RFID TAG MANUFACTURING METHOD AND RFID TAG

• US 20100078487A1
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Frontech Limited (Fujitsu Limited), Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Frontech Limited (Fujitsu Limited), Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Sugimura, Yoshiyasu, Nogami, Satoru, Baba, Shunji, Hashimoto, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 8,430,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07718 the record carrier being manufactured in a continuous process, e.g. using endless rolls
• 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: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

A method of manufacturing RFID tags. A base sheet member is formed by fixedly attaching unit base substrates to a belt-like first sheet member at predetermined space intervals. Each unit base substrate is formed with an antenna pattern and has a non-contact communication-type IC chip mounted thereon. An upper-layer sheet member is formed by arranging reinforcing members between elastic, belt-like second and third sheet members, and is laminated on a surface of the first sheet member toward the unit base substrates such that each IC chip and each reinforcing member overlap each other in plan view. Regions each containing one unit base substrate are sequentially cut out from a laminate of the upper-layer sheet member and the base sheet member, thereby making RFID units.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an RFID tag, comprising:

forming a base sheet member that includes unit base substrates each of which is formed with a conductive pattern functioning as an antenna, and has a non-contact communication-type circuit chip mounted thereon which is connected to the conductive pattern, and a first sheet member in a belt-like form, the unit base substrates being fixedly attached to the first sheet member at predetermined space intervals along a direction of length of the first sheet member;

laminating a second sheet member and a third sheet member each in a belt-like form and having elastic properties, one upon another, in a state where reinforcing members for reinforcing the circuit chips are arranged between the second sheet member and the third sheet member at the same space intervals as the space intervals at which the circuit chips are arranged, thereby forming an upper-layer sheet member, and laminating the upper-layer sheet member on a side of the base sheet member formed by said forming where each unit base substrate is laminated, in a state where each circuit chip and each reinforcing member overlap upon each other in plan view of the sheet members; and

cutting out regions each including one of the unit base substrates sequentially from a sheet laminate formed by said laminating.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sequentially mounting the circuit chips on a base substrate in a belt-like form having the conductive patterns formed thereon at the predetermined space intervals along a direction of length thereof, and connecting the circuit chips to associated ones of the conductive patterns,

wherein said forming comprises:

affixing the first sheet member having an adhesive agent attached to one surface thereof to a surface of the base substrate, opposite from a surface thereof having the circuit chips mounted thereon, via the adhesive agent;

cutting, on the first sheet member to which the base substrate is affixed, a periphery of each of regions each containing one of the circuit chips and one of the conductive patterns connected to the one of the circuit chips, only through a layer of the base substrate and a layer of the adhesive agent; and

peeling only an outward region of the periphery of the region of the base substrate off the first sheet member, thereby forming the base sheet member having the unit base substrates fixedly attached thereto.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in said laminating, the third sheet member in which the reinforcing members separated on a circuit chip-by-circuit chip basis are fixedly attached to a surface of the third sheet member which faces the base sheet member at the same space intervals as the space intervals at which the circuit chips are arranged is laminated on the base sheet member with the second sheet member sandwiched between the third sheet member and the base sheet member;

and

wherein in said cutting, the regions each containing one of the unit base substrates and one of the reinforcing members associated with the circuit chip on the one of the unit base substrates are sequentially cut out from the sheet laminate formed by laminating the upper-layer sheet member and the base sheet member.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein in said laminating, the first sheet member and the second sheet member, and the second sheet member and the third sheet member are thermocompression-bonded, respectively.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein in said laminating, the first sheet member, the second sheet member and the third sheet member are conveyed and laminated one upon another, while positioning holes or cutouts formed in the first sheet member, the second sheet member and the third sheet member at the same space intervals, respectively, whereby the circuit chips and associated ones of the reinforcing members are positioned to each other, respectively.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first sheet member is made of an elastic material, and wherein in said laminating, a fourth sheet member having elastic properties and having lower layer-side reinforcing members separated on a circuit chip-by-circuit chip basis fixedly attached thereto at the same space intervals as the space intervals at which the circuit chips are arranged, is further laminated on a surface of the first sheet member, opposite from the surface thereof having the unit base substrates fixedly attached thereto, in a state where each of each circuit chip and each lower layer-side reinforcing member overlap upon each other in plan view of the sheet members.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein in said laminating, a mesh-like reinforcing member having a width large enough to contain at least the circuit chips and being formed to have a belt-like shape elongated in a direction of length of the second sheet member and the third sheet member is arranged as the reinforcing member, in a manner sandwiched between the second sheet member and the third sheet member.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein in said laminating, a lower-layer sheet member formed by sandwiching a lower layer-side mesh-like reinforcing member similar to the mesh-like reinforcing member between a fourth sheet member and a fifth sheet member each having elastic properties is further laminated on a surface of the first sheet member, opposite from the surface thereof having the unit base substrates fixedly attached thereto, in a state where the lower layer-side mesh-like reinforcing member and the circuit chips overlap upon each other in plan view of the sheet members.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein in said laminating, the first sheet member and the second sheet member, and the second sheet member and the third sheet member are thermocompression-bonded, respectively.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising forming the upper-layer sheet member by sandwiching the mesh-like reinforcing member between the second sheet member and the third sheet member and taking up the mesh-like reinforcing member together with the second sheet member and the third sheet member by a roll,

wherein in said laminating, the upper-layer sheet member is pulled out from the roll for being processed.

11. A method of manufacturing an RFID tag, comprising:

laminating on opposite surfaces of a belt-like base substrate having conductive patterns for functioning as antennas formed at predetermined space intervals in a direction of length of the base substrate, having non-contact communication-type circuit chips connected to associated ones of the conductive patterns mounted thereon, respectively, and further having openings formed in regions except the conductive patterns and the circuit chips, an upper-layer sheet member and a lower-layer sheet member each having a mesh-like reinforcing member arranged between two sheet members each having elastic properties in a sandwiched manner, the mesh-like reinforcing member being formed to have a width large enough to contain at least the circuit chips and a belt-like shape elongated in a direction of length of the sheet members, in a state where the mesh-like reinforcing member and the circuit chips overlap each other in plan view of the sheet members, such that the sheet members of each of the upper-layer sheet member and the lower-layer sheet member are fixedly attached to each other, and that one of the sheet members of the upper-layer sheet member and one of the sheet members of the lower-layer sheet member toward the base substrate are fixedly attached to each other via the openings in the base substrate; and

cutting out regions each containing one of the circuit chips and one of the conductive patterns connected to the one of the circuit chips and including at least part of the openings, sequentially from a laminate member which has the upper-layer sheet member and the lower-layer sheet member laminated one upon another with the base substrate therebetween.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein in said laminating, the sheet members of each of the upper-layer sheet member and the lower-layer sheet member, and one of the sheet members of the upper-layer sheet member and one of the sheet members of the lower-layer sheet member toward the base substrate are thermocompression-bonded to each other.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising forming each of the upper-layer sheet member and the lower-layer sheet member by sandwiching the mesh-like reinforcing member between the two sheet members and taking up the mesh-like reinforcing together with the two sheet members by a roll,

wherein in said laminating, the upper-layer sheet member and the lower-layer sheet member are pulled out from the rolls, respectively, for being processed.

14. An RFID tag provided with a circuit chip for non-contact communication with an external device, comprising:

a unit base substrate configured to have a conductive pattern formed thereon which functions as an antenna and have the circuit chip mounted thereon which is connected to the conductive pattern;

a first sheet member configured to have an area larger than said unit base substrate, and have said unit base substrate fixedly attached to one surface thereof; and

an upper-layer sheet member configured to have a reinforcing member disposed between a second sheet member and a third sheet member each having elastic properties, for reinforcing the circuit chip, said upper-layer sheet member being disposed in a state where said reinforcing member and the circuit chip overlap each other in plan view of the sheet members, said second sheet member being laminated on and fixedly attached to said first sheet member such that said second sheet member and said first sheet member seal the whole unit base substrate therebetween.

15. The RFID tag according to claim 14, wherein said reinforcing member is sealed between said second sheet member and said third sheet member.

16. The RFID tag according to claim 15, wherein said first sheet member is made of an elastic material,

the RFID tag further comprising:

a fourth sheet member configured to have elastic properties, and be laminated on and fixedly attached to a surface of said first sheet member, opposite from said upper-layer sheet member; and

a lower reinforcing member configured to be disposed in a state overlapping the circuit chip in plan view of the sheet members, for reinforcing the circuit chip, and be sealed between said first sheet member and said fourth sheet member.

17. The RFID tag according to claim 14, wherein said reinforcing member is a mesh-like reinforcing member disposed in a belt-like form in a manner transversely extending with respect to said second sheet member and said third sheet member.

18. The RFID tag according to claim 17, wherein a lower mesh-like reinforcing member is disposed between a fourth sheet member and a fifth sheet member each having elastic properties,

the RFID tag further comprising a lower-layer sheet member configured to have said fourth sheet member and said fifth sheet member fixedly attached thereto, said lower-layer sheet member being laminated on and fixedly attached to a surface of said first sheet member, opposite from said upper-layer sheet member, such that said lower mesh-like reinforcing member and the circuit chip overlap each other in plan view of the sheet members.

19. The RFID tag according to claim 14, wherein said first sheet member and said second sheet member, and said second sheet member and said third sheet member are fixedly attached by thermocompression bonding, respectively.