Ultra-high frequency antenna device, ultra-high frequency antenna assembly, device method for forming antenna device and support material supply body

Abstract

The present disclosure provides, in various aspects, an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) antenna apparatus, an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) antenna assembly, a method of forming an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) antenna apparatus, and a support material supply. In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) antenna apparatus is provided that includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip and an antenna support having an antenna wiring pattern formed on a surface of the antenna support, and a UHF antenna loop electrically coupled with the RFID chip. The UHF antenna loop is configured to transmit and / or receive a frequency range in a UHF band, and includes a first loop portion formed by an antenna wiring pattern and a second loop portion at least partially extending to the outside of the antenna support.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultra high frequency (UHF) antenna device, an ultra high frequency (UHF) antenna assembly, a method of forming an ultra high frequency (UHF) antenna device, and a support material supply. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has become increasingly integrated into everyday life. In particular, RFID technology is being incorporated into numerous products, processes, tools, and / or equipment to assist in the processing and handling of goods and materials being processed. RFID technology enables identification from a distance, and unlike earlier barcode technology, it does so without requiring line of sight.

[0003] Today, there are many types of RFID devices, which generally fall into one of two categories: active RFID devices and passive RFID devices. Active RFID devices require a power source, while passive RFID devices do not and draw their energy for operation from the electromagnetic field applied to the RFID device to access their information. Therefore, compared to active RFID devices, passive RFID devices can be provided at a lower cost, smaller size, and with a longer lifespan, making their application range very broad and reaching nearly every field of technological application. Typical applications include the tagging of merchandise, identification of animals, making toys interactive, preventing theft, and locating lost items.

[0004] Typically, passive RFID devices are provided in the form of tags, which can be sized from very small to small enough to fit into devices in the centimeter range. Passive RFID tags typically consist of an antenna, a semiconductor chip attached to the antenna, and optionally some form of packaging to protect the antenna and chip from environmental conditions or reactants.

[0005] In small tag applications, the tag's antenna needs to respond to high frequencies, so RFID devices with centimeter-sized antennas require frequencies in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band, which ranges from approximately 300 MHz to 3 GHz. Antennas for receiving and / or transmitting UHF frequencies in the UHF band allow point-to-point communication. When using such antennas, it is possible to track UHF tags over relatively large distances (e.g., up to 10 meters) in the far field.

[0006] With increasing automation, there is an increasing need for individual traceability of various items, objects and commodities during processing, transport processing and / or storage processing.

[0007] There is an increasing demand for individual traceability of containers, such as, but not limited to, containers for medical devices, where traceability extends from the processing of the container to its final labeling, final use, and / or disposal. In the example of a container for a medical device, the cap of a syringe body is equipped with an RFID tag to allow traceability of the syringe body. However, the labeling of the syringe body cap presents various challenges to the preparation and integration of the RFID tag into the cap. On the one hand, the small geometric size of a conventional syringe body cap and the design of such a cap limit the available surface of the antenna loop of the RFID tag to the surface of the cap, thereby constraining the antenna loop geometry in such an RFID tag and limiting the read range of the RFID tag. On the other hand, it is important that the RFID tag of the medical container is resistant to the effects of disinfectants used in medical environments.

[0008] When equipping small objects (such as, but not limited to, the aforementioned medical containers) with RFID tags, particular challenges can arise in complying with adhesion requirements due to the small available volume and surface area of the object to be tagged with the RFID tag. In particular, the RFID tag should reliably adhere to the object within a highly constrained space. For example, when attempting to mold the RFID tag into the object, the following problem arises: retaining the RFID tag (vacuum / IML electrostatic pre-charging) within the injection molding (so-called "in-mold molding") cavity of the molding tool becomes extremely challenging. Reliable molding of the RFID tag into the object is susceptible to incompatibility between the molding material and the substrate material of the RFID tag carrying the antenna loop, such as delamination of the RFID tag from the surface of the object caused by this incompatibility. Alternative processing techniques offer two plastic parts and a sealed and inlaid tag. However, these techniques incur higher processing costs due to the increased number of processing steps, and the resulting device will not meet the thickness requirements of medical containers (e.g., needle caps).

[0009] Document WO 2022 / 094382 A1 shows a tip cap assembly for coupling with a syringe body, wherein an RFID tag is positioned on the distal end of the tip cap.

[0010] In view of the above discussion of the related art, it would be desirable to provide UHF antenna devices and methods of forming such antenna devices that overcome the problems and shortcomings of known devices. Summary of the Invention

[0011] In various aspects of the present disclosure, the foregoing and other objects are at least partially overcome by ultra high frequency (UHF) antenna devices, ultra high frequency (UHF) antenna assemblies, methods of forming ultra high frequency (UHF) antenna devices, and support material supplies.

[0012] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna device is provided. In an illustrative embodiment of the first aspect, the UHF antenna device includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip and an antenna support, and a UHF antenna loop electrically coupled to the RFID chip, the antenna support having an antenna wiring pattern formed on the surface of the antenna support. The UHF antenna loop is configured to transmit and / or receive a frequency range in the UHF band, and includes a first loop portion formed by the antenna wiring pattern and a second loop portion extending at least partially to the outside of the antenna support. The antenna wiring pattern does not provide a fully functional UHF antenna loop. In particular, the antenna wiring pattern is supplemented by the second loop portion so as to provide a fully functional UHF antenna loop only in combination with the second loop portion, so that the UHF antenna loop achieves a specific resonant frequency desired for a specific application of the UHF antenna device.

[0013] According to the first aspect, the UHF antenna loop is not limited to the surface of the antenna support, thereby allowing the UHF antenna device to be read essentially along a direction that is not perpendicular to the surface of the antenna support. In addition, when the UHF antenna loop is decoupled from the surface of the antenna support, greater flexibility in applying the antenna support to components that are to be equipped with the UHF antenna device is possible. In particular, the size and / or shape of the antenna support can be decoupled from the specific application of the antenna support (for example, a specific shape required for a specific application) because the UHF antenna loop is not exclusively limited to the size and shape of the antenna support. Therefore, tuning of the resonant frequency of the UHF antenna loop can be achieved based on the second loop portion independently of the first loop portion.

[0014] In the illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, the UHF band is identified as a frequency band ranging from about 300 MHz to about 3 GHz. The frequency range that can be transmitted and / or received by the UHF antenna loop is understood to mean a frequency range that at least partially overlaps the UHF band.

[0015] In some illustrative embodiments of the first aspect, the antenna support body may be formed by a support body having a slotted shape (e.g., a cylindrical shape, such as a hollow cylindrical shape obtained by bending and / or rolling the support body into a slotted shape). The slotted shape has an outer surface and an inner surface radially opposite to the outer surface, the outer surface and the inner surface being interrupted at a slit extending axially along the support body. The antenna wiring pattern may include at least two contact pads formed in the inner surface and separated by a gap extending over a gap region between the two contact pads. In addition, a bridge portion may be formed on the inner surface for electrically coupling at least two of the at least two contact pads on the support body along a first circumferential region along the inner surface, wherein the bridge portion is electrically coupled to the RFID chip. In the illustrative examples, the antenna support body may represent a slotted sleeve or a hollow cylindrical body, wherein the antenna wiring pattern is formed on a surface (e.g., an inner surface) of the support body. Providing an antenna support in the form of a support in a slotted hollow cylindrical shape allows providing a UHF antenna device in the application of marking cylindrical items with the UHF antenna device. In addition, providing at least two contact pads coupled by the RFID chip allows simple but effective contact between the antenna wiring pattern and the second loop portion. In some illustrative examples of this article, the RFID chip can be located within the first circumferential region so that a compact antenna support integrated with the RFID chip can be provided. In some other illustrative examples of this article, the second loop portion can include a slotted ring electrically connected to at least two contact pads (the at least two contact pads are electrically connected to the RFID chip) so that the self-supporting second loop portion is realized by the slotted ring, thereby allowing the antenna device to be read along the direction of the slotted ring, the direction being perpendicular to the plane of the embedded ring (that is, the ring can be embedded or can be approximated as a virtual plane including the ring with the best fit solution (for example, least squares method)). The slotted ring represents an elastically deformable element, which allows the diameter of the slotted ring to be elastically reduced due to its slotted configuration.

[0016] The term "cylindrical" is understood to mean a shape corresponding to a cylinder, or a shape corresponding to a shape that can be obtained by elastically or inelastically deforming a cylinder, such as by squeezing and / or bending and / or rolling and / or stretching and / or shearing and / or a combination thereof, so that at least one corner or rounded corner is present. The cross-sectional shape of a cylindrical body can be, for example, a polygonal shape having one or more rounded corners.

[0017] The term "ring" is understood to mean a shape corresponding to a ring, or a shape corresponding to a shape that can be obtained by elastically or inelastically deforming the ring, such as by squeezing and / or bending and / or rolling and / or stretching and / or shearing and / or combinations thereof, so that at least one corner or rounded corner is present. The cross-sectional shape of the ring body and / or its top view can be, for example, a polygonal shape with one or more rounded corners.

[0018] In some specific illustrative examples, the slotted ring can have a diameter ranging from about 1 mm to about 50 mm, thereby illustrating a very compact antenna arrangement. Additionally or alternatively, as illustrative but non-limiting examples of slotted ring configurations, the slotted ring can have a flat, circular, or quadrilateral cross-sectional shape. Generally, the slotted ring can be embodied in a shape and size such that the second loop portion is suitable for any desired technical application, the second loop portion being configured independently of the first loop portion of the antenna loop, as long as the first loop portion and the second loop portion can be coupled to the UHF antenna loop.

[0019] In a specific illustrative example of a slotted ring, the slotted ring may have a slit formed therein that extends axially along the inner surface in the second circumferential region. The first circumferential region and the second circumferential region may be arranged to at least partially overlap, and / or the gap region and the second circumferential region may be arranged to at least partially overlap. Thus, any interference between the ring and the RFID chip and / or between the contact pads and the ring may be avoided.

[0020] In some other exemplary embodiments of the first aspect, the antenna support can be formed by a support sheet rolled into a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shape. When selecting an antenna support in the form of a support sheet, a very thin and flexible antenna support can be provided that can be adapted to any desired shape of the second loop portion and / or to the surface of an item to be marked with the UHF antenna device. The corresponding antenna support can be embodied with a desired non-planar (e.g., curved) surface that models the surface area to be marked by the UHF antenna device.

[0021] In some illustrative embodiments of the first aspect, the antenna support can be formed of a thermoplastic material. According to the examples herein, the antenna support can be formed of polyolefins such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE). When the material of the antenna support is appropriately selected, the antenna support can be provided in accordance with the material of the item to be marked with the UHF antenna device. For example, when the UHF antenna device is applied to mark an in-mold product, the material of the antenna support can be selected to be equal to or best match the material of the in-mold product. Therefore, the antenna support can be integrated into the in-mold process without compromising the integrity of the molded product. For example, when using a material similar to or equivalent to the in-mold material used in the in-mold antenna device, the formation of bubbles and / or peeling of the antenna support of the item to be marked can be avoided.

[0022] According to some demonstrative embodiments of the first aspect, the antenna wiring pattern can be formed from a conductive material (e.g., silver or other conductive material) deposited on an antenna support, or the antenna wiring pattern can include one or more strip layer elements having a strip layer thickness ranging from about 1 μm to about 1000 μm. For example, silver material can be advantageously deposited on an antenna support formed from a thermoplastic material because silver material has the best adhesion to thermoplastic materials when compared to copper or aluminum. However, forming the antenna wiring pattern from silver is not intended to limit the present disclosure to this material, and conductive materials other than silver, such as gold and / or copper and / or aluminum and alloys thereof, can be contemplated as alternatives.

[0023] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna assembly is provided. In an illustrative embodiment of the second aspect, the UHF antenna assembly includes an assembly body and the UHF antenna device of the first aspect. The UHF antenna device is integrated into the assembly body.

[0024] In some illustrative embodiments of the second aspect, the assembly body can be a sleeve body or include a sleeve body portion. In some other illustrative embodiments, the antenna support body can be molded into the assembly body, such that the UHF antenna assembly is at least partially embedded in the assembly body. For example, the UHF antenna loop can be at least partially embedded in the assembly body. This can thus be easily protected from environmental influences.

[0025] In some illustrative examples herein, an outer side surface of the support body may be exposed in an outer surface region of the component body, so that the antenna wiring pattern may be protected from environmental influences. The outer side surface of the antenna support body may be understood to mean a surface of the antenna support body opposite to a surface of the antenna support body on which the antenna wiring pattern is formed.

[0026] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method for forming an ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna device is provided. In an illustrative embodiment of the third aspect, the method includes: providing a support material supply for feeding a support material; forming a repeated pattern of an antenna wiring loop on the surface of the support material supplied by the support material supply, wherein the support material has a plurality of antenna field areas, each antenna field area being provided with an antenna wiring loop; removing at least one antenna field area from the plurality of antenna field areas formed on the surface of the support material from the support material supply; preparing an antenna support based on at least one antenna field area, wherein a partial antenna wiring loop defining a first loop portion has an antenna wiring pattern formed in each antenna field area removed; and completing the partial antenna wiring loop into a complete UHF antenna loop by electrically coupling a second loop portion to the first loop portion. The second loop portion extends at least partially to the outside of the antenna support. In this article, the partial antenna wiring loop is obtained during or after removing at least one antenna field area from the support material supply when removing the wiring loop portion of the antenna wiring loop.

[0027] The second loop portion at least partially extending to the outside of the antenna support is understood to indicate that the second loop portion is not basically formed by the antenna wiring pattern, but rather represents a separate element electrically coupled to the antenna wiring pattern. Neither the first loop portion nor the second loop portion itself provides a functional antenna loop, only the combination of the first loop portion and the second loop portion provides a functional antenna loop. In addition, the second loop portion extending to the outside of the antenna support is understood to mean that a portion of the second loop portion extends relative to the antenna support in a manner such that this portion of the second loop portion is not in direct mechanical contact with the antenna support. In this article, direct mechanical contact of this portion of the second loop portion with the antenna support means that a specific portion of the second loop portion is not in direct mechanical contact with the antenna support or the antenna wiring portion. Instead, at least one dielectric material extends between this portion of the second loop portion and the antenna support.

[0028] In some illustrative embodiments of the third aspect, the antenna wiring loop in each antenna field area may include at least two contact pads. In addition, forming a repeating pattern may include electrically coupling the antenna wiring loop to a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip before removing the antenna wiring loop of at least one antenna field area. Therefore, reliable contact between the antenna wiring loop and the second loop portion is possible, and a functional UHF antenna wiring loop can be prepared by coupling the RFID chip to the antenna wiring loop at an early stage during the manufacture of the UHF antenna device. This allows the antenna wiring loop to be tested during the early stages of the manufacturing process. In the illustrative examples of this article, preparing the antenna support body may include rolling at least one antenna field area to be removed into a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shape. Therefore, the antenna support body can be easily obtained. In some other illustrative examples of this article, the method may also include testing the at least one antenna field area coupled to the RFID chip by exposing the at least one antenna field area coupled to the RFID chip to a UHF reader device. Therefore, testing is performed early during manufacturing.

[0029] In some illustrative embodiments of the second aspect, forming a repeating pattern of the antenna wiring loop may include depositing a conductive material layer, such as a silver material layer, on the surface of the support material by screen printing the conductive material layer on the surface of the support material. Therefore, the repeating pattern of the antenna wiring loop can be easily implemented and reproduced in large-scale production. In the specific illustrative examples herein, the conductive material can be a silver material, and the conductive material layer can be a silver material layer, and the silver can be advantageously formed on the surface of a thermoplastic material (such as PE, PET or PP). However, forming the antenna wiring pattern from silver is not intended to limit the present disclosure to this material, and the use of conductive materials other than silver, such as gold and / or copper and / or aluminum and alloys thereof, can be considered instead.

[0030] In some other illustrative embodiments of the second aspect, forming a repeating pattern of an antenna wiring loop may alternatively include depositing a conductive material layer (e.g., a silver material layer) on the surface of a support material, and patterning the deposited conductive material layer by applying an etching process. Thus, a repeating pattern can be provided in an alternative but simple manufacturing process suitable for mass production. In the specific illustrative examples herein, the conductive material can be a silver material, and the conductive material layer can be a silver material layer, and the silver can advantageously be formed on the surface of a thermoplastic material (e.g., PE, PET, or PP). However, forming the antenna wiring pattern from silver is not intended to limit the present disclosure to that material, and conductive materials other than silver, such as gold and / or copper and / or aluminum and alloys thereof, may be considered instead.

[0031] According to some demonstrative embodiments of the third aspect, removing at least one of the plurality of antenna field regions may include applying one or more stamping processes to separate the at least one of the antenna field regions from the support material supply, thereby making it easier to provide a separate removed antenna field region.

[0032] According to some illustrative embodiments of the third aspect, completing the partial antenna wiring loop into a complete UHF antenna loop may include: inserting the separated antenna field area into the mold cavity of a molding tool so that the partial antenna wiring loop is exposed to the interior of the mold cavity; inserting a slotted ring into the mold cavity so that the slotted ring is in mechanical contact with the partial antenna wiring loop to complete the partial antenna wiring loop into a complete UHF antenna loop, wherein the slit of the slotted ring is arranged to contact the antenna field area, and injecting molding material into the cavity of the molding tool. This is a specific illustrative example of an advantageous molding process. However, but not limited to, inserting the slotted ring into the mold cavity can be replaced by arranging a second loop portion (e.g., a line portion or a strip, etc.) on the partial antenna wiring loop to complete the partial antenna wiring loop into a complete UHF antenna loop. The complete UHF antenna loop can be formed so that the contacts of the second loop portion electrically contact the partial antenna wiring loop. Thus, an in-mold UHF antenna loop at least partially embedded in the molding material can be achieved.

[0033] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing an ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna device is provided. In an illustrative embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method includes: providing a support material supply for feeding a support material, the support material forming a repeating pattern of at least two contact pads on a plurality of antenna field regions of the support material, each of the plurality of antenna field regions including a repeating pattern of at least two contact pads; forming a bridge portion in each antenna field region for electrically coupling two of the at least two contact pads, the bridge portion including an RFID chip that electrically couples at least two of the at least two contact pads to each other; and forming a repeating test structure pattern having at least one test check on the support material for supplementing the at least two contact pads coupled to the RFID chip into a UHF loop structure in each antenna field region. Therefore, an antenna device that is testable at an early stage during manufacturing can be provided, wherein the UHF loop structure represents a UHF test loop that is testable at an early stage during manufacturing.

[0034] In some illustrative examples herein, forming a repeating pattern of at least two contact pads and / or forming a repeating test structure pattern includes: depositing a conductive material layer on the surface of a support material, and patterning the deposited conductive material layer by applying an etching process. Alternatively, the conductive material layer can be deposited on the surface of the support material by screen printing the conductive material onto the surface of the support material. In the specific illustrative examples herein, the conductive material can be a silver material, and the conductive material layer can be a silver material layer, and the silver can be advantageously formed on the surface of a thermoplastic material (such as PE, PET or PP). However, forming the antenna wiring pattern from silver is not intended to limit the present disclosure to this material, and conductive materials other than silver, such as gold and / or copper and / or aluminum and alloys thereof, can be considered instead.

[0035] In some illustrative embodiments of the fourth aspect, the method may further include applying one or more stamping processes to separate the antenna field regions from the support material supply and remove the test structure pattern from each antenna field region. In some specific illustrative examples herein, the method may further include repairing the antenna support by rolling at least one removed antenna field region into a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shape.

[0036] In some illustrative embodiments of the fourth aspect, the method may further include: inserting the separated antenna field areas into respective mold cavities of a molding tool so that the contact pads of the respective antenna field areas are exposed to the interior of the corresponding mold cavities of the molding tool; inserting the slotted ring into the respective mold cavities of a molding tool equipped with the corresponding separated antenna field areas so that the slotted ring is in mechanical contact with at least two of the at least two contact pads coupled by the bridge portion in its corresponding mold cavity, and the slit of the slotted ring is arranged at the bridge portion of the corresponding mold cavity; and injecting molding material into the respective cavities of the molding tool.

[0037] In some demonstrative embodiments of the third and / or fourth aspects, the support material supply may include a roll of support material wound on a reel, and providing the support material supply may include reel-to-reel feeding of the support material.

[0038] In some illustrative embodiments of the third and / or fourth aspects, the support material may be a thermoplastic material.

[0039] In some demonstrative embodiments of the third and / or fourth aspects, the UHF antenna device of the first aspect may be formed in a manufacturing process and / or the UHF antenna assembly of the second aspect may be formed in a manufacturing process.

[0040] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a support material supply is provided. In an illustrative embodiment herein, the support material supply includes a roll of support material wound on a reel, and a repeating pattern of antenna wiring loops is formed on a surface of the support material supplied by the support material supply. The support material has a plurality of antenna field regions and a plurality of RFID chips, each antenna field region being provided with an antenna wiring loop, and each of the plurality of RFID chips being electrically coupled to the antenna wiring loop of each antenna field region.

[0041] In some illustrative embodiments of the fifth aspect, the repeating pattern of the antenna wiring loop may include at least two contact pads in each antenna field area, and a bridging portion within each antenna field area that is electrically coupled to at least two of the at least two contact pads in each antenna field area, wherein the bridging portion within each antenna field area includes an RFID chip.

[0042] In some demonstrative embodiments of the fifth aspect, the support material can be a thermoplastic material.

[0043] In some demonstrative embodiments of the fifth aspect, the repeating pattern of the antenna wiring loop may include a conductive material, such as a silver material or other conductive material, formed on a surface of the support material.

[0044] In some demonstrative embodiments of the fifth aspect, the support material supply may be formed in the method of the third and / or fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Various illustrative embodiments and other advantages of various aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description of the drawings presented below.

[0046] Figure 1 An antenna arrangement according to some demonstrative embodiments of the present disclosure is schematically shown in a perspective view.

[0047] Figure 2 Another antenna device according to other illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure is schematically shown in a perspective view.

[0048] Figures 3a to 3c A second circuit portion is shown in perspective view, according to some demonstrative embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 4 Schematically illustrated are initial stages during the manufacture of a support material employed in accordance with some demonstrative embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0050] Figure 5 A supply of support material according to some demonstrative embodiments of the present disclosure is schematically illustrated during further processing according to some demonstrative embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 6 Antenna field areas are schematically illustrated, according to some demonstrative embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 7 Antenna field areas according to some other illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are schematically illustrated.

[0053] Figures 8a to 8c A process for manufacturing an antenna device according to some other illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure is schematically illustrated.

[0054] The drawings of the present disclosure are provided only to schematically illustrate some concepts and aspects of the disclosure and do not show all possible details of certain embodiments and are not necessarily to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] refer to Figure 1 3 , various illustrative embodiments of ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna devices will be described.

[0056] In the illustrative embodiments described below, the UHF antenna assembly is configured to transmit and / or receive a frequency range. This frequency range includes frequencies in the UHF band, which is identified by a frequency range from approximately 300 MHz to approximately 3 GHz. In particular, the frequency range that can be transmitted and / or received by the UHF antenna assembly can be understood to mean a frequency range that at least partially overlaps with the UHF band.

[0057] refer to Figure 1 , schematically illustrates in perspective view an ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna device 1 according to some illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure. The UHF antenna device 1 includes an RFID chip 2, an antenna support 4, and a UHF antenna loop 6 electrically coupled to the RFID chip 2.

[0058] According to some illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure, antenna support 4 may be formed from a flexible substrate (such as a flexible printed circuit board substrate, such as a PET substrate). Alternatively, antenna support 4 may be a rigid or self-supporting body of material, such as a molded body formed into a desired shape. Still alternatively, antenna support 4 may be provided by a rigid or flexible printed circuit board substrate.

[0059] In some specific illustrative but non-limiting examples, the antenna support 4 may be formed of a thermoplastic material, such as a polyolefin material, etc. In some specific illustrative examples herein, the antenna support 4 may be provided as a support sheet formed of a foil of a thermoplastic material, such as a foil of a polyolefin material, etc.

[0060] like Figure 1As shown in FIG, the UHF antenna loop 6 includes a first loop portion including an antenna wiring pattern 6a formed on the surface 4i of the antenna support body. For example, the antenna wiring pattern 6a includes at least two contact pads, such as the contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 shown. Although Figure 1 Only two contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 are shown, but this does not constitute any limitation to the present disclosure, and a greater number of contact pads than two may instead be formed on the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4.

[0061] In some illustrative but non-limiting examples, the contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 formed on the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4 (providing the illustrated antenna wiring pattern 6a) are formed into an L shape. However, this shape of the contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 is not limited to the present disclosure, and any desired and appropriate shape of the contact pads 6a1 and 6a2, such as a T-shape, a C-shape, a disk shape, a polygonal shape, an elliptical shape, etc., may be implemented instead.

[0062] Continue to refer Figure 1 , the UHF antenna loop 6 also includes a second loop portion 6b that partially extends to the outside of the antenna support body 4. The second loop portion 6b represents an element of the UHF antenna loop 6 that is not formed as a portion of the antenna wiring pattern 6a on the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4. The second loop portion 6b has an integral portion that is not in direct mechanical contact with the antenna support body 4 and the antenna wiring pattern 6a. For example, Figure 1 As shown in FIG, the second loop portion 6b has a loop portion 6br (representing an integral portion of the second loop portion 6b) that extends without direct mechanical contact with the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4 and the antenna wiring pattern 6a. In other words, the second loop portion 6b represents an element of the UHF antenna loop 6 that is separate from the antenna wiring pattern 6a and extends outside the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4 on which the antenna wiring pattern 6a is formed. Therefore, the second loop portion 6 allows the size of the UHF antenna loop 6 to be adjusted without being limited to the specific dimensions of the antenna support body 4.

[0063] refer to Figure 1 In the illustrative example shown in FIG, the second loop portion 6b is implemented as a slotted ring having a slit 6s extending along the circumference of the slotted ring 6b over a circumferential region r2. The antenna wiring pattern 6a has contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 arranged on the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4 such that the two contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 are not in direct contact with each other but are separated by a gap g on the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4, which extends over a gap region rg between the two contact pads 6a1 and 6a2.

[0064] Continue to refer Figure 1The two contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 are electrically coupled via a bridge portion on the gap g, the bridge portion including the RFID chip 2. Figure 1 In the illustration, the RFID chip 2 forms a bridge portion. However, this does not constitute any limitation to the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art will understand that the bridge portion may include a conductive line (not illustrated) extending between at least one of the contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 and the RFID chip 2. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the RFID chip 2 being arranged directly on the contact pads or directly close to the contact pads 6a1 and 6a2. In some alternative embodiments (not illustrated), the RFID chip 2 may be provided separately from the contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 on the surface 4i, or may even be provided on a surface 4o of the antenna support 4 opposite to the surface 4i. In Figure 1 In the example of Figure 1 The bridge portion extends over the circumferential area indicated by the reference numeral r1.

[0065] According to the illustrative embodiment, the circumferential region r2 at least partially overlaps at least one of the gap region rg and the circumferential region r1 so that the second loop portion 6b does not interfere with at least one of the bridge portion 2 and the antenna wiring pattern 6a.

[0066] In some illustrative examples herein, the RFID chip 2 may be located outside the circumferential region r2 in direct mechanical contact with the contact pads 6a1 and 6a2. Furthermore, only the gap g separating the contact pads 6a1 and 6a2 in the surface 4i of the antenna support 4 may be within the circumferential region r2. Thus, the circumferential region r2 and the gap region rg at least partially overlap, i.e., Figure 1 The complete overlap shown in .

[0067] In some illustrative but not exemplary embodiments, the RFID chip 2 may define a region greater than Figure 1 Circumferential region r1 shown in FIG, does not interfere with slit 6s of ring 6b due to L-shaped contact pads 6a1 and 6a2, i.e., bridges gap g at the surface area of antenna wiring pattern 6a outside slit 6s. RFID chip 2 can be arranged at circumferential region r2 within slit 6s without interfering with ring 6b.

[0068] Continue to refer Figure 1 The antenna wiring pattern 6a can be provided by a conductive material deposited on the surface 4i or attached to the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4, for example, by adhesion, bonding, or welding. Alternatively, the antenna wiring pattern 6a can be formed by blanket depositing a conductive material on the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4 and then etching the antenna wiring pattern 6a into the surface 4i of the antenna support body 4.

[0069] In some specific illustrative examples herein, the antenna wiring pattern 6a can be formed by depositing (e.g., by full-film deposition followed by etching or screen printing) a silver material on the surface 4i. In some specific illustrative examples herein, the antenna wiring pattern 6a can have a characteristic thickness of 1 μm to about 1000 μm. In some alternative examples, the antenna wiring pattern 6a can be formed of a gold material, a copper material, an aluminum material, and / or alloys thereof.

[0070] refer to Figure 2 , schematically illustrates an ultra-high frequency (UHF) antenna assembly 10, the UHF antenna assembly 10 includes the above-mentioned Figure 1 The UHF antenna device 1 and the assembly body 12 are, for example, a sleeve body in which the UHF antenna device 1 is at least partially embedded. For example, the UHF antenna loop 6 of the UHF antenna device 1 can be at least partially embedded in the sleeve body 12 by in-molding or by inserting the sleeve body 12 into the loop of the antenna device 1 and attaching the loop of the antenna device 1 to the sleeve body 12. Figure 2 In the example shown, the surface 4o of the UHF antenna device 1 is exposed on the side surface of the sleeve body 12. However, this does not limit the present disclosure, and the antenna device 1 can be completely embedded in the sleeve body 12, for example, by in-mold molding, so that no part of the UHF antenna device 1 is exposed in the sleeve body 12. In other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the antenna wiring pattern 6a and the second loop portion 6b can be at least partially embedded in the sleeve body 12.

[0071] refer to Figure 2 The UHF antenna assembly 10 can provide the following advantages: the configuration of the outer surface of the sleeve body 12 does not affect the UHF antenna loop 6 of the UHF antenna device 1, in particular, the surface area of the outer surface of the sleeve body 12 does not constrain the area covered by the UHF antenna loop 6 of the UHF antenna device 1.

[0072] In some illustrative embodiments and as Figure 2 As shown, the UHF antenna device 1 can be exposed at the outer surface of the sleeve body 12. However, this does not impose any limitation, and the UHF antenna device 1 can be integrated into the sleeve body 12 so that the outer surface of the sleeve body 12 can be a smooth surface, that is, without any steps or projection patterns caused by the UHF antenna device 1. Therefore, when the UHF antenna device 1 is fully accommodated in the sleeve body 12, damage to the UHF antenna device 1 can be avoided.

[0073] refer to Figures 3a to 3c , Figure 1 Different implementations of the second circuit portion 6b in FIG. 1 are schematically shown as equivalent second circuit portions, which can be substituted without limitation. Figure 1In particular, Figure 3a The second circuit portion is shown as a slotted ring element with a flat cross section, Figure 3b The second circuit portion is shown as a slotted ring having a circular cross section, and Figure 3c The second loop portion is shown as having a slotted quadrilateral cross section. However, this is for illustration purposes only and those skilled in the art will appreciate that, as with respect to Figures 1 to 3c The circular second loop portion shown is not limited to the present disclosure, and a polygonal second loop portion with a slit, optionally with one or more rounded corners, may be considered instead. For example, Figures 3a to 3c Any of the second circuit sections shown in Figures 3a to 3c The second loop portion is replaced by a deformed replacement loop portion obtained by deforming each of the loop portions shown in the figure. The deformation includes any bending of the loop portion, including bending to form an angular or polygonal shape or an elliptical shape of at least a portion of the loop shown. Basically, the second loop portion is designed to supplement the wiring pattern provided in the surface of an antenna support of any shape to a complete UHF loop in the following manner: the portion of the second loop portion for completing the antenna wiring pattern into a complete UHF loop extends to the outside of the surface of the antenna support so that the portion extending out of the surface of the antenna support is not in direct contact with the surface of the antenna support. In other words, the UHF loop receiving space is extended in three dimensions, which overcomes the limitation of the wiring pattern on the planar pattern provided on the surface of the antenna support.

[0074] After reading this disclosure in its entirety, those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 1 and Figure 2 The antenna loop 6 of the UHF antenna device 1 can be designed to achieve a specific resonant frequency. Thus, the UHF antenna device 1 can be provided to transmit and / or receive electromagnetic radiation having a desired specific resonant frequency. For example, the resonant frequency can be defined by the specific design of the first loop portion 6a and the second loop portion 6b. For example, the tuning of the resonant frequency can be achieved by defining the second loop portion 6b with a specific design (for example, by defining the shape of the second loop portion 6b (for example, as described above with respect to Figures 3a to 3c The second circuit portion 6b) is realized by at least one of the above-mentioned manner, diameter, material and size.

[0075] refer to Figure 4 , a UHF antenna device (e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 1 The UHF antenna device 1) or UHF antenna assembly (for example, as described above with respect to Figure 2 The manufacturing of the UHF antenna assembly 10).

[0076] Figure 4Schematically, a support material supply R1 is shown for feeding support material 14 to a manufacturing machine M configured to perform at least one of a sequence of processes schematically indicated by processes P1 to Pn. That is, only a single process P1 or a sequence of processes P1, P2 or P1, P2, P3 or P1, P2, P3 ... Pn (where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 3 (n ≥ 3)) may be performed to process the support material 14 supplied by the support material supply R1. In some illustrative embodiments and as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As schematically illustrated in FIG, the support material supply R1 may be a reel on which the support material 14 is wound. This illustrative example is adopted in an embodiment in which the support material 14 is a foil, a flexible sheet or a flexible PCB material. However, this does not constitute any limitation to the present disclosure, and in the case of a rigid and non-deformable support material, the support material may be supplied from an appropriate support material supply for storing and supplying rigid material to the manufacturing machine M. Although the manufacturing machine M is referred to as a machine in the singular, this does not constitute any limitation to the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art will understand that a plurality of machines may be included that are coupled together or separated and distributed at different locations, so that different processes may be performed at different times at different manufacturing locations.

[0077] refer to Figure 4 , schematically illustrating a reel-to-reel process, wherein a support material supply R1 supplies or feeds a support material 14 to a manufacturing machine M, which performs one or more manufacturing processes P1, ..., Pn on the support material 14, such as forming an antenna wiring pattern 18 on the surface 16 of the support material 14, and after completion of the processes P1, ..., Pn, the processed support material 14' is fed or supplied at the outlet of the machine M to a reel R2 of the support material supply representing a further stage during manufacturing.

[0078] According to some illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure, a support material supplier R1 may feed a support material 14 to a manufacturing machine M for performing a process P1 of forming a repeated pattern of antenna wiring loops on a surface (i.e., surface 16) of the support material 14, wherein the support material 14 at the time of termination of the process P1 has a plurality of antenna fields (not illustrated) formed on the surface 16, each antenna field being provided with an antenna wiring loop ( Figure 4 Therefore, in the case where only the process P1 is performed (P1, ..., Pn = P1), the support material 14' supplied to the reel R2 has a repeated pattern of antenna working loops formed thereon, as shown in this respect. Figure 418. In some illustrative examples herein, the process P1 may be followed by a subsequent process P2 (Pn, n=2), in which the RFID chips are arranged in respective antenna field regions of the support material 14'.

[0079] According to some demonstrative embodiments of the present disclosure, process P1 may correspond to a screen printing process in which a conductive material for forming an antenna wiring loop is printed onto surface 16 of support material 14. Alternatively, process P1 may include a sequence of sub-processes including blanket deposition of a layer of conductive material on surface 16 of support material 14, followed by an etching process for patterning the blanket deposited conductive material into a repeating pattern of antenna wiring loops across multiple antenna field areas on surface 16 of support material 14.

[0080] refer to Figure 5 , schematically illustrating stages during the processing of a support material. Figure 5 The stages shown in the above can be Figure 4 After the manufacturing process described (in this case, reel R2 is used as Figure 5 a support material supplier at the stage shown in FIG), or Figure 5 The stages shown in Figure 4 The final processing of the processing sequence P1, ..., Pn at the end of the machine M in Figure 5 The reel R1 shown in FIG is used as a support material supply, and Figure 4 The processing in does not have a reel-to-reel processing configuration and R2 is omitted in this case).

[0081] like Figure 5 As shown in Figure 5 The stage shown in FIG is the cutting / punching stage CP, in which the support material 14 ′ is formed by Figure 5 The support material supplies R1 , R2 in FIG. 1 are supplied and fed to a cutting / punching process stage CP to separate the support material 14 ′ into a plurality of separate antenna field regions 21 .

[0082] refer to Figure 5 The support material 14' supplied by the support material suppliers R1 and R2 has a repeated pattern 20 of antenna wiring loops 20a and 20b formed thereon. The antenna wiring loops 18a and 18b provided in each of the plurality of antenna field areas 20a and 20b can be equipped with RFID chips 17a and 17b so that the antenna wiring loops are represented in Figure 5 That is, the surface 16 of the support material 14' is provided with a functional antenna wiring loop, which can be Figure 5In this regard, one of the processes P1, ..., Pn after forming a functional antenna wiring loop in each antenna field area 20 may include a UHF reading device for subjecting the plurality of antenna field areas 20 to a test read. Based on the test read, it is possible to Figure 4 The reel shown in the Figure 4 Identifying faulty antenna wiring loops in support material supplies R1 , R2 during reel-to-reel processing as shown in FIG.

[0083] about Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the stamping process CP will be described in more detail. At this point it is emphasized that although Figures 5 to 7 Specific antenna wiring loop patterns are explicitly illustrated, but the illustration of specific antenna wiring loop patterns is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It is intended only to provide a clear teaching of the concept of preparing a testable antenna wiring loop during the manufacture of a support material supply, which can then be further processed to produce a support material that can be formed into a UHF antenna device (see above regarding Figures 1 to 3c The antenna device 1) is used to further manufacture an antenna support body (see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The antenna support body 4) is the basis of the antenna support body 4).

[0084] refer to Figure 6 , schematically illustrated in top view with Figure 5 The antenna field area 20a corresponds to the enlarged view of the antenna field area 20a in FIG. The antenna field area 20a includes an antenna wiring loop 18a, which is formed in the form of an antenna wiring pattern. Figure 5 14 '. Antenna wiring loop 18a is electrically coupled to RFID chip 17a, which forms a bridge between two contact pads 24a and 24b. Thus, antenna wiring loop 18a is fully functional and can be tested by exposing antenna wiring loop 18a to a UHF test reader (not shown). When antenna wiring loop 18a is appropriately defined based on any of the portions for which antenna wiring loop 18a is designed with respect to shape and / or width and / or material and / or size, a specific resonant frequency of antenna wiring loop 18a is defined and / or tuned.

[0085] When Figure 5 The support material 14' is subjected to Figure 5 When cutting / punching CP, Figure 6 As shown by the dotted line CT1 in FIG, the antenna field area 20a is pressed. Figure 6 The cutting line CT1 in FIG. 2 is cut / punched by the cutting / punching process CP, which cuts / punches away a portion of the antenna field area 20a, so that the portion 26 connecting the contact pads 24a and 24b to form a loop is removed, thereby coupling the contact pads 24a and 24b only through the bridge portion 17a (i.e., the RFID chip 17a). Therefore, after the cutting / punching process CP, a portion of the antenna wiring loop 24 remains, which includes the two contact pads 24a, 24b and the RFID chip 17a. Then, with the help of the above-mentioned Figures 1 to 3c The second loop section 6b (not illustrated) described above supplements the partial wiring loop 24 obtained accordingly to the UHF antenna loop (not illustrated) according to the above second loop section 6b. Figure 5 , with the aid of the antenna field region 20 ′ after the cutting / punching process CP, Figure 5 The resulting partial antenna wiring loop 22 in is not a complete UHF antenna loop at this stage during manufacture. Figure 5 The antenna field area after the cutting / punching process CP can be subjected to the following Figures 8a to 8c The antenna support body 21 is further processed.

[0086] refer to Figure 7 , alternative embodiments of antenna wiring patterns are described in more detail.

[0087] refer to Figure 7 , schematically shows an alternative but non-limiting embodiment of an antenna field portion 30a in a top view. Figure 7 In the illustrative example, when applying Figure 5 When the process described above is performed, the antenna field portion 30a can be implemented to replace the Figure 5 The antenna field area 20a shown in FIG. Figure 5 The disclosure presented applies accordingly Figure 7 .

[0088] The antenna field region 30a includes an antenna wiring pattern 34, which may be formed accordingly. Figure 5 The antenna wiring loop on the surface 16 of the support material 14'. The antenna wiring pattern 34 can be connected to the RFID chip (not shown, corresponding to Figure 5 and Figure 6The antenna wiring pattern 34 is electrically coupled to an RFID chip 17a, which provides contact pads 32a, 32b and corresponding two of contact pad regions 34a, 34b of the antenna wiring pattern 34, and bridges 33a, 33b between the contact pad regions. For example, contact pad regions 34a, 34b can be provided integrally with a test region 36, such that contact pad regions 34a, 34b and test region 36 are implemented as strips having increased widths compared to bridges 33a, 33b. In other words, the antenna wiring pattern 34 is provided in the form of an antenna wiring loop by coupling the contact pad regions 34a, 34b to each other and by providing an RFID chip (not shown) coupled to the contact pads 32a, 32b. In this manner, the antenna wiring pattern 34 can be exposed to a UHF test reader (not shown) to provide a test structure for testing the antenna wiring pattern 34.

[0089] Although the bridge portions 33a and 33b of the antenna wiring pattern 34 are illustrated as C-shaped wiring trace patterns formed on the surface of the antenna field region 30a, this does not limit the present disclosure, and any other shape and configuration for electrically coupling the contact pads 32a and 32b with the contact pad regions 34a and 34b may be employed. For example, the bridge portions 33a and 33b may be quadrilateral or polygonal, or may include wiring trace segments formed on different surfaces of the antenna field region 30a, the wiring trace segments being connected via a structure of vertical interconnect access (VIA) elements formed in the antenna field region 30a. When the antenna wiring pattern 34 is appropriately defined based on designing any of the portions 33a and 33b of the antenna wiring pattern 34 with respect to shape and / or width and / or material and / or size, a specific resonant frequency of the antenna wiring pattern 34 is defined and / or tuned.

[0090] When Figure 5 The support material 14' is subjected to Figure 5 When cutting / punching CP, Figure 7 As shown by the dotted line CT2 in FIG, the antenna field area 30a is pressed. Figure 7 The cutting / punching process CP cuts / punches away a portion of the antenna field region 30a, thereby cutting / punching away a portion of the antenna field region 30a, so that the test portion 36 that connects the contact pad regions 34a and 34b and forms the contact pad remaining in the antenna field region 30a after the cutting / punching away region 36 is removed. Figure 7After punching / cutting, as indicated by the dashed line CT2, the antenna wiring pattern 34 provides a portion of the antenna wiring loop that remains after the cutting / punching process. The correspondingly formed portion of the antenna wiring loop (which can then be indicated by reference numeral 34, now referring to the portion of the antenna wiring loop after removing the test area 36 surrounded by the cut line CT2) now includes two contact pads 34a, 34b in addition to the contact pads 32a and 32b.

[0091] Then, we can use the above Figures 1 to 3c The second loop section (not shown) supplements the correspondingly obtained partial wiring loop 34 to the UHF antenna loop (not shown) according to the second loop section 6b. Figure 5 Combine Figure 7 The stages shown, with the help of Figure 7 The antenna field region 30a after the cutting / punching process CP is performed, Figure 7 The resulting partial antenna wiring loop 34 in is not a complete UHF antenna loop at this stage during manufacture. Figure 7 The antenna field area after the cutting / punching process CP can be subjected to the following Figures 8a to 8c The further processed antenna support body.

[0092] although Figure 5 Only one form of antenna wiring pattern formed in the plurality of antenna field areas 20 is shown, but this is not intended to be limiting, and the antenna field areas 20 may include different subsets of antenna field areas formed with different configurations of antenna wiring patterns. Thus, the support material supplies R1 and R2 may be provided with mixed antenna wiring patterns to provide different UHF antenna loop configurations on the same support material supplies R1 and R2.

[0093] refer to Figures 8a to 8c , further stages during the manufacture of a UHF antenna device according to some demonstrative embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 8a The UHF antenna assembly (e.g., Figure 2 The initial stage during the manufacture of the UHF antenna assembly 10). Figure 8a An antenna support body 40 is shown having a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip 47 attached to an antenna wiring pattern 44 provided on a surface 41 of the antenna support body 40 .

[0094] In the initial processing step S1, the antenna support 40 with the RFID chip 47 is inserted into the cavity 53 of the mold 51 so that the surface 41 of the antenna support 40 is exposed in the cavity 53 and the opposite surface 43 of the antenna support 40 faces the surface 55 of the cavity 53. Figure 8aIn the example of FIG, a semi-cylindrical cavity 53 is illustrated. However, this does not limit the present disclosure, and any other suitable shape of the cavity 53 may be implemented instead. For example, the cavity 53 may have a tapered, conical, spherical, or polygonal surface.

[0095] refer to Figure 8b , illustrates a subsequent step during the manufacture of the UHF antenna assembly, the subsequent step S2 includes inserting the second loop portion 60 into the cavity 53 of the mold 51 so that the second loop portion 60 complements the antenna wiring pattern 44 formed on the surface 41 of the antenna support body 40 into a UHF antenna loop. Figure 8b As shown in FIG, the second loop portion 60 may be a slotted ring (e.g., a sur-clip) such that the second loop portion 60 includes a ring portion 60a and a slit 60b extending across a circumferential area of the ring portion 60a (the circumferential area of the slit 60b is Figure 8b Indicated by double arrows in the illustration).

[0096] refer to Figure 8c , schematically illustrates a subsequent stage during manufacturing, in which the second loop portion 60 is inserted into the cavity 53 of the mold 51. In particular, the second loop portion 60 is inserted in a manner such that the slit 60b faces the antenna wiring pattern 44 of the antenna support body 40. In this article, the ring body 60a of the second loop portion 60 can be assembled into the cavity 53 by clamping the ring body 60a into the cavity using the mechanical spring properties of the ring body 60a. In this way, a joining or welding process can be avoided, so that the antenna wiring pattern 44 is not exposed to a harsh chemical or temperature-increasing environment, and the integrity of the antenna wiring pattern can be maintained. In addition, since no separate joining process is applied when the second loop portion 60 is inserted into the cavity 53, the thermal load on the material of the antenna support body 40 can be reduced.

[0097] Subsequently, in process step S3, the molding tool 51 can be closed by the upper mold portion 57, thereby completing the cavity 53 to the molding cavity provided by the molding tools 51 and 57. Subsequently, an in-mold molding process can be performed by injecting a molding material into the molding tool. When the injected molding material solidifies, the second loop portion 60 maintains electrical connection with the antenna wiring pattern 44 of the antenna support body 40.

[0098] although Figures 8a to 8cShown is an in-mold forming process utilizing a cavity 53 formed in a mold 51 of a half-shell shape. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific shape of the cavity 53 and the illustrated configuration of the mold 51 are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the specific configuration and molding process of the mold. Alternatively, without departing from the present disclosure, any appropriate shape and configuration of the molding tool and its molding cavity are possible. For example, instead of the half-shell form of the cavity 53 shown, the cavity 53 in the mold 51 can be provided in the form of a cylindrical hole extending into the mold 51. For example, in the case where the cavity is formed as a complete cylindrical hole, the support body 40 is rolled up and inserted into the cylindrical hole, and the second loop portion 60 can be inserted into the hole. The second loop portion 60 is a slotted ring (e.g., a circlip) that is inserted into the cylindrical hole by elastically deforming the ring (e.g., extruding) to a smaller diameter (this allows the ring to be inserted into the cylindrical hole) and releasing the inserted ring when appropriately inserted into the cavity. Due to the slotted configuration, elastic deformation of the ring is possible and there is no need to additionally engage the ring to the support 40 in the cavity. Generally, any shape of the cavity is possible as long as the second circuit portion 60 matches the cavity (such as described above with respect to Figures 3a to 3c Any configuration of the second circuit portion described (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety).

[0099] Refer to the above article about Figure 1 In the embodiment described in FIG8 , the antenna support can be formed from a thermoplastic material. According to an illustrative example, the correspondingly formed antenna support can be formed from a polyolefin such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). In this context, PP is a material that can withstand disinfectants used to disinfect the antenna support or a UHF antenna assembly including such an antenna support.

[0100] Furthermore, after considering the above disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, when the material of the antenna support is appropriately selected, the antenna support can be provided in accordance with the material of the article to be marked with the UHF antenna device. For example, when the UHF antenna device is applied to mark an in-mold product, the material of the antenna support can be selected to be equal to or best match the material of the in-mold product. Thus, the antenna support can be integrated into the in-mold process without compromising the integrity of the molded product. For example, when using a material similar to or equivalent to the in-mold material used in the in-mold antenna device, the formation of bubbles and / or peeling of the antenna support of the article to be marked is avoided.

[0101] In some illustrative but non-limiting examples of the UHF antenna devices and / or UHF antenna assemblies described above, the correspondingly described UHF antenna devices and / or UHF antenna assemblies may be cap elements or sleeves, such as caps or sleeves employed in medical applications, or the like.

[0102] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when used in this specification, the terms "include" and / or "comprise" specify the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. "Optional" or "optionally" means that the event or situation described subsequently may or may not occur, and the description includes instances where the event occurs and instances where the event does not occur.

[0103] Approximate language as used herein throughout the specification and claims can be applied to modify any quantitative representation that can be permissibly varied without causing a change in the basic function associated therewith. Therefore, the value modified by one or more terms such as "about," "approximately," and "substantially" is not limited to the exact value specified. In at least some instances, approximate language can correspond to the precision of the instrument used to measure the value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations can be combined and / or interchanged, and unless the context or language indicates otherwise, these ranges are identified and include all subranges contained therein. "Approximately" or "substantially" applied to a particular value of a range applies to both values, and unless otherwise dependent on the precision of the instrument measuring the value, the + / - 10% of (one or more than one) said value can be indicated.

Claims

1. An ultra-high frequency antenna device, i.e., a UHF antenna device, comprising: Radio frequency identification chip is RFID chip; an antenna support body having an antenna wiring pattern formed on a surface of the antenna support body; as well as a UHF antenna loop electrically coupled to the RFID chip, wherein the UHF antenna loop is configured to transmit and / or receive a frequency range in the UHF band, The UHF antenna loop includes a first loop portion formed by the antenna wiring pattern and a second loop portion at least partially extending to the outside of the antenna support body.

2. The UHF antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: The antenna support body is formed of a slotted support body having an outer surface and an inner surface radially opposite to the outer surface, wherein the outer surface and the inner surface are interrupted by a slit extending axially along the support body; the support body having at least two contact pads formed on the inner surface and separated by a gap extending across a gap region between the two contact pads; as well as The antenna wiring pattern includes a bridge portion formed on the inner surface along a first circumferential area along the inner surface for electrically coupling at least two of the at least two contact pads on the support body, the bridge portion being electrically coupled to the RFID chip.

3. The UHF antenna device according to claim 2, wherein: The RFID chip is located in the first circumferential area.

4. The UHF antenna device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The second loop portion includes a slotted ring electrically connected to the at least two contact pads, and the at least two contact pads are electrically connected to the RFID chip.

5. The UHF antenna device according to claim 4, wherein: The slotted ring has a slot formed therein that extends axially along the inner surface in a second circumferential region, and wherein at least one of the first circumferential region and the gap region is arranged to at least partially overlap the second circumferential region.

6. The UHF antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The antenna support body is formed by a support sheet rolled into a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shape.

7. The UHF antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The antenna support is formed from a thermoplastic material, such as polyolefin.

8. The UHF antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The antenna wiring pattern is formed of silver deposited on the inner surface, and / or wherein, The antenna wiring pattern includes one or more stripe layer elements having a stripe layer thickness ranging from about 1 μm to about 1000 μm.

9. An ultra-high frequency antenna assembly (UHF antenna assembly), comprising an assembly body and a UHF antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The UHF antenna device is integrated into the component body.

10. A method of forming an ultra-high frequency antenna device (UHF antenna device), the method comprising: providing a support material supply for feeding the support material; forming a repeated pattern of antenna wiring loops on a surface of the support material supplied by the support material supplier, wherein the support material has a plurality of antenna field areas, each of the antenna field areas being provided with an antenna wiring loop; removing at least one antenna field region of the plurality of antenna field regions formed on the surface of the support material from the support material supply; preparing an antenna support body based on the at least one removed antenna field region, wherein a partial antenna wiring loop defining a first loop portion as an antenna wiring pattern is formed in each removed antenna field region; and The partial antenna wiring loop is completed into a complete UHF antenna loop by electrically coupling a second loop portion to the first loop portion, wherein the second loop portion at least partially extends outside the antenna support body, Wherein, when removing the wiring loop portion of the antenna wiring loop, the partial antenna wiring loop is obtained during or after removing the at least one antenna field region from the support material supply.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The portion of the antenna wiring loop in each antenna field area includes at least two contact pads, and wherein the repeating pattern forming the antenna wiring loop includes electrically coupling the antenna wiring loop of at least one antenna field area to a radio frequency identification chip, i.e., an RFID chip, before removing the wiring loop portion.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein Preparing the antenna support includes rolling the removed at least one antenna field region into a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shape.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising: Before preparing the antenna support, the at least one antenna field area coupled to the RFID chip is tested by exposing the at least one antenna field area coupled to the RFID chip to a UHF reader device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein Forming the repeating pattern of antenna wiring loops includes depositing a layer of conductive material on the surface of the support material by screen printing a conductive material onto the surface of the support material.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein Forming the repeated pattern of antenna wiring loops includes depositing a conductive material layer on the surface of the support material and patterning the deposited conductive material layer by applying an etching process.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein Removing at least one of the plurality of antenna field regions comprises applying one or more punching processes to separate at least one of the antenna field regions from the support material supply.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein Completing the partial antenna wiring loop into a complete UHF antenna loop includes: inserting the separated antenna field area into a mold cavity of a molding tool so that the portion of the antenna wiring loop is exposed to the interior of the mold cavity; and inserting a slotted ring into the mold cavity so that the slotted ring is in mechanical contact with the partial antenna wiring loop, thereby completing the partial antenna wiring loop into a complete UHF antenna loop, the slotted ring having a slit arranged to contact the antenna field area; and Molding material is injected into the cavity of the molding tool.

18. A method for manufacturing an ultra-high frequency antenna device (UHF antenna device), the method comprising: providing a support material supply for feeding the support material; forming a repeating pattern of at least two contact pads on a plurality of antenna field areas of the support material, each antenna field area of the plurality of antenna field areas comprising the repeating pattern of at least two contact pads; forming a bridge portion in each antenna field region for electrically coupling at least two of the at least two contact pads, the bridge portion comprising a radio frequency identification chip (RFID chip) for electrically coupling at least two of the at least two contact pads to each other; as well as A repetitive test structure pattern having at least one test track is formed on the support material for supplementing the at least two contact pads coupled to the RFID chip into a UHF loop structure in each antenna field region.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein Forming the repeating pattern of at least two contact pads and / or forming the repeating test structure pattern comprises depositing a layer of conductive material on the surface of the support material by screen printing a conductive material onto the surface of the support material.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein Forming the repeating pattern of at least two contact pads and / or forming the repeating test structure pattern comprises depositing a conductive material layer on the surface of the support material and patterning the deposited conductive material layer by applying an etching process.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, further comprising: One or more punching processes are applied for separating the antenna field regions from the support material supply and removing the test structure pattern in each antenna field region.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: Inserting the separated antenna field areas into respective mold cavities of a molding tool so that the contact pads of the respective antenna field areas are exposed to the interior of the corresponding mold cavity of the molding tool; inserting a slotted ring into each mold cavity of the molding tool equipped with the corresponding separated antenna field area so that the slotted ring in the corresponding mold cavity is in mechanical contact with at least two of the at least two contact pads coupled via the bridge portion, the slit of the slotted ring being arranged at the bridge portion in the corresponding mold cavity; as well as Molding material is injected into the individual cavities of the molding tool.

23. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 22, wherein The support material supply comprises a roll of support material wound on a reel, and providing the support material supply comprises a reel-to-reel feed of the support material.

24. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 23, wherein The support material is a thermoplastic material.

25. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 24, wherein A UHF antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is formed.

26. A support material supplier, comprising: a roll of support material wound on a reel; a repeated pattern of antenna wiring loops formed on a surface of the support material supplied by the support material supplier, wherein the support material has a plurality of antenna field areas, each of the antenna field areas being provided with an antenna wiring loop; as well as The plurality of radio frequency identification chips are ie, a plurality of RFID chips, each of the RFID chips is electrically coupled to the antenna wiring loop of each antenna field area.

27. The support material supplier according to claim 26, wherein: The repeating pattern of the antenna wiring loop includes at least two contact pads in each antenna field area, and a bridging portion is provided in each antenna field area, and the bridging portion is provided for electrically coupling at least two of the at least two contact pads in each antenna field area, wherein the bridging portion includes the RFID chip.

28. The support material supplier according to claim 26 or 27, wherein: The support material is a thermoplastic material.

29. The support material supply according to any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein The repeating pattern of the antenna wiring loop includes a conductive material formed on a surface of the support material.

30. A supply of support material according to any one of claims 26 to 29 formed in a method according to any one of claims 10 to 25.

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