Electronic tamper-evident label and method of making the same

Abstract

The application discloses an electronic seal tag and a preparation method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of radio frequency identification. The electronic seal tag comprises a base structure, a first antenna and a tag chip located on one side of the thickness direction of a substrate of the base structure, and the first antenna is connected with the tag chip; a seal structure, the base structure is sealed in the seal structure, the outer side of the seal structure is provided with a recess, and the recess is located on the side of the substrate away from the first antenna; and a second antenna located on the side wall of the recess and connected with the first antenna, the second antenna is out of the plane where the first antenna is located. The application can improve the antenna gain and the label read-write distance under the condition of reducing the size of the substrate.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of wireless radio frequency identification, and particularly relates to an electronic seal tag and a preparation method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the related art, the antenna in the electronic seal tag is printed on a substrate, and the antenna area and radiation performance are severely limited by the size of the substrate. In order to meet the production yield and cost requirements, the size of the substrate is reduced, resulting in a small antenna area and weak antenna gain and tag reading distance performance. SUMMARY

[0003] The application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems in the prior art. To this end, the application provides an electronic seal tag and a preparation method thereof, which can improve the antenna gain and enhance the tag reading and writing distance while reducing the size of the substrate.

[0004] In a first aspect, the application provides an electronic seal tag, comprising:

[0005] a base structure comprising a substrate, a first antenna and a tag chip located on one side of the substrate in a thickness direction, and the first antenna being connected to the tag chip;

[0006] a seal structure, the base structure being sealingly arranged in the seal structure, an outer side of the seal structure having a recess, and the recess being located on a side of the substrate away from the first antenna;

[0007] a second antenna located on a side wall of the recess and connected to the first antenna, the second antenna being out of the plane of the first antenna.

[0008] According to the electronic seal tag of the application, the second antenna is arranged on the side of the substrate away from the first antenna, and the second antenna is located on the side wall of the recess of the seal structure, so that the second antenna is out of the plane of the first antenna, that is, the second antenna is a three-dimensional antenna, and the second antenna is connected to the first antenna. In the case of reducing the size of the substrate and the area of the first antenna, the area of the tag antenna (including the first antenna and the second antenna) is not reduced but even increased, so that the antenna gain is improved and the tag reading and writing distance is enhanced while meeting the production yield and cost requirements.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the application, the second antenna comprises at least one closed loop structure spaced apart along the thickness direction, each closed loop structure extending circumferentially along the side wall of the recess, and each closed loop structure being connected to the first antenna.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the application, the second antenna comprises a spiral structure extending along the thickness direction, and the spiral structure is connected to the first antenna.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present application, the first antenna comprises an inductive coil and a radiation branch;

[0012] The inductive coil is arranged close to the edge of the substrate and extends along the circumference of the substrate, and two ends of the inductive coil are connected with the tag chip respectively;

[0013] The radiation branch is located inside the inductive coil and extends along the circumference of the substrate, and one end of the radiation branch is connected with the inductive coil.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present application, the inductive coil comprises a bent line and an extension line;

[0015] The bent line is arranged close to the edge of the substrate and extends along the circumference of the substrate, and two ends of the bent line are connected with the tag chip respectively; the extension line is located between the bent line and the radiation branch and connected with the bent line.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present application, the bent line comprises first line segments and second line segments arranged alternately along the circumference of the substrate, and a third line segment connected between adjacent first line segments and second line segments;

[0017] The first line segments and the second line segments extend along the circumference of the substrate respectively, one end of the extension line is connected with one end of the third line segment, and the other end of the extension line extends along the extension direction of the third line segment.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present application, the electronic seal tag further comprises a microstrip transmission line;

[0019] One end of the microstrip transmission line is connected with the radiation branch, and the other end of the microstrip transmission line penetrates through the substrate and the seal structure along the thickness direction and extends to the side wall of the recess and is connected with the second antenna.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present application, the connection point of the microstrip transmission line with the radiation branch is close to one end of the radiation branch connected with the inductive coil.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present application, the substrate comprises a hollow area, the first antenna is arranged around the hollow area, and the orthographic projection of the second antenna on the substrate is located outside the hollow area.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present application, the substrate has a protrusion extending towards the hollow area, and the tag chip is located at the protrusion.

[0023] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for manufacturing an electronic sealing tag, comprising:

[0024] sealing a base structure in a sealing structure, the base structure comprising a substrate, a first antenna and a tag chip on one side of the substrate in a thickness direction, and the first antenna being connected to the tag chip; the sealing structure having a recess on an outer side, and the recess being on the side of the substrate away from the first antenna;

[0025] forming a second antenna on a side wall of the recess, the second antenna being connected to the first antenna, and the second antenna being out of the plane of the first antenna.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present application, the forming of the second antenna on the side wall of the recess comprises:

[0027] determining an antenna area of the side wall of the recess according to a three-dimensional model of the second antenna and a three-dimensional model of the sealing structure;

[0028] forming the second antenna on the antenna area.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present application, the second antenna comprises a first metal layer and a second metal layer;

[0030] the forming of the second antenna on the antenna area comprises:

[0031] forming the first metal layer on the antenna area;

[0032] plating the second metal layer on the surface of the first metal layer.

[0033] According to an embodiment of the present application, before the forming of the second antenna on the antenna area, the method further comprises:

[0034] roughening the surface of the antenna area.

[0035] The one or more technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application have at least one of the following technical effects:

[0036] By arranging the second antenna on the side of the substrate away from the first antenna, and arranging the second antenna on the side wall of the recess of the sealing structure, the second antenna is out of the plane of the first antenna, i.e. the second antenna is a three-dimensional antenna, and the second antenna is connected to the first antenna, so that the area of the tag antenna (including the first antenna and the second antenna) is not reduced or even increased while reducing the size of the substrate and the area of the first antenna, thereby improving the antenna gain and the tag read-write distance while meeting the production yield and cost requirements.

[0037] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be made apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0038] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and be readily appreciated from the following description, including the references to the figures, in which:

[0039] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic seal tag provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a second antenna in an electronic seal tag provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a base structure in an electronic seal tag provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 4 is a comparison diagram of the antenna gain direction of an electronic seal tag provided by an embodiment of the present application and an electronic seal tag in the related art;

[0043] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a preparation method of an electronic seal tag provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar components have the same or similar designations and functions throughout various figures and / or paragraphs. The embodiments described below are examples in which the present application is applied, and are for the purpose of explanation only, and are not to be construed as limiting the present application.

[0045] An electronic seal tag and a preparation method thereof provided by an embodiment of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic seal tag provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] As shown in Figure 1 , the electronic seal tag provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a base structure and a seal structure 2, and the base structure is sealingly arranged in the seal structure 2. The base structure includes a substrate 1, a first antenna 5, and a tag chip 6. The first antenna 5 and the tag chip 6 are respectively located on one side of the thickness direction X of the substrate 1, and the first antenna 5 is connected to the tag chip 6.

[0048] The substrate 1 can be a PCB board. The cross section of the substrate 1 (the cross section is perpendicular to the thickness direction X) can be a regular polygon (such as a square, etc.), an irregular polygon, a circle, an ellipse, or a circular ring, etc. The shape of the substrate 1 can be set according to actual needs, which is not limited here. The material of the substrate 1 can include ceramic, glass fiber, resin medium material, FR4 material, etc.

[0049] The first antenna 5 is located on one side of the substrate 1 in the thickness direction X. The first antenna 5 can be a planar antenna, and the plane where the first antenna 5 is located is parallel to the lower surface of the substrate 1 (the surface of the substrate 1 close to the first antenna 5). The first antenna 5 is used to radiate electromagnetic energy. The material of the first antenna 5 can include metal materials such as copper, aluminum, zinc, etc., and the material of the first antenna 5 can also include silver paste and conductive ink.

[0050] The tag chip 6 is located on one side of the substrate 1 in the thickness direction X, and the tag chip 6 and the first antenna 5 can be located on the same side of the substrate 1. The tag chip 6 is connected with the first antenna 5, and the tag chip 6 is used to store product information and transmit the product information to the tag reading and writing device through the first antenna 5. The tag chip 6 can be an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip.

[0051] The base structure is sealingly arranged in the seal structure 2, so that the substrate 1, the first antenna 5 and the tag chip 6 are all sealingly arranged in the seal structure 2. Among them, the base structure can be embedded in the seal structure 2 by means of integrated injection molding. The seal structure 2 can ensure that the electronic tag is a physical structure that cannot be unauthorizedly changed or removed, and the seal structure 2 also has the functions of waterproof, dustproof and anti-vibration, etc., effectively protecting the electronic tag from the influence of the external environment. The material of the seal structure 2 can include PS plastic, ABS plastic, etc.

[0052] The outer side of the seal structure 2 has a recess 21, and the recess 21 is located on the side of the substrate 1 away from the first antenna 5. The bottom of the recess 21 can be perpendicular to the thickness direction X, and the side wall of the recess 21 can be parallel to the thickness direction X, so that the side wall of the recess 21 can be arranged vertically to the lower surface of the substrate 1.

[0053] The electronic seal tag further comprises a second antenna 3, and the second antenna 3 is located on the side wall of the recess 21 and can extend along the side wall of the recess 21. The second antenna 3 is out of the plane with the first antenna 5, that is, the plane where the second antenna 3 is located is not in the same plane with the plane where the first antenna 5 is located, such as the plane where the second antenna 3 is located is arranged vertically to the plane where the first antenna 5 is located, and the second antenna 3 is a three-dimensional antenna.

[0054] The second antenna 3 is connected with the first antenna 5, and the second antenna 3 can be directly or indirectly connected with the first antenna 5. For example, the second antenna 3 can pass through the sealing structure 2 and extend to the first antenna 5 to be connected with the first antenna 5, or the second antenna 3 can be connected with the first antenna 5 through the microstrip transmission line 4, that is, one end of the microstrip transmission line 4 is connected with the first antenna 5, and the other end of the microstrip transmission line 4 passes through the sealing structure 2 and extends along the side wall of the recess 21 to be connected with the second antenna 3.

[0055] The second antenna 3 is used for matching antenna impedance and strengthening antenna longitudinal direction (thickness direction) radiation performance. The material of the second antenna 3 can include metal materials such as copper, aluminum, zinc, and the like, and the material of the second antenna 3 can also include silver paste and conductive ink.

[0056] The embodiment sets the second antenna 3 connected with the first antenna 5, and the second antenna 3 is a three-dimensional antenna, so that in the case of reducing the size of the substrate 1 and reducing the area of the first antenna 5, the area of the label antenna (including the first antenna 5 and the second antenna 3) is not reduced or even increased, thereby improving the antenna gain and improving the label read-write distance while meeting the production yield and cost requirements. Moreover, the sealing structure 2 and the second antenna 3 can be integrally produced, that is, the sealing structure 2 and the second antenna 3 can be integrated into a compact unit to realize efficient and convenient manufacturing and deployment.

[0057] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the second antenna 3 includes at least one closed loop structure 31 spaced apart along the thickness direction X, each closed loop structure 31 extends along the circumferential direction of the side wall of the recess 21, and each closed loop structure 21 is connected with the first antenna 5, respectively. Figure 2

[0058] The closed loop structure 31 is a structure without end points. The closed loop structure 31 extends along the circumferential direction of the side wall of the recess 21, so that the central axis of the closed loop structure 31 coincides with the central axis of the recess 21. The closed loop structure 31 can be square, circular, elliptical, etc. The shape of the closed loop structure 31 matches the shape enclosed by the side wall of the recess 21 (i.e. the shape of the cross section of the recess 21). For example, the cross section of the recess 21 is circular, and the closed loop structure 31 is a circular ring.

[0059] Each closed loop structure 21 can be connected with the first antenna 5 through the microstrip transmission line 4, that is, the microstrip transmission line 4 is connected with the first antenna 5, and the other end of the microstrip transmission line 4 passes through the sealing structure 2 and extends along the side wall of the recess 21 to be connected with each closed loop structure 31, respectively.

[0060] ​The number of closed-loop structures 31 can be one or more (two or more). The number of closed-loop structures 31 can be set according to actual needs and is not specifically limited here. When the second antenna 3 includes multiple closed-loop structures 31, the multiple closed-loop structures 31 are distributed at intervals along the thickness direction X on the sidewall of the recess 21. The multiple closed-loop structures 31 can have the same shape and size, and the multiple closed-loop structures 31 can be evenly distributed along the thickness direction X.

[0061] The antenna impedance matching can be fine-tuned by adjusting the spacing between the closed-loop structures 31, as well as the size and position of the closed-loop structures 31. The size of the closed-loop structure 31 includes its width and / or thickness along the thickness direction X, and the position of the closed-loop structure 31 includes the spacing between the closed-loop structure and the substrate 1. The size and position of the closed-loop structure 31 are mainly limited by the size of the sealing structure 2. For large-sized sealing structures, the position of the closed-loop structure 31 can be adjusted appropriately.

[0062] For example, the second antenna 3 includes two closed-loop structures 31 spaced apart along the thickness direction X. The cross-section of the recess 21 in the sealing structure 2 is circular with a diameter of 6 mm. The diameter of each of the two closed-loop structures 31 is 6 mm, the width is 0.5 mm, and the thickness is 10 μm to 30 μm. The spacing between the two closed-loop structures 31 is 0.5 mm, and the spacing between the two closed-loop structures 31 and the substrate 1 is 0.5 mm and 1 mm, respectively.

[0063] In some embodiments, the second antenna 3 includes a spiral structure extending along the thickness direction X, and the spiral structure is connected to the first antenna 5.

[0064] The central axis of the spiral structure coincides with the central axis of the recess 21, and the spiral structure extends spirally along the thickness direction X on the side wall of the recess 21. The number of turns of the spiral structure can be set according to actual needs and is not specifically limited here. The end of the spiral structure near the bottom of the recess 21 can be connected to the first antenna 5 through the microstrip transmission line 4.

[0065] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the first antenna 5 includes an inductor coil 51 and a radiating arm 52. The inductor coil 51 is disposed near the edge of the substrate 1 and extends along the circumferential Y direction of the substrate 1. Both ends of the inductor coil 51 are connected to the tag chip 6. The radiating arm 52 is located inside the inductor coil 51 and extends along the circumferential Y direction of the substrate 1. One end of the radiating arm 52 is connected to the inductor coil 51.

[0066] The tag chip 6 can be positioned close to the edge of the substrate 1. The tag chip 6 may include two chip pin solder points 61, which can be located on opposite sides of the chip 6 (e.g., ...). Figure 3The tag chip 6 can further include two chip signal transmission microstrip lines 62 corresponding to the two chip pin solder joints 61, and the first end of the chip signal transmission microstrip line 62 is connected with the corresponding chip pin solder joint 61, and the second end of the chip signal transmission microstrip line 62 extends towards the edge of the substrate 1. The two chip pin solder joints 61 can be symmetrically arranged, and the two signal transmission microstrip lines 62 can be symmetrically arranged. In addition, the tag chip 6 can further include a chip pad 63, which can be located between the two signal transmission microstrip lines 62.

[0067] In order to increase the length of the inductive coil 51, the inductive coil 51 is arranged close to the edge of the substrate 1. The first end of the inductive coil 51 is located at the first side of the tag chip 6 (for example, the left side in FIG. 1) and is connected with the second end of one of the two chip signal transmission microstrip lines 62, and the second end of the inductive coil 51 extends along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1 to the second side of the tag chip 6 (the second side is opposite to the first side, for example, the right side in FIG. 1) and is connected with the second end of the other chip signal transmission microstrip line 62, so that the two ends of the inductive coil 51 are respectively connected with the second ends of the two chip signal transmission microstrip lines 62 of the tag chip 6. Figure 3 Figure 3 In order to increase the length of the inductive coil 51, the inductive coil 51 is arranged close to the edge of the substrate 1. The first end of the inductive coil 51 is located at the first side of the tag chip 6 (for example, the left side in FIG. 1) and is connected with the second end of one of the two chip signal transmission microstrip lines 62, and the second end of the inductive coil 51 extends along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1 to the second side of the tag chip 6 (the second side is opposite to the first side, for example, the right side in FIG. 1) and is connected with the second end of the other chip signal transmission microstrip line 62, so that the two ends of the inductive coil 51 are respectively connected with the second ends of the two chip signal transmission microstrip lines 62 of the tag chip 6.

[0068] The length of the inductive coil 51 can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the signal transmission microstrip line 62, and the length of the inductive coil 51 can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the signal transmission microstrip line 62. The signal transmission microstrip line 62 is as long as possible to make the inductive coil 51 as close to the edge of the substrate 1 as possible.

[0069] The radiation branch 52 is located on the inner side of the inductive coil 51, that is, the radiation branch 52 is located on the side of the inductive coil 51 close to the center of the substrate 1. The first end of the radiation branch 52 is located at the first side of the tag chip 6 and is connected with the inductive coil 51, and the connection point of the first end of the radiation branch 52 with the inductive coil 51 is close to the first end of the inductive coil 51, that is, the connection point of the first end of the radiation branch 52 with the inductive coil 51 is close to the chip signal transmission microstrip line 62 connected with the first end of the inductive coil 51. For example, the distance between the first end of the radiation branch 52 and the chip signal transmission microstrip line 62 is 0.5 mm, that is, the radiation branch 52 is drawn from the inductive coil 51 which is 0.5 mm away from the chip signal transmission microstrip line. The second end of the radiation branch 52 extends along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1 to the second side of the tag chip 6.

[0070] The radiation branch 52 is used to match the chip impedance and radiate electromagnetic energy outward. The dimensions such as the length and width of the radiation branch 52 can be adjusted to achieve the adjustment of the antenna impedance. ​

[0071] The shape of the radiation branch 52 can be a circular or elliptical shape (i.e. an arc shape) with a notch, a rectangular shape (i.e. a polyline shape) with a notch, or the like. The shape of the radiation branch 52 can match the shape of the cross section of the substrate 1. For example, the cross section of the substrate 1 is circular, the radiation branch 52 can be a circular shape with a notch, and the end points of the radiation branch 52 at the notch are connected to the inductive coil 51.

[0072] The shape of the inductive coil 51 can be a smooth curve, a polyline, or a combination of a curve and a polyline. The inductive coil 51 can be a symmetric structure or an asymmetric structure, which is not specifically limited here.

[0073] In some embodiments, the inductive coil 51 includes a bent line 510 and an extension line 520. The bent line 510 is arranged close to the edge of the substrate 1 and extends along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1, and the two ends of the bent line 510 are respectively connected to the tag chip 6. The extension line 520 is located between the bent line 510 and the radiation branch 52 and is connected to the bent line 510.

[0074] In order to further increase the length of the inductive coil 51, the bent line 510 is arranged in the inductive coil 51 and close to the edge of the substrate 1. The first end of the bent line 510 is the first end of the inductive coil 51, and the second end of the bent line 510 is the second end of the inductive coil 51, i.e. the first end of the bent line 510 is located on the first side of the tag chip 6 and connected to the second end of one of the chip signal transmission microstrip lines 62, and the second end of the bent line 510 extends along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1 to the second side of the tag chip 6 and is connected to the second end of the other chip signal transmission microstrip line 62, so that the two ends of the bent line 510 are respectively connected to the second ends of the two chip signal transmission microstrip lines 62 of the tag chip 6.

[0075] The extension line 520 is located on the inner side of the bent line 510, i.e. the extension line 520 is located on the side of the bent line 510 close to the center of the substrate 1, and the extension line 520 is connected to the bent line 510. The number of extension lines 520 can be the same as the number of bends on the inner side of the bent line 510, i.e. one extension line 520 can be connected at each bending point on the inner side of the bent line 510. One end of the extension line 520 is connected to the bending point on the inner side of the bent line 510, and the other end of the extension line 520 extends away from the bent line 510.

[0076] The length of the extension line 520 is related to the antenna resistance parameter. By adjusting the length of the extension line 520, the impedance matching between the antenna and the chip can be fine-tuned, and the design freedom is increased.

[0077] In some embodiments, the bending line 510 comprises a plurality of first line segments 511 and a plurality of second line segments 512 arranged alternately along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1, and a plurality of third line segments 513 connected between adjacent first line segments 511 and second line segments 512. The first line segments 511 and the second line segments 512 respectively extend along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1, and one end of the extension line 520 is connected to one end of the third line segment 513, and the other end of the extension line 520 extends along the extension direction of the third line segment 513.

[0078] The bending line 510 can comprise a plurality of first line segments 511 and a plurality of second line segments 512 arranged alternately along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1. The first line segments 511 and the second line segments 512 respectively extend along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1, but the extension direction of the first line segments 511 is not coincident with the extension direction of the second line segments 512, i.e. the extension direction of the first line segments 511 can be parallel to or intersect with the extension direction of the second line segments 512. For example, the first line segments 511 are arranged close to the edge of the substrate 1, and the second line segments 512 are arranged close to the radiation arm 52.

[0079] The bending line 510 can further comprise a plurality of third line segments 513, and one third line segment 513 is connected between any adjacent first line segment 511 and second line segment 512. For example, one end of a first line segment 511 is connected to one end of a third line segment 513, the other end of the third line segment 513 is connected to one end of a second line segment 512, the other end of the second line segment 512 is connected to one end of a third line segment 513, and the other end of the third line segment 513 is connected to one end of a first line segment 511.

[0080] The connection point of the third line segment 513 and the first line segment 511 is a bending point on the outside of the bending line 510, and the connection point of the third line segment 513 and the second line segment 512 is a bending point on the inside of the bending line 510.

[0081] One extension line 520 is connected at each bending point on the inside of the bending line 510, i.e. the extension line 520 is connected to one end of the third line segment 513 close to the second line segment 511. The extension line 520 extends along the extension direction of the third line segment 513 to which it is connected, i.e. the extension line 520 can serve as an extension line of the third line segment 513.

[0082] The first line segments 511 and the second line segments 512 can be straight line segments or curved line segments, and the third line segments 513 and the extension lines 520 can be straight line segments. The line type of the first line segments 511 and the second line segments 512 can match the shape of the cross section of the substrate 1, so as to maximize the use of space on the substrate 1 and increase the length of the inductor coil 51.

[0083] For example, the cross section of the substrate 1 is circular, the first line segment 511 and the second line segment 512 can be circular arc segments, the third line segment 513 and the extension line 520 can be straight line segments, and the third line segment 513 and the extension line 520 can extend towards the center of the substrate 1. For example, the diameter of the cross section of the substrate 1 is 8.9 mm, and the distance between the first line segment 511 and the edge of the substrate 1 is 0.3 mm. The line width of the inductor coil 51 is 0.2 mm, that is, the line widths of the first line segment 511, the second line segment 512, the third line segment 513 and the extension line 520 are all 0.2 mm. The outer diameter of the first line segment 511 is 8.6 mm, the outer diameter of the second line segment 512 is 8 mm, the length of the third line segment 513 is 0.5 mm, and the included angle between any two adjacent third line segments 513 is 4°. The radiation branch 52 is a circular arc segment, the outer diameter of the radiation branch 52 is 7.1 mm, the width is 0.8 mm, and the length is 5 rad.

[0084] In some embodiments, the electronic seal tag further comprises a microstrip transmission line 4. One end of the microstrip transmission line 4 is connected to the radiation branch 52, and the other end of the microstrip transmission line 4 penetrates the substrate 1 and the seal structure 2 along the thickness direction X and extends to the side wall of the recess 21 to be connected with the second antenna 3.

[0085] The microstrip transmission line 4 can be divided into three parts. The first part of the microstrip transmission line penetrates the substrate 1 along the thickness direction X. The cross section of the first part of the microstrip transmission line can be circular, for example, the diameter of the cross section of the first part of the microstrip transmission line is 0.3 mm, and the length of the first part of the microstrip transmission line along the thickness direction X is the same as the thickness of the substrate 1. The second part of the microstrip transmission line penetrates the seal structure 2 along the thickness direction X, and the second part of the microstrip transmission line is connected with the first part of the microstrip transmission line. The cross section of the second part of the microstrip transmission line can be circular, for example, the diameter of the cross section of the second part of the microstrip transmission line is 0.3 mm. The third part of the microstrip transmission line extends along the thickness direction X on the side wall of the recess 21, and the third part of the microstrip transmission line is connected with the second part of the microstrip transmission line. The third part of the microstrip transmission line and the second antenna 3 can be formed at the same time, that is, the third part of the microstrip transmission line and the second antenna 3 can be an integrated structure. The line width of the third part of the microstrip transmission line can be 0.5 mm, and the length can be 2.2 mm. The thickness of the third part of the microstrip transmission line can be the same as the thickness of the second antenna 3, such as 10 um to 30 um.

[0086] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3 The connection point A of the microstrip transmission line 4 and the radiation branch 52 is close to the end of the radiation branch 52 connected with the inductor coil 51.

[0087] One end of the microstrip transmission line 4 penetrates the seal structure 2 and the substrate 1 and is connected with the radiation branch 52, and the connection point A is close to the first end of the radiation branch 52, which further improves the antenna gain.

[0088] In some embodiments, the substrate 1 comprises a hollow area 11, the first antenna 5 is arranged around the hollow area 11, and the orthographic projection of the second antenna 3 on the substrate 1 is located outside the hollow area 11.

[0089] The hollow area 11 can be located at the center of the substrate 1. The cross section of the hollow area 11 can be a regular polygon (such as a square), an irregular polygon, a circle, an ellipse, etc. The first antenna 5 is arranged around the hollow area 11, that is, the inductor coil 51 is arranged around the hollow area 11, and the radiation branch 52 is arranged around the hollow area 11.

[0090] The orthographic projection of the recess 21 on the substrate 1 covers the hollow area 11, so that the orthographic projection of the second antenna 3 on the substrate 1 is located outside the hollow area 11. In the case where the second antenna 3 comprises a closed loop structure 31 or a spiral structure, the orthographic projection of the second antenna 3 on the substrate 1 is arranged around the hollow area 11.

[0091] In some embodiments, the substrate 1 has a protrusion 12 extending towards the hollow area 11, and the tag chip 6 is located at the protrusion 12. The protrusion 12 can be a regular polygon (such as a rectangle), an irregular polygon, a circle, an ellipse, etc., which is not limited here.

[0092] For example, the cross section of the substrate 1 is circular, the outer diameter of the cross section of the substrate 1 is 8.9 mm, the inner diameter is 5.8 mm, and the thickness is 0.3 mm. The protrusion 12 is rectangular, and the length of the protrusion 12 extending towards the hollow area 11 is 1.6 mm, and the width is 2.4 mm. The line width of the chip signal transmission microstrip line 62 is 0.1 mm, and the line length is 3 mm. The soldering reserved space of the tag chip 6 has a width of 2.2 mm and a depth of 1.5 mm.

[0093] The substrate 1 in the embodiment is a circular ring structure, which is simple in structure, easy to form and demold. The inner diameter of the substrate 1 is large and the outer diameter is small, which meets the yield and cost requirements. The tag chip 6 is arranged at the protrusion 12, so that when the electronic seal is damaged by external force, the protrusion 12 is broken, the connection between the tag chip 6 and the first antenna 5 is disconnected, and the opening is invalid, which meets the anti-fake function of the electronic seal.

[0094] Figure 4The figure is the antenna gain pattern of the electronic seal tag in the related art and the electronic seal tag in the embodiment. The electronic seal tag in the related art includes a base structure and a seal structure, and the base structure and the seal structure in the related art are the same in shape and size as the base structure and the seal structure in the embodiment. It can be seen that, under the condition of ±40°, the maximum gain of the antenna in the related art is -40.95 dB, and the maximum gain of the antenna in the embodiment is -32.5 dB, that is, the maximum gain of the antenna in the embodiment is increased by 8.45 dB compared with the related art, which is equivalent to an increase of about 1.4 times in the reading distance performance index, and the electrical performance of the tag product is obviously improved. Moreover, the use of the three-dimensional antenna (i.e., the second antenna 3) can still maintain the electromagnetic radiation performance under the condition of reducing the size and area of the base plate 1.

[0095] According to the electronic seal tag provided in the embodiment of the present application, the second antenna 3 is arranged on the side of the base plate 1 away from the first antenna 5, and the second antenna 3 is located on the side wall of the recess 21 of the seal structure 2, so that the second antenna 3 is out of the plane where the first antenna 5 is located, that is, the second antenna 3 is a three-dimensional antenna, and the second antenna 3 is connected with the first antenna 5. In this way, the area of the tag antenna (including the first antenna 5 and the second antenna 3) is not reduced or even increased under the condition of reducing the size of the base plate 1 and the area of the first antenna 5, so that the antenna gain is improved, the radiation direction is changed, and the reading and writing distance of the tag is improved while meeting the production yield and cost requirements.

[0096] Correspondingly, the embodiment of the present application also provides a preparation method of the electronic seal tag, which can manufacture the electronic seal tag in the above embodiments.

[0097] As shown in Figure 5 The preparation method of the electronic seal tag provided in the embodiment of the present application includes steps 110 and 120.

[0098] In step 110, the base structure is sealed in the seal structure. The base structure includes a base plate, a first antenna and a tag chip located on one side of the base plate in the thickness direction, and the first antenna is connected with the tag chip. The seal structure has a recess on the outer side, and the recess is located on the side of the base plate away from the first antenna.

[0099] First, the base structure is formed, and then the base structure is embedded in the seal structure by means of integrated injection molding. The integrated injection molding of the base structure and the seal structure can be completed by using an injection molding machine and a split mold. The integrated injection molding process can improve the production efficiency and product quality, and reduce the cost at the same time.

[0100] In combination with Figure 1As shown, the base structure includes a substrate 1, a first antenna 5 and a tag chip 6. The first antenna 5 and the tag chip 6 are located on one side of the substrate 1 in the thickness direction X, and the first antenna 5 is connected to the tag chip 6.

[0101] The cross section of the substrate 1 (the cross section is perpendicular to the thickness direction X) can be a regular polygon (such as a square, etc.), an irregular polygon, a circle, an ellipse, or a circular ring, etc. The first antenna 5 can be a planar antenna, and the first antenna 5 is used to radiate electromagnetic energy. The tag chip 6 and the first antenna 5 can be located on the same side of the substrate 1, and the tag chip 6 is used to store product information and transmit the product information to a tag read-write device through the first antenna 5.

[0102] In some embodiments, as shown, Figure 3 The first antenna 5 includes an inductive coil 51 and a radiation branch 52. The inductive coil 51 is arranged close to the edge of the substrate 1 and extends along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1, and the two ends of the inductive coil 51 are respectively connected to the tag chip 6. The radiation branch 52 is located on the inner side of the inductive coil 51 and extends along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1, and one end of the radiation branch 52 is connected to the inductive coil 51.

[0103] In some embodiments, the inductive coil 51 includes a bending line 510 and an extension line 520. The bending line 510 is arranged close to the edge of the substrate 1 and extends along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1, and the two ends of the bending line 510 are respectively connected to the tag chip 6. The extension line 520 is located between the bending line 510 and the radiation branch 52 and is connected to the bending line 510.

[0104] In some embodiments, the bending line 510 includes first line segments 511 and second line segments 512 arranged alternately along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1, and a third line segment 513 connected between adjacent first line segments 511 and second line segments 512. The first line segments 511 and the second line segments 512 respectively extend along the circumferential direction Y of the substrate 1, one end of the extension line 520 is connected to one end of the third line segment 513, and the other end of the extension line 520 extends along the extension direction of the third line segment 513.

[0105] The length of the extension line 520 is related to the antenna resistance parameter. By adjusting the length of the extension line 520, the impedance matching of the antenna and the chip can be fine-tuned, and the design freedom is increased.

[0106] Before sealing the base structure in the seal structure 2, a metalized via can also be formed in the base structure, the metalized via penetrates the substrate 1 and is connected to the radiation branch 52 in the first antenna 5. The metalized via is part of the microstrip transmission line 4, that is, the microstrip transmission line 4 is connected to the radiation branch 52 in the first antenna 5.

[0107] In some embodiments, as shown, Figure 3As shown, the connection point A of the microstrip transmission line 4 and the radiating branch 52 is close to one end of the inductive coil 51 connected to the radiating branch 52.

[0108] In some embodiments, the substrate 1 comprises a hollow area 11, the first antenna 5 is arranged around the hollow area 11, and the orthographic projection of the second antenna 3 on the substrate 1 is located outside the hollow area 11.

[0109] The hollow area 11 can be located at the center of the substrate 1. The cross section of the hollow area 11 can be a regular polygon (such as a square), an irregular polygon, a circle, an ellipse, or the like. The inductive coil 51 in the first antenna 5 is arranged around the hollow area 11, and the radiating branch 52 in the first antenna 5 is arranged around the hollow area 11.

[0110] In some embodiments, the substrate 1 has a protrusion 12 extending towards the hollow area 11, and the tag chip 6 is located at the protrusion 12. The protrusion 12 can be a regular polygon (such as a rectangle), an irregular polygon, a circle, an ellipse, or the like, which is not limited here.

[0111] The outer side of the seal structure 2 has a recess 21, and the recess 21 is located on the side of the substrate 1 away from the first antenna 5. The side wall of the recess 21 can be arranged vertically to the lower surface of the substrate 1.

[0112] Step 120, forming a second antenna on the side wall of the recess, the second antenna being connected to the first antenna, and the second antenna being out of plane with the plane in which the first antenna is located.

[0113] In combination Figure 1 As shown, the second antenna 3 is located on the side wall of the recess 21, and the second antenna 3 can extend along the side wall of the recess 21. The second antenna 3 is out of plane with the plane in which the first antenna 5 is located, such as being arranged vertically to the plane in which the first antenna 5 is located, and the second antenna 3 is a three-dimensional antenna. The second antenna 3 is used to match the antenna impedance and strengthen the antenna longitudinal direction radiation performance.

[0114] The second antenna 3 can be directly or indirectly connected to the first antenna 5. The second antenna 3 can be connected to the first antenna 5 through the microstrip transmission line 4, that is, one end of the microstrip transmission line 4 is connected to the first antenna 5, and the other end of the microstrip transmission line 4 penetrates the seal structure 2 and extends along the side wall of the recess 21 to be connected to the second antenna 3.

[0115] In some embodiments, the step 120 of forming a second antenna on the side wall of the recess comprises:

[0116] According to the three-dimensional model of the second antenna and the three-dimensional model of the seal structure, determining an antenna area of the side wall of the recess;

[0117] Forming the second antenna on the antenna area.

[0118] The antenna area includes the area where the second antenna 3 is located, and can also include the area where the partial microstrip transmission line 4 extending from the side wall of the recess 21 is located. The second antenna 3 and the partial microstrip transmission line 4 are formed integrally in the antenna area.

[0119] In some embodiments, before the second antenna is formed in the antenna area, the method further comprises:

[0120] Surface roughening treatment is performed on the antenna area.

[0121] The surface roughening treatment is performed on the antenna area by laser to increase the contact area of the second antenna 3 and the microstrip transmission line 4 in the antenna area, and to improve the adhesion strength of the second antenna 3 and the microstrip transmission line 4 to the sealing structure 2. Then, the second antenna 3 is formed on the roughened surface.

[0122] In some embodiments, the second antenna includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer.

[0123] The second antenna is formed in the antenna area, including:

[0124] The first metal layer is formed in the antenna area.

[0125] The second metal layer is plated on the surface of the first metal layer.

[0126] The first metal layer is formed in the antenna area using a synchronous powder feeding process, a laser-induced solid-phase or gas-phase deposition process. Then, the second metal layer is formed on the surface of the first metal layer using a chemical plating or electroplating process to thicken the metal layer.

[0127] In this embodiment, the first metal layer is first formed on the surface of the sealing structure 2 (i.e., the side wall of the recess 21) as a metal base material, and then the second metal layer is plated on the metal base material to thicken the second antenna 3, so that the second antenna 3 and the first antenna 5 together serve as the antenna of the electronic sealing tag, effectively improving the antenna electrical performance of the tag, reducing the size of the substrate, and improving the production yield.

[0128] In some embodiments, after the second antenna is formed on the side wall of the recess, the method further comprises:

[0129] The electronic sealing tag is visually inspected.

[0130] The prepared electronic sealing tag is visually inspected by CCD to determine whether the second antenna 3 has obvious burrs and whether there is obvious metal plating layer outside the antenna area. If obvious burrs are detected on the second antenna 3 of the electronic sealing tag, or there is a metal plating layer outside the antenna area, it is determined that the visual inspection is unqualified, indicating that the electronic sealing tag has defects, and the electronic sealing tag is removed.

[0131] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the second antenna 3 comprises at least one closed loop structure 31 distributed along the thickness direction X, each of the closed loop structures 31 extends along the side wall of the recess 21, and each of the closed loop structures 21 is connected with the first antenna 5 respectively. Figure 2

[0132] In some embodiments, the second antenna 3 comprises a spiral structure extending along the thickness direction X, and the spiral structure is connected with the first antenna 5.

[0133] According to the preparation method of the electronic seal tag provided by the embodiments of the present application, by arranging the second antenna 3 on the side of the substrate 1 away from the first antenna 5, and arranging the second antenna 3 on the side wall of the recess 21 of the seal structure 2, the second antenna 3 is out of the plane where the first antenna 5 is located, that is, the second antenna 3 is a three-dimensional antenna, and the second antenna 3 is connected with the first antenna 5, so that in the case of reducing the size of the substrate 1 and reducing the area of the first antenna 5, the area of the tag antenna (including the first antenna 5 and the second antenna 3) is not reduced or even increased, thereby meeting the production yield and cost requirements, improving the antenna gain, realizing the change of the radiation direction, and improving the tag read-write distance.

[0134] The terms "first", "second", and the like in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are usually a class, not limited to the number of objects, for example, the first object can be one or more.

[0135] In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more.

[0136] In the description of the present application, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiment", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present specification, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0137] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, replacements and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and purposes of the present application, and the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.​

Claims

1. An electronic sealing label, characterized in that, include: The substrate structure includes a substrate, a first antenna and a tag chip located on one side of the substrate in the thickness direction, and the first antenna is connected to the tag chip; A sealing structure, wherein the substrate structure is sealed within the sealing structure, and the outer side of the sealing structure has a recess, and the recess is located on the side of the substrate opposite to the first antenna; The second antenna is located on the side wall of the recess and is connected to the first antenna. The plane in which the second antenna is located is opposite to the plane in which the first antenna is located. The second antenna is a three-dimensional antenna. A microstrip transmission line, one end of which is connected to the first antenna, and the other end of which extends along the thickness direction through the substrate and the sealing structure and to the sidewall of the recess, and is connected to the second antenna. The second antenna includes at least one closed-loop structure spaced apart along the thickness direction, each of the closed-loop structures extending circumferentially along the sidewall of the recess, and each of the closed-loop structures being connected to the first antenna via the microstrip transmission line. or, The second antenna includes a helical structure that extends spirally along the thickness direction of the sidewall of the recess, and one end of the helical structure near the bottom of the recess is connected to the first antenna via the microstrip transmission line.

2. The electronic sealing label according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first antenna includes an inductor coil and a radiating arm; The inductor coil is disposed near the edge of the substrate and extends circumferentially along the substrate, and the two ends of the inductor coil are respectively connected to the tag chip; The radial support arm is located inside the inductor coil and extends circumferentially along the substrate, with one end of the radial support arm connected to the inductor coil.

3. The electronic sealing label according to claim 2, characterized in that, The inductor coil includes a bent wire and an extension wire; The bending line is disposed near the edge of the substrate and extends circumferentially along the substrate. Both ends of the bending line are connected to the tag chip. The extension line is located between the bending line and the radial support arm and is connected to the bending line.

4. The electronic sealing label according to claim 3, characterized in that, The bending line includes a first line segment and a second line segment alternately arranged along the circumference of the substrate, and a third line segment connecting adjacent first line segments and second line segments; The first line segment and the second line segment extend circumferentially along the substrate, one end of the extension line is connected to one end of the third line segment, and the other end of the extension line extends along the extension direction of the third line segment.

5. The electronic sealing label according to claim 2, characterized in that, One end of the microstrip transmission line is connected to the radiating arm, and the other end of the microstrip transmission line passes through the substrate and the sealing structure along the thickness direction and extends to the sidewall of the recess, where it is connected to the second antenna.

6. The electronic sealing label according to claim 5, characterized in that, The connection point between the microstrip transmission line and the radiating arm is near the end of the radiating arm that connects to the inductor coil.

7. The electronic sealing label according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The substrate includes a cutout area, the first antenna is disposed around the cutout area, and the orthographic projection of the second antenna on the substrate is located outside the cutout area.

8. The electronic sealing label according to claim 7, characterized in that, The substrate has a protrusion extending toward the cutout area, and the tag chip is located at the protrusion.

9. A method for preparing an electronic sealing tag as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, include: A substrate structure is sealed within a sealing structure. The substrate structure includes a substrate, a first antenna and a tag chip located on one side of the substrate in the thickness direction, and the first antenna is connected to the tag chip. The outer side of the sealing structure has a recess located on the side of the substrate opposite to the first antenna. A second antenna is formed on the sidewall of the recess. The second antenna is connected to the first antenna. The plane in which the second antenna is located is opposite to that of the first antenna. The second antenna is a three-dimensional antenna.

10. The method for preparing the electronic sealing tag according to claim 9, characterized in that, The process of forming a second antenna on the sidewall of the recess includes: Based on the three-dimensional model of the second antenna and the three-dimensional model of the sealing structure, the antenna region of the recessed sidewall is determined; The second antenna is formed in the antenna region.

11. The method for preparing the electronic sealing tag according to claim 10, characterized in that, The second antenna includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer; The formation of the second antenna in the antenna region includes: The first metal layer is formed in the antenna region; The second metal layer is deposited on the surface of the first metal layer.

12. The method for preparing the electronic sealing tag according to claim 10, characterized in that, Before forming the second antenna in the antenna region, the method further includes: The antenna region is subjected to surface roughening treatment.

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