embodiment. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A top view of Figure 3 yes Figure 2 AA line section view, Figure 4 yes Figure 2 BB line cross-sectional view, Figure 5 is a top view of the insert. Figure 1 to Figure 5 As shown, the IC tag of this embodiment includes an inlet (tag body) 10, which has: a sheet-shaped substrate 1 formed in a rectangular shape; an IC chip 2 and an antenna 3 arranged on the substrate 1; and a sheet-shaped cover 4 formed in a rectangular shape covering the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3. Moreover, the substrate 1 and the cover 4 are bonded together by an adhesive 5. In addition, the IC tag also includes a reinforcing member 6 mounted on the inlet 10. The above-mentioned components are described in detail below.

[0032] <1-1. Base material and cover>

[0033] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the substrate 1 and the cover 4 are formed in the same shape, and an adhesive 5 is arranged between them over the entire surface. That is, the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3 are covered by the adhesive 5, and the IC chip 2 and / or the antenna 3 are not exposed from the gap between the substrate 1 and the cover 4.

[0034] The material constituting the substrate 1 and the cover 4 is not particularly limited, and can be formed of, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, etc. In addition, the thickness of the substrate 1 and the cover 4 is preferably, for example, 25 to 200 μm, and more preferably 25 to 100 μm. The material constituting the substrate 1 and the cover 4 can be formed of not only a transparent material but also a colored material. In this embodiment, a transparent material is used so that the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3 can be visually confirmed through the substrate 1 or the cover 4.

[0035] In addition, in the following, for the convenience of explanation, Figure 2 As shown, the long sides of the substrate 1 and the cover 4 are called the first side 101 and the second side 102, and the short sides are called the third side 103 and the fourth side 104. Therefore, these sides are connected in the order of the first side 101, the third side 103, the second side 102 and the fourth side 104.

[0036] <1-2. IC chip and antenna>

[0037] like Figure 5 As shown, the IC chip 2 is a well-known chip having a storage function, and is not particularly limited. For example, it is electrically connected to an antenna 3 formed of a conductor such as aluminum or copper. The antenna 3 can use a well-known antenna, for example, it can be composed of a dipole antenna. In this embodiment, as an example, it can be used Figure 5 The dipole antenna shown in FIG. That is, the antenna 3 includes an impedance matching portion 31 disposed near the center of the long side direction of the substrate 1 and a pair of dipole portions 32 extending from the impedance matching portion 31 in the long side direction of the substrate 1. The impedance matching portion 31 is formed into a rectangular frame having first to fourth sides. More specifically, the first side 311 of the impedance matching portion 31 is disposed along the first side 101 of the substrate 1, and the second side 312 is disposed at a position slightly away from the second side 102 of the substrate 1. That is, the first side 311, the third side 313, the second side 312 and the fourth side 314 of the impedance matching portion 31 are connected in this order. In addition, the IC chip 2 is disposed near the center of the first side 311 of the impedance matching portion 31.

[0038] The dipole portion 32 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape, so only one will be described. The dipole portion 32 includes a first portion 321 extending linearly from the first side 311 of the impedance matching portion 31 along the first side 101 of the substrate 1 and a second portion 322 connected to the end of the first portion 321 and formed into a rectangular wave shape.

[0039] Such an antenna 3 can be formed on one surface of the substrate 1 by etching or screen printing, and then the IC chip 2 can be mounted on the antenna 3 by soldering, etc. In addition, by using the above antenna 3, for example, information stored in the IC chip 2 can be transmitted and received by radio waves in the UHF band. In addition, the IC chip 2 can also be fixed to the antenna 3 by, for example, a known flip chip mounting method for electronic components.

[0040] <1-3. Adhesive>

[0041] The adhesive 5 can be formed by a rubber adhesive having natural rubber or synthetic rubber as a main component, for example. The thickness of the adhesive 5 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 25 to 500 μm, and more preferably 25 to 100 μm. The synthetic rubber used as the rubber adhesive is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer, hydrogenated products of the above styrene block copolymers, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), polyisoprene rubber (IR), polyisobutylene (PIB), butyl rubber (IIR), etc.

[0042] In addition to the above-mentioned natural rubber and synthetic rubber, the rubber-based adhesive may also contain an adhesive additive. Examples of the adhesive additive include terpene phenol resin, rosin resin, petroleum resin, etc. The amount of the adhesive additive resin used can be appropriately selected within the range that does not impair the adhesive performance. In addition, the rubber-based adhesive may contain appropriate additives such as a softener, a plasticizer, a filler, an anti-aging agent, a colorant, etc., in addition to the above-mentioned components, as needed.

[0043] Furthermore, the adhesive 5 may be an acrylic or silicone adhesive in addition to the above-mentioned rubber adhesive.

[0044] Instead of the adhesive 5, a bonding agent may be used, for example, a curing bonding agent having an acrylic thermosetting resin, an ester thermosetting resin, an epoxy thermosetting resin or a polyimide thermosetting resin as a main component. When an epoxy thermosetting resin is used as a main component, a novolac epoxy resin, a bisphenol epoxy resin, a biphenyl epoxy resin, an alicyclic epoxy resin, a cyclopentadiene epoxy resin, etc. may be used. Even when other acrylic thermosetting resins, ester thermosetting resins and polyimide thermosetting resins are used as main components, there is no particular limitation, and various materials may be used.

[0045] <1-4. Reinforcement components>

[0046] Next, the reinforcing member 6 is described. The reinforcing member 6 is arranged near the center of the long side direction of the inlet 10 so as to cover the IC chip 2, and is formed into a rectangular shape in a plan view. In more detail, the reinforcing member 6 is arranged so as to surround the inlet 10 along the short side direction over the entire circumference. Figure 4 As shown, the reinforcing member 6 has a lower surface portion covering the base material 1, an upper surface portion covering the cover 4, and a pair of side portions connecting the two in the thickness direction of the insert 10, and these components are formed as one body. In addition, three slits extending in the long-side direction are formed in the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion, respectively. That is, the upper surface portion is formed with a first slit 61 extending along the first side 101 of the cover 4, a second slit 62 formed near the center in the short-side direction of the cover 4, and a third slit 63 extending along the second side 102 of the cover 4. The lower surface portion is also formed with three slits 61 to 63.

[0047] Moreover, if Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the IC chip 2 is arranged between the first slit 61 and the second slit 62 in the short-side direction.

[0048] The reinforcing member 6 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material with a lower Shore D hardness than the substrate 1, or a material with the same Shore D hardness as the substrate 1. For example, it can be formed of an elastomer such as a thermoplastic elastomer or rubber. Specifically, the thermoplastic elastomer can use ester elastomers, styrene elastomers, butadiene elastomers, olefin elastomers, polyurethane elastomers, etc. On the other hand, the rubber can use silicone rubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, hydrogenated nitrile rubber, fluororubber, natural rubber, isoprene rubber, EPDM rubber, polyurethane rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, etc. In addition, such a reinforcing member 6 preferably has appropriate softness, for example, it is preferred to use a material with a Shore D hardness of less than 80, and more preferably less than 75. On the other hand, the substrate 1 is preferably composed of a material with a Shore D hardness of, for example, 80 or more. In this regard, the cover 4 can also be constructed in the same manner. However, this is a specific example of Shore D hardness, and is not limited to this, as long as at least the Shore D hardness of the reinforcing member 6 is less than the Shore D hardness of the substrate 1. In addition, the Shore D hardness of the cover member 4 may be the same as that of the base member 1 , but it does not necessarily have to be the same.

[0049] In order to improve heat resistance, the material constituting the reinforcing member 6 may contain glass fibers. For example, the reinforcing member 6 may contain glass fibers in an ester elastomer.

[0050] The manufacturing method of the reinforcing member 6 is not particularly limited, and for example, the insert 10 is housed in a molding die and the reinforcing member 6 can be formed on the insert 10 by injection molding.

[0051] <2. Features>

[0052] The IC tag constructed as described above can obtain the following effects.

[0053] (1) In the present embodiment, the reinforcing member 6 is mounted so as to cover the entire circumference of the inlet 10 in the short-side direction. That is, the reinforcing member 6 is formed to cover not only the upper and lower surfaces of the inlet 10 but also the side surfaces, so that the cover 4 can be prevented from peeling off from the base material 1. In addition, compared with the case where the reinforcing member is provided only on the upper surface or the lower surface, the inlet 10 can be made less likely to bend. Therefore, for example, at a portion where stress is easily concentrated due to bending, such as the IC chip 2 or the junction between the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3, it is possible to prevent the IC chip 2 from being damaged or the antenna 3 from being disconnected due to bending.

[0054] (2) The reinforcing member 6 is formed to be longer in the short-side direction of the insert 10 and shorter in the long-side direction. Therefore, the bending in the short-side direction is more Figure 6 The curvature in the longitudinal direction shown can make the reinforcing member 6 less likely to bend.

[0055] (3) On the other hand, compared with the bending in the long side direction, Figure 7 The reinforcing member 6 may be easily bent by bending in the short-side direction of the interposer 10 as shown in the figure, or by bending such as twisting the interposer 10. However, since the first and second slits 61 and 62 are formed so as to sandwich the IC chip 2 for such bending, the reinforcing member 6 is easily bent in the portion where the slits 61 and 62 are formed. As a result, the bending of the portion where the IC chip 2 is arranged can be suppressed, and damage to the IC chip 2 or the connection portion between the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3 can be prevented.

[0056] (4) When the reinforcing member 6 is formed of a hard material, Figure 6 When the bending direction of the long side is shown, Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , in the cross section in the short-side direction, stress is easily concentrated near the corners of the insert 10 (the rounded portion, especially the two ends of the reinforcing member 6 in the long-side direction), which may cause damage such as fracture of the reinforcing member 6. In contrast, in the present embodiment, since the reinforcing member 6 is formed of a material having the same hardness as or lower hardness than the base material 1, fracture of the reinforcing member 6 caused by the corners of the insert 10 as described above can be prevented.

[0057] (5) When the substrate 1 and the cover 4 are formed of a material with high chemical resistance such as polyethylene terephthalate, the antenna 3 and the IC chip 2 can be protected even when the IC tag is used in an environment with chemicals. In addition, the adhesive 5 is exposed from between the substrate 1 and the cover 4, but since the thickness is small, it does not become a problem.

[0058] <3. Modifications>

[0059] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, the plurality of modified examples shown below can be combined as appropriate.

[0060] <3-1>

[0061] The antenna 3 can use various antennas. In addition to the dipole antenna described above, a patch antenna can also be used. That is, the shape of the antenna 3 is not particularly limited, and various forms can be used. In addition, the shape of the IC tag, that is, the shape of the substrate 1 and the cover 4 is not particularly limited. As long as it has an outer shape extending in the long side direction and the short side direction orthogonal thereto, it can also be an outer shape other than a rectangle. In addition, the substrate 1 and the cover 4 can also be different shapes.

[0062] <3-2>

[0063] The structure of the reinforcing member 6 is not particularly limited and can be in various forms. For example, the shape when viewed from above is as follows: Fig. 9 As shown, it can be a shape that is long in the long side direction and short in the short side direction. In addition, it is not limited to this, and it can also be a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a polygonal shape, etc. other than a rectangular shape when viewed from above.

[0064] <3-3>

[0065] The number and position of the slits are not particularly limited, as long as two or more slits are provided so as to sandwich the IC chip 2. For example, the slits may be provided only on the upper surface or only on the lower surface of the insert 10. Alternatively, for example Fig. 9 As shown, when the reinforcing member 6 is long in the longitudinal direction, the pair of slits 60 are preferably arranged to be aligned in the longitudinal direction with the IC chip 2 sandwiched therebetween. That is, the slits are preferably arranged to be aligned in a direction that is easy to bend.

[0066] In addition, if Fig.10 As shown, one or more slits 60 may be formed to extend in a direction that is easy to bend, thereby suppressing the bending.

[0067] In addition to the shape of a slit that penetrates the reinforcing member 6 , a groove may be used.

[0068] The gaps and slots are not necessary and may not be provided.

[0069] <3-4>

[0070] In the above embodiment, the reinforcing member 6 is mainly arranged near the center of the long side direction of the interposer 10 so as to cover the IC chip 2. However, the reinforcing member 6 may be formed to cover more parts of the interposer 10. For example, Fig.11 As shown, it can also be formed to cover the entire insert 10. In this example, according to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the reinforcing member 6 is extended in the longitudinal direction to cover the entire insert 10. That is, in this example, Figure 1 and Figure 2 The central portion 60 shown in the figure and the extension portion 600 extending therefrom in the long-side direction constitute the reinforcing member 6. The extension portion 600 of the reinforcing member 6 is arranged to cover a part of the impedance matching portion 31 and the dipole portion 32. In addition, the extension portion 600 has slits 601 extending in the short-side direction formed at predetermined intervals in the long-side direction. These slits 601 can be formed on both surfaces of the insert 10. In this way, by forming the slits 601 extending in the short-side direction, even if the entire insert 10 covers the reinforcing member 6, the Figure 6The bending shown in the figure can protect the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3 and bend flexibly. That is, the extension part 600 is easy to bend at the part where the slit 601 is formed, so it is possible to suppress the bending force from acting on the central part 60 where the IC chip 2 is arranged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3 around it from being damaged.

[0071] In addition, the extension part 600 of the reinforcing member 6 is an example, and for example, the number and direction of the slits 601 can be changed appropriately. Alternatively, the slits 601 may not be provided. In addition, the extension part 600 may not cover the entire insert 10, and the extension part 600 may be arranged only in a part in the longitudinal direction.

[0072] <3-5>

[0073] In the above embodiment, the adhesive 5 is applied to the entire surface between the base material 1 and the cover 4 as the inlet 10, but the structure of the inlet 10 is not limited to this. For example, the adhesive may be applied only to the periphery of the base material 1 and the cover 4 so that the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3 are surrounded by the adhesive 5. In addition, various inlets such as an inlet that covers the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3 on the base material 1 without providing a cover can be used. That is, the inlet only needs to have a base material, an IC chip, and an antenna.

[0074] Description of Reference Numerals

[0075] 1. Substrate

[0076] 2 IC tags

[0077] 3 Antenna

[0078] 4 Cover

[0079] 5. Adhesive

[0080] 6 Reinforcement components

[0081] 60~63 gap

[0082] 10 Insert (label body)

Claims

1. An IC tag, characterized in that: include: A sheet-like label body having an outer shape extending in a long side direction and a short side direction perpendicular to the long side direction; and a reinforcing member arranged so as to integrally cover the upper surface, the lower surface and both side surfaces of the tag body along the short side direction, The label body comprises: An IC chip is arranged at a position deviated from the center in the short side direction in the tag body; an antenna for electrically transmitting and receiving information stored in the IC chip; and a sheet-like substrate supporting the IC chip and the antenna, The reinforcing member is formed with at least one pair of slits or grooves extending in the longitudinal direction. The pair of slits or grooves are arranged so as to sandwich the IC chip in the short side direction, and any one of the slits or grooves is arranged near the center in the short side direction of the tag body. The reinforcing member is formed of a material having a Shore D hardness that is less than or equal to the Shore D hardness of the base material, and is arranged so as to cover at least the IC chip.

2. The IC tag according to claim 1, wherein: The length of the reinforcing member in the long-side direction is smaller than the length in the short-side direction.

3. The IC tag according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The label body also includes: a sheet-like cover member that covers the IC chip and the antenna between the cover member and the substrate; and An adhesive or bonding agent that bonds the cover and substrate together.

4. The IC tag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The reinforcing member is formed of an elastomer.

5. The IC tag according to claim 4, wherein: The elastomer contains glass fibers.

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