Apparatus and method for a communication device

• US 6,927,738 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanex Co., Ltd. (Vertex Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hanex Co., Ltd. (Vertex Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakane, Tetsushi, Fujii, Jun, Hyodo, Nakamaro, Senba, Fujio, Uchiyama, Tomoki, Kida, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Trinh Vo
• Application Number:
  US10/311,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20030179151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: H01/Q00.1/00, G06/K01.9/06, 343/895, 343/728, 343/787, 343/788, 235/492, 235/493
• US Class Current: 343/787
• 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 19/07771 the record carrier comprising means for minimising adverse effects on the data communication capability of the record carrier, e.g. minimising Eddy currents induced in a proximate metal or otherwise electromagnetically interfering object
• 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 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/08 Ferrite rod or like elongated core

Abstract

This invention aims to provide a communication device, installation structure for the communication device, a method of manufacturing the communication device, and a method of communication with the communication device in which the communication device is able to exceedingly restain a conductive material from attenuating magnetic flux and to expand communication distance even when the communication device is attached to a conductive member e.g., metal, in a closely contacting manner.

This invention has a sheet-like amorphous magnetic material being arranged in a manner extending from a magnetic flux generating portion of a concentric disk-shaped antenna coil of an RFID tag serving as the communication device to an outer area of the antenna coil.

Claims

1. A communication device attached to a conductive installing object comprising:

an antenna coil formed into a flat concentric disk shape;

a sender/receiver circuit;

a memory circuit; and

a control circuit for non-contact electromagnetic wave communication with an exterior of the communication device by using the antenna coil,

wherein a single sheet-like magnetic material with a high specific magnetic permeability is arranged on only one side of the antenna coil, the side of the antenna coil mounted on the conductive installing object so that one end of the sheet-like magnetic material is located at an intermediary portion between a diametral center of the antenna coil and an inner peripheral face of the antenna coil and the other end of the sheet-like magnetic material is located at an exterior of said antenna coil.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet-like magnetic material is a sheet of an amorphous magnetic material with a high specific magnetic permeability.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is an RFID tag or a read/write device thereof.

4. An installation structure for the communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is installed on a surface of a conductive installing object or installed inside an installment groove portion arranged at the surface of the conductive installing object.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is housed in a conductive container that is divided into at least two parts, and a flux leak path for leaking electromagnetic wave between the antenna coil and an exterior of the container is formed between a face of one divided part of the container and a face of another divided part thereof.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, the container being separable into two portions and having a hinge mechanism arranged on one end portion of the container for allowing the two portions to be openable relative to each other.

7. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the container is formed by overlapping and joining two sheet-like members.

8. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the communication device is a metal nameplate capable of non-contact communication.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet-like magnetic material extends from the one end of the sheet-like magnetic material away from the diametral center of the antenna coil towards the other end of the sheet-like magnetic material located at the exterior of the antenna coil without passing through the diametral center of the antenna coil.

10. A communication device comprising an antenna coil, a sender/receiver circuit, a memory circuit, and a control circuit for non-contact electromagnetic wave communication with an exterior of the communication device by using the antenna coil,

wherein the antenna coil is formed into a flat concentric disk shape,

wherein the antenna coil is arranged between a primary sheet-like magnetic material with a high specific magnetic permeability and a secondary sheet-like magnetic material with a high specific magnetic permeability, and

wherein the primary sheet-like magnetic material and the secondary sheet-like magnetic material are extended along the antenna coil from a center portion of the antenna coil to an outer area in opposite directions relative to each other, and wherein the primary sheet-like maanetic material and the secondary sheet-like magnetic material overlap at a center portion of the antenna coil.

11. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein the sheet-like magnetic material is a sheet of an amorphous magnetic material with a high specific magnetic permeability.

12. The communication device according to claim 10,

wherein the antenna coil, the sender/receiver circuit, the memory circuit, and the control circuit are housed inside a non-conductive sealed container, and

wherein the primary sheet-like magnetic material and the secondary sheet-like magnetic material are arranged having the sealed container therebetween.

13. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein the communication device is housed in a conductive container that can be divided to at least two parts, wherein a flux leak path for leaking electromagnetic wave between the antenna coil and an exterior of the communication device is formed at the divided portion of the container, and wherein the first sheet-like magnetic material and second sheet-like magnetic material are extended along the antenna coil from the center portion thereof in respective directions opposite to each other to the flux leak path portion.

14. The communication device according to claim 13, wherein the antenna coil, the sender/receiver circuit, the memory circuit, and the control circuit are contained in a non-conductive sealing container, and wherein the first sheet-like magnetic material and second sheet-like magnetic material are arranged via the sealing container.

15. A method of manufacturing a communication device comprising an antenna coil, a sender/receiver circuit, a memory circuit, and a control circuit for non-contact electromagnetic wave communication with an interior of the communication device by using the antenna coil, the method comprising:

forming the antenna coil into a flat concentric disk shape,

housing the antenna coil, the sender/receiver circuit, the memory circuit, and the control circuit inside a non-conductive sealed container,

plurally arranging the sealed container in a prescribed interval along a longitudinal direction of a thin long primary sheet material, and

plurally arranging a sheet-like magnetic material with a high magnetic permeability in a prescribed interval along a longitudinal direction of a thin long secondary sheet material,

wherein each container body and each sheet-like magnetic material are postionally adjusted relative to each other, in which the sheet-like magnetic materials is positionally adjusted to be arranged on one side of the antenna coil extending along the antenna coil from an intermediary portion between a diametral center of the antenna coil and an inner peripheral side to an outer area of one of the sides of the antenna coil in a case where the antenna coil has a concentric disk shape

wherein the primary sheet material and the secondary sheet material are joined to each other, and

wherein each combined body of the container body and the sheet-like magnetic material is divided.

16. The method of manufacturing a communication device according to claim 15,

wherein the primary sheet material and the secondary sheet material are both conductive materials,

wherein the sheet materials have a magnetic flux leakage path between the external and the internal formed at a bonding rim portion thereof, and

wherein the sheet-like magnetic material is extended to a portion of the magnetic flux leakage path.

17. The method of manufacturing a communication device according to claim 15, the sheet-like magnetic material is formed upon the secondary sheet material by mixing a powder of an amorphous alloy into a resin binder with a high density, and printing.

18. A method of communication with a communication device attached to a conductive installing object comprising an antenna coil, a sender/receiver circuit, a memory circuit, and a control circuit for non-contact electromagnetic wave communication with an interior of the communication device by using the antenna coil, the method comprising:

forming the antenna coil into a flat concentric disk, and

arranging a single sheet-like magnetic material with a high specific magnetic permeability on only one side of the antenna coil;

mounting the side of the antenna coil on the conductive installing object so that one end of the sheet-like magnetic material is located at an intermediary portion between a diametral center of the antenna coil and an inner peripheral face of the antenna coil and the other end of the sheet-like magnetic material extends to a flux leak path portion.

19. The method of communication with a communication device according to claim 18, wherein arranging the sheet-like magnetic material comprises:

extending the sheet-like magnetic material from the one end of the sheet-like magnetic material away from the diametral center of the antenna coil to the flux leak path portion without passing through the diametral center of the antenna coil.

20. A method of communication with a communication device comprising an antenna coil, a sender/receiver circuit, a memory circuit, and a control circuit for non-contact electromagnetic wave communication with an exterior of the communication device by using the antenna coil, the method comprising:

forming the antenna coil into a flat concentric disk shape; and

arranging the antenna coil between a primary sheet-like magnetic material with a high specific magnetic permeability and a secondary sheet-like magnetic material with a high specific magnetic permeability,

wherein the primary sheet-like magnetic material and the secondary sheet-like magnetic material are extended along the antenna coil from a center portion of the antenna coil to an outer area in opposite directions relative to each other,

wherein the primary sheet-like magnetic material and the secondary sheet-like magnetic material are arranged overlapping each other at a center portion of the antenna coil, and

wherein non-contact electromagnetic wave communication with the external is performed in a state where directivity of the antenna coil is heightened by the sheet-like magnetic material.