Helmet Mountable Timed Event RFID Tag Assembly And Method Of Use

• US 20130299590A1
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Timing Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovative Timing Systems LLC
• Inventors: Hansen, Kurt S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,508,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/488
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0433 Detecting, signalling or lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/283 Air inlets or outlets, with or without closure shutters
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07722 the record carrier being multilayered, e.g. laminated sheets flat articles in general, see B32B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07745 Mounting details of integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

An RFID tag assembly and method of use with a helmet wherein the RFID tag assembly the RFTD tag assembly includes an RFID tag having a mounting substrate with an exposed first planar surface and an opposing second planar surface, the RFID tag having an RFID semiconductor chip has a predetermined operating frequency with an antenna interface mounted on the second planar surface, a conductor electrically coupled to the antenna interface of the RFID semiconductor chip, and an antenna electrically coupled to the conductor. A spacer has a first surface and an opposing second surface. The first surface of the spacer is attached to the second planar surface of the RFID tag. The spacer has a predetermined thickness between the first surface and the second surface. A mounting carrier has a substantially planar body with a first portion having a first end and a second end with two sides defined therebetween and has one or more second portions extending from the body forming free ends each with a planar top surface and a planar bottom surface, with selectively attachable adhesive on a portion of the bottom surface being deformably attached to the first portion. The second surface of the spacer is attached to the top surface of the first portion with the first planar surface of the RFID tag position parallel and set apart above the top surface of the carrier by a distance equal to or greater than the predetermined thickness of the spacer.

Claims

1. An RFID tag assembly for use in tracking or timing of a progress of a user wearing a helmet comprising:

an RFID tag having a mounting substrate with an exposed first planar surface and an opposing second planar surface, the RFID tag having an RFID semiconductor chip having a predetermined operating frequency with an antenna interface mounted on the second planar surface, a conductor electrically coupled to the antenna interface of the RFID semiconductor chip, and an antenna electrically coupled to the conductor;

a mounting carrier for attachment to an outer portion of the helmet, the mounting carrier having a first portion having an upper surface and a lower surface and at least one second portion pivotally coupled to the first portion and having a free end extending from the first portion with an upper surface and a lower surface, the second planar surface of the RFID tag being fixedly attached to the upper surface of the first portion, each second portion being selectably deformable in relation to the pivotally coupled first portion and having a selectively attachable adhesive on the bottom surface of at least a portion of the extending second portion; and

a spacer having a first surface and an opposing second surface and having a predetermined thickness between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the second planar surface of the RFID tag is fixedly attached via the first surface of the spacer being attached to the second planar surface of the RFID tag and the second surface of the spacer being attached to the upper surface of the first portion of the mounting carrier.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the spacer is composed of a foam material that is non-conducting and non-absorbing of a substantial amount of energy at the predetermined operating frequency.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the mounting carrier has two second portions extending from opposing sides of the first portion.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the first portion has an elongated body.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the mounting carrier has two second portions extending from opposing sides of the first portion.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the first portion has a first end and second end and the two second portions are positioned on opposing sides defined between the first end and the second end.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the two opposing sides are positioned proximate to at least one of the first end and the second end of the first portion.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first portion has an elongated body with two opposing ends and two sides defined between the two ends, and at least one of the second portions extends outwardly from one of the two ends.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag includes a unique RFID tag number and at least one of the first planar surface of the RFID tag and the upper surface of the mounting carrier includes indicia including a unique identification number corresponding to the RFID tag number.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the lower surface of the mounting carrier includes an adhesive fixedly attaching the RFID tag to the upper surface of the first portion.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the antenna is a bipolar foil antenna formed on one of the surfaces of the mounting substrate composed of a polyester (PET) film and the RFID semiconductor chip is a passive RFID chip and wherein the conductor is formed on the second planar surface of the mounting substrate.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the predetermined operating frequency of the RFID chip is a frequency within a UHF frequency band and the spacer is dimensioned to have the predetermined thickness of greater than or equal to about ¼

of a wavelength of the predetermined operating frequency.

13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the spacer is composed of a high density closed cell foam material and has a predetermined thickness dimensioned to space the antenna of the RFID tag apart from the outer portion of the helmet on which the mounting carrier is attached by between about 0.125 inches and about 0.5 inches.

30. A method of operating a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag assembly comprising:

attaching an RFID tag assembly as defined by claim 1 to an operating surface of a piece of equipment used by an event participant, the operating surface of the equipment piece having an outer surface and an inner surface and one or more openings extending through the outer surface towards the inner surface and defining an intermediate surface therebetween;

orienting a first portion of the RFID tag assembly along the outer surface of the operating surface;

folding at least one second portion along a fold line between the first portion and second portion of the RFID tag assembly;

threading the at least one second portion of the RFID tag assembly through one of openings from the outer surface proximate towards the inner surface; and

selectively securing the at least one second portion of the RFID tag assembly to at least one of the intermediate surface and the inner surface of the operating surface of the piece of equipment.

14. An RFID tag assembly for use in tracking or timing of a progress of a participant wearing a helmet comprising:

an RFID tag having a mounting substrate with an exposed first planar surface and an opposing second planar surface, the RFID tag having an RFID semiconductor chip having a predetermined operating frequency with an antenna interface mounted on the second planar surface, a conductor electrically coupled to the antenna interface of the RFID semiconductor chip, and an antenna electrically coupled to the conductor;

a spacer having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the first surface of the spacer being attached to the second planar surface of the RFID tag, the spacer having a predetermined thickness between the first surface and the second surface; and

a mounting carrier with a substantially planar body with a first portion having a first end and a second end with two sides defined therebetween and having one or more second portions extending from the body forming free ends and each having a planar top surface and a planar bottom surface and a selectively attachable adhesive on at least a portion of the bottom surface, and wherein each second portion is deformably attached to the first portion,

the second surface of the spacer being attached to the top surface of the first portion with the first planar surface of the RFID tag position parallel and set apart above the top surface of the elongated central body of the carrier by a distance equal to or greater than the predetermined thickness of the spacer.

15. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the mounting carrier has a substantially planar body forming a T-shape.

16. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the spacer is composed of a foam material that is non-conducting and non-absorbing of a substantial amount of energy at the predetermined operating frequency.

17. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the mounting carrier has two second portions extending from opposing sides of the first portion.

18. The assembly of claim 17 wherein the first portion of the mounting carrier has an elongated body and has two second portions extending from opposing sides of the first portion.

19. The assembly of claim 18 wherein the first portion has a first end and second end and the two second portions are positioned on opposing sides defined between the first end and the second end.

20. The assembly of claim 17 wherein the two opposing sides are positioned proximate to at least one of the first end and the second end.

21. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the first portion has an elongated body with two opposing ends and to sides defined between the two ends, and at least one of the second portions extends outwardly from one of the two ends.

22. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the RFID tag includes a unique RFID tag number and at least one of the first planar surface of the RFID tag and the upper surface of the mounting carrier includes indicia having a unique identification number corresponding to the RFID tag number.

23. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the lower surface of the mounting carrier having includes a selectively attachable adhesive.

24. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the antenna is a bipolar foil antenna formed on one of the surfaces of the mounting substrate formed from polyester (PET) film and a passive RFID semiconductor chip and conductor are formed on the mounting surface of the mounting substrate.

25. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the predetermined operating frequency of the RFID chip is a frequency within a UHF frequency band and the spacer is dimensioned to have the predetermined thickness of greater than or equal to about ¼

of a wavelength of the predetermined operating frequency.

26. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the spacer has a predetermined thickness dimensioned to space the antenna of the RFID tag apart from the outer portion of the helmet on which the mounting carrier is attached by between about 0.125 inches and about 0.5 inches.

27. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the mounting substrate of the RFID tag assembly is substantially planar having a length, a width and a thickness, the thickness being defined by the distance between the first planar surface and the opposing second planar surface, and wherein the spacer has a length and width substantially equal to or greater than the length and width of the RFID tag assembly mounting substrate, respectively.

28. The assembly of the claim 14 wherein the spacer wherein the spacer is composed of a high density closed cell foam material and is attached to the second planar surface of the mounting substrate by an adhesive material.

29. The assembly of claim 14, further comprising a mounting body having the carrier surface thereon, the carrier surface being composed of a non-permeable material and the at least one planar surface is attached to the carrier surface;

the spacer being composed of a waterproof non-permeable foam material, said attached spacer and attached carrier surface providing a sealing of the RFID tag assembly from external foreign substances and moisture.

31. A method of operating a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag assembly comprising:

attaching an RFID tag assembly as defined by claim 14 to an operating surface of a piece of equipment used by an event participant, the operating surface of the equipment piece having an outer surface and an inner surface and one or more openings extending through the outer surface towards the inner surface and defining an intermediate surface therebetween;

orienting a first portion of the RFID tag assembly along the outer surface of the operating surface;

folding at least one second portion along a fold line between the first portion and second portion of the RFID tag assembly;

threading the at least one second portion of the RFID tag assembly through one of openings from the outer surface proximate towards the inner surface; and

selectively securing the at least one second portion of the RFID tag assembly to at least one of the intermediate surface and the inner surface of the operating surface of the piece of equipment.