Product Management System

• US 20080224831A1
• Filed: 04/06/2005
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Arai, Yasuyuki, Akiba, Mai, Kanno, Yohei, Tachimura, Yuko
• Granted Patent: US 8,237,569 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• 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 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

When a product attached with an ID tag is placed inside a package body, there is a risk that communication with an ID tag using a reader/writer is blocked. Then, it is difficult to manage products in a distribution process of products, which leads to lose convenience of ID tags. One feature of the present invention is a product management system that includes a package body for packing a product attached with an ID tag, and a reader/writer. The ID tag includes a thin film integrated circuit portion and an antenna, the package body includes a resonance circuit portion having an antenna coil and a capacitor, and the resonance circuit portion can communicate with the reader/writer and the ID tag. Accordingly, the stability of communication between an ID tag attached to a product and an R/W can be secured, and management of products can be conducted simply and efficiently, even if a product is packed by a package body.

Claims

1. A product management system comprising a package for packing a product provided with a semiconductor device, and a reader/writer for reading and writing information stored in the semiconductor device,

wherein the semiconductor device comprises a thin film integrated circuit comprising a thin film transistor, and an antenna;

wherein the package is provided with a resonance circuit comprising an antenna coil and a capacitor; and

wherein the resonance circuit can communicate with the reader/writer and the semiconductor device.

2. The product management system according to claim 1, wherein a communication method between the reader/writer and the resonance circuit is identical to a communication method between the resonance circuit and the semiconductor device.

3. The product management system according to claim 2, wherein the communication method is an electromagnetic induction method.

4. The product management system according to claim 1, wherein a communication method between the reader/writer and the resonance circuit is different from a communication method between the resonance circuit and the semiconductor device.

5. The product management system according to claim 4, wherein the communication method between the reader/writer and the resonance circuit is any one of an electromagnetic induction method and a microwave method.

8. The product management system according to any one of claims 1 and 6, wherein the semiconductor device is selected from the group of an ID tag, an ID chip, an ID label, an ID seal and an ID sticker.

6. A product management system comprising a package for packing a product provided with an semiconductor device, and a readerlwriter for reading and writing information stored in the semiconductor device,

wherein the semiconductor device comprises a thin film integrated circuit comprising a thin film transistor, and an antenna;

wherein the package is provided with a resonance circuit comprising an antenna coil and a capacitor;

wherein the resonance circuit can communicate with the reader/writer and the semiconductor device; and

wherein a communication range between the reader/writer and the resonance circuit is longer than a communication range between the resonance circuit and the semiconductor device.

7. The product management system according to claim 6, wherein a communication method between the reader/writer and the resonance circuit is any one of an electromagnetic induction method and a microwave method.

9. A method comprising:

sending at least one of a first signal comprising first information and a first electric power from a reader/writer to a resonance circuit,

sending at least one of a second signal comprising the first information and a second electric power from the resonance circuit to a semiconductor device in response to a receipt of said at least one of the first signal and the first electric power, wherein said semiconductor device comprises a thin film integrated circuit comprising a thin film transistor, and an antenna;

sending a third signal comprising second information from said semiconductor device to the resonance circuit in response to a receipt of said at least one of the second signal and the second electric power by the semiconductor device

sending a forth signal comprising said second information from the resonance circuit to the readerlwriter,

wherein the semiconductor device is attached to a product, the product is contained in a package, the resonance circuit is attached to the package and the reader/writer is disposed outside of the package.

10. A method comprising:

sending at least one of a first signal comprising first information and a first electric power from a reader/writer to a first resonance circuit,

sending at least one of a second signal comprising the first information and a second electric power from the first resonance circuit to a second resonance circuit in response to a receipt of said at least one of the first signal and the first electric power,

sending at least one of a third signal comprising the first information and a third electric power from the second resonance circuit to a semiconductor device in response to a receipt of said at least one of the second signal and the second electric power, wherein said semiconductor device comprises a thin film integrated circuit comprising a thin film transistor, and an antenna;

sending a forth signal comprising second information from said semiconductor device to the second resonance circuit in response to a receipt of said at least one of the third signal and the third electric power by the semiconductor device

sending a fifth signal comprising said second information from the second resonance circuit to the first resonance circuit,

sending a sixth signal comprising said second information from the first resonance circuit to the reader/writer,

wherein the semiconductor device is attached to a product, the product is contained in a second package, the second resonance circuit is attached to the second package, the second package is contained in a first package, the first resonance circuit is attached to the first package, and the reader/writer is disposed outside of the first package.

11. The method according to any one of claims 9 and 10, wherein the semiconductor device is selected from the group of an ID tag, an ID chip, an ID label, an ID seal and an ID sticker.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first package is selected from the group of a suitcase, a corrugated fiberboard, a container and a transporting vehicle.