A radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged and its application

Abstract

The present invention relates to a radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged and its application. It includes a tag body, which is adhesively fixed to a product through an adhesive layer. The tag body includes a radio frequency chip, a radio frequency detection circuit electrically connected to the radio frequency chip, and a radio frequency antenna circuit. The radio frequency detection circuit is disconnected after being waterlogged and loses electrical connection with the radio frequency chip. The radio frequency chip and the radio frequency antenna circuit are externally coated with a waterproof film. This radio frequency tag can be applied to the identification of whether clothing, food, or electronic products have been waterlogged. The advantages are that the radio frequency detection circuit disconnects the electrical connection with the radio frequency chip after being waterlogged. When a reader approaches the radio frequency tag, the radio frequency chip sends the basic information of the product stored in the chip and the information on whether the radio frequency detection circuit is conducting or disconnected at this time to the reader through the radio frequency antenna circuit. Whether the product has been waterlogged can be judged according to the conducting or disconnecting information; it can be read batch by the reader, and the identification efficiency is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of radio frequency identification (RFID), and particularly relates to a radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged and its application. Background Art

[0002] Radio frequency identification, namely radio frequency identification technology (RFID), is a kind of automatic identification technology. It conducts non-contact two-way data communication through radio frequency, reads and writes the recording medium (electronic tag or radio frequency transponder) by radio frequency, so as to achieve the purpose of identifying the target and data exchange. It is considered to be one of the most potential information technologies in the 21st century.

[0003] The basic working principle of RFID technology is as follows: After the electronic tag or radio frequency transponder enters the effective working range of the reader, it receives the radio frequency signal sent by the reader, and sends out the product information stored in the chip (Passive Tag, passive tag or passive label) by virtue of the energy obtained from the induced current, or the tag actively sends a signal of a certain frequency (Active Tag, active tag or active label). After the reader reads and decodes the information, it is sent to the central information system for relevant data processing. The passive radio frequency transponder (passive tag) has no built-in battery. When it is outside the reading range of the reader, the passive radio frequency transponder is in a passive state. When it is within the reading range of the reader, the passive radio frequency transponder extracts the power required for its operation from the radio frequency energy sent by the reader, and the effective reading distance of the passive radio frequency transponder can reach more than 10 meters.

[0004] In the prior art, radio frequency tags are usually waterproofed to prevent short - circuiting and becoming unusable when immersed in water. Additionally, when a radio frequency tag is not waterproofed, it is generally unusable before it dries completely after being immersed in water, but it can usually be restored to use after drying, especially in the case of passive tags. Whether the existing radio frequency tags are waterproofed or not, they do not have the function of identifying whether they have been immersed in water. Moreover, currently, to identify whether a labeled product (especially an electronic product) has been immersed in water, it is usually achieved through materials that change color permanently when exposed to water. Its disadvantages are as follows: 1) Manual visual inspection is required. When the number of products is large, checking one by one is time - consuming, labor - intensive, and inefficient. 2) The color - changing material needs to be set in a position convenient for visual inspection and should be relatively eye - catching after color change. Therefore, it is not suitable for use on products that emphasize appearance, such as clothing. One requirement for high - grade fabric clothing that needs to be returned after sale in the current market is that it must not have been washed. However, it is inconvenient to identify through the setting of color - changing materials. 3) For products in long - distance transportation or storage, due to the large quantity of products, if it is necessary to check one by one whether there are products that have been immersed in water, the conventional manual inspection has a very large workload and there are problems with inaccurate judgment of products after immersion (it is often difficult to judge the situation after immersion and then drying), and the cost is high. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a radio frequency tag that can identify whether it has been immersed in water and its application, aiming to overcome the deficiency in the prior art of lacking effective technical means to identify whether a product has been immersed in water.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention to solve the above - mentioned technical problem is as follows: A radio frequency tag that can identify whether it has been immersed in water, which includes a tag body. The tag body is adhesively fixed to the product through an adhesive layer. The tag body includes a radio frequency chip, a radio frequency detection circuit electrically connected to the radio frequency chip, and a radio frequency antenna circuit. The radio frequency detection circuit is disconnected after being immersed in water and loses electrical connection with the radio frequency chip. The radio frequency chip and the radio frequency antenna circuit are externally coated with a waterproof film.

[0007] Based on the above - mentioned technical solution, the present invention can also be improved or better selected as follows.

[0008] Further, the adhesive layer includes a water - soluble gel layer at the bottom of the radio frequency detection circuit and a water - resistant gel layer at the bottom of the radio frequency chip and the radio frequency antenna circuit.

[0009] The advantages of the above further structural improvement are that the hydrogel layer dissolves after the RF tag is wetted by water, so that the RF detection circuit is disconnected from the product. In this way, when there are external disturbances, the RF tag circuit is not attached to the product, and it is easy to disconnect from the RF chip, improving the accuracy of identification and detection; the water-resistant glue layer can ensure that the RF chip and the RF antenna circuit can still be stably connected to the product even when soaked in water, avoiding the failure of the entire RF tag after water immersion, resulting in the failure of identification and detection and the inability to obtain the basic information of the product.

[0010] Further, the RF detection circuit at least includes a water-soluble conductor section, which dissolves and disconnects after being immersed in water, and the water-soluble conductor section is made of a water-soluble material.

[0011] The advantages of the above further structural improvement are that the water-soluble conductor section disconnects due to dissolution after being immersed in water, ensuring that the RF detection circuit has good sensitivity.

[0012] Further, the water-soluble material is a water-soluble conductive polymer or a water-based conductive ink.

[0013] The advantages of the above further structural improvement are that the water-soluble conductive polymer has both conductivity and the characteristic of dissolving in water. The water-based conductive ink can conduct electricity after curing, and at the same time, due to the inclusion of water-based resin, its water resistance is poor even after curing, so it can also achieve the effect of disconnecting the electrical connection with the RF chip after being immersed in water.

[0014] Further, the RF detection circuit at least includes a conductor segment that falls off after being immersed in water, and the conductor segment is made of a metal conductor.

[0015] Further, the metal conductor is copper or aluminum.

[0016] Further, both ends of the conductor segment are lapped and conducted with other parts of the RF detection circuit, and the bottom of the conductor segment is adhesively fixed to the product through a hydrogel.

[0017] The advantages of the above further structural improvement are that the conductor segment material is easily available, and it can fall off from the RF detection circuit after being immersed in water, and can also achieve the effect of disconnecting from the RF chip after being immersed in water.

[0018] Further, a top film layer that breaks or dissolves when exposed to water is adhered to the top surface of the tag body.

[0019] Further, the top film layer is made of water-soluble paper.

[0020] The advantages of the above further structural improvement are that the top film layer is a protective film with a certain strength when not encountering water, which can play a certain degree of protective role for the radio frequency tag, achieving a certain degree of protection against damage caused by external force tearing; in addition, after the top film layer encounters water, it ruptures or completely dissolves, and it can be judged by the naked eye that the product has been immersed in water, achieving the effect of double recognition.

[0021] The present invention also provides an application of the above radio frequency tag that can identify whether it has been immersed in water, specifically applied to the identification of whether clothing, food or electronic products have been immersed in water.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0023] The radio frequency tag provided by the present invention has a radio frequency detection circuit and a radio frequency antenna circuit. Among them, the radio frequency detection circuit disconnects the electrical connection with the radio frequency chip after being immersed in water. When the reader approaches the radio frequency tag, the radio frequency chip sends the basic product information stored in the radio frequency chip and the information on whether the radio frequency detection circuit is conducting or disconnected at this time to the reader through the radio frequency antenna circuit. If the information received by the reader is that the radio frequency detection circuit is conducting, it means that the radio frequency tag has not been immersed in water, otherwise it means that the radio frequency tag has been immersed in water; the basic product information stored in the radio frequency chip can include information such as the manufacturer, date, shelf life, and unique product number, and has multiple functions such as anti-counterfeiting; it can be batch-read through the reader, with high identification efficiency, overcoming the problems of large labor intensity, low efficiency and inaccurate judgment existing in manual visual inspection in the prior art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a radio frequency tag provided by the present invention that can identify whether it has been immersed in water;

[0025] Figure 2 is Figure 1 A sectional view along A-A;

[0026] Figure 3 is Figure 2 A schematic diagram when the bottom glue layer is composed of a hydrogel layer on one side and a water-resistant glue layer on the other side.

[0027] In the drawings, the list of components represented by each reference numeral is as follows:

[0028] 1. Tag body; 2. Bottom glue layer; 3. Radio frequency chip; 4. Radio frequency detection circuit; 5. Radio frequency antenna circuit; 6. Waterproof film; 7. Water-soluble conductor section; 8. Top film layer; 20. Hydrogel layer; 21. Water-resistant glue layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The principles and features of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The examples given are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, if terms indicating directions such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are used, the indicated direction or positional relationship is based on the direction or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0031] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the present invention provides a radio frequency tag that can identify whether it has been waterlogged, which includes a tag body 1. The tag body 1 is adhesively fixed to a product through an underlay adhesive layer 2. The tag body 1 includes a radio frequency chip 3, a radio frequency detection circuit 4 electrically connected to the radio frequency chip 3, and a radio frequency antenna circuit 5. The radio frequency detection circuit 4 is disconnected after being waterlogged and loses electrical connection with the radio frequency chip 3. The radio frequency chip 3 and the radio frequency antenna circuit 5 are externally coated with a waterproof film 6.

[0032] It should be noted that the radio frequency tag provided by the present invention is preferably a passive tag; its waterproof film is formed by spraying a commercially available waterproof adhesive for flexible printed circuit boards, and this waterproof film has both waterproof and flexible fold-resistant properties.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present invention, the underlay adhesive layer 2 includes a hydrogel layer 20 located at the bottom layer of the radio frequency detection circuit 4 and a water-resistant adhesive layer 21 located at the bottom layer of the radio frequency chip 3 and the radio frequency antenna circuit 5.

[0034] It should be noted that the hydrogel layer uses a hydrolytic adhesive that can be water-soluble or lose its bonding ability after being waterlogged or a water-soluble pressure-sensitive adhesive that dissolves rapidly in water after being waterlogged (for example, the water-soluble glue of Guangzhou Huachi Chemical Co., Ltd.).

[0035] In an embodiment of the present invention, the radio frequency detection circuit 4 at least includes a water-soluble conductor segment 7. The water-soluble conductor segment 7 is dissolved and disconnected after being waterlogged, and the water-soluble conductor segment 7 is made of a water-soluble conductor material.

[0036] In an embodiment of the present invention, the water-soluble conductor material is a water-soluble conductive polymer or water-based conductive ink.

[0037] It can be understood that in addition to having one or more water-soluble conductor segments, the entire radio frequency detection circuit can also be entirely made of a water-soluble conductor material, such as using water-based conductive ink with poor water resistance after curing into a film to print the radio frequency detection circuit. Water-based conductive ink uses water-based resins, such as water-based acrylic resin, water-based epoxy resin, or polyvinyl alcohol.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, the radio frequency detection circuit 4 at least includes a conductor segment that falls off after being immersed in water, and the conductor segment is made of a metal conductor.

[0039] In one embodiment of the present invention, the metal conductor is copper or aluminum. The conductor segment can be a small piece of copper sheet or aluminum sheet.

[0040] In one embodiment of the present invention, both ends of the conductor segment are lapped and conducted with other parts of the radio frequency detection circuit 4, and the bottom of the conductor segment is adhesively fixed to the product through a water-based adhesive.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, a top film layer 8 that ruptures or dissolves when encountering water is adhered to the top surface of the label body 1.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present invention, the top film layer 8 is made of water-soluble paper.

[0043] The application of the above radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged provided by the present invention is specifically applied to the identification of whether clothing, food, or electronic products have been waterlogged. For example, the radio frequency tag can be built into high-grade fabric clothing. If it is washed, the radio frequency detection circuit is disconnected from the radio frequency chip, and the radio frequency antenna circuit and the chip are not affected by washing. When detected by a reader, the reader can receive the basic information of the clothing product (including the manufacturer, production date, and unique anti-counterfeiting number, etc.) and the on-off information of the radio frequency detection circuit transmitted by the chip. If the radio frequency detection circuit is conducted with the radio frequency chip, the reader receives the signal "1" representing normal non-waterlogged, and if the radio frequency detection circuit is disconnected from the radio frequency chip, the reader receives the signal "0" representing non-waterlogged. Based on this, it can be quickly and accurately determined whether the clothing product has been washed. The present invention is particularly suitable for the identification and detection of products that are dried after being waterlogged.

[0044] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged, characterized in that, it includes a tag body (1), the tag body (1) is adhesively fixed to the product through an undercoat layer (2), the tag body (1) includes a radio frequency chip (3), a radio frequency detection circuit (4) electrically connected to the radio frequency chip (3), and a radio frequency antenna circuit (5). After being waterlogged, the radio frequency detection circuit (4) disconnects the electrical connection with the radio frequency chip (3). The radio frequency chip (3) and the radio frequency antenna circuit (5) are externally coated with a waterproof film (6). The radio frequency detection circuit (4) at least includes a water-soluble conductor segment (7). After being waterlogged, the water-soluble conductor segment (7) dissolves and disconnects. The water-soluble conductor segment (7) is made of a water-soluble conductor material, and a top film layer (8) that ruptures or dissolves when encountering water is adhered to the top surface of the tag body (1).

2. The radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged according to claim 1, characterized in that, the undercoat layer (2) includes a water-soluble gel layer (20) located at the bottom layer of the radio frequency detection circuit (4) and a water-resistant gel layer (21) located at the bottom layer of the radio frequency chip (3) and the radio frequency antenna circuit (5).

3. The radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged according to claim 1, characterized in that, the water-soluble conductor material is a water-soluble conductive polymer or water-based conductive ink.

4. The radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged according to claim 1, characterized in that, the radio frequency detection circuit (4) at least includes a conductor segment that falls off after being waterlogged, and the conductor segment is made of a metal conductor.

5. The radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged according to claim 4, characterized in that, the metal conductor is copper or aluminum.

6. The radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged according to claim 4, characterized in that, both ends of the conductor segment are lapped and conducted with other parts of the radio frequency detection circuit (4), and the bottom of the conductor segment is adhesively fixed to the product through a water-soluble gel.

7. The radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged according to claim 1, characterized in that, the top film layer (8) is made of water-soluble paper.

8. An application of the radio frequency tag capable of identifying whether it has been waterlogged according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, it is applied to the identification of whether clothing, food, or electronic products have been waterlogged.

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