Electronic tag coating device and electronic tag coating method

Abstract

To provide a device that can accurately coat electronic tags. [Solution] The electronic tag coating device 10 is an electronic tag coating device 10 that coats electronic tags 3 by sandwiching them between upper and lower rubbers, and comprises a conveyor belt 11 for transporting a long lower rubber tape 1, an electronic tag supply unit 30 positioned above the conveyor belt 11 and having holes 37 through which electronic tags 3 can pass, and for positioning electronic tags 3 positioned above the holes 37 onto the lower rubber tape 1 by passing them through the holes 37, a crimping device 40 that supplies upper rubber tapes 2 onto a plurality of electronic tags 3 positioned on the lower rubber tape 1, and crimps the lower rubber tape 1 and upper rubber tape 2 together with the electronic tags 3 sandwiched in between to form a tag continuum 4 in which a plurality of electronic tags 3 are covered with rubber, and a cutting device 45 that cuts the tag continuum 4 to form a plurality of coated electronic tags 5.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic tag coating apparatus and an electronic tag coating method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, attaching RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags to various articles to identify and manage the articles has been studied. An RFID tag includes a chip storing data and an antenna transmitting and receiving the data. The data in the RFID tag can be read and written remotely using radio waves.

[0003] Generally, an RFID tag is coated with a coating material to protect the chip and the antenna. When an RFID tag is to be provided to a tire, it is preferable to use rubber, which is the same material as the tire, as the coating material. Accordingly, coating an RFID tag with rubber by the method described in Patent Document 1 has been conventionally proposed. Specifically, the method includes arranging RFID tags at equal intervals on a long rubber belt using a first feeding device, placing a small rubber sheet on each RFID tag using a second feeding device to cover the RFID tags, and cutting out each RFID tag together with the surrounding rubber from the rubber belt.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the conventional method requires large-scale peripheral devices such as a feeding device, resulting in high facility costs.

[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method that can accurately coat electronic tags such as RFID tags without the need for large-scale peripheral equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention includes embodiments shown below.

[0008] [1] An electronic tag coating device that coats electronic tags by sandwiching them between upper and lower rubber, comprising: a conveyor for transporting a long lower rubber tape; an electronic tag supply unit positioned above the conveyor and having a hole through which the electronic tag can pass, and which places the electronic tag positioned above the hole onto the lower rubber tape through the hole; a crimping device that supplies an upper rubber member onto a plurality of electronic tags positioned on the lower rubber tape, and crimps the lower rubber tape and the upper rubber member with the electronic tags sandwiched in between to form a continuous tag assembly in which the plurality of electronic tags are coated with rubber; and a cutting device that cuts the continuous tag assembly to form a plurality of coated electronic tags.

[0009] [2] The electronic tag coating device according to [1], wherein a plurality of the holes are formed at equal intervals in the electronic tag supply section.

[0010] [3] The electronic tag coating apparatus according to [1] or [2], wherein the hole has a shape and size through which one of the electronic tags can pass, the electronic tag has a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, the hole has a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction corresponding to the direction of the electronic tag, the difference between the longitudinal length of a first portion which is any part of the electronic tag and the longitudinal length of the portion of the hole through which the first portion of the electronic tag passes is 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, and the difference between the transverse length of a second portion which is the same as or different from the first portion of the electronic tag and the transverse length of the portion of the hole through which the second portion of the electronic tag passes is 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

[0011] [4] The electronic tag covering device according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the distance between the surface on which the lower rubber tape rests on the conveying conveyor and the lower end of the hole in the electronic tag supply unit is narrower than the thickness of the electronic tag.

[0012] [5] An electronic tag coating method for making an electronic tag coated by sandwiching an electronic tag between upper and lower rubber, comprising the steps of: transporting a long lower rubber tape on a transport conveyor; placing the electronic tag on an electronic tag supply unit which is positioned above the transport conveyor and has a hole formed therein through which the electronic tag can pass; placing the electronic tag on the lower rubber tape by inserting the electronic tag into the hole of the electronic tag supply unit; supplying an upper rubber member on a plurality of electronic tags placed on the lower rubber tape, and pressing the lower rubber tape and the upper rubber member together with the electronic tags sandwiched in between to form a tag continuum in which a plurality of electronic tags are coated with a long rubber; and cutting the tag continuum to form a plurality of coated electronic tags. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the apparatus and method of this embodiment, electronic tags can be accurately coated without the need for large-scale peripheral equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] An image of an electronic tag viewed from above. [Figure 2] A top view of a coated electronic tag. [Figure 3] A diagram showing the electronic tags on a conveyor belt. [Figure 4] A view of the electronic tag coating device from the right. [Figure 5] Perspective view of the electronic tag supply unit. [Figure 6] A top view of the electronic tag supply unit. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view AA in Figure 6. [Figure 8] A top view of the hole in the electronic tag supply section. [Figure 9] Horizontal cross-sectional view of the hole in the electronic tag supply unit. [Figure 10] Flowchart of an electronic tag coating method. [Figure 11] Top view of a modified example of an electronic tag. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are merely examples, and any appropriate modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention shall be included within the scope of the present invention.

[0016] First, the electronic tag 3 and the coated electronic tag 5 will be described. The electronic tag 3 of the present embodiment is an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic tag 3 is an elongated member including a rectangular chip 3a and spiral antennas 3b extending from both sides of the chip 3a. A memory device for storing information is mounted on the chip 3a. The antennas 3b are for wireless communication with an external read / write device. The external read / write device can read information stored in the memory device of the chip 3a and write information to the memory device of the chip 3a through the antennas 3b.

[0017] The antennas 3b are provided on both sides of the electronic tag 3 in the longitudinal direction with respect to the chip 3a. A width Wb of each antenna 3b is smaller than a width Wa of the chip 3a. The antennas 3b are provided at the center of the chip 3a in the width direction. A length of the electronic tag 3 in the longitudinal direction is, for example, 30 to 70 mm. A maximum length of the electronic tag 3 in the width direction (that is, the width of the chip 3a) is, for example, 2 to 5 mm. A thickness of the electronic tag 3 is, for example, greater than 1 mm.

[0018] The coated electronic tag 5 shown in Figure 2 is an electronic tag 3 covered with rubber. The coated electronic tag 5 has a flattened rectangular shape. The longitudinal direction of the coated electronic tag 5 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the internal electronic tag 3. The longitudinal and transverse lengths of the coated electronic tag 5 are longer than the longitudinal and transverse lengths of the electronic tag 3.

[0019] The rubber covering the electronic tag 3 is cut from the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 (see Figure 4), which will be described later. The type of rubber used for the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 is not limited. For example, it could be rubber used for any component of a tire, or rubber specially developed for covering the electronic tag 3. The width of the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 (the length in the left-right direction on the electronic tag covering device 10, which will be described later) is the same as the longitudinal length of the completed covered electronic tag 5.

[0020] Next, the configuration of the electronic tag coating device 10 of this embodiment will be described. The electronic tag coating device 10 of this embodiment is a device in which, as schematically shown in Figure 3, multiple electronic tags 3 are arranged on a lower rubber tape 1, an upper rubber tape 2 is placed on top and pressed to form a tag continuum 4, and a coated electronic tag 5 containing one electronic tag 3 inside is cut by cutting the tag continuum 4.

[0021] In the following explanation, "front" refers to the direction in which the electronic tag 3, tag continuum 4, and coated electronic tag 5 are transported, and "rear" refers to the opposite direction. "Left" and "right" refer to the view of the electronic tag coating device 10 from the rear. Each figure shows the front, back, left, and right directions.

[0022] As shown in Figure 4, the electronic tag coating apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes a conveyor belt 11 for transporting the lower rubber tape 1, the tag continuum 4, and the coated electronic tag 5; a lower rubber tape feeding device 20 for feeding the lower rubber tape 1 onto the conveyor belt 11; an upper rubber tape feeding device 25 for feeding the upper rubber tape 2 onto the lower rubber tape 1; an electronic tag supply unit 30 for placing the electronic tag 3 on the lower rubber tape 1 on the conveyor belt 11; a crimping device 40 for crimping the lower rubber tape 1 and the upper rubber tape 2 with the electronic tag 3 in between to form the tag continuum 4; and a cutting device 45 for cutting the tag continuum 4 that has passed through the crimping device 40 to cut out the coated electronic tag 5.

[0023] Furthermore, the electronic tag coating device 10 is equipped with a frame 19 made up of multiple structural materials. A conveyor belt 11, a lower rubber tape feeder 20, an upper rubber tape feeder 25, an electronic tag supply unit 30, a crimping device 40, and a cutting device 45 are fixed to this frame 19. The electronic tag coating device 10 is also equipped with a control device that controls each of the above devices. Figures 3 and 4 show the transport directions of the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2, the tag continuum 4, and the coated electronic tag 5 with arrows.

[0024] The following provides a detailed explanation of each device.

[0025] The conveyor belt 11 is a conveying device that transports the lower rubber tape 1, the tag continuum 4, and the coated electronic tag 5 forward. As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the conveyor belt 11 comprises front and rear rotating rollers 12, a conveyor belt 13 that circulates between the rotating rollers 12, and a platform 14 located between the front and rear rotating rollers 12. The conveyor belt 13 moves forward on the platform 14. The platform 14 is exposed on both the left and right sides beyond the left and right ends of the conveyor belt 13. The conveyor belt 13 moves while maintaining a horizontal position on the platform 14. The platform 14 is fixed to the frame 19 with L-shaped brackets 15 as fasteners.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, the lower rubber tape dispensing device 20 is equipped with a rotating shaft 21 located below the conveyor belt 11. A lower rubber tape roll 6, on which a long length of lower rubber tape 1 is wound in a roll shape, is fitted onto the rotating shaft 21. The rotation of the rotating shaft 21 causes the lower rubber tape roll 6 to rotate, and the lower rubber tape 1 is pulled out from the lower rubber tape roll 6.

[0027] Furthermore, the lower rubber tape feeding device 20 is equipped with multiple conveying rollers 22 located between the rotating shaft 21 and the rear end of the conveying conveyor 11. The lower rubber tape 1, pulled out from the lower rubber tape roll 6, passes through these conveying rollers 22 and is placed on the conveying conveyor 11 from a location behind and below the conveying conveyor 11.

[0028] The lower rubber tape 1 is wound up with a resin tape attached to one side to form a lower rubber tape roll 6. Although not shown in the diagram, a peeling device for removing the resin tape from the lower rubber tape 1 after it has been pulled out from the lower rubber tape roll 6 is provided near the rotating shaft 21. The lower rubber tape 1, with the resin tape removed, is supplied to the conveyor belt 11.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the upper rubber tape dispensing device 25 is equipped with a rotating shaft 26 located below and behind the conveyor belt 11. An upper rubber tape roll 7, on which a long piece of upper rubber tape 2 is wound in a roll shape, is fitted onto the rotating shaft 26. The rotation of the rotating shaft 26 causes the upper rubber tape roll 7 to rotate, and the upper rubber tape 2 is pulled out from the upper rubber tape roll 7. The upper rubber tape 2 is an upper rubber member that is placed on top of the electronic tag 3.

[0030] Furthermore, the upper rubber tape feeding device 25 is equipped with multiple conveyor rollers 27 located at a height higher than the conveyor belt 11. The upper rubber tape 2, pulled out from the upper rubber tape roll 7, travels via these conveyor rollers 27 and reaches the crimping device 40, which is located on the conveyor belt 11, from a location above the conveyor belt 11.

[0031] The upper rubber tape 2 is also wound up with a resin tape attached to one side to form the upper rubber tape roll 7. Although not shown in the diagram, a peeling device is provided to peel the resin tape from the upper rubber tape 2. The upper rubber tape 2, with the resin tape removed, is supplied to the crimping device 40.

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, the electronic tag supply unit 30 is located on the conveyor belt 11 and slightly forward of the rear end of the conveyor belt 11. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the electronic tag supply unit 30 comprises a rectangular frame 31 when viewed from above, and a guide 32 attached to the inside of the frame 31.

[0033] The guide 32 is formed by bending a single metal plate. As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the guide 32 has a plate-shaped bottom plate 32a that fits inside the frame 31. The guide 32 is attached to the frame 31 by screws 34, and can be removed from the frame 31 by removing the screws 34.

[0034] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the bottom plate 32a of the guide 32 has multiple holes 37 arranged at equal intervals in the front-to-back direction. As shown in Figure 8, the holes 37 have a shape and size that allows only one electronic tag 3 to pass through. In detail, the hole 37 is formed by connecting a central portion 37a, which corresponds to the shape of the chip 3a of the electronic tag 3 and is slightly larger than the chip 3a when viewed from above, and side portions 37b, which correspond to the shape of the antenna 3b of the electronic tag 3 and are slightly larger than the antenna 3b when viewed from above. The central portion 37a is wider (longer in the front-to-back direction) than the side portions 37b.

[0035] As explained using Figure 8, the difference between the longitudinal length L of the chip 3a of the electronic tag 3 and the longitudinal length LH of the central portion 37a in the hole 37 is between 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm. Also, the difference between the short-side length Wa of the chip 3a of the electronic tag 3 and the short-side length WHa of the central portion 37a in the hole 37 is between 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm. Therefore, when the electronic tag 3 is inserted into the hole 37, the chip 3a of the electronic tag 3 hardly shifts relative to the central portion 37a of the hole 37, and as a result, the electronic tag 3 hardly shifts relative to the hole 37.

[0036] All the holes 37 have the same shape and size. When an electronic tag 3 is placed in each of these holes 37, multiple electronic tags 3 will be arranged at equal intervals in the front-to-back direction.

[0037] Furthermore, all holes 37 are formed with their longitudinal direction aligned with the left-right direction of the electronic tag coating device 10. The side portions 37b of the hole 37 are formed on both the left and right sides of the central portion 37a of the hole 37. Therefore, when an electronic tag 3 is placed in this hole 37, its longitudinal direction is aligned with the left-right direction of the electronic tag coating device 10, and the antennas 3b are positioned on both the left and right sides of the chip 3a.

[0038] One lot consists of the same number of electronic tags 3 as the number of holes 37 in the guide 32. Therefore, when all the holes 37 in the guide 32 are filled with electronic tags 3, one lot of electronic tags 3 will be arranged at equal intervals.

[0039] The electronic tag supply unit 30 is further equipped with downward protrusions 35. As shown in Figure 7, the downward protrusions 35 are members that protrude downward from the frame 31, and are, for example, bolts attached downward from the upper surface of the frame 31. The downward protrusions 35 are provided at multiple locations on the frame 31 that are closer to the worker's position than the conveyor belt 13, and at multiple locations that are further away from the worker's position than the conveyor belt 13.

[0040] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the electronic tag supply unit 30 is attached to the conveyor belt 13 at one location in the left-right direction via a hinge 38. Specifically, as shown in Figure 7, a hinge fixing bracket 39 is fixed to the frame 19, and one wing of the hinge 38 is fixed to the hinge fixing bracket 39. The other wing of the hinge 38 is fixed to the lower surface of the frame 31 of the electronic tag supply unit 30. The hinge 38 is attached to the part of the electronic tag supply unit 30 that is furthest from the worker's position.

[0041] With this configuration, the electronic tag supply unit 30 (more precisely, the part of the electronic tag supply unit 30 on the worker's side) can be raised and lowered using the hinge pin of the hinge 38 as an axis.

[0042] As shown in Figure 7, when the electronic tag supply unit 30 is lowered, each downward projection 35 that protrudes downward from the frame 31 contacts the parts of the base 14 on both the left and right sides of the conveyor belt 13. As a result, the bottom plate 32a of the frame 31 and guide 32 are kept horizontal and parallel to the upper surface of the conveyor belt 13.

[0043] When the electronic tag supply unit 30 is lowered, as shown in Figure 9, the gap H1 between the upper surface of the lower rubber tape 1 resting on the conveyor belt 13 and the lower surface of the bottom plate 32a of the guide 32 is smaller than the thickness H2 of the electronic tag 3. Because this gap H1 is smaller than the thickness of the electronic tag 3, the electronic tag 3 that enters the hole 37 in the bottom plate 32a does not move from the position of the hole 37 and does not slip under the bottom plate 32a. Furthermore, this gap H1 is preferably 1 mm or more, for example, 1.1 mm or more and 1.6 mm or less.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4, the crimping device 40 is located on the conveyor belt 11 and in front of the electronic tag supply unit 30. The crimping device 40 includes a cylindrical crimping roller 41 and a lifting device for moving the crimping roller 41 up and down.

[0045] The rotation axis of the crimping roller 41 extends in the left-right direction. The crimping roller 41 is a roller that rolls and presses down on the upper rubber tape 2 on the conveyor belt 11, thereby crimping the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 together. The outer diameter of the crimping roller 41 is, for example, 50 mm or more and 60 mm or less. The outer surface of the crimping roller 41 is rubber-lined with rubber such as silicone rubber. The Shore hardness (Hs) of the rubber-lined portion is preferably around 20, for example, 10 to 30.

[0046] When the crimping roller 41 descends, the distance between the upper surface of the conveyor belt 13 of the transport conveyor 11 and the lower end of the crimping roller 41 matches the thickness of the lower rubber tape 1. However, this distance may have an error of ±0.1 mm relative to the thickness of the lower rubber tape 1. The crimping roller 41 maintains this distance while crimping the lower rubber tape 1 and the upper rubber tape 2 with the electronic tag 3 in between.

[0047] As shown in Figure 4, the cutting device 45 is located on the conveyor belt 11 and in front of the crimping device 40. The cutting device 45 is equipped with a blade 46 capable of cutting the rubber portion of the tag continuum 4. In this embodiment, the blade 46 is a circular blade 46 that rotates and moves left and right to cut the tag continuum 4.

[0048] However, the blade used may be one that falls and cuts the tag continuum 4, or a blade from an ultrasonic cutter, etc. Any blade that can cut the tag continuum 4 only in the left-right direction is acceptable.

[0049] The front-to-back distance D (see Figure 4) from the foremost hole 37 in the electronic tag supply unit 30 to the cutting position of the tag continuum 4 by the cutting device 45 is equal to the front-to-back distance when one lot (or two lots, for example) of electronic tags 3 are arranged at the same equal intervals as the holes 37.

[0050] The electronic tag coating method using the electronic tag coating device 10 with the above configuration will be explained with reference to Figure 10.

[0051] Prior to the operation, the electronic tag coating device 10 is set up. Specifically, first, the lower rubber tape roll 6 is set in the lower rubber tape feeding device 20, and the upper rubber tape roll 7 is set in the upper rubber tape feeding device 25. Next, the front end of the lower rubber tape 1, pulled out from the lower rubber tape roll 6, is placed on the conveyor belt 13 of the transport conveyor 11 and transported to below the crimping roller 41 by the operation of the transport conveyor 11. At the same time, the front end of the upper rubber tape 2, pulled out from the upper rubber tape roll 7, is guided to a position slightly behind the crimping roller 41. Next, the crimping roller 41 descends. Next, the front end of the upper rubber tape 2 is guided to the position of the crimping roller 41 and attached to the lower rubber tape 1. Next, the conveyor belt 13 of the transport conveyor 11 moves forward, and the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 are crimped together below the crimping roller 41. The conveyor belt 13 of the transport conveyor 11 continues to move forward, and the crimping roller 41 continues to crimp the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 until the overlapping arrangement of the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 is stable. Once the overlapping arrangement of the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 is stable, the conveyor belt 13 of the transport conveyor 11 stops.

[0052] Next, the worker stands in the designated worker position. The worker position is to the right of the electronic tag coating device 10, on the front side of the page in Figure 4 and the bottom side in Figure 6. Next, the worker lowers the electronic tag supply unit 30 (S1). As a result, the bottom plate 32a of the electronic tag supply unit 30 is positioned above the lower rubber tape 1 and parallel to the lower rubber tape 1. At this time, the distance between the bottom plate 32a and the lower rubber tape 1 becomes smaller than the thickness of the electronic tag 3, as described above. Also, the upper rubber tape 2 is above the electronic tag supply unit 30.

[0053] Next, the worker places the electronic tags 3 on the guide 32 of the electronic tag supply unit 30 (S2). The number of electronic tags 3 placed at this time is equal to or greater than the number of holes 37 in the guide 32.

[0054] Next, the worker inserts one electronic tag 3 into each of the holes 37 of the guide 32 (S3). Generally, the color of the electronic tag 3 is different from the color of the lower rubber tape 1, so the worker can easily find the holes 37 that do not contain an electronic tag 3. Alternatively, the presence or absence of holes 37 that do not contain an electronic tag 3 can be recognized by images taken with a camera. Because the gap between the upper surface of the lower rubber tape 1 and the lower surface of the bottom plate 32a of the guide 32 is smaller than the thickness of the electronic tag 3, the electronic tag 3 that enters the hole 37 does not get stuck between the lower rubber tape 1 and the guide 32, and remains in the hole 37 without moving.

[0055] After inserting the electronic tags 3 into all the holes 37, the worker raises the electronic tag supply unit 30 (S4). After raising the electronic tag supply unit 30, one lot of electronic tags 3 are lined up on the lower rubber tape 1 at equal intervals in the front-to-back direction. The electronic tags 3 are arranged so that their longitudinal direction is in the left-to-right direction of the electronic tag coating device 10.

[0056] Next, the conveyor belt 13 of the transport conveyor 11 moves forward by the distance of one lot of electronic tags 3 (S5). As the conveyor belt 13 moves forward, the electronic tags 3 in front reach the crimping device 40. In the crimping device 40, the upper rubber tape 2 is placed on top of the electronic tag 3 and simultaneously pressed down from above by the crimping roller 41. As a result, the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 are crimped together, sandwiching the electronic tag 3, to form a continuous tag body 4.

[0057] Next, the worker lowers the electronic tag supply unit 30 (S6), places the electronic tag 3 on the guide 32 of the electronic tag supply unit 30 (S7), inserts one electronic tag 3 into each of the holes 37 of the guide 32 (S8), and raises the electronic tag supply unit 30 (S9). In other words, the worker repeats the same steps as S1 to S4.

[0058] At step S9, one lot of electronic tags 3 are lined up at equal intervals in the front-to-back direction where the electronic tag supply unit 30 was located, and another lot of electronic tags 3 are lined up at equal intervals in the front-to-back direction between the electronic tag supply unit 30 and the cutting position of the tag continuum 4 by the cutting device 45. In other words, two lots of electronic tags 3 are lined up at equal intervals in the front-to-back direction between the location of the electronic tag supply unit 30 and the cutting position of the tag continuum 4 by the cutting device 45. At the front, the electronic tags 3 pass through the crimping device 40 and are sandwiched between the lower rubber tape 1 and the upper rubber tape 2, completing the tag continuum 4.

[0059] Next, the conveyor belt 13 of the transport conveyor 11 moves forward by a distance equivalent to one pitch of the tag continuum 4 (S10). One pitch is, for example, about 10 mm. One pitch of the tag continuum 4 is the distance between two "tag midpoints" where the midpoint between two adjacent electronic tags 3 in the tag continuum 4 is defined as the "tag midpoint." Figure 3 shows one pitch as P. This forward movement causes the leading electronic tag 3 in the tag continuum 4 to move forward beyond the cutting position of the cutting device 45.

[0060] Next, the cutting device 45 cuts the tag continuum 4 (S11). As a result, one coated electronic tag 5 is cut out in front of the cutting position. The length of the cut-out coated electronic tag 5 in the front-to-back direction corresponds to one pitch of the tag continuum 4.

[0061] The length of the cut-out coated electronic tag 5 in the left-right direction is the length of the coated electronic tag 5 in the longitudinal direction, and the length of the coated electronic tag 5 in the front-back direction is the length of the coated electronic tag 5 in the short direction. The longitudinal and short directions of the coated electronic tag 5 coincide with the longitudinal and short directions of the electronic tag 3 inside.

[0062] Here, since the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 have a width (length in the left-right direction on the electronic tag coating device 10) that is the same as the longitudinal length of the coated electronic tag 5, the width of the tag continuum 4 is also the same as the longitudinal length of the coated electronic tag 5. Therefore, by simply cutting the tag continuum 4 in the left-right direction, it is possible to cut out coated electronic tags 5 with the required longitudinal length.

[0063] The cut-out, coated electronic tag 5 is held in a holding device (not shown) and moved to a predetermined location (S12).

[0064] Subsequently, steps S10 to S12 are repeated until all the coated electronic tags 5 for one lot have been cut out.

[0065] When the number of coated electronic tags 5 for one lot has been cut out (Yes in S13), the conveyor belt 13 has advanced by a distance equivalent to the number of electronic tags 3 for one lot compared to when it was in S9, and there are no more electronic tags 3 in the location of the electronic tag supply unit 30. At this point, the worker executes S6 to S9 again to arrange the electronic tags 3 on the conveyor belt 13, and then executes S10 to S13 to cut out the number of coated electronic tags 5 for one lot.

[0066] In this manner, steps S6 to S13 are repeated until the required number of coated electronic tags 5 have been cut out. Once the required number of coated electronic tags 5 have been cut out (Yes in S14), the cutting process is complete.

[0067] The destination of the completed coated electronic tag 5 after it is held by the holding device is not limited. For example, multiple coated electronic tags 5 may be arranged on a resin film in the order they are completed, wound up into a roll along with the resin film, and transported to the next process. Alternatively, multiple coated electronic tags 5 may be arranged on a tray in the order they are completed, and transported to the next process along with the tray. Furthermore, the holding device that holds the completed coated electronic tag 5 may directly attach the coated electronic tag 5 to a tire component such as a bead filler. In any case, the coated electronic tag 5 is attached to the tire.

[0068] The electronic tag 3 attached to the tire can be used for traceability and production management at tire and automobile factories, as well as for recording the results of periodic inspections after installation on a vehicle, recording mileage, and recording retreading.

[0069] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0070] In the electronic tag coating device 10 of this embodiment, an electronic tag supply unit 30 is positioned above the conveyor belt 11 that transports the lower rubber tape 1, with holes 37 formed therein that allow the electronic tag 3 to pass through. Therefore, by inserting the electronic tag 3 into the holes 37 of the electronic tag supply unit 30, the electronic tag 3 can be accurately positioned at a predetermined location on the lower rubber tape 1.

[0071] Furthermore, the electronic tag coating apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes a crimping device 40 that crimps upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 with the electronic tags 3 sandwiched in between to form a continuous tag structure 4 in which multiple electronic tags 3 are coated with a long rubber strip, and a cutting device 45 that cuts the continuous tag structure 4 to form multiple coated electronic tags 5. This makes it possible to manufacture coated electronic tags 5 in which the electronic tags 3 are precisely positioned in predetermined locations.

[0072] Furthermore, since multiple holes 37 are formed at equal intervals in the electronic tag supply unit 30, the electronic tags 3 can be placed at equal intervals on the lower rubber tape 1 by inserting each of these holes 37. In addition, since one lot of electronic tags 3 can be placed on the lower rubber tape 1 at once, it is efficient.

[0073] Furthermore, the holes 37 in the electronic tag supply unit 30 have a shape and size that allows one electronic tag 3 to pass through, and have longitudinal and transverse directions that correspond to the longitudinal and transverse directions of the electronic tag 3. Therefore, one electronic tag 3 is inserted into each hole 37 in the correct orientation. In addition, as described above, the difference between the length of the chip 3a of the electronic tag 3 and the length of the central part 37a in the hole 37 is 0.5 mm or more in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the electronic tag 3, making it easy for the electronic tag 3 to enter the hole 37. Also, since this difference is 1.0 mm or less, the position of the electronic tag 3 inserted into the hole 37 hardly shifts.

[0074] Furthermore, the gap between the surface on which the lower rubber tape 1 rests on the conveyor belt 11 and the lower end of the hole 37 in the electronic tag supply unit 30 (or the lower surface of the bottom plate 32a of the guide 32 in the electronic tag supply unit 30) is narrower than the thickness of the electronic tag 3. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electronic tag 3 that enters the hole 37 from shifting out of sight and becoming invisible, thus preventing situations where multiple electronic tags 3 pass through a single hole 37.

[0075] Furthermore, the crimping roller 41 of the crimping device 40 is lowered to a height where the distance between it and the conveyor belt 13 matches the thickness of the lower rubber tape 1, and the lower rubber tape 1 and the upper rubber tape 2 are crimped together. As a result, the crimping roller 41 does not press the lower rubber tape 1 too hard, and meandering and wrinkling of the tag continuum 4 caused by excessive pressing of the lower rubber tape 1 are less likely to occur.

[0076] Furthermore, in the electronic tag supply unit 30, the guide 32 with the hole 37 is detachably attached to the frame 31 by a screw 34. Therefore, when the shape or size of the electronic tag 3 is changed, the guide 32 that was previously used can be easily replaced with another guide 32 that fits the electronic tag 3.

[0077] Furthermore, the electronic tag coating method of this embodiment includes the steps of: transporting a long lower rubber tape 1 on a transport conveyor 11; placing the electronic tag 3 on an electronic tag supply unit 30 which is positioned above the transport conveyor 11 and has holes 37 through which the electronic tag 3 can pass; placing the electronic tag 3 on the lower rubber tape 1 by inserting it into the holes 37 of the electronic tag supply unit 30; supplying an upper rubber tape 2 on a plurality of electronic tags 3 placed on the lower rubber tape 1, and pressing the lower rubber tape 1 and the upper rubber tape 2 together with the electronic tags 3 sandwiched in between to form a tag continuum 4 in which the plurality of electronic tags 3 are covered with a long rubber tape; and cutting the tag continuum 4 to form a plurality of coated electronic tags 5. By including these steps, the electronic tag coating method of this embodiment can accurately coat the electronic tag 3 without the need for large-scale peripheral equipment.

[0078] Various modifications can be made to the above embodiments. One of the modification examples described below may be applied to the above embodiments, or two or more may be applied to the above embodiments in combination. The combinations can be freely chosen.

[0079] <Example of change 1> The shape of the electronic tag is not limited to the shape of the embodiment described above. For example, if the RFID tag as an electronic tag consists of a rectangular chip and spiral antennas extending from both sides of the chip, the chip 103a and the antenna 103b may have equal width, as shown in Figure 11, and the entire electronic tag 103 may be a long, narrow rod shape.

[0080] Regardless of the shape of the electronic tag, the guide hole is shaped and sized to allow only one electronic tag to pass through at a time.

[0081] Furthermore, other tags besides RFID tags may be covered with rubber using the apparatus and method of this embodiment. An electronic tag is a tag that has a chip on which information is stored, and on which information can be read and / or written even when covered with rubber.

[0082] <Example of change 2> Regardless of the shape of the electronic tag, the guide holes have longitudinal and transverse directions corresponding to the longitudinal and transverse directions of the electronic tag. Preferably, the difference between the longitudinal length of the first part, which is any part of the electronic tag, and the longitudinal length of the part of the guide hole through which the first part of the electronic tag passes is 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. Also, preferably, the difference between the transverse length of the second part, which is the same as or different from the first part of the electronic tag, and the transverse length of the part of the guide hole through which the second part of the electronic tag passes is 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. For parts other than the first and second parts, there may be a larger gap between them and the holes.

[0083] For example, if the electronic tag 3 and the hole 37 have the shape shown in Figure 8, the difference in length between the chip 3a of the electronic tag 3 and the central part 37a of the hole 37 may be 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less in the longitudinal direction, and the difference in length between the antenna 3b of the electronic tag 3 and the side parts 37b of the hole 37 may be 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less in the short direction. Alternatively, the difference in length between the entire electronic tag 3 and the entire hole 37 may be 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less in the longitudinal direction, and the difference in length between the antenna 3b of the electronic tag 3 and the side parts 37b of the hole 37 may be 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less in the short direction. Alternatively, the difference in length between the entire electronic tag 3 and the entire hole 37 may be 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less in the longitudinal direction, and the difference in length between the chip 3a of the electronic tag 3 and the central part 37a of the hole 37 may be 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less in the short direction.

[0084] <Example of change 3> The distance between the electronic tag supply unit 30 and the cutting device 45 may be longer than the distance D shown in Figure 4. In that case, the distance in the front-to-back direction from the foremost hole 37 in the electronic tag supply unit 30 to the cutting position of the tag continuum 4 by the cutting device 45 is equal to the distance in the front-to-back direction when an integer multiple of one lot (where the integer is 2 or more) of electronic tags 3 are arranged at the same equal intervals as the hole 37.

[0085] In this case, between the location of the electronic tag supply unit 30 and the cutting position of the tag continuum 4 by the cutting device 45, an integer multiple of one lot (however, the integer must be 2 or more) of electronic tags 3 will be arranged at equal intervals in the front-to-back direction (at the front, the electronic tags 3 are sandwiched between the upper and lower rubber tapes 1 and 2 to form the tag continuum 4). After the electronic tags 3 are arranged in this manner, the cutting device 45 will begin cutting the tag continuum 4.

[0086] <Example of change 4> In the flowchart of Figure 10, some or all of the tasks that are to be performed by an operator may be performed by an automatically controlled device.

[0087] For example, a vibrating feeder may be attached to the electronic tag supply unit 30, and the electronic tags 3 placed on the guide 32 may be configured to enter the holes 37 by vibration. Alternatively, a device that holds and moves each electronic tag 3 may be configured to insert the electronic tags 3 into the holes 37.

[0088] Furthermore, the cutting of the tag continuum 4 by the blade 46 of the cutting device 45 may be performed by automatic control.

[0089] <Example of change 5> The guide 32 of the electronic tag supply unit 30 may have only one hole 37. In this case as well, the electronic tag 3 can be placed in the correct position on the lower rubber tape 1 by inserting it into the hole 37.

[0090] If only one hole 37 is formed in the guide 32, it is preferable to place only one electronic tag 3 on the guide 32 and configure it so that the electronic tag 3 enters the hole 37 when the guide 32 vibrates. This is because if there is only one electronic tag 3 on the guide 32, there is no risk of the antennas 3b of the electronic tag 3 becoming entangled when the guide 32 vibrates.

[0091] <Example of change 6> Instead of the upper rubber tape 2, a rubber piece that is the same size as the covered electronic tag 5 when viewed from above may be used as the upper rubber member that covers the electronic tag 3 placed on the lower rubber tape 1. In that case, a rubber piece will be placed on each of the electronic tags 3 on the lower rubber tape 1.

[0092] <Example of change 7> The conveying belt is not limited to the belt conveyor described above. Any conveying belt capable of conveying the lower rubber tape 1, etc., and capable of carrying out the method of this embodiment is acceptable. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1...Lower rubber tape, 2...Upper rubber tape, 3...Electronic tag, 3a...Chip, 3b...Antenna, 4...Tag continuum, 5...Coated electronic tag, 6...Lower rubber tape roll, 7...Upper rubber tape roll, 10...Electronic tag coating device, 11...Conveyor, 12...Rotating roller, 13...Conveyor belt, 14...Base, 15...L-shaped bracket, 19...Frame, 20...Lower rubber tape feeding device, 21...Rotating shaft, 22...Conveyor roller, 25...Upper rubber tape feeding device, 26...Rotating shaft, 27...Conveyor roller, 30...Electronic tag supply unit, 31...Frame, 32...Guide, 32a...Bottom plate, 34...Screw, 35...Downward protrusion, 37...Hole, 37a...Central part, 37b...Both sides, 38...Hinge, 39...Hinge fixing bracket, 40...Crimping device, 41...Crimping roller, 45...Cutting device, 46...Blade

Claims

1. In an electronic tag coating device that coats an electronic tag by sandwiching it between upper and lower rubber pieces, A conveyor for transporting long lengths of rubber tape, An electronic tag supply unit is positioned above the conveyor belt, has a hole through which the electronic tag can pass, and places the electronic tag positioned above the hole onto the lower rubber tape through the hole, A crimping device that supplies an upper rubber member onto a plurality of electronic tags arranged on the lower rubber tape, and presses the lower rubber tape and the upper rubber member together with the electronic tags sandwiched in between, thereby forming a continuous tag assembly in which the plurality of electronic tags are covered with rubber, A cutting device that cuts the aforementioned tag continuum to form multiple coated electronic tags, An electronic tag coating device equipped with the following features.

2. The electronic tag coating device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the holes are formed at equal intervals in the electronic tag supply section.

3. The hole has a shape and size that allows one of the electronic tags to pass through. The electronic tag has a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, and the hole has a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction corresponding to the direction of the electronic tag. The difference between the longitudinal length of the first portion, which is any part of the electronic tag, and the longitudinal length of the portion of the hole through which the first portion of the electronic tag passes is 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. The electronic tag coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the difference between the length in the short direction of the second portion, which is the same as or different from the first portion of the electronic tag, and the length in the short direction of the portion of the hole through which the second portion of the electronic tag passes is 0.5 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

4. The electronic tag coating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between the surface on which the lower rubber tape rests on the conveying conveyor and the lower end of the hole in the electronic tag supply unit is narrower than the thickness of the electronic tag.

5. In an electronic tag coating method in which an electronic tag is coated by sandwiching it between upper and lower rubber pieces, The steps include: placing a long piece of rubber tape onto a conveyor belt and transporting it; The steps include: placing the electronic tag on an electronic tag supply unit which is positioned above the conveyor belt and has holes formed therein through which the electronic tag can pass; The steps include: placing the electronic tag on the lower rubber tape by inserting it into the hole of the electronic tag supply unit; The steps include supplying an upper rubber member onto a plurality of electronic tags arranged on the lower rubber tape, and pressing the lower rubber tape and the upper rubber member together with the electronic tags sandwiched between them, thereby forming a continuous tag assembly in which the plurality of electronic tags are covered with a long rubber band, The steps include: cutting the tag continuum to obtain multiple coated electronic tags, An electronic tag coating method comprising the following features.

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