Container with electromagnetic coupling module

• US 8,031,124 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Kato, Noboru, Sakai, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Wimer; Michael C
• Application Number:
  US12/426,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20090201117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/713, 343/860, 343/700.MS, 343/850, 340/572.7
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/20 External fittings of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44
• 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: H01L 2224/16 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/362 for broadside radiating helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/08 Helical antennas
• 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

Abstract

A container includes an electromagnetic coupling module on an inner surface of a container main body and a radiator made of a metal material on an outer surface of the container main body. The electromagnetic coupling module includes a feeder circuit board, on which a radio IC chip is mounted and in which a feeder circuit including a resonant circuit that has a predetermined resonant frequency and includes an inductance element is provided. The electromagnetic coupling module and the radiator preferably transmit and receive high-frequency signals through electromagnetic coupling. The container thus has an electromagnetic coupling module that includes a radio IC chip that is resistant to a shock applied from the outside and an environmental change, realizes an easy arrangement of a radiator and the electromagnetic coupling module, provides a preferable radiation characteristic, and is suitably used in an RFID system.

Claims

1. A container comprising:

an electromagnetic coupling module including a radio IC chip and a feeder circuit board on which the radio IC chip is mounted, the feeder circuit board including a feeder circuit including a resonant circuit that includes an inductance element and has a predetermined resonant frequency; and

a radiator that is electromagnetically coupled to the inductance element of the feeder circuit board;

wherein

the feeder circuit board is defined by a multilayer board and the resonant circuit of the feeder circuit is disposed within the multilayer board;

the electromagnetic coupling module is attached to an inner surface of the container;

the radiator is attached to an outer surface of the container, and the radiator is arranged to radiate a transmission signal supplied from the resonant circuit through electromagnetic coupling and/or to supply a reception signal to the resonant circuit through electromagnetic coupling.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the radiator is attached to the outer surface of the container through an adhesive layer.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the radiator is directly disposed on the outer surface of the container.

4. The container according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the container on which the electromagnetic coupling module and the radiator are provided is made of a dielectric material.

5. The container according to claim 4, wherein the dielectric is one of paper, cardboard, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, cellophane, or polyethylene terephthalate.

6. The container according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the container on which the radiator is provided is made of paper.

7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the radiator is one of a metal film or a metal leaf provided on a resin film.

8. The container according to claim 7, wherein the metal film is made of conductive resin paste including a metal particle.