1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless IC devices and, more particularly, to a wireless IC device for use in a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as information management systems for products, RFID systems have been used in which transmission of predetermined information is performed in a non-contact manner between a reader/writer which generates an induction field and an RFID tag (hereinafter also referred to as a wireless IC device) attached to a product. The RFID tag includes a wireless IC chip which stores predetermined information and processes a predetermined radio signal and an antenna (radiator) arranged to transmit/receive a high-frequency signal, and is attached to various management target products (or packages of these products).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-272264 discloses this type of RFID tag obtained by forming a loop antenna on an insulating film, disposing a wireless IC chip on a portion of the loop antenna, and wrapping the insulating film around a dielectric member.
Products to which such RFID tags are attached have various shapes. For example, a gas cylinder has a curved surface, and it is required that an RFID tag can also be attached to the curved surface. When the RFID tag disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-272264 includes a dielectric member made of a material such as silicon, the RFID tag can be attached to a curved surface. However, if an RFID tag is attached to a curved surface using only the flexibility of a material, stress concentration may occur between a dielectric member and a loop antenna when the dielectric member is bent. As a result, the loop antenna may be detached from the dielectric member, or a crack may be produced at the dielectric member. Alternatively, the loop antenna may be distorted, a communication characteristic may be changed, and communication reliability may be reduced.
To overcome the problems described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a wireless IC device capable of preventing detachment of a radiator from a body and preventing a change in a communication characteristic even if the wireless IC device is attached to a curved surface.
A wireless IC device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention preferably includes a dielectric body including an upper surface and a lower surface, a radiator provided on a surface of the dielectric body, and a wireless IC element coupled to a feeding portion of the radiator. The radiator is preferably a metal pattern that is flexible, for example. The dielectric body preferably has a laminated structure including a plurality of dielectric layers that are flexible, and adjacent ones of the plurality of dielectric layers in a lamination direction preferably include non-bonded surfaces.
A wireless IC device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention preferably includes a dielectric body including an upper surface and a lower surface, a radiator provided on a surface of the dielectric body, a wireless IC element coupled to a feeding portion of the radiator, and a protection member arranged to cover the dielectric body, the radiator, and the wireless IC element. The radiator is preferably a metal pattern that is flexible. The dielectric body preferably has a laminated structure including a plurality of dielectric layers that are flexible, and adjacent ones of the plurality of dielectric layers in a lamination direction preferably include non-bonded surfaces. Preferably, the dielectric body is covered by the protection member, is sealed by a film, and is attached to a surface of a metal body via the film.
In the wireless IC device, preferably, the radiator is a metal pattern that is flexible, the dielectric body includes a plurality of laminated dielectric layers that are flexible, and these dielectric layers include non-bonded surfaces. Accordingly, even if the wireless IC device is attached to the curved surface of a product (metal body), the dielectric body and the radiator follow the curved surface and stress concentration between the dielectric body and the radiator does not occur. As a result, a change in a communication characteristic caused by the detachment of the radiator from the dielectric body and the distortion of the radiator is prevented, and communication reliability is not reduced. By attaching the wireless IC device to the metal body, the metal body functions as a radiating element and a communication distance is increased.
According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to prevent detachment of a radiator from a body and prevent a change in a communication characteristic even if a wireless IC device is attached to a curved surface.
The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
A wireless IC device according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numeral is used to represent the same component or the same portion so as to avoid repeated explanation.
A wireless IC device 10A according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is preferably used for communication in a UHF band, and preferably includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped dielectric body 20, a metal pattern 30 defining a radiator, a flexible resin film 38 on which the metal pattern 30 is provided, and a wireless IC element 50 as illustrated in
The dielectric body 20 preferably includes a dielectric layer 21 made of a fluorocarbon resin or a urethane resin, for example. The dielectric layer 21 may also be an insulating magnetic substance, for example. As illustrated in
The flexible resin film 38 on which the metal pattern 30 is provided is attached to the upper surface of the dielectric layer 21, and the dielectric layer 21 is folded along a substantially center line (a line X1) so that a first half and a second half of the lower surface of the dielectric layer 21 face each other (see,
Preferably, an opening 34 and a slit 35 are provided in the upper electrode 31, and the wireless IC element 50 is disposed at feeding portions 35a and 35b opposite the slit 35 (see,
In the wireless IC device 10A having the above-described configuration, when a predetermined high-frequency signal is transmitted from the wireless IC element 50 to the feeding portions 35a and 35b, current is concentrated around the opening 34. This current-concentrating portion functions as a loop magnetic field electrode having a predetermined length, and has a predetermined potential difference with respect to the feeding portions 35a and 35b. The predetermined potential difference of the loop magnetic field electrode is transmitted to the upper electrode 31. As a result, the upper electrode 31 has a potential difference with respect to the lower electrode 33 and operates as a patch antenna. Thus, a signal characteristic, for example, a wide-band frequency characteristic, supplied from the feeding portions 35a and 35b can be externally transmitted via the metal pattern 30. Where the metal pattern 30 externally receives a high-frequency signal, a current is similarly induced around the opening 34 and power is supplied from the feeding portions 35a and 35b to the wireless IC element 50. In this case, the loop magnetic field electrode performs impedance matching between the wireless IC element 50 and the metal pattern 30.
Since an electromagnetic field radiated from the metal pattern 30 is relatively weak, only short-distance communication can be established. As illustrated in
In the wireless IC device 10A, preferably, a radiator is defined by the metal pattern 30 that is flexible, and the dielectric body 20 is obtained by folding the dielectric layer 21 that is flexible and includes the non-bonded surfaces 23. Accordingly, even if the wireless IC device 10A is attached to the curved surface of the metal body 40 (for example, a gas cylinder), the dielectric body 20 and the metal pattern 30 follow the curved surface and the occurrence of stress concentration between the dielectric body 20 and the metal pattern 30 is prevented. As a result, a change in a communication characteristic caused by a detachment or distortion of the metal pattern 30 is prevented and communication reliability is not reduced.
In the first preferred embodiment, the width of the metal pattern 30 is preferably less than that of the dielectric body 20. That is, the metal pattern 30 is preferably disposed inside ridge portions 20a and 20b of the dielectric body 20 (see,
By disposing the metal pattern 30 on the flexible resin film 38 in advance, the wireless IC element 50 can preferably be disposed at the metal pattern 30 before the metal pattern 30 is attached to the dielectric body 20. This is an advantage in manufacturing a wireless IC device. The opening 34 and the slit 35 may not be provided in the upper electrode 31 of the metal pattern 30, and the upper electrode 31 may preferably be divided into two portions so as to obtain feeding portions and the feeding portions may be connected to the wireless IC element 50.
As illustrated in
In the second preferred embodiment, adjacent surfaces of the dielectric layers 21 in the lamination direction preferably define the non-bonded surfaces 23. The upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 of the metal pattern 30 are preferably bonded to the upper surface and the lower surface of the dielectric body 20, respectively, via the flexible resin film 38. The side electrode 32 of the metal pattern 30 is preferably not bonded, and a gap 25 is provided (see,
Except for the above-described points, the configuration and operational effect according to the second preferred embodiment are substantially the same as those according to the first preferred embodiment. In the second preferred embodiment, in the dielectric body 20, the entire surfaces of the laminated dielectric layers 21 are preferably defined by non-bonded surfaces 23. However, one end portions of the dielectric layers 21 may be bonded.
The dielectric body 20 in a wireless IC device 10C according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention is preferably obtained by laminating three dielectric layers 21, for example (see,
Except for the above-described points, the configuration and operational effect according to the third preferred embodiment are substantially the same as those according to the first preferred embodiment. In particular, when the number of the non-bonded surfaces 23 is increased as described in the third preferred embodiment, the dielectric body can be easily bent even if the thickness of the dielectric body 20 is not changed.
In a wireless IC device 10D according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention, preferably, the opening 34 and the slit 35 of the metal pattern 30 defining a radiator are disposed at the approximate center of the upper electrode 31, and the upper electrode 31, a pair of the side electrodes 32, and the lower electrode 33 are arranged so as to encircle the dielectric body 20 (see,
That is, in order to obtain the dielectric body 20, the flexible resin film 38 on which the metal pattern 30 is provided is preferably attached to the upper surface of a single dielectric layer 21 and the dielectric layer 21 is folded along lines (lines X2) spaced apart from both ends of the dielectric layer 21 by an approximately quarter of the length of the dielectric layer 21. As illustrated in
Except for the above-described points, the configuration and operational effect according to the fourth preferred embodiment are substantially the same as those according to the first preferred embodiment. In particular, in the fourth preferred embodiment, preferably, the lower electrode 33 is divided into two portions by a slit 33a, is capacitively coupled to the metal body 40, and functions as a loop radiator.
A wireless IC device 10E according to the fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention has a configuration similar to that described in the fourth preferred embodiment. The number of laminated dielectric layers in the dielectric body 20 is preferably increased to three, for example. As illustrated in
Except for the above-described points, the configuration and operational effect according to the fifth preferred embodiment are substantially the same as those according to the first preferred embodiment. In particular, in the fifth preferred embodiment, preferably, the lower electrode 33 is divided into two portions by the slit 33a, is capacitively coupled to the metal body 40, and functions as a loop radiator. Since the number of the non-bonded surfaces 23 is preferably relatively large, the dielectric body 20 can be easily bent as in the third preferred embodiment.
When the metal body 40 is a gas cylinder, it may be left outdoors or be handled roughly. In such a case, the protection cover 45 effectively protects the dielectric body 20 and the metal pattern 30 from the surrounding environment and from shock.
The wireless IC element 50 will be described below. Preferably, the wireless IC element 50 may be defined by a wireless IC chip 51 arranged to process a high-frequency signal as illustrated in
The wireless IC chip 51 illustrated in
When the wireless IC element 50 is defined by the wireless IC chip 51 and the feeding circuit board 65 as illustrated in
The feeding circuit 66 transmits a high-frequency signal of a predetermined frequency received from the wireless IC chip 51 to the above-described antenna and supplies a received high-frequency signal to the wireless IC chip 51 via the antenna. Since the feeding circuit 66 has a predetermined resonance frequency, it can easily perform impedance matching and the electrical length of an impedance matching circuit, that is, the loop metal pattern 30, can be reduced.
Next, the structure of the feeding circuit board 65 will be described. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
By laminating the ceramic sheets 141a to 141h, preferably, the inductance element L1 is defined by the wiring electrodes 146a that are helically connected to each other by the via-hole conductor 147a and the inductance element L2 is defined by the wiring electrodes 146b that are helically connected to each other by the via-hole conductor 147b. A capacitor is preferably defined between the wiring electrodes 146a and 146b.
An end portion 146a-1 of the wiring electrode 146a on the ceramic sheet 141b is connected to the feeding terminal electrode 142a via the via-hole conductor 145a. An end portion 146a-2 of the wiring electrode 146a on the ceramic sheet 141h is connected to the feeding terminal electrode 142b via the via-hole conductors 148a and 145b. An end portion 146b-1 of the wiring electrode 146b on the ceramic sheet 141b is connected to the feeding terminal electrode 142b via the via-hole conductor 144b. An end portion 146b-2 of the wiring electrode 146b on the ceramic sheet 141h is connected to the feeding terminal electrode 142a via the via-hole conductors 148b and 144a.
In the feeding circuit 66, since the inductance elements L1 and L2 are preferably wound in opposite directions, magnetic fields generated at the inductance elements L1 and L2 cancel each other out. Since the magnetic fields are cancelled, it is necessary to extend the wiring electrodes 146a and 146b so as to obtain desired inductances. When the lengths of the wiring electrodes 146a and 146b are increased, a Q value is reduced. As a result, the steepness of a resonance characteristic is eliminated and a wide band is obtained around a resonance frequency.
The inductance elements L1 and L2 are preferably arranged at different positions on the left and right sides in a perspective plan view of the feeding circuit board 65. The magnetic fields generated at the inductance elements L1 and L2 are preferably opposite in direction. As a result, when the feeding circuit 66 is coupled to an antenna, currents in opposite directions are excited at the antenna. Thus, a current can be generated at an adjacent metal plate, and the metal plate can operate as a radiating element (antenna) with a potential difference produced by the generated current.
By providing a resonance/matching circuit in the feeding circuit board 65, the resonance/matching circuit prevents a characteristic change caused by an external product and prevents deterioration in the quality of communication. By arranging the wireless IC chip 51 of the wireless IC element 50 at the approximate center of the feeding circuit board 65 in the thickness direction, it is possible to prevent the wireless IC chip 51 from being damaged or destroyed and increase the mechanical strength of the wireless IC element 50.
A wireless IC device according to preferred embodiments of the present invention is not limited to the above-described wireless IC devices. Various changes can be made to a wireless IC device according to preferred embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
In particular, a dielectric body may not be substantially rectangular parallelepiped and may be made of a thermosetting resin, for example, rubber, an elastomer, or an epoxy resin or a thermoplastic resin, for example, a polyimide. Alternatively, the dielectric body may be made of, for example, low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) on the condition that the dielectric body can have necessary flexible with non-bonded surfaces.
As described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention are useful for a wireless IC device, and, in particular, have an advantage in their suitability to prevent the detachment of a radiator from a body and to prevent a change in a communication characteristic even if a wireless IC device is attached to a curved surface.
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2010-112676 | May 2010 | JP | national |