Container

Abstract

Provided is a container that is able to perform stable communication with respect to an RFID tag even when the contents include metal.　This insulated container 1 accommodates electronic components M and is placed on a predetermined placement surface 51, the container 1 comprising: a bottom plate part 10 that includes a front surface 11 that the electronic components M can be in contact with and a rear surface 12 facing the placement surface 51, the bottom plate part 10 supporting the electronic components M; and an RFID tag 30 disposed on the rear surface 12 side of the bottom plate part 10, wherein the bottom plate part 10 has a contact surface 16a that is in contact with the placement surface 51, and an isolating part 17 that is disposed between the RFID tag 30 and the front surface 11 and has a thickness X1 of 0.5-10 mm inclusive.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container provided with an RFID tag.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a container configured to be able to manage the contents by communicating with an IC tag such as an RFID tag in which various information regarding the contents is written, by means of an antenna of a reader device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when the contents include electronic components containing metal, communication waves transmitted from the antenna of the reader device may interfere with reflected waves reflected by the metal, resulting in a situation where stable communication cannot be achieved.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a container capable of performing stable communication with an RFID tag even when the contents include metal.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The container according to the present invention is an insulating container that houses the contents and is placed on a predetermined placement surface, and includes a surface that the contents can contact and a back surface facing the placement surface, and includes a bottom plate portion that supports the contents and an RFID tag disposed on the side of the back surface of the bottom plate portion. The bottom plate portion has a contact surface that contacts the placement surface and an isolation portion having a thickness X1 of 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less disposed between the RFID tag and the surface.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, stable communication can be performed with the RFID tag even if the contained object is a metal or contains a metal.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 schematically shows a side cross-section of a container 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the back side of the container 1. The container 1 accommodates a large number of electronic components M as contained objects in a scattered state. The container 1 is placed on a placement surface 51 of a predetermined table 50. As the capacity of the container 1, for example, about 1000 to 300,000 electronic components M can be accommodated. Note that the electronic components M may be accommodated in the container 1 in a bagged state. The container 1 is formed of an insulating resin such as polycarbonate.

[0010] As the electronic component M, for example, small electronic components such as multilayer ceramic capacitors and inductors are suitable, and in particular, chip-shaped small electronic components containing metal are preferred. For example, a multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a multilayer laminate in which an internal electrode layer mainly composed of a metal such as Ni or Cu is sandwiched between dielectric layers, and an external electrode in which a plating layer made of Ni or Sn is applied to the surface of a metal such as Cu, Ni, Ag, Pt, or Au, and contains metal.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container 1 is a box having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The container 1 includes a flat rectangular bottom plate portion 10, side wall portions 20 rising from the edge portions of the four sides of the bottom plate portion 10 to surround the bottom plate portion 10, an opening portion 21 opening upward, and an RFID tag 30 provided on the bottom plate portion 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the opening portion 21 of the container 1 may be closed by a lid 22 detachable from the container 1 so that the electronic component M is sealed in the container 1.

[0012] The side wall portions 20 include a pair of first side wall portions 20a extending in the longitudinal direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the container 1 and facing each other in the width direction (the front-back direction of the paper surface in FIGS. 1 and 2), and a pair of second side wall portions 20b extending in the width direction of the container 1 and facing each other in the longitudinal direction. In FIG. 1, only one first side wall portion 20a is shown. The second side wall portion 20b is inclined so as to lean slightly outward of the container 1 from its lower end to its upper end. The first side wall portion 20a is inclined in the same manner as the second side wall portion 20b or is orthogonal to the bottom plate portion 10. The forms of the first side wall portion 20a and the second side wall portion 20b, including the presence or absence of inclination, are arbitrary and are not limited to the embodiment. For example, as dimensions of the container 1, the length is about 200 to 400 mm, the width is about 100 to 300 mm, and the height is about 50 to 150 mm.

[0013] The bottom plate portion 10 supports a large number of electronic components M accommodated in the container 1. The bottom plate portion 10 includes an inner flat surface 11 with which the electronic component M can come into contact and an outer back surface 12 facing the mounting surface 51.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the back surface 12 of the bottom plate portion 10 has a rectangular edge portion 13 at its outermost periphery, and a lattice-shaped rib 14 inside this edge portion 13. Both the edge portion 13 and the rib 14 are ridges protruding toward the back surface 12 side. The edge portion 13 and the rib 14 improve the rigidity of the bottom plate portion 10. The rib 14 includes a plurality of first ribs 14a extending in the longitudinal direction and a plurality of second ribs 14b extending in the width direction orthogonal to the first ribs 14a. No rib 14 is formed at the central portion of the back surface 12 of the bottom plate portion 10, and a housing space 15 in the shape of a circular recess is formed at the central portion thereof. A rectangular convex portion 16 as a spacer portion is formed around this housing space 15. That is, the housing space 15 is formed at the central portion of the convex portion 16. When the container 1 is placed on the placement surface 51 of the table 50, the back surfaces 12 of the edge portion 13, the rib 14, and the convex portion 16 contact the placement surface 51. The back surface of the convex portion 16 is a contact surface 16a that contacts the placement surface 51.

[0015] The RFID tag 30 is arranged on the side of the back surface 12 of the bottom plate portion 10 in a state of being housed in the housing space 15. Various kinds of information are written and stored in the RFID tag 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the various kinds of information stored in the RFID tag 30 are read by the RFID reader 60. The RFID reader 60 includes an antenna portion 61 arranged on the placement surface 51 of the table 50 and a control portion 62 connected to the antenna portion 61. The information read by the RFID reader 60 is wirelessly transmitted to the management portion 65. The management portion 65 processes the received information.

[0016] The information stored in the RFID tag 30 is arbitrary, and examples include electronic component information regarding the electronic component M and a unique ID associated with the electronic component M. Examples of the electronic component information include the lot number of the electronic component M, information on the product and type regarding the electronic component M, and the inspection number of the electronic component M. Further, information regarding the container 1 may be stored in the RFID tag 30. Examples of the information regarding the container 1 include the quantity of the electronic component M housed in the container 1 and the ID number of the container 1.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the RFID tag 30 includes a storage unit 31 that stores various types of information and an antenna unit 32 that performs communication. The RFID tag 30 of the embodiment is a passive type that has no power source and converts radio waves (signals) received from the antenna unit 61 of the RFID reader 60 into electric power, but the configuration of the RFID tag 30 is not limited to this. The RFID tag 30 of the embodiment has an overall elongated sheet-like shape and is, for example, adhered to the upper surface of the storage space 15 via an adhesive. Note that the RFID tag 30 may be fixed with a cover that covers the RFID tag 30. The adhesive may be disposed on one side of the RFID tag 30 in advance so that the RFID tag 30 is an adhesive seal, or may be applied to one side of the RFID tag 30 at the time of adhesion. Note that the shape of the RFID tag 30 is not limited to this, and may be a circular shape, a square shape, a triangular shape, or the like.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom plate portion 10 has an insulating portion 17 disposed between the RFID tag 30 and the surface 11. The insulating portion 17 separates the height direction distance between the RFID tag 30 and the surface 11 by X1. The insulating portion 17 is a portion of the bottom plate portion 10 where the RFID tag 30 is disposed, that is, the thickness portion of the bottom plate portion 10 above the storage space 15, and the thickness of the insulating portion 17 is X1. The thickness X1 of the insulating portion 17 is the same as the thickness of the bottom plate portion 10. In FIG. 4, the insulating portion 17, which is a part of the bottom plate portion 10, is particularly shown by cross-hatching. Note that the same applies to FIG. 5.

[0019] The storage space 15 in which the RFID tag 30 is disposed is disposed between the insulating portion 17 of the bottom plate portion 10 and the mounting surface 51, and a gap 18 with a height direction distance of X2 is formed between the RFID tag 30 and the mounting surface 51. The distance X2 is the height direction distance between the contact surface 16a, which is the back surface of the convex portion 16 that contacts the mounting surface 51, and the RFID tag 30. The convex portion 16 forms the storage space 15 between the insulating portion 17 and the mounting surface 51. In the embodiment, the thickness X1 of the insulating portion 17 is longer than the distance X2. By making the thickness X1 longer than the distance X2, it is possible to minimize the hindrance of electromagnetic induction due to the influence of the metal.

[0020] The RFID tag 30 uses a communication band in the UHF band, LF band, or HF band that employs the electromagnetic induction method. Note that the RFID tag 30 of the embodiment preferably uses the HF band for communication by radio wave. By being in the HF band, the RFID tag 30 of the desired container 1 can be read without reacting to other containers adjacent to the container 1. The thickness X1, which is the thickness of the isolation portion 17, has a distance that can suppress the prevention of electromagnetic induction due to the influence of metal even when an electronic component M containing metal contacts and is accommodated on the surface 11 of the isolation portion 17, and enables sufficient communication with the RFID tag 30. The thickness X1 is set according to the characteristics of the antenna portion 61 of the RFID reader 60 and the like. For example, if it is 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less, it can be preferably read without being affected by metal, and if it is 3 mm or more and 10 mm or less, the reading is more stable. Also, if it exceeds 10 mm, the volume of the container 1 becomes narrow, which is not preferable.

[0021] FIG. 5 shows a modified example of the isolation portion 17. This isolation portion 17 is formed to be thicker than the thickness of other portions of the bottom plate portion 10 by increasing the thickness on the surface 11 side of the bottom plate portion 10. Therefore, the thickness of the isolation portion 17, that is, the height direction thickness X1 between the RFID tag 30 and the surface 11, is longer than that in the form of FIG. 4. For example, when the thickness of the bottom plate portion 10 is generally thin, by increasing the thickness only in the portion of the isolation portion 17, the prevention of electromagnetic induction due to the influence of metal can be suppressed, and a distance that enables communication with the RFID tag 30 can be ensured.

[0022] The container 1 of the embodiment can be applied to a manufacturing system that manufactures products while being transported by an automated guided vehicle, and products can be manufactured while managing the electronic component M and the container 1. A specific example thereof is briefly shown below.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a plan view conceptually showing a manufacturing system for manufacturing a product from the electronic component M by transporting the container 1. Here, as the electronic component M that houses in the container 1 a chip-shaped multilayer laminate in which an internal electrode layer mainly composed of a metal such as Ni or Cu is sandwiched between dielectric layers, that is, a multilayer laminate immediately before the external electrodes are formed, the process of forming external electrodes on a number of multilayer laminates will be described.

[0024] The manufacturing system shown in FIG. 6 includes a guiding line 73 laid between the automated warehouse 71 and the manufacturing facility 72, and a plurality of automated guided vehicles 70 guided to travel on the guiding line 73. The guiding line 73 is configured, for example, by pasting a traveling magnetic tape on the floor surface. The guiding line 73 passes through the automated warehouse 71 and the manufacturing facility 72.

[0025] A number of containers 1 housing a number of electronic components M (the above-mentioned multilayer laminates) are stored in the automated warehouse 71. The automated warehouse 71 includes a robot or the like (not shown) that sets the containers 1 one by one from the storage locations in the automated warehouse 71 to the guiding line 73 or returns them to the storage locations. The manufacturing facility 72 has a manufacturing section 72a that takes out a number of electronic components M from the container 1 and forms external electrodes on each of the electronic components M. At the entrances and exits of the automated warehouse 71 and the manufacturing section 72a, a table 50 (designated as 50A) provided with the antenna section 61 of the RFID reader 60 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged. The operation of the manufacturing system is performed according to a command from the management section 65. Note that the reading of the RFID tag 30 is not limited to the table 50 provided with the antenna section 61, and it may be read by other means.

[0026] For example, a large number of electronic components M for which external electrodes are to be formed are divided into three lots A, B, and C, and each lot is housed in three containers 1A, 1B, and 1C and arranged at a predetermined storage location in the automated warehouse 71. Here, the management unit 65 sends commands to the automated guided vehicle 70 and the automated warehouse 71 to transport the three containers 1A, 1B, and 1C to the manufacturing facility 72. The automated warehouse 71 determines whether the containers 1A, 1B, and 1C are stored in the automated warehouse 71. If storage is confirmed, the management unit 65 sends a command to the three automated guided vehicles 70 stopped near the automated warehouse 71 to go and pick up the containers 1A, 1B, and 1C.

[0027] The three automated guided vehicles 70 enter the automated warehouse 71 and go to pick up the three containers 1A, 1B, and 1C. Each of the containers 1A, 1B, and 1C is loaded onto one automated guided vehicle 70 and transported to the manufacturing facility 72. Note that one automated guided vehicle 70 may travel back and forth between the automated warehouse 71 and the manufacturing facility 72 to transport the containers 1A, 1B, and 1C to the manufacturing facility 72. The containers 1A, 1B, and 1C are sequentially placed on the table 50A arranged at the entrance of the manufacturing unit 72a, the RFID tag 30 of the container 1 is read by the RFID reader 60, and the management unit 65 receives the read information.

[0028] The management unit 65 determines that the containers 1A, 1B, and 1C have been transported to the manufacturing facility 72 based on the information of the container 1 read from the RFID tag 30, for example, and sends a command to the manufacturing unit 72a to form external electrodes on the electronic component M under predetermined conditions based on the information of the lot distinguished by the containers 1A, 1B, and 1C.

[0029] In the manufacturing department 72a, the electronic component M is taken out from the containers 1A, 1B, and 1C, and external electrodes are formed on the electronic component M according to the instructions of the management department 65. The electronic component M on which the formation of the external electrodes is completed is returned to the containers 1A, 1B, and 1C for each lot. The containers 1A, 1B, and 1C containing a predetermined quantity of the electronic component M are sequentially placed on the table 50 (50B) at the exit of the manufacturing department 72a. The RFID tags 30 of the containers 1A, 1B, and 1C placed on the table 50B are read by the RFID reader 60 and mounted on the automated guided vehicle 70. Based on the information of the read RFID tag 30, the automated guided vehicle 70 is transported to the location of the next process by the automated guided vehicle 70 or returned to the automated warehouse 71.

[0030] According to the container 1 according to the embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved. The container 1 according to the embodiment is an insulating container that houses the electronic component M as the contents and is placed on the predetermined placement surface 51, and includes a surface 11 that the electronic component M can contact and a back surface 12 facing the placement surface 51, and includes a bottom plate portion 10 that supports the electronic component M and an RFID tag 30 disposed on the side of the back surface 12 of the bottom plate portion 10. The bottom plate portion 10 has a contact surface 16a that contacts the placement surface 51 and a partition portion 17 having a thickness X1 of 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less disposed between the RFID tag 30 and the surface 11.

[0031] Thereby, even if the electronic component M contains metal, due to the presence of the partition portion 17, the communication wave transmitted from the antenna portion 61 of the RFID reader 60 is less likely to interfere with the reflected wave reflected by the metal. As a result, stable communication can be performed with respect to the RFID tag 30. Therefore, as the contents of the present invention, it is preferable that the electronic component contains metal as in the embodiment.

[0032] In the container 1 according to the embodiment, the above thickness X1 is 3 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and it is more preferably 5 mm or more, or 3 mm or more. In the container 1 of the embodiment, it is preferable that the above thickness X1 is longer than the distance X2 in the height direction between the RFID tag 30 and the contact surface 16a.

[0033] As a result, while the distance between the antenna unit 61 of the RFID reader 60 and the RFID tag 30 is maintained within a communicable distance, interference with the metal is suppressed and stable communication can be performed.

[0034] In the container 1 according to the embodiment, the thickness X1 of the isolation part 17 may be the same as the thickness of the bottom plate part 10.

[0035] As a result, the isolation part 17 can be provided while making the thickness of the bottom plate part 10 uniform. The isolation part 17 can be easily provided, and the configuration can be simplified.

[0036] In the container 1 according to the embodiment, the thickness X1 of the isolation part 17 may be in a form longer than the thickness of the bottom plate part 10.

[0037] As a result, the effect of communication stability on the RFID tag 30 by the isolation part 17 can be accurately obtained.

[0038] In the container 1 according to the embodiment, the bottom plate part 10 further has a convex part 16 as a spacer part that forms an accommodation space 15 between the isolation part 17 and the placement surface 51, and it is preferable that the RFID tag 30 is accommodated in the accommodation space 15.

[0039] As a result, a situation where the RFID tag 30 directly contacts the placement surface 51 does not occur, so damage to the RFID tag 30 is prevented, and stable communication can be performed.

[0040] In the container 1 according to the embodiment, it is preferable that the RFID tag 30 accommodates electronic component information regarding the electronic component M or a unique ID associated with the electronic component M.

[0041] By reading the information stored in the RFID tag, various information about the electronic component M stored in the container 1 and information such as what kind of electronic component M the container 1 stores can be obtained, and the manufacturing management of the electronic component M can be accurately performed.

[0042] As described above, the embodiments have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0043] 1 Container 10 Bottom plate part 11 Front surface 12 Back surface 15 Accommodation space 16 Protrusion (spacer part) 16a Contact surface 17 Isolation part 30 RFID tag 51 Placement surface M Electronic component (accommodated item)

Claims

1. An insulating container for housing a content that is an electronic component containing a metal, and placed on a predetermined placement surface, comprising: a bottom plate portion that includes a surface that the content can contact and a back surface facing the placement surface, and supports the content; an RFID tag disposed on the side of the back surface of the bottom plate portion; the bottom plate portion has a contact surface that contacts the placement surface and an isolation portion with a thickness X1 of 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less disposed between the RFID tag and the surface; the container, wherein the thickness X1 is longer than the height direction distance X2 between the RFID tag and the contact surface.

2. The container according to Claim 1, wherein the thickness X1 is 3 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

3. The container according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the thickness X1 is 5 mm or more.

4. The container according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the thickness X1 is 3 mm or more.

5. The container according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the thickness X1 is the same as the thickness of the bottom plate portion.

6. The container according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the thickness X1 is longer than the thickness of the bottom plate portion.

7. The bottom plate portion further has a spacer portion that forms a housing space between the isolation portion and the placement surface, The container according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the RFID tag is housed in the housing space.

8. The container according to Claim 1, wherein the RFID tag houses electronic component information regarding the electronic component or a unique ID associated with the electronic component.

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