Antennas for radio frequency identification tags in the form of a logo, brand name, trademark, or the like

• US 20060055539A1
• Filed: 04/18/2005
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Fein, Michael, Lawrence, Daniel P., Bose, Sayantan
• Application Number:
  US11/108,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20060055539A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.700
• 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: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00

Abstract

An RFID antenna or tag is designed to be integrated with artwork such as a logo, brand name, trademark, graphic element, and/or letters. The RFID tag comprises a substrate, which may include or be integrated with a product package. An antenna is formed on the substrate. The antenna includes first and second conductive traces that are integrated with artwork. An integrated circuit is connected across the first and second conductive traces. The conductive traces are integrated with the artwork that is printed on or otherwise integrated with the substrate. At least one of a size, location, and/or gaps between said conductive traces are tuned based on at least on of impedance and radiation pattern thereof.

Claims

1. An RFID tag, comprising:

a substrate;

an antenna formed on said substrate and including first and second conductive traces; and

an integrated circuit that is connected across said first and second conductive traces,

wherein said conductive traces of said antenna are integrated with artwork printed on said substrate, wherein at least one of a size, location, and/or gaps between said conductive traces are tuned based on at least one of an impedance and a radiation pattern of said antenna.

2. The RFID tag of claim 1 wherein said integrated circuit is attached to said conductive traces using conductive adhesive.

3. The RFID tag of claim 1 further comprising a third conductive trace that forms an inductive loop near an attachment location of said integrated circuit.

4. The RFID tag of claim 1 wherein gaps between the first and second conductive traces are integrated with the artwork.

5. The RFID tag of claim 1 wherein the first and second conductive traces are formed from conductive ink.

6. The RFID tag of claim 1 wherein a first portion of at least one of the first and second conductive traces is a first color and second portion of at least one of the first and second conductive traces is a second color.

7. The RFID tag of claim 1 further comprising non-conductive material that is integrated with the first and second conductive traces, wherein the non-conductive material and the first and second conductive traces form the artwork.

8. The RFID tag of claim 7 wherein the non-conductive material is the same color as at least one of the first and second conductive traces.

9. The RFID tag of claim 1 wherein said antenna operates based upon backscatter coupling.

10. The RFID tag of claim 1 wherein an operating frequency of said RFID tag is 100 MHz to 100 GHz.

11. The RFID tag of claim 1 wherein an operating frequency of said RFID tag is between 840 MHz and 960 MHz.

12. The RFID tag of claim 1 wherein an operating frequency of said RFID tag is between 2400 and 2500 MHz.

13. A method of integrating a backscatter coupling antenna of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag in artwork, comprising:

a) determining attachment point dimensions, an operating frequency and input impedance of an integrated circuit;

b) identifying potential attachment gaps in said artwork;

c) identifying portions of said artwork as potential antenna elements;

d) designing a first antenna based on criteria identified in b) and c);

e) at least one of testing and/or simulating the first antenna of d);

f) determining at least one of a radiation pattern and/or impedance of the first antenna;

g) repeating d), e) and f) for at least one second antenna;

h) selecting one of the first and second antennas.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising forming an inductive loop adjacent to an attachment point of said integrated circuit.