RFID tag and its manufacturing method

• US 20050179552A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Shoji, Noriyuki, Maeno, Koichi, Iegaki, Masataka
• Granted Patent: US 7,126,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.700
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/041 Constructional details G06K19/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0726 the arrangement including a circuit for tuning the resonance frequency of an antenna on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07771 the record carrier comprising means for minimising adverse effects on the data communication capability of the record carrier, e.g. minimising Eddy currents induced in a proximate metal or otherwise electromagnetically interfering object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07781 the coil being fabricated in a winding process
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/06 with core of ferromagnetic material H01Q7/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0393 Flexible materials H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

An RFID tag which is provided with a coil-shaped antenna such that a conductor is placed on the periphery of a magnetic core, the RFID comprising: the magnetic core, an FPC wound on the periphery of the magnetic core, two or more linear conductor patterns formed in parallel with one another on the FPC, an IC that is connected to the linear conductor patterns and disposed on the FPC, a crossover pattern that electrically connects one end and the other end of outermost linear conductor patterns among the linear conductor patterns formed in parallel with one another, where in the two or more linear conductor patterns, adjacent linear conductor patterns in a joint portion in the wound FPC are electrically connected in respective start edges and end edges.

Claims

1. An RFID tag which is provided with a coil-shaped antenna such that a conductor is placed on a periphery of a magnetic core, said RFID comprising:

a magnetic core;

an FPC wound on the periphery of said magnetic core;

two or more linear conductor patterns formed in parallel with one another on said FPC;

an IC that is connected to said linear conductor patterns and disposed on said FPC;

a crossover pattern that electrically connects one end and other end of outermost linear conductor patterns among said linear conductor patterns formed in parallel with one another;

wherein said two or more linear conductor patterns, adjacent linear conductor patterns in a joint portion in said wound FPC are electrically connected in respective start edges and end edges.

4. An RFID tag according to any of claims 1-3, wherein said linear conductor patterns and said IC are formed on an inner side of said FPC wound around said magnetic core.

5. An RFID tag according to claim 4, wherein said magnetic core is provided with a concave portion to store said IC.

6. An RFID tag according to any of claims 1-5, further comprising a capacitive load which is formed on said FPC and connected to said IC.

7. An RFID tag according to claim 6, wherein said capacitive load has a comb-shaped conductor pattern formed on one side of said FPC and a conductor pattern provided in a position opposed to said comb-shaped conductor pattern on other side of said FPC.

8. An RFID tag according to any of claims 1-3, wherein said two or more linear conductor patterns are formed on an inner side of said FPC wound around said magnetic core, while a shield conductor pattern that is not electrically connected to said coil-shaped antenna is formed on an outer side of said FPC wound around said magnetic core.

9. An RFID tag according to claim 8, wherein said shield conductor pattern is disposed at least on a side opposed to an object to which the RFID tag is attached of said FPC wound around said magnetic core.

10. An RFID tag according to claim 8, wherein said FPC is bonded in a vicinity of a corner of said magnetic core.

11. An RFID tag according to any of claims 8-10, wherein all of said shield conductor pattern formed on the outer side of said FPC wound around said magnetic core are disposed in an area that is not opposed to said linear conductor patterns.

2. An RFID tag which is provided with a magnetic core including at least one magnetic material, a coil-shaped antenna such that a conductor is placed in a helical form on a periphery of said magnetic core, an IC,

wherein said coil-shaped antenna is obtained by winding an FPC around said magnetic core in which on one side of said FPC are formed two or more linear conductor patterns in parallel with one another, electrically connecting adjacent linear conductor patterns, thereby forming a helical current path on the periphery of said magnetic core, and connecting one end and other end of said current path.

3. An RFID tag according to claim 2, wherein said crossover pattern that electrically connects the one end and the other end of said current path is formed on other side of said FPC different from a side on which said linear conductor patterns are formed.

12. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag, the method comprising the steps of:

forming two or more linear conductor patterns and a crossover pattern on an FPC;

placing an IC on said FPC;

winding said FPC around a magnetic core;

electrically connecting respective start edges and end edges of said linear conductor patterns adjacent to one another.

15. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag according to any of claims 12-14, wherein said linear conductor patterns have dummy connecting portions where adjacent linear conductor patterns are connected at the start edges or end edges and form a meander-shaped current path, and further comprising the steps of:

performing an operation check before the step of connecting;

removing said dummy connecting portions before or after said step of connecting.

16. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag according to any one of claims 12-15, further comprising a step of forming a capacitive load on said FPC.

17. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag according to claim 16, wherein said capacitive load has a comb-shaped conductor pattern formed on one side of said FPC and a conductor pattern provided in a position opposed to said comb-shaped conductor pattern on the other side of said FPC.

18. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag according to any one of claims 16-17, further comprising a step of measuring a resonance frequency of a coil after forming the coil due to said FPC, and adjusting an electrostatic capacitance of said capacitive load according to a drift from the desired resonance frequency.

19. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag according to claim 18, wherein said step of adjusting the electrostatic capacitance is performed by removing at least a part of said comb-shaped conductor pattern formed on one side of said FPC or said conductor pattern provided in a position opposed to said comb-shaped conductor pattern on the other side of said FPC.

20. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag according to any of claim 12-14, wherein said two or more linear conductor patterns are formed on one side of said FPC, a shield conductor pattern is formed on other side of said FPC, and in said step of winding said FPC around said magnetic core, a side of said FPC on which said linear conductor patterns are formed is an inner side when said FPC is wound around said magnetic core, while other side of said FPC on which said shield conductor pattern is formed is an outer side when said FPC is wound around said magnetic core.

21. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag according to claim 20, wherein said shield conductor pattern is formed on a part of the side on which said shield conductor pattern is formed, and in said step of winding said FPC around said magnetic core, said FPC is wound so that said shield conductor pattern is disposed at least in an area opposed to an object to which the RFID tag is attached.

22. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag according to claim 20 or 21, wherein in said step of forming said helical current path, said wound FPC is bonded, thereby connecting adjacent linear conductor patterns and forming said helical current path.

23. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag according to claim 22, wherein said joint portion where said wound FPC bonded is disposed in the vicinity of a corner of said magnetic core.

13. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag, the method comprising the steps of:

forming two or more linear conductor patterns on one side of an FPC;

winding said FPC around said magnetic core;

electrically connecting said linear patterns adjacently positioned to form a helical current path on a periphery of said magnetic core;

connecting one end and other end of said helical current path.

14. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag, the method comprising the steps of:

forming two or more linear conductor patterns on one side of an FPC;

forming a crossover pattern that electrically connects one end and other end of said helical current path on other side different from a side on which said linear conductor patterns are formed;

winding said FPC around a magnetic core;

electrically connecting said linear patterns adjacently positioned to form a helical current path on a periphery of said magnetic core;

electrically connecting one end and other end of said helical current path.