Tag IC

• US 20010020897A1
• Filed: 03/05/2001
• Published: 09/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: YOZAN, Inc.
• Original Assignee: YOZAN, Inc.
• Inventors: Takatori, Sunao, Shou, Guoliang
• Application Number:
  US09/799,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20010020897A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0704 the battery being rechargeable, e.g. solar batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

There is provided a tag IC that radio waves transmitted from the tag IC is intensified, so that information stored in the tag IC can be read even if the distance between the tag IC and a reader is increased. The tag IC comprises an antenna that receives/transmits signals from/to the reader with AC electromagnetic energy, an IC chip that decodes received data from the reader, calculates transmitting data based on stored data, and transmits data, and a solar cell that directly converts optical energy to electrical energy to supply power to the IC chip.

Claims

1. A tag IC comprising:

an antenna for receiving/transmitting signals from/to a reader with AC electromagnetic energy;

an IC chip for decoding received data from said reader to calculate transmitting data based on stored data and for transmitting data; and

a solar cell for directly converting optical energy to electrical energy to supply power to said IC chip.

2. The tag IC according to

claim 1

, wherein said antenna is formed of a spiral antenna element, and said solar cell is formed in clearance of said spiral antenna.

3. The tag IC according to

claim 1

, wherein said solar cell and said IC chip are directly or indirectly superimposed on each other.

4. The tag IC according to

claim 1

, wherein further comprising an auxiliary cell, which is charged by said solar cell, for supplying power to said IC chip.