Closure Element RFID Antenna Break Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure elements for containers, especially high-value beverages, are complex and expensive to manufacture and assemble due to the precise placement of RFID tags and cutters required to interrupt the antenna or control loop, which can be damaged, preventing the reading of additional information after the bottle is opened.
Innovation Solution
A closure element design where the RFID chip is attached to the top wall of the inner cap, and the control loop is attached to the top wall of both caps, allowing a torsion or shear force to break the loop during cap rotation, eliminating the need for cutters and simplifying assembly, while ensuring the chip and antenna remain operational after opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cutters are used to interrupt the antenna or control loop, then the RFID tag can detect opening state, but the manufacturing and assembly complexity increases due to precise alignment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cutter component from the closure element design. Instead of using cutters to interrupt the antenna or control loop, the patent allows the antenna to naturally break when the closure element is removed from the bottle neck, eliminating the need for separate cutting mechanisms and their associated alignment requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure element itself performs the interruption function through its own removal action. When the closure element is taken off the bottle neck, the antenna automatically breaks due to the relative movement, making the system self-servicing without requiring additional active components like cutters.
2Reliability
If cutters are used to interrupt the control loop, then the opening state can be detected, but the assembly precision requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the cutter component entirely from the design. The control loop interruption is achieved passively through the natural breaking of the antenna when the closure element is removed, eliminating the need for precisely aligned cutting edges and complex positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using active cutters to forcibly interrupt the antenna, the invention inverts the approach by allowing the antenna to passively break on its own during the normal removal process. The interruption is a consequence of the closure element's own movement rather than the result of a separate cutting action.
3Reliability
If the antenna is interrupted by rotation, then the chip cannot be read out, but the configuration becomes complex with multiple cap portions
Solution Approach 1:
The closure element serves multiple functions: it seals the bottle, enables RFID communication when attached, and automatically interrupts the antenna when removed. This multi-functionality is achieved through a simple single-piece design rather than complex multi-component structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention simplifies the structure by eliminating the need for multiple cap portions (inner cap, outer cap, intermediate elements) that were previously required to achieve antenna interruption. The single closure element design accomplishes the same tamper detection function with fewer components.
Data Source
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AI summary
A closure element (10) for closing a container (100), comprises an inner cap member (30) to be coupled with a mouth of the container (100); wherein the inner cap member (30) has a top wall (31) and a side wall (32) extending from an edge of the top wall (31); an outer cap member (20) rotatably coupled to the inner cap member (30); wherein the outer cap member (20) has a top wall (21) and a side wall (22) extending from an edge of the top wall (21); an transponder (40) housed between the inner cap member (30) and the outer cap member (20); the transponder (40) comprising a chip (41), an antenna (42) and a control loop (43); the RFID chip (41) being attached to one of the top wall (31) of the inner cap member (30) and the top wall (21) of the outer cap member (20) and at least a portion (43a) of the control loop (43) is attached to the other of the top wall (31) of the inner cap member (30) and the top wall (21) of the outer cap member (20), in such a way that a relative rotation of outer cap member (20) and the inner cap member (30) determines a torsion or shear force to act on the control loop (43) to break it.