RFID tag

Abstract

To provide an RFID tag having superior durability without applying heat seal.SOLUTION: An RFID tag 100 includes a substrate 1, an IC chip 3, and an antenna 2. The substrate 1 is composed of a flexible sheet. The antenna 2 is composed of a flexible conductor foil. The antenna 2 includes a patch antenna 21c, is connected with the IC chip 3, and is arranged on the substrate 1. The RFID tag 100 includes a plurality of first slits or a plurality of perforations 40 configured capable of forming the plurality of first slits which penetrate the patch antenna 21c and the substrate 1 in a thickness direction, extend in a vertical direction, and arranged in a right and left direction with intervals therebetween. The RFID tag 100 is held by a rod-shaped material by passing the rod-shaped material through the plurality of first slits.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an RFID tag, and more particularly to an RFID tag that is held by a rod-shaped member. [Background technology]

[0002] RFID tags used for product management and the like have been known. For example, the RFID tag disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured with a base sheet, an antenna, an inlay sheet, an IC chip, and a release sheet. The antenna is disposed on the inlay sheet, and the IC chip is disposed on the antenna. The inlay sheet is then disposed on the base sheet via an adhesive. A release sheet is also disposed on the top surfaces of the antenna and IC chip via an adhesive. When using this RFID tag, a portion of the release sheet is peeled off, and the RFID tag is attached to an object with the adhesive, so that the antenna comes into contact with the object. If the object is highly conductive, such as a metal, this RFID tag allows the object to function as a pseudo antenna, thereby improving reading performance.

[0003] In some cases, RFID tag inlays are attached to conventional tags. For eyeglasses, an example of a conventional tag is the tag disclosed in Patent Document 2. This tag has a storage section and a locking section formed by overlapping synthetic resin sheets. The locking section has two notches formed vertically and spaced apart horizontally. The temples of the eyeglasses are passed through these two notches. This allows the tag to be locked to the eyeglasses.

[0004] As shown in Figure 6 of Patent Document 2, the slits are heat-sealed to prevent the edges of the slits from tearing when the eyeglass temples are passed through. However, applying such heat sealing is not preferable because it requires an additional process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-128397 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 1-136966 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an RFID tag that is highly durable even without heat sealing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the RFID tag according to the present invention includes a substrate, an IC chip, and an antenna. The substrate is made of a flexible sheet, and the antenna is made of a flexible conductive foil. The antenna has a patch antenna, is connected to the IC chip, and is disposed on the sheet. The RFID tag has the patch antenna and a plurality of first slits that extend vertically through the sheet in the thickness direction and are spaced apart in the left-right direction, or a plurality of perforations configured to form a plurality of first slits. The RFID tag is held on a rod-shaped material by passing the rod-shaped material through the plurality of first slits.

[0008] The RFID tag may further have a second slit continuing from one or both of the upper and lower ends of the first slit or the perforation and extending in the left-right direction.

[0009] In the RFID tag, the continuous portion between the second slit and the first slit or perforation may be formed in an arc shape.

[0010] The RFID tag may further have a third slit continuing from an end of the second slit and extending toward the center in the up-down direction.

[0011] In the RFID tag, the end of the third slit may be formed in an arc shape extending in the left-right direction.

[0012] In the RFID tag, the rod-shaped member may be a temple of glasses.

[0013] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an antenna that constitutes an RFID tag together with an IC chip and a substrate, and is made of flexible conductive foil and has a patch antenna. The patch antenna has multiple slits that penetrate the thickness of the patch antenna, extending vertically, and spaced apart in the left-right direction, or multiple perforations configured to allow the formation of multiple slits. The substrate on which the antenna is disposed is made of a flexible sheet that has multiple slits that penetrate the thickness of the patch antenna, extending vertically, and spaced apart in the left-right direction, or multiple perforations configured to allow the formation of the multiple slits. The antenna is disposed on this substrate so that the slits of the patch antenna overlap the slits of the substrate, thereby providing the RFID tag with multiple slits that penetrate the patch antenna and the substrate in the thickness direction. The multiple slits of the RFID tag hold the RFID tag to the rod-shaped material when a rod-shaped material is passed through the multiple slits of the RFID tag.

[0014] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a substrate that, together with an IC chip and an antenna connected to the IC chip, constitutes an RFID tag and is made of a flexible sheet. The substrate has (1) a plurality of first slits that penetrate the substrate in the thickness direction, extend vertically, and are spaced apart in the left-right direction, or a plurality of perforations configured to form the plurality of first slits; (2) a second slit that continues from one or both of the upper and lower ends of the first slits or perforations and extends horizontally; and (3) a third slit that continues from the end of the second slit and extends toward the center in the up-down direction. The antenna disposed on the substrate is made of flexible conductive foil and has a patch antenna with a plurality of slits that penetrate the patch antenna in the thickness direction. The antenna is disposed on the substrate with the slits of the antenna overlapping at least the first slits, thereby providing the RFID tag with a patch antenna and a plurality of slits that penetrate the substrate in the thickness direction. The RFID tag's multiple slits hold the RFID tag on a rod-shaped material when the rod-shaped material is passed through the RFID tag's multiple slits. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The RFID tag according to the present invention is highly durable even without heat sealing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of an RFID tag according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the RFID tag shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the antenna of the RFID tag shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an RFID tag held on eyeglasses. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an RFID tag held by another pair of glasses. [Figure 6] 10A to 10F are plan views showing modified examples of the RFID tag. [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another modified example of the RFID tag. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] An embodiment of an RFID tag according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the X-axis indicates the left-right direction, the Y-axis indicates the up-down direction, and the Z-axis indicates the thickness direction. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are perpendicular to each other.

[0018] 1 to 3, the RFID tag 100 according to this embodiment includes a substrate 1, an antenna 2, and an IC (Integrated circuit) chip 3. The RFID tag 100 according to this embodiment is configured for use with eyeglasses, but this is merely an example, and the RFID tag 100 according to the present invention may be configured to be used with other rod-shaped members.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the base material 1 is made up of two flexible sheets. However, this is merely an example, and the base material 1 may be made up of a single flexible sheet. The base materials 1 and the base material 1 and the antenna 2 are bonded together with an adhesive, but this is merely an example and is not limiting.

[0020] The substrate 1 may be made of, for example, PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer), etc. The substrate 1 may also be made of paper, as long as the effects of the present invention can be achieved. The thickness of the substrate 1 is set appropriately depending on the material, and may be, for example, 50 μm to 350 μm.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the lower portion 1a of the substrate 1 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the left-right direction, and the upper portion 1b of the substrate 1 is formed in a rectangular shape whose left-right length is shorter than that of the lower portion 1a. However, this is merely an example, and the shape of the substrate 1 is not limited to this. The left-right length of the substrate 1 may be, for example, 40 mm to 60 mm. The up-down length of the substrate 1 may be, for example, 30 mm to 50 mm.

[0022] All corners of the base material 1 are formed in an arc shape, which prevents the corners of the base material 1 from touching the customer's face and injuring the customer's face when the customer puts on the eyeglasses 200a (200b) holding the base material 1.

[0023] The antenna 2 is used for two-way wireless communication with the reader / writer and for obtaining power to operate the IC chip 3. The antenna 2 is made of flexible conductive foil and is placed on the substrate 1. The thickness of the antenna 2 may be, for example, 5 μm to 70 μm. The material of the conductive foil may be copper, aluminum, gold, or the like, and is not particularly limited.

[0024] 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the antenna 2 is configured to be covered by two sheets of the base material 1. However, this is merely an example, and for example, the antenna 2 may be configured so that the portion that comes into contact with the eyeglasses 200a (200b) is exposed. In this case, the base material 1 may have one or more windows in one or both sheets, exposing the antenna 2. The antenna 2 is adhered to the base material 1 with an adhesive.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3 , the antenna 2 includes a loop antenna 20 and an asymmetric dipole antenna 21. The loop antenna 20 has two ends (not shown) connected to the IC chip 3 and is formed in a loop shape. The dipole antenna 21 includes a first conductor pattern 21a extending from the lower right of the loop antenna 20 along the shape of the substrate 1, a second conductor pattern 21b extending from the upper right of the loop antenna 20 along the shape of the substrate 1, and a rectangular third conductor pattern 21c extending from the second conductor pattern 21b to the upper part 1b of the substrate 1. This third conductor pattern 21c corresponds to a “patch antenna” according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the first and second conductor patterns 21a and 21b are linear, but may also be formed in a meandering shape, for example. As described above, the substrate 1 may be configured to expose at least a portion of the third conductor pattern 21c.

[0026] The IC chip 3 is an RFID IC chip and is connected to the loop antenna 20. The IC chip 3 may be connected to the antenna 2 by, for example, a flip-chip mounting method, and the connection method is not particularly limited. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the IC chip 3 is also covered by the base material 1, similar to the antenna 2.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the RFID tag 100 further has a plurality of (two in this embodiment) notches 4. The notches 4 may be formed, for example, by punching out the antenna 2 superimposed on the substrate 1. In the RFID tag 100, the through-holes 5 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) through which the temples 201 of the eyeglasses 200a (200b) pass are formed by the notches 4, which prevents waste from being generated during processing and improves productivity. The notches 4 are made up of perforations 40 configured to be able to form the first notches 40, a second notch 41, and a third notch 42.

[0028] The two perforations 40 penetrate the third conductive pattern 21c and the base material 1 in the thickness direction, extend in the up-down direction, and are spaced apart in the left-right direction. The user separates the perforations 40 at the seam to form the first slit 40. The length of the first slit 40 is set to a length that allows the temples of the eyeglasses to pass through. For example, the length of the first slit 40 may be 10 mm to 250 mm.

[0029] The second slits 41 are continuous from the upper and lower ends of the perforation 40 and extend outward in the left-right direction. The continuous portion between the second slits 41 and the perforation 40 is formed in an arc shape. The continuous portion between the second slits 41 and the perforation 40 does not necessarily have to be arc-shaped, and may simply be formed in an arc shape. The length of the second slits 41 may be, for example, 3 mm to 7 mm.

[0030] The third slit 42 continues from the end of the second slit 41 and extends toward the center in the up-down direction. The continuous portion between the third slit 42 and the second slit 41 is formed in an arc shape. Note that the continuous portion between the third slit 42 and the second slit 41 does not necessarily have to be arc-shaped, and may simply be formed in an arc shape.

[0031] The end of the third slit 42 is formed in an arc shape extending toward the perforation 40. The arc shape of the end of the third slit 42 creates an aesthetic impression for consumers. The end of the third slit 42 does not necessarily have to be arc-shaped, and may simply be formed in an arc shape. The length of the third slit 42 may be, for example, 2 mm to 5 mm.

[0032] <Holding method> As described above, the first slit 40 is formed in the RFID tag 100 by cutting the seam of the perforation 40. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the portion of the RFID tag 100 surrounded by the first slit 40, the second slit 41, and the third slit 42 is pressed to form a through-hole 5 penetrating the thickness direction. The RFID tag is held in the temple 201 of the eyeglasses 200a by passing the temple 201 through the through-hole 5. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the RFID tag 100 is held appropriately even by the thin temple 201 of the eyeglasses 200b.

[0033] <Effects of this embodiment> In the RFID tag 100, the slit 4 is formed by the substrate 1 and the third conductive pattern 21c, which improves durability when held by the temple 201 compared to a slit formed only by the substrate 1. Furthermore, in the RFID tag 100, the substrate 1 and the antenna 2 are flexible, and the through-hole 5 has a width of about 5 mm in the left-right direction, so that the temple 201 can be easily passed through the through-hole 5 even if the temple 201 is wide or thick. This allows the RFID tag 100 to suppress the tensile stress that occurs when the temple 201 is passed through.

[0034] Furthermore, in the RFID tag 100, the continuous portion between the first slit 40 and the second slit 41, and the continuous portion between the second slit 41 and the third slit 42 are both formed in an arc shape (circular arc), thereby preventing tensile stress from concentrating at one point. This prevents the RFID tag 100 from breaking when the temple 201 is passed through the through-hole 5. Moreover, in the RFID tag 100, both ends of the slit 4 (ends of the third slit 42) are formed in an arc shape (circular arc), which distributes the direction of tensile stress acting on the ends of the slit 4, resulting in greater durability. Furthermore, as described above, the RFID tag 100 has an arc shape at the end of the third slit 42, which gives it an aesthetic appeal to consumers.

[0035] When the RFID tag 100 is held by a conductive rod-shaped material, the third conductor pattern 21c is in close proximity to the rod-shaped material, and the antenna 2 is electrically connected to the rod-shaped material by capacitive coupling. When the antenna 2 is electrically connected to the rod-shaped material, the RFID tag 100 can make the rod-shaped material function as an antenna. This improves the antenna performance of the RFID tag 100. Note that when the third conductor pattern 21c is configured to be exposed, the resistance of the antenna 2 is lower, and therefore the antenna 2 is electrically connected to the rod-shaped material more stably.

[0036] 5 is made of a conductive material such as metal. Therefore, when the RFID tag 100 is held by the temple 201 and the antenna 2 is electrically connected to the temple 201, the temple 201 can function as an antenna, improving antenna performance.

[0037] Furthermore, in the RFID tag 100, the through hole 5 is formed by the third conductor pattern 21c and the substrate 1, so the third conductor pattern 21c extends to the edge of the through hole 5. As a result, even if the RFID tag 100 is bent while held by a rod-shaped material, the antenna 2 can be properly electrically connected to the temple 201 because the third conductor pattern 21c is always close to the rod-shaped material. In other words, the RFID tag 100 can suppress deterioration of the electrical connection due to the shape of the rod-shaped material. As a result, the antenna 2 can be properly electrically connected to the temple 201 of the eyeglasses 200 even if the temple 201 has an uneven surface or is bent.

[0038] In addition, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the tongue 6 formed by the first, second and third notches 40, 41, 42 comes into contact with the temple 201, thereby improving the degree of adhesion between the antenna 2 and the temple 201, and allowing for more appropriate electrical connection to the temple 201.

[0039] Although one embodiment of the RFID tag of the present invention has been described above, the RFID tag of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The RFID tag of the present invention may be configured, for example, using the following modified examples or by appropriately combining the following modified examples.

[0040] <Modification> As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the lengths of the second slits 41 and the third slits 42 may be asymmetrical in the vertical direction. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6C to 6E, the RFID tag 100 may further include first slits 40, and the lengths of the first slits 40 may be different on the outer side than on the central side. As shown in Figure 6F, the RFID tag 100 may further include left and right through-holes 43 that penetrate the third conductive pattern 21c and the substrate 1 in the thickness direction. In this case, a rod-shaped material is passed through the through-holes 43 together with the through-holes 5 formed by the first slits 40, and the RFID tag 100 is thereby held by the rod-shaped material.

[0041] 7, a portion of the slit 4 does not have to penetrate the third conductive pattern 21c. Even in this case, the durability of the RFID tag 100 is improved because a portion of the slit 4 is formed by the third conductive pattern 21c and the substrate 1. In this case, by turning the RFID tag 100 upside down and passing a rod-shaped material through it, the durability of the portion that comes into contact with the rod-shaped material can be further improved and the antenna 2 can be electrically connected more appropriately to the rod-shaped material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 100 RFID tags 1 Base material 1a Lower 1b Upper 2 antennas 20 Loop antenna (first pattern) 21 Dipole antenna 21a First conductor pattern 21b Second conductor pattern 21c Third conductor pattern (patch antenna) 3 IC chip 4. Cut 40 First notch (perforation) 41 Second notch 42 Third notch 43 Through hole 5 through holes 6 Tongue piece 200a glasses 200b glasses 201 Temple

Claims

1. a substrate formed of a flexible sheet; An IC chip, an antenna made of a flexible conductor foil, having a patch antenna, connected to the IC chip, and disposed on the base material; a plurality of first slits extending in the vertical direction through the patch antenna and the base material in a thickness direction and spaced apart in the horizontal direction, or a plurality of perforations configured to be able to form the plurality of first slits; An RFID tag is held on a rod-shaped material by passing the rod-shaped material through the plurality of first notches.

2. The RFID tag according to claim 1 , further comprising a second slit continuing from one or both of the upper and lower ends of the first slit or the perforation and extending in the left-right direction.

3. The RFID tag according to claim 2 , wherein a continuous portion between the second slit and the first slit or the perforation is formed in an arc shape.

4. The RFID tag according to claim 3 , further comprising a third slit continuing from an end of the second slit and extending toward the center in the up-down direction.

5. The RFID tag according to claim 4 , wherein an end of the third cutout is formed in an arc shape extending in the left-right direction.

6. The RFID tag according to claim 5 , wherein the rod-shaped member is a temple of glasses.

7. An antenna that constitutes an RFID tag together with an IC chip and a substrate, It is made of a flexible conductor foil, A patch antenna having a plurality of slits extending in the thickness direction, vertically extending, and spaced apart in the left-right direction, or a plurality of perforations configured to be able to form the plurality of slits, An antenna in which the base material is made of a flexible sheet having a plurality of notches that penetrate the thickness direction, extend in the vertical direction, and are spaced apart in the horizontal direction, or a plurality of perforations configured to form the plurality of notches, and the notches of the patch antenna are arranged so that they overlap with the notches of the base material, thereby providing the RFID tag with a plurality of notches that penetrate the patch antenna and the base material in the thickness direction, and through which a rod-shaped material is passed to hold the RFID tag to the rod-shaped material.

8. A substrate constituting an RFID tag together with an IC chip and an antenna connected to the IC chip, It is made up of flexible sheets, a plurality of first slits extending in the vertical direction through the thickness direction and spaced apart in the horizontal direction, or a plurality of perforations configured to be able to form the plurality of first slits; A second slit continuing from one or both of the upper and lower ends of the first slit or the perforation and extending in the left-right direction; a third slit continuing from an end of the second slit and extending toward the center in the up-down direction, A substrate having a patch antenna made of flexible conductive foil and having multiple notches penetrating the patch antenna in the thickness direction, the antenna being positioned so that the notches of the antenna overlap with at least the first notch, thereby providing the RFID tag with multiple notches penetrating the patch antenna and the substrate in the thickness direction, the multiple notches passing through a rod-shaped material to hold the RFID tag to the rod-shaped material.

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