RFID TAG, AND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING CHANGE OF RFID TAG ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100225482A1
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Nogami, Hidekatsu, Kasai, Hirokazu
• Application Number:
  US12/675,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20100225482A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• 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: 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 19/07786 the antenna being of the HF type, such as a dipole
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• 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 3/00 Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system means for positioning H01Q1/125
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/01 varying the shape of the antenna or antenna system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/20 Two collinear substantially straight active elements; Substantially straight single active elements H01Q9/28 takes precedence

Abstract

Provided is an RFID tag suitable for detecting a change of the RFID tag environment in real time by a simple and low-cost system. The system and the method for detecting a change of the RFID tag environment are also provided. An RFID tag (2) is provided with an antenna (20), a wireless communication IC (21) for transmitting/receiving radio waves through the antenna (20), and an element (22A) of which characteristics change corresponding to a change of the physical quantity of the RFID tag environment. Gain of the antenna (20) changes due to a change of the characteristics of the element (22A). When the environment of the RFID tag (2) changes, gain of the antenna (20) is reduced or increased by the element (22A). Thus, the RFID tag (2) is brought into a state where answering waves (ANS) to interrogation waves (RQ) transmitted from a tag communication device (3) can be transmitted and into a state where such waves cannot be transmitted, and the change of the environment of the RFID tag (2) can be detected in real time, depending on whether the answering waves (ANS) are received or not.

Claims

1. An RFID tag including an antenna and a wireless communication IC for transmitting and receiving radio waves through the antenna;

the RFID tag comprising;

an element of which characteristics change according to change of a physical quantity of an RFID tag environment, a gain of the antenna changing according to the change of the characteristics of the element.

2. The RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein

the element includes an element having characteristics in which an impedance changes according to the change of the physical quantity of the RFID tag environment;

and

a matching state of the impedance of the antenna and the impedance of the wireless communication IC changes, and the gain of the antenna changes according to the change of the characteristics of the element.

3. The RFID tag according to claim 2, wherein the element is a temperature sensor including a PTC thermistor or an NTC thermistor attached to the antenna to be in parallel with the wireless communication IC.

4. An RFID tag including an antenna and a wireless communication IC for transmitting and receiving radio waves through the antenna;

the RFID tag comprising;

a metal member removably attached to the antenna according to displacement of a member attached with the antenna, a gain of the antenna changing by attachment and detachment of the metal member.

5. A system for detecting a change of an RFID tag environment, the system comprising:

an RFID tag including an antenna, a wireless communication IC for transmitting and receiving radio waves through the antenna, and an element of which characteristics change according to change of a physical quantity of the RFID tag environment, a gain of the antenna changing according to the change of the characteristics of the element;

a tag communication device for transmitting interrogation waves to the RFID tag and receiving answering waves from the RFID tag with respect to the interrogation waves; and

detection means for detecting the state of the RFID tag environment based on a communication result of the RFID tag and the tag communication device.

6. The system for detecting the change of the RFID tag environment according to claim 5, wherein

the element includes an element having characteristics in which an impedance changes according to the change of the physical quantity of the RFID tag environment;

and

a matching state of the impedance of the antenna and the impedance of the wireless communication IC changes, and the gain of the antenna changes according to the change of the characteristics of the element.

7. The system for detecting the change of the RFID tag environment according to claim 6, wherein the element is a temperature sensor including a PTC thermistor or an NTC thermistor attached to the antenna to be in parallel with the wireless communication IC.

8. A system for detecting change of an RFID tag environment, the system comprising:

an RFID tag including an antenna, a wireless communication IC for transmitting and receiving radio waves through the antenna, and a metal member removably attached to the antenna according to displacement of a member attached with the antenna, a gain of the antenna changing by attachment and detachment of the metal member;

a tag communication device for transmitting interrogation waves to the RFID tag and receiving answering waves from the RFID tag with respect to the interrogation waves; and

detection means for detecting the state of the RFID tag environment based on a communication result of the RFID tag and the tag communication device.

9. A method for detecting a change of an RFID tag environment using an RFID tag, including an antenna and a wireless communication IC for transmitting and receiving radio waves through the antenna and being attached with an element having characteristics in which an impedance changes according to change of a physical quantity of the environment, and a tag communication device for transmitting interrogation waves to the RFID tag and receiving answering waves from the RFID tag with respect to the interrogation waves;

the detection method comprising the steps of;

having the RFID tag to a state of transmitting and to a state of not transmitting the answering wave with respect to the interrogation wave from the tag communication device when the gain of the antenna changes according to the change of characteristics of the element; and

monitoring the answering wave from the RFID tag and detecting the change of the RFID tag environment from presence of reception of the answering wave.

10. The method for detecting the change of the RFID tag environment according to claim 9, wherein

a matching state of the impedance of the antenna and the impedance of the wireless communication IC changes, and the gain of the antenna changes according to the change of the characteristics of the element.

11. The method for detecting the change of the RFID tag environment according to claim 10, wherein the element is a temperature sensor including a PTC thermistor or an NTC thermistor attached to the antenna to be in parallel with the wireless communication IC.

12. A method for detecting a change of an RFID tag environment using an RFID tag, including an antenna and a wireless communication IC for transmitting and receiving radio waves through the antenna, a tag communication device for transmitting interrogation waves to the RFID tag and receiving answering waves from the RFID tag with respect to the interrogation waves, and a metal member removably attached to the antenna according to displacement of a member attached with the antenna;

the detection method comprising the steps of;

having the RFID tag to a state of transmitting and to a state of not transmitting the answering wave with respect to the interrogation wave from the tag communication device when the gain of the antenna changes by attachment and detachment of the metal member to the antenna; and

monitoring the answering wave from the RFID tag and detecting the change of the RFID tag environment from presence of reception of the answering wave.