Coiled RFID Tag for Harsh Environment Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional RFID tags face challenges in securely attaching to objects in harsh environments and those with non-flat surfaces, as adhesives degrade under heat and moisture, and existing solutions like embedded tags complicate manufacturing and are not easily retrofittable or readable from multiple orientations.
Innovation Solution
A coiled RFID tag design featuring a cylindrically-shaped substrate core with a transponder circuit encased in a protective shell, allowing for overmolding onto various shapes and surfaces, enabling secure attachment and readability from any orientation, using a method that includes forming a transponder circuit on a cylindrical substrate core and encasing it in a protective layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If adhesive bonding is used to attach RFID tags to objects, then the attachment process is simple and fast, but the adhesive degrades under heat and moisture in harsh environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding mechanism (adhesive) with a mechanical bonding mechanism (interlocking features). The RFID tag includes protrusions that fit into corresponding recesses in the mounting surface, creating a mechanical interlock that remains reliable under heat and moisture conditions where adhesives would degrade.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a protective encapsulating layer that seals the RFID circuit and antenna, providing environmental protection. This encapsulation works in conjunction with the mechanical interlocking features to ensure both reliability in harsh environments and ease of attachment.
2Reliability
If RFID tags are embedded into objects during manufacturing, then the tags are securely attached, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and retrofitting is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The RFID tag is designed with pre-formed attachment features (protrusions and engagement structures) that enable secure mounting without requiring embedding during the original manufacturing process. This preliminary design of attachment mechanisms allows for simple retrofittable installation while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The RFID tag is designed as a separate, modular component with integrated attachment features, rather than being embedded as an integral part of the object. This segmentation allows the tag to be attached independently to various objects with different shapes and surfaces, simplifying both manufacturing and retrofitting processes.
3Device complexity
If conventional flat RFID tags are used on non-flat surfaces, then the tag design is simple, but the tag cannot be securely attached or read from multiple orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a three-dimensional RFID tag design with curved or cylindrical surfaces rather than flat planar surfaces. This curved geometry allows the tag to conform to non-flat mounting surfaces and enables reading from multiple orientations, while the internal circuitry remains relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional flat RFID tags to three-dimensional structures with depth and curvature. This dimensional change enables the tag to be mounted on surfaces of various shapes and to be readable from multiple angles, significantly improving adaptability while maintaining design simplicity through standardized components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The coiled RFID tag provides reliable attachment and readability in harsh environments, including moist and high-temperature conditions, and can be easily attached to objects of different shapes without requiring a flat surface, enhancing tracking efficiency and durability.
Implementation Method 1
Passive tags do not contain a power source. Rather, they become inductively or capacitively charged when they enter an RF field.
Implementation Method 2
The coiled transponder circuit is formed surrounding substantially all sides of the substrate core such that the coiled transponder circuit circumscribes 360 degrees of the substrate core.
Data Source
AI summary
A coiled RFID tag that includes an RFID transponder circuit that is formed over a generally cylindrically-shaped substrate core so that portions of the antenna of the transponder circuit circumscribe the substrate core. With this configuration, the tag may be applied to objects without regard to antenna orientation. The transponder circuit and substrate core are encased in a protective material that will prevent ingress of moisture and dust, insulate from heat and cold but will allow radio frequency waves to pass without significant attenuation. The tag may be attached various items by an overmolding process in the formation of a grip of other portions. Alternatively, the tag may be attached to objects by forming it into a flexible sleeve-like portion that is pulled over objects and maintained in position by the resilient properties of the sleeve.