Method for manufacturing rfid labels
Abstract
A method of forming an RFID device, the method of which comprises: providing an RFID band polymer material having an RFID chip cluster (454; 464; 474); providing a band (500) of antennas having antennas (510) separated therein; dividing the RFID band material into a plurality of sections (520), each of the sections (520) including one or more of the RFID chips (454; 464; 474) and a portion of the polymer material; adjust or index the passage of RFID sections (520) of a high density in the RFID band material at a relatively low density; and joining the sections (520) to the band (500) of antennas in an automatic continuous process, so that each of the RFID sections (520) is next to one of the antennas (510) and coupled to it, to thus form a material with RFID inserts.

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Projected expiry passed 17 January 2023, 3.7 years ago.
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25 claims: 14 independent, 11 dependent
- 1ES 2 270 072 T3 REIVINDICACIONES 1. Un método de formar un dispositivo RFID, cuyo método comprende:proporcionar un material polímero en banda RFID que tiene una agrupación de chips RFID (454;464;474);proporcionar una banda (500) de antenas que tiene antenas (510) separadas en ella;dividir el material en banda RFID en una pluralidad de secciones (520), incluyendo cada una de las secciones (520) uno o más de los chips RFID (454;464;474) y una parte del material polímero;ajustar o indexar el paso de las secciones RFID (520) de una densidad elevada en el material en banda RFID a una densidad relativamente baja;y unir las secciones (520) a la banda (500) de antenas en un proceso continuo automático, de forma que cada una de las secciones RFID (520) se encuentre junto a una de las antenas (510) y acoplada a ella, para formar así un material con inserciones RFID.
- 2Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 1, en el que la indexación incluye correlacionar las secciones RFID con las antenas en una dirección a lo largo de la banda.
- 3Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 1 o la reivindicación 2, en el que la indexación incluye correlacionar las secciones RFID con las antenas en dirección transversal a la banda.
- 4Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 1 a 3, en el que la división incluye hender el material en banda RFID.
- 5Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 1 a 3, en el que la división incluye cortar a tope el material en banda RFID.
- 6Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 1 a 3, en el que la división incluye al menos un método del grupo que comprende corte por láser, perforación y punzonado.
- 7Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 4 a 6, en el que la división incluye eliminar el material en banda entre secciones RFID adyacentes.
- 8Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 1 a 3, en el que la división incluye el troquelado de las secciones.
- 9Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 1, en el que la división incluye cortar las secciones a partir del material en banda RFID;y en el que las secciones cortadas se aplican con un miembro transportador y son trasladadas a un lugar de transferencia donde tiene lugar la unión.
- 10Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 1, que comprende, además, transportar cada una de las secciones, en un miembro de transporte desde un primer lugar en el que cada sección dividida del material en banda es recibida por el miembro de transporte, a un segundo lugar en el que cada una de las secciones mencionadas es transferida por el miembro de transporte a una respectiva de las antenas.
- 11Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 10, en el que el transporte es un proceso rotatorio.
- 12Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 1 a 11, en el que la división y la indexación se efectúan empleando un miembro cortador y un miembro de transporte, siendo hecho pasar el material en banda RFID por un lugar de corte entre el miembro cortador y el miembro de transporte.
- 13Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 12, en el que el miembro cortador y el miembro de transporte son, al menos, uno del grupo constituido por rodillos o cintas.
- 14Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 13, en el que el miembro de transporte incluye una cinta de elastómero.
- 15Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 9 a 14, en el que el miembro de transporte se aplica a las secciones con, al menos, uno del grupo que comprende portadores de vacío o abrazaderas.
- 16Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 9 a 15, en el que durante la indexación se incrementa la separación a lo largo de la banda de los chips RFID en el material en banda RFID en la distancia entre secciones correspondientes en el miembro de transporte, para casar con la separación de las antenas a las que se acoplan las secciones que incluyen estos chips, en el lugar de transferencia.
- 17Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 9 a 16, en el que la indexación incluye, además, transportar el material en banda RFID con el fin de llevar a cabo la indexación del paso a lo largo de la banda de los chips RFID con relación al paso de los chips RFID en el miembro de transporte.
- 18Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 9 a 17, en el que la unión incluye poner cada una de las secciones del miembro de transporte en contacto, con presión, con respectivas antenas de la banda de antenas.
- 19Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 18, que comprende además proteger a los chips RFID de las secciones contra la presión ejercida en un lugar de transferencia.
- 20Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 1 a 19, en el que la unión incluye unir entre sí secciones y antenas respectivas empleando un adhesivo, conductor o no conductor, aplicado en un diseño sobre la banda de antenas.
- 21Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 20, en el que la unión incluye la utilización de adhesivo epoxídico.
- 22Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 1, la reivindicación 20 o la reivindicación 21, en el que la unión incluye acoplar óhmicamente las secciones con las antenas.
- 23Un método como se describe en la reivindicación 1, la reivindicación 20 o la reivindicación 21, en el que la unión incluye acoplar capacitivamente las secciones con las antenas.
- 24Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 1 a 23, que comprende además estratificar el material con inserciones RFID con una o más capas de material que tengan una o más de las siguientes funciones:soportar y proteger el material con inserciones RFID;proporcionar factores de forma deseados;proporcionar propiedades deseadas de las superficies;o crear un material de etiquetas adhesivas.
- 25Un método como se describe en cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 1 a 23, en el que las antenas se forman en la banda de antenas por un método del grupo que comprende:(i) imprimir con tinta conductora;(ii) metalización por pulverización catódica;(iii) estratificación con hojas;y (iv) estampación en caliente.
Independent claims25
168 paragraphs in 3 sections, as filed
ES 2 270 072 T3
DESCRIPTION
Method for manufacturing RFID tags.
Cross reference
This application is related to US patent application serial number 09 / 776,281, currently pending, filed February 2, 2001, entitled "Method of manufacturing a flexible substrate containing self-assembling microstructures." This application incorporates US Patent Application Serial Number 09 / 776,281 by reference. This application is a continuation in part, and claims priority, of US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 350,606, filed January 18, 2002, entitled "RFID Tag and Method of Manufacturing It," which is incorporated by reference.
Background of the invention
Invention field
This invention relates to the field of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and labels, and to particular methods of manufacturing them, including a roll-to-roll manufacturing method and an alternative sheet-to-roll manufacturing method.
Previous technique
RFID tags and tags have a combination of antennas and analog and / or digital electronics that may include, for example, communications electronics, data memories, and control logic. RFID tags and labels are widely used to associate an object with an identification code. For example, RFID tags are used, in conjunction with security locks on cars, to control access to buildings and for stock and package tracking. Some examples of RFID tags and labels appear in US Patent Nos. 6,107,920, 6,206,292 and 6,262,292, all of which are incorporated into this application by reference.
RFID tags and tags include active tags, which incorporate a power source, and passive tags and tags, which do not. In the case of passive tags, in order to retrieve the information from the chip, a "base station" or "reader" sends an excitation signal to the tag or RFID tag. The drive signal activates the tag or tag and the RFID circuitry transmits the stored information back to the reader. The "reader" receives and decodes the information from the RFID tag. In general, RFID tags can retain and transmit information sufficient to uniquely identify individuals, packages, stocks, and the like. RFID tags and labels can also be characterized as those on which information is recorded only once (although the information can be read repeatedly) and those on which information can be recorded during use. For example, RFID tags can store environmental data (which can be detected by an associated perceiver), logistics histories, status data, etc.
Methods for manufacturing RFID tags are described in PCT Publication No. WO 01/61646, Moore North America, Inc., incorporated herein by reference. The method described in PCT Publication No. WO 01/61646 makes use of several different sources of RFID inputs, each input including an antenna and a chip. A plurality of bands are matched together and RFID tags are punched from the bands to produce coated RFID labels. Alternatively, linerless RFID tags are produced from a composite web with a release material on one side and a pressure sensitive adhesive on the other, the tags being made by perforations in the web. Various alternatives are possible.
Still other RFID devices and methods for making RFID tags are described in US Patent Application Publication No. US2001 / 0053675, by Plettner, incorporated herein by reference. The devices include a transponder comprising a chip having contact areas and at least two coupling elements conductively connected to the contact areas. The coupling elements do not touch each other and are self-supporting and loosely formed and essentially extend parallel to the plane of the chip. The total mounting height of the transponder corresponds substantially to the mounting height of the chip. The size and geometry of the coupling elements are such that they can act as a dipole antenna or in conjunction with an evaluation unit as a plate capacitor. Typically, transponders are produced at the wafer level. The coupling elements can contact the contact areas of the chip directly, at wafer level, that is, before the chips are removed from the array provided by the wafer.
In many applications, it is desirable to reduce the size of the electronics as much as possible. Avery Dennison Corporation, the assignee of the applicants, has been working with Alien Technology Corporation and others to identify materials, develop constructions and create treatment techniques to efficiently produce rolls of a flexible substrate filled with "small electronic blocks."
Considering the flexible substrate filled with "small electronic blocks", Alien Technology Corporation ("Alien"), of Morgan Hill, California, for example, has developed techniques to make microelectronic elements such as small electronic blocks, which Alien calls "nanoblocks" and, then, depositing the small electronic blocks in recesses of an underlying substrate. To receive the small electronic blocks, they are made on a flat substrate 200 (Fig. 1), numerous receiving cavities 210. Receiving cavities 210 are typically formed in a patterned fashion on the substrate. For example, in Fig. 1, the receiving cavities 210 form a simple matrix design that may extend into only a predefined portion of the substrate or that may extend substantially the full width and length of the substrate, as desired. .
To put the small electronic blocks in the recesses, Alien uses a technique known as FSA (automatic fluid assembly). The FSA method includes dispersing the small electronic blocks in a suspension and then passing the suspension over the top surface of the substrate. The small electronic blocks and the recesses have complementary shapes and gravity pulls the small electronic blocks into the recesses. The end result is a substrate (for example m2
ES 2 270 072 T3 (example, a sheet, a strip or a plate) in which tiny electronic elements are embedded. Fig. 2 illustrates a small electronic block 100 disposed within a recess 210. Between block 100 and substrate 220 is a metallization layer 222. Block 100 has a top surface with a circuit 224 disposed therein.
Alien holds several patents related to his technique, including US Patent Nos. 5,783,856; 5,824,186; 5,904,545; 5,545,291; 6,274,508 and 6,281,036, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additional information can be found in Alien's PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) publications including WO 00/49421; WO 00/49658; WO 00/55915; WO 00/55916; WO 00/46854 and WO 01/33621, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other recent publications of interest appear in Information Display, November 2000, vol. 16, no. 11, pp. 12-17, and in an article published by the MIT Auto-ID Center, entitled "Toward the 5 Cent Tag," published in February 2002. Other details related to the fabrication of microstructure elements and FSA procedures can be found. in US Patents 5,545,291 and 5,904,545, and in PCT / US99 / 30391 as WO 00/46854, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
As stated in the aforementioned MIT Auto-ID Center publication, the electronic blocks can be positioned in the openings by means of a vibrating feeder assembly, such as that developed by Philips, rather than by the automatic fluid assembly method. Alternatively, the electronic blocks can be positioned in the openings following a deterministic pick-and-place method, which can use a robotic arm to pick up the electronic elements and place them, one at a time, in respective openings, as described in U.S. Patent No. . 6,274,508.
In accordance with yet another approach to positioning the electronic blocks, the strip or sheet material may include openings that extend through the entire thickness of the sheet. A vacuum can be applied below the web material to pull the electronic blocks into the openings for filling.
Document WO 00/14773 refers to a method for the manipulation, in parallel, of a plurality of circuit chips which, in a first configuration corresponding to the configuration of the same in the original interconnected wafers, are arranged on the surface of an auxiliary carrier, in which the circuit chips are received by a plurality of receiving devices and then simultaneously moved to one or more carriers such that, at the same time as the movement takes place, the first configuration of the circuit chips is changed to a second configuration, which differs from the first configuration, so that the circuit chips are then placed on the support in the second configuration.
Document DE 198 40 226, document FR 2 775 533 and document DE 196 34 473 refer to a method for manufacturing a chip card having a multilayer structure consisting of a base substrate and at least two others layers provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of the base substrate, so that a circuit chip can be attached to the substrate.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of forming an RFID device in which small electrical chips can be placed in openings in a flexible substrate simply and easily in high speed roll-to-roll production.
This object is achieved by a method of forming an RFID device having the characteristics set forth in claim 1. Preferred embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.
The present invention addresses an important need in connection with these methods involving the placement of small electronic blocks or chips in openings in a flexible substrate, as well as in more common surface mounting techniques for placing chips in flexible substrates. That is, it may be desirable to separate the chips in the case of densities that exceed the densities of the antennas to which the chips will later be attached, eg, antennas formed of a web material. The present invention provides this possibility by further utilizing techniques well suited to high speed roll-to-roll production of RFID tags and labels. Summary of the invention
This invention relates to methods for the manufacture of articles for RFID (radio frequency identification), such as tags or labels. These methods treat flexible, web or sheet material with embedded or surface-mounted chips - hereinafter referred to as "RFID web material" or "RFID sheet material", respectively.
As used in this patent application, the "pitch" of the elements in a web or sheet material (such as the chips within an RFID web material or the tags in a label material) means the distance between centers of adjacent elements. In accordance with the present invention, the pitch of the chips may be different from the pitch of an array of tags or RFID tags to be formed: (a) in the longitudinal direction (also called "along the web"); (b) in the transverse direction (or "across the web"), or (c) in both directions. As used in the present patent application, the "step density" or the number of, for example, chips, per unit area, is determined by calculating the inverse of the product of these steps.
According to one aspect of the roll-to-roll manufacturing method, the pitch density of the chips in the RFID web or RFID foil material is different (preferably significantly higher) than the pitch density of the RFID tags or labels. individual within the roll of labels or labels. The difference in pitch density is the result of a pitch difference in the longitudinal direction of the web, in the transverse direction of the web, or in both directions. Typically, the pitch of the chips along each axis of the RFID web material is equal to or less than the pitch of antennas along the corresponding axis of the antenna web. This difference in chip density is attributable to the separation of the RFID web material into "sections", and the adjustment of the pitch density ("indexing") of these sections in the roll-to-roll lamination process. In one embodiment, the RFID web material is punched into a series of sections, each containing a column of chips.
ES 2 270 072 T3 through the band, and the pitch of the chips along the band is increased before laminating the sections with a band containing antennas, in order to form a material with RFID inserts. In another embodiment, the RFID web material is punched out to obtain a series of sections, each of which comprises a strip containing a row of chips arranged along the web and these strips are then separated or spread to enlarge the passing of the chips in the cross-web direction before laminating the sections with a web containing antennas. In a third embodiment, an RFID web material is first divided into strips, and then individual sections are cut or separated from each strip in order to adjust the pitch along the web of the individual chip sections.
The method of the invention is intended to use both the RFID web material and the RFID sheet material as a carrier for the RFID chips, the former being the most preferred. The term "RFID microelectronic material" is used to encompass both RFID strip material and RFID sheet material. These expressions identify the strip material or the sheet material that includes RFID chips and electrical connectors, but before its attachment to antennas. Once the individual chips have been associated with the corresponding antennas, this patent application uses the term "RFID insert" to identify individual chip-antenna assemblies and the term "material with RFID inserts" to identify an in-band material containing such RFID inserts.
In a preferred embodiment, the pitch density of the chips in the RFID insert material is the same as that of the chips in the final tag or label material. However, it is also possible to adjust the pitch density of the RFID inserts and individual chips when they are integrated into the final material of tags or labels.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a method of forming an RFID article includes providing an RFID web material with a plurality of recesses, each of which recesses contain an RFID chip. A second band is provided with separate antennas on it. The RFID web material is divided (eg, cut or separated) into a plurality of sections, each section of which includes one or more RFID chips. The pitch of the RFID sections is adjusted from a high pitch density in RFID web material to a relatively low pitch density in a material with RFID inserts. The sections are attached to a plurality of antennas in a continuous, automatic process such that each of the RFID chips is joined (put into ohmic communication) with one of the antennas to form a material with RFID inserts.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a method of forming an RFID article includes providing an RFID web material of polymeric material, with an array of RFID chips. A second band is provided with separate antennas on it. The RFID web material is divided into a plurality of sections, each of which includes one or more RFID chips. The pitch of the RFID sections is adjusted from a relatively high density in RFID web material to a relatively low density in a material with RFID inserts. The sections are attached to a plurality of antennas in an automatic, continuous process, so that each of the chips
RFID is next to one of the antennas to form a material with RFID inserts.
According to other embodiments, the dividing and indexing operations can be carried out using a cutter member and a transport member, with the RFID web material being passed through a cutting location, between the cutter member and the transport member. transport, where sections of the RFID web material are cut and brought into engagement with the transport member. The transport member can move sections from the cutting location to a transfer location where each section is attached to an antenna. The cutter member and the transport member can be, for example, rollers or belts. The transport member can achieve application of the sections by clamps or vacuum holders.
In the indexing operation, the spacing along the web of the RFID chips in the RFID web material can be increased in the transport member, to match the spacing between the antennas to which these chips are attached in place. transfer. The indexing operation may further include the step of conveying the RFID web material in order to index the passage along the web of the RFID chips relative to the passage of these chips in the transport member.
An indexing step in the transverse direction of the web can be carried out, for example, by dividing the RFID polymer material in web form into strips and separating the strips. The strips, once separated, can follow divergent paths or can be realigned to move along parallel paths (with an increased pitch in the cross-web direction, compared to the original pitch in the cross-web direction).
Another embodiment of the indexing step is to divide the RFID web material into a series of chip columns in the cross web direction, which can be engaged with the transport member and indexed separately from other chip columns.
The joining operation can be effected by pressing the transport member against a layering member at the transfer location, where the section and antenna band pass through a gripping distance or an extended area of contact between the transport member and the layering member. For example, the transport member and the laminating member may both comprise two rollers or one roller and a belt or two belts.
In another specific embodiment, the method may further comprise unwinding a first roll of face material and laminating the first roll of face material with the material with RFID inserts. A second roll of face material can be unwound and material from this second roll can be joined to the material with RFID inserts as opposed to the first face material. The method may further include the step of forming an adhesive label.
The antennas can be formed in any of a number of ways such as, for example, (i) by printing with conductive ink; (ii) metal sputtering; (iii) by stratification of leaves; and (iv) by hot stamping.
Considering aspects of the invention more
Detailed ES 2 270 072 T3, in one embodiment of a conversion assembly for separating RFID sections and joining them with antennas, the RFID web material is cut into sections by passing the web material through a cutting location, between a cutter member and a member of transport. Preferably, the transport member acts as an anvil when cutting sections of the RFID web material. In one embodiment, the transport member and the cutter member are rollers; alternatively, one or both of these members may comprise a tape. The transport member may include holders for engagement with the cut sections, such as clamps or vacuum holders. The transport member moves the sections from the cutting location to a transfer location, where the sections are attached to antennas to form material with RFID inserts. Preferably, the antennas are carried by a strip material.
In the preferred mode of operation of this conversion assembly, the transport of the RFID web material, the operation of the cutter member, and the application of the sections with the transport member, are controlled so as to increase the pitch of the RFID chips. relative to a relatively narrow passage to a relatively wide passage. Preferably, the converter assembly increases the spacing of the chips along the band. In one embodiment, the transport of the RFID web material may include a shuttle that performs periodic forward and backward movements of the RFID web material. Preferably, the movement of the transport member at the transfer site corresponds to the movement of the web material carrying the antennas, to make the sections coincide with the respective antennas.
This conversion assembly can act on an RFID web material containing a single chip strip (which may have been divided from a strip material with a plurality of chip strips). In this case, a plurality of such conversion sets would be provided, one for each chip strip. Alternatively, the conversion assembly may act on web material containing a plurality of strips, where each divided section would include a column of chips in the transverse direction of the web.
At the conversion assembly transfer site, the sections may be subjected to one or more of the following treatments to facilitate antenna attachment: heat, pressure, and actinic radiation. Conductive or non-conductive adhesive can be used to bond the chips to the antennas. A layering member, such as a roller or tape can form a pressure nip or an extended pressure zone to ensure a durable bond between the microelectronic elements and the antennas. The configuration of the chips within the respective sections and the configuration of the antennas and other structures may be designed to minimize mechanical stresses on the chips during pressure bonding.
In accordance with an illustrative method of practicing the present invention, an RFID web material (or a foil material) with a high pass-through density, containing semiconductor chips, is provided and, in a continuous process, a Antenna carrier band relatively widely separated from each other, to receive individual chips, the pitch of the chips being changed or increased notably when the input band is punched. The resulting individual chips are associated with corresponding antennas to form a material with RFID inserts.
The RFID web stock includes an array of chips, each with associated circuitry. In one embodiment, the array of chips of the RFID web material forms a regular pattern such as an orthogonal pattern of rows arranged along the web and columns arranged transversely to it. In this method, the RFID web material is divided or separated into a plurality of sections each including one or more chips, and these sections are then joined or laminated with a layer of antennas to form a material with inserts. RFID. This RFID insert material can then be joined to other layers to form an RFID tag or tag material in which each tag or tag preferably includes a single chip. An RFID tag or tag material can be a multilayer structure. A printable face material layer may be a top layer that forms an upper surface of the substrate. The tag or label material may also include a bottom layer such as a release liner or a second face layer.
Features of the invention may include the use of a special substrate for the RFID microelectronic material, which is easily die-cut, is dimensionally and thermally stable and / or possesses other desirable properties, as described above. A preferred substrate is an amorphous thermoplastic material that can take the form of a flexible band capable of wrapping around a core. Alternatively, the substrate for the RFID microelectronics material may comprise paper or other thin, flexible material.
In one embodiment of the invention, the RFID web material contains an array of recesses, each of which nominally contains a respective chip. The recesses may be at least about 5 µm deep in some embodiments, and a recess may have a substantially rectangular bottom surface and four outwardly sloping side walls. Alternatively, the RFID web material may be devoid of recesses, in this case the chips being secured to unindent surfaces of the web material.
This Summary of the Invention summarizes certain aspects of the subject matter of the claims, but does not constitute a complete description of the invention. The detailed description, drawings, and claims further identify and describe features and aspects of the invention.
Brief description of the drawings
Fig. 1 illustrates a pattern of embossed cavities in the surface of a part of a strip, in which small electronic blocks of complementary configuration can be embedded;
Fig. 2 illustrates a small electronic block embedded in a cavity of a section cut from an embossed substrate;
Fig. 3 illustrates an RFID tag adhered to a substrate;
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a multilayer construction formed during the manufacturing process;
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the multilayer construction of Fig. 4 during punching, after face material, adhesive and coating have been added;
Figs. 6A, 6b and 6C are views of RFID sections attached to antennas;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a band of antennas;
Fig. 8 illustrates a process of applying RFID sections to single band antennas;
Fig. 9 illustrates steps in a process for forming RFID tags;
Fig. 10 illustrates a process of indexing RFID sections with antennas according to the vertical direction or machine direction;
Fig. 11 is a detail of the process of Fig. 10, illustrating in particular a die and anvil arrangement;
Fig. 12 is a detail illustrating a die and anvil arrangement;
Fig. 13 illustrates an alternative arrangement using a belt and rollers;
Fig. 14 is a simplified diagram illustrating components of an RFID tag manufacturing system;
Fig. 15 is another diagram illustrating components of a system for manufacturing RFID tags; and Fig. 16 is another diagram illustrating components of a system for manufacturing RFID tags.
Detailed description of the invention
introduction
As an overview, a low cost method of RFID tag or tag manufacturing uses at least three elements. An element is an RFID strip material or an RFID sheet material, that is, a sheet or a web containing microelectronics elements or RFID chips in an array, as well as electrical connectors for the chips. In the method of the invention, the web or sheet material is separated into a series of "sections" each of which may be incorporated into a given RFID tag or tag. Typically, each section includes one of the RFID chips, as well as electrical connectors for that chip. In one embodiment, the RFID web or sheet material includes an array of micro-embossed recesses with the RFID chips secured within these recesses; alternatively, the chips may be secured to non-indented surfaces of the RFID sheet or strip material. Note: This patent application uses interchangeably the RFID terms and expressions “chips”, “IC” (integrated circuits), “microelectronic elements” and, in certain cases, “blocks”, to refer to these elements, both whether they are embedded in the sheet or strip material as if they are mounted on a non-indented surface of the material.
The method of the invention is intended to use RFID material, strip and sheet, as a carrier for RFID chips, the former being the one that enjoys the highest preferences. The term "RFID microelectronic material" is used herein to encompass both RFID strip material and RFID sheet material. These expressions identify the strip material or the sheet material that includes RFID chips and electrical connectors, but before it is attached to the antennas. Once the individual chips have been associated with the corresponding antennas, this patent application uses the term "RFID insert" to identify individual chip and antenna assemblies, and the term "material with RFID inserts" to identify an in-band material that contains such RFID inserts.
Another element is a continuous band with a plurality of antennas made, for example, of copper, silver, aluminum or other thin conductive material (such as etched or hot-stamped metallic foil, conductive ink, sputtered metal, etc. .). A third element is a sheet or web of selected materials used to support and protect the material with RFID inserts, and / or to provide useful surface properties and form factors (e.g. printability, adhesive anchoring, ability to withstand atmospheric agents, etc.) for specific applications.
RFID microelectronic material contains an array of chips with a pitch density that can be considerably higher than the pitch density of an RFID insert material that is formed using this RFID microelectronic material. This high density can bring significant advantages, such as facilitating the placement of microelectronic elements using an FSA process, or another chip placement process. Preferably, the pitch density of the chips in the RFID insert material is the same as the pitch density of the chips in the final tag or label material. However, it is also possible to adjust the pitch density of individual inserts and chips as they are integrated into the final tag or label material.
A series of antennas are formed in a continuous web made of film, coated paper, film and paper laminates or other suitable substrate. Preferably, the pitch density of the antennas is tailored to the specific dimensions of the tag or label within which it will be formed and regardless of the pitch density of the sections.
The microelectronic material and the antenna band are transported through a conversion process that indexes and individualizes the microelectronic sections at a position associated with each antenna. The process fixes the sections to the antenna using conductive inks or adhesives applied to the antenna strip, to form the material with RFID inserts. In the preferred embodiment, the insert material includes a matrix that surrounds the sections and can be disposed of. Alternatively, the material with inserts can be butt cut in order to eliminate a matrix between adjacent sections (eg, in the direction along the web, or in the direction transverse to the web).
The material with RFID inserts is then laminated on top of and / or on selected tag or label materials, consisting of films, papers, film laminates and papers or other flexible sheet materials suitable for a particular end use. Text and / or graphics can then be printed onto the resulting web of media material.
ES 2 270 072 T3 labels or RFID tag material, can be punched to specific shapes and sizes to form continuous label rolls, or multi-label sheets or tagged rolls or sheets.
Considering now the details of specific embodiments, Fig. 3 illustrates a substrate 100 on which an RFID tag 102 has been adhered. This embodiment of a tag includes a printable top surface 104, and text and / or graphics. printed 106.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of a multilayer tag or label material from which tags and / or RFID tags can be formed. The embodiment includes a top web or layer 400 of face material to carry the impression. A section 402 is provided in conjunction with a central band 404 on which an antenna 408 (eg, of a conductive foil or ink) is printed, sputtered, laminated, or otherwise applied. A layer of adhesive 406 bonds the face material 400 to the web 404 with inserts.
Fig. 5 illustrates the multilayer structure of Fig. 4 intended to be cut to form a label. A layer of adhesive 414 bonds the web 404 with inserts to another layer of face material 412. A layer of pressure sensitive adhesive, 414 is underneath the layer 412 of face material and is covered with a coated release liner 416 with silicone. The areas where the label is cut are indicated by arrows 419 and 420.
For adhering the face material layers to each other, a general purpose, permanent pressure sensitive adhesive or a laminate adhesive is preferred. A wide variety of permanent pressure sensitive adhesives are well known in the art. The pressure sensitive adhesive can be one of any number of different types of adhesives, such as acrylic and elastomer pressure sensitive adhesives. If the construction of the label illustrated in Fig. 5 To be printed on a high heat generating printer, such as a laser printer, the adhesive layer 414 can be made temperature stable, as described in Avery Dennison US Pat. 4,898,323, incorporated herein by reference.
As another alternative, instead of coating the bottom layer 412 with a layer 414 of pressure sensitive adhesive, the bottom layer 412 can be coated with a water activated adhesive, a heat activated adhesive, or other types of adhesives known in the art. or it may have no adhesive at all (in the case of a label). Layer 412 could be of a printable material, such as paper or a coated polymer, for use in situations where a user wishes to print in front of and / or behind the label with a printer, omitting the additional layers 418 and 416 during the lamination and conversion process. In the case of a double-sided tag used, for example, on clothing, a hole may be drilled in one end of the tag and a plastic fastener, string, or other fixing means inserted through it.
The adhesive used in layer 418 can be any of a variety of different types of adhesives, including a water activated adhesive or a heat or pressure activated adhesive, or any other adhesive known in the labeling art. Adhesive layers 406 and 414 are typically permanent adhesives, although various other adhesives can be used.
Materials suitable as the face material 400 include, but are not limited to, metal foils, polymer films, paper, and combinations thereof. The materials can be textiles, including woven and non-woven fabrics, natural or synthetic fibers. The materials can be single-ply film or paper, or they can be made of multilayer constructions. Multilayer constructions or multilayer polymer films can have two or more layers, which can be joined by co-extrusion, lamination, or other procedures. The layers of such multilayer constructions or multilayer polymer films may have the same composition and / or size or they may have different compositions or sizes. The face material 400 can be any of the aforementioned film or sheet materials.
The label of Fig. 3 is typically punched out with a die or other cutting method known in the label art. In Fig. 4, the label is cut to include section 410. The die may extend entirely through the cross section of the label or only to the coating layer 416. In this case, the liner can be maintained by forming a unified sheet with a standard sheet size, with one or more removable labels on it, as is typical in the art of labeling.
For example, sheathing 416 can be cut to have dimensions of 8.5 by 11 inches (21.6 by 28 cm) or 8.5 by 14 inches (21.6 by 35.6 cm) in order to fit the size of standard paper input trays for inkjet, laser, or other standard home and office printers; alternatively, the liner 416 can be cut to other dimensions, as required by specific applications. Each sheet can include multiple die-cut RFID tags that can have standard tag dimensions, such as 2.5 by 5 cm, 3.8 by 7.6 cm (1 by 2 inches, 1.5 by 3 inches), or any of the following. many other standard label sizes known in the art or can even be cut to custom label dimensions.
It is to be noted that, in the event that a tag is desired instead of a label, the adhesive layer 418 and the corresponding release liner 416 can be omitted. Instead of the pressure-sensitive adhesive 414, a pressure-activated adhesive may be used. water or another type of adhesive, depending on the surface on which the label is to be applied, and / or the bonding properties that the user wants the label to have. For example, a small RFID tag can be in the form of a seal, such as a postage stamp, which can include a layer of water activated adhesive.
Figs. 6A-6C illustrate sections 450, 460, and 470, respectively, attached to respective antennas 452, 462, and 472. The sections carry respective RFID chips 454, 464 and 474. The sections can be attached to the antennas in any of a number of different ways such as, for example, upsetting, welding, or bonding with a conductive or non-conductive adhesive. Preferably, the union of sections to antennas forms a co7
ES 2 270 072 T3 ohmic connection between the electrical contacts of the chip and the conductors of the antenna. Capacitive connections are also possible.
II. Preparation of the receptor film
In one embodiment of the invention, the initial step in manufacturing an RFID tag or tag forms receiving cavities or holes in a polymeric film substrate, sometimes referred to herein as "receiving film." In the preferred embodiment, the polymeric film substrate is of a material selected from the preferred class of polymeric films described in commonly assigned international patent application PCT / US02 / 21638, published as WO 02/93625, entitled " Method of manufacturing a flexible substrate that contains microstructures of automatic assembly ”. Receiving holes are formed in this substrate film by the precision, continuous embossing process described in patent application number '281. These polymeric materials and the preferred process for forming the receptor cavities are described below. Alternatively, the polymeric film substrate can be selected from the polymeric materials described in Alien Technology Corporation patent applications, such as PCT International Publication WO 00/55916. Alternative techniques for forming microstructure receiving cavities or holes in the polymeric film substrate, as described in the Alien patent publications include, for example, injection molding and stamping.
The polymeric film includes cavities that are filled with tiny chips with electronic components using a fluid automatic assembly (FSA) process, such as that developed by Alien Technology Corporation of Morgan Hill, California. A flattening layer is then applied as a coating on top of the filled cavities. The purpose of flattening is to fill in any spaces that may still exist; providing a smooth, flat surface for further treatments, such as etching pathways; ensuring that the microelectronics block elements (i.e., the chips) remain in position in their recesses in the substrate during further processing operations; and providing mechanical integrity to the laminate. Then "pathways" are created by chemical etching techniques. The vias are then coated with aluminum to form a pair of contact zones on opposite sides of the chip, for electronic connection. The polymeric film web, at this stage of the process, with embedded chips and associated contact zones, is referred to in the present application as "RFID web material" (or, in the case of a sheet-shaped substrate, " RFID foil material ”).
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the RFID strip or sheet material is then cut or separated to obtain a series of sections, each of which includes one or more electronic component chips, with a flattening layer and associated conductive zones. . Each cut or separated portion of the RFID microelectronics material is referred to herein as a "section." Alien Technology Corporation recognized a major advantage in the use of RFID sections in this embodiment. They allow the manufacture, using FSA techniques, of RFID strip or sheet material, with a chip density (and, consequently, lower manufacturing cost) greater than the density of clusters of RFID devices in which the devices are to be incorporated. chips. Thus, in the case of a grid of chips grouped longitudinally and transversely with respect to the web, the pitch of the chips (that is, the distance between centers of adjacent chips) may be different from the pitch of a grouping of tags or RFID tags. to be formed: (a) in the longitudinal direction (also referred to as "along the band"); (b) in the transverse direction (or "across the web"), or (c) in both directions. The "step density" is determined by calculating the inverse of the product of these steps. Thus, an example of a pitch across the strip is 5mm, a pitch across the strip would be 10mm, and in this example, the pitch density could be 200 chips perm.<sup>2</sup>.
If the separate sections of the RFID strip or sheet material each contain a single electronic component chip, with the flattening layer and associated conductive zones, then these sections are suitable for incorporation into individual RFID tags or labels. Alternatively, the sections may contain a plurality of electronic component chips (with electrical connectors). For example, a strip RFID material can be divided into a series of longitudinal strips, each containing a single row of microelectronics blocks. At a later point in the process, individual sections can be cut or separated from these strips to form individual RFID tags or tags. Handling RFID sections raises various manufacturing problems by separating the RFID sections from the RFID web material and physically integrating the RFID sections into a material with RFID inserts (and then into a label material or tag material. ) in a roll-to-roll layering process. Applicants have overcome these problems, by means of the present invention, in the manner described below.
The size of each individual RFID section is largely independent of the size of the associated finished tag, with the limitation that the section cannot be larger than the tag. In one embodiment, the section measures approximately 6mm by 2mm. In alternative embodiments, the section measures 10mm by 2mm and 4mm by 2mm, respectively. However, the size of the section may vary and these dimensions are for illustration only.
III. RFID tag manufacturing method
We will now consider a method of manufacturing RFID tags, which method uses large rolls of the various layers. That is, the inputs to the process include large rolls of face material; a roll of substrate that is treated to form the RFID web material; and a roll of base material on which the antennas are printed or glued or, alternatively, a roll of base material with pre-formed antennas; and possibly rolls of other materials.
FIG. 7 illustrates a web 500 in which there are antennas 510 printed or otherwise formed. Once the antennas are on the web, individual sections carrying RFID chips are attached to the antennas, as illustrated in Fig. 8. In one approach, the sections 520 are held against an anvil 530 by vacuum. Sections 520 are deposited on contacts 525 for the antennas.
Sections can be attached to an8 contacts
ES 2 270 072 T3 tended by an adhesive such as a conductive epoxy adhesive. The adhesive can be cured with heat and / or pressure at 540.
Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating operations of a method of manufacturing an RFID tag using such rolls. In step 600, a roll of printing base film is unwound. At step 602 the antennas are printed on the base film with a pitch corresponding to the pitch of the labels. At step 604, the performance is checked before proceeding with the manufacturing process. At step 606 a roll of pre-printed antennas is rewound.
The width of the antenna band can have any of several different values. In one embodiment, the width of the band is 40.64 cm (16 inches). The pitch of the antennas and the spacing between them would depend on the projected dimensions of the label and the spacing between labels in the final label material but would typically be in the range of 12.7 mm to 81.3 cm ( 0.5 inch to 32 inch). A typical separation between adjacent antennas would be approximately 3.17 mm (0.125 inches), but the separation, if desired, can be larger or smaller.
In the second phase of the label manufacturing process (which may be continuous or discontinuous with respect to the first phase), at step 608 a roll of RFID web material is unwound. The configuration of ICs (integrated circuits) in the form of small electronic blocks on the receiving film can vary depending on the particulars of the IC placement process (such as the FSA), the requirements of the RFID application (and the specifications RFID chip and / or antenna) and other factors. For example, there may be a single row of small ICs in the form of electronic blocks along the band, or there may be multiple rows. For economy, it is typically desirable to put as many ICs on the band as possible, and for this reason small tightly packed ICs (small electronic blocks) are desirable. That is, in one embodiment, the "pitch density" of the small electronic blocks is maximized. As previously noted, "pitch density" is the inverse of the product of the longitudinal pitch or "along the web" and the lateral pitch or "transverse to the web".
Individual sections are cut or separated from the web at step 610. Cutting can be accomplished by punching or by other cutting methods known in the art, such as laser cutting, punching, creasing, punching, or by other known means that can be adapted to specific sizes and configurations. The cut sections are then indexed in such a way that they match the pitch of the antennas (which is typically the same as the eventual pitch of the labels). The pitch of the labels depends on the size of the labels, which can vary from one application to another. Typically, as discussed above, the sections are provided with a predetermined spacing and must be "indexed" to match the spacing required by the size of the particular type of label into which the section is to be incorporated. Indexing can affect spacing, along the web, of sections, spacing in the transverse direction, or both.
As additional background, it should be noted that the through density of ICs will generally be higher than the through density of finished labeled sheets. ICs in the form of small electronic blocks can be packed more tightly in their band than is possible with labels. For example, it may be possible to have a 20.32 cm (8 inch) wide strip of IC in the form of small electronic blocks and a 40.64 cm (16 inch) wide sheet, with labels, if the pitch of the sections carrying the ICs in the form of small electronic blocks is adjusted once the sections of the web have been cut, to adapt to the passage of the labels, in the direction transverse to the web. The only requirement is that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the number of chip strips and the number of label strips.
An indexing device can be used to control the relative speed of the band carrying the ICs with respect to the speed of the band carrying the antennas, in order to properly separate the individual ICs with respect to the band of antennas. This longitudinal indexing device (along the band) aligns the sections with the antennas, so that one section is properly positioned relative to the antenna and can be attached to it.
Referring now to Fig. 10, the RFID web material 502 unwound at 608 is tensioned and passed between the die "D" and an anvil "A". The web passes through rollers on a feed voltage isolator 650 and feed drive 652 on its way to die "D" and anvil "A". The anvil "A" contains vacuum retention posts on its surface, which correspond to the antenna pattern provided in the antenna band. The anvil includes a hard surface and is typically the same diameter as the die so that when they rotate together they are in the same relative position to each other in any plane on their surface. The die cuts each individual RFID section away from the surrounding matrix of RFID web material.
Referring to Fig. 11, the vacuum anvil A rotates in the opposite direction with "D" and "B", allowing the section to be transported from the surface of "D" to a position where the section joins to an antenna, in this case a gripping distance between rollers "A" and "B". the antenna band passes between the anvil "A" and the base roll "B" of the anvil, which acts as a layering member. Roll B has a stepped surface to accommodate the thickness of the antenna strip so that the diameters of the rolls can be matched to allow for tangency and rotational registration of the roll surfaces with the sections and strip of antennas. Rollers "A" and "B" can form a pressure grip distance to facilitate the formation of a durable bond between the electrical connectors on the chip and the antennas. In addition, heat and / or actinic radiation can be employed, such as UV radiation (not shown). This bond can be formed or enhanced using conductive or non-conductive adhesive. Furthermore, these rollers can be used to upset the two metal surfaces, the section and the antenna, with or without the use of adhesives. Following the formation of this junction, the rodi9
ES 2 270 072 T3 llo of anvil "A" completes its rotation to accept the following sections.
The scheme of Fig. 12 would provide a pitch, at the time of fixation, approximately twice the pitch of the section. One half of the face of the die is illustrated in detail in Fig. 12. Thus, with each rotation, four (4) consecutive sections are punched out. Die D is manufactured with cut faces that correspond to the dimensions of the section. Each section of the die that dies individual sections has a leading edge L-1 and a trailing edge L-2, such that L-1 cuts the band of sections at the leading edge of the section and L-2 completes the cut at the rear edge of section.
To match the pitch of sections and antennas with optimal velocities with pressure, it is necessary to select the relationships between the number of cutting sections of the die roll D relative to the pitch of the sections and the pitch of the antennas, and with respect to the diameters of the rollers D and A.
As seen in Figure 10, after passing through die station 610, the web passes through rollers at output drive 654 and supply voltage isolator 656, on its way to winding 658.
Figure 13 illustrates an alternative pressure laminate member B, ie, a metal or polymer tape, for attaching the antennas to the sections on the anvil roll A '. The use of a rotating tape B 'provides an extended zone of elevated pressure and / or temperature to facilitate curing of the adhesive, and the formation of a durable metal-to-metal bond between the IC connector structures and the antennas. One or more additional sets of belt or roller combinations (not shown) may be provided to further expand the area of bond formation between the IC connector structures and the antennas. Optionally, the RFID sections can be arranged on an elastomeric band that can be stretched in one or more directions relative to the antenna band, in order to position the RFID sections relative to the antennas.
Referring again to Figure 11, the vacuum anvil A is generally designed so that part of its rotation acts with a positive vacuum and in a second part without any vacuum. Furthermore, a subsection of the non-vacuum rotating section, designated P, may be provided to operate with positive pressure flow. Each of the three possible airflow sections can be provided to be activated in correspondence with the position of the section with respect to the rotation of A.
When L-2 completes its cutting of the section, a vacuum is created in one surface of the anvil roll A through openings corresponding to the size of the section. The section is therefore held against the surface of the roller A as it rotates away from its tangency with the die D. The matrix of the section band continues in its plane and is wound as waste. (Alternatively, the band of sections can be butt-cut, thus eliminating the matrix.)
When the RFID section retained on the anvil roll A by the positive vacuum approaches the tangential section with the roll B, the vacuum is interrupted allowing the section to be applied with the adhesive previously applied to the antenna strip and to be retained by he. If necessary, a positive airflow can be generated to push the section away from the surface of A at section P; This air flow can also serve to clean the vacuum station. The section is then moved with the antenna band.
As regards indexing along the web (or longitudinal) of the sections, the RFID web material transport mechanism can be provided to direct the web from left to right or from right to left, in response to instructions from an electronic controller. During the period that begins when the front L1 surface of the die first comes into contact with the RFID web material and ends when the rear L2 surface of the die stops contacting the web material, the web is conveyed from right to right. left at the same speed as the antenna band. Between these cutting cycles, the web transport control provides left-to-right web movement, with controlled acceleration, in order to bring the next uncut section of RFID web stock into alignment with the next set. of punching surfaces L1, L2 of punch D. Then, this cycle is repeated.
Roller D and its cutting sections can be configured so that there is a gap between each cutting section which allows the web of sections to move in the opposite direction to that of movement of the die surface, without coming into contact with it. By matching the gap between cutting sections with the elapsed time to cycle the web of sections from one direction to the other, the position of each section can be cut in different steps relative to the position of each cutting section. Each cutting section of D can be made with the same pitch as the antennas, so that when the web of sections travels between cutting and non-cutting sections of the die D, each section is conveyed on the anvil roll A with a pitch corresponding to that of the antennas that are moving between rollers A and B. This enables high speed roll-to-roll processing of standard sections (and thus at lower cost), in a way that can be adapted to a variety of custom schemes as is typically found in tags and labels.
In one version of the apparatus of Figures 9-12, the apparatus operates with an RFID web stock containing a single chip strip and a plurality of such devices are provided corresponding to the number of chip strips of the original RFID strip material. These strips can be divided from the original RFID web stock and optionally separated for processing by the vertical indexing apparatus. Alternatively, the vertical indexing apparatus can act on an RFID web material with multiple chip strips.
The strips of the web carrying the sections must also be made to match the lateral pitch (transverse to the web) of the strips of the web bearing the labels and antennas. One way to ensure this "cross-web direction alignment" is to use a separate strip of sections for each strip, independent of labels and antennas. Another approach is to split the respective webs lengthwise and then align the sectional divided strips with the cut strips of labels and an10
ES 2 270 072 T3 tena. This can be done using a series of opener rollers, much like a conventional splitter assembly. The creasing methods are known and described in various US patents, including, for example, US Patent Nos. 3,724,737; 3,989,575; 3,891,157 and 4,480,742, all of which are incorporated herein by reference, and in European Patent Publication EP 0 979 790 A2, incorporated herein by reference. The peel rollers deflect the section strips from small electronic blocks to provide one section strip for each label strip.
Another alternative approach is to cut the web of small electronic blocks with a maximum pitch density in the direction transverse to the web, and put the resulting strips on a vacuum tape that opens the strips. Using an apparatus of the type illustrated in US Patent No. 4,480,742, a continuous expansion tape or band can be used to separate the strips in the cross-web direction. Alternatively, a series of laterally spaced tapes may be subjected to increasing spacing in order to separate the strips in the cross-machine direction.
Concurrently with steps 608-612, the roll of pre-printed antennas is unwound in step 614. In step 616 adhesive is applied to the roll of pre-printed antennas to fix the sections on the pre-printed antennas. The sections, which are indexed according to the pitch of the labels, are attached to the antennas in step 618.
In step 620 a stabilizer resin can be applied to the bonded sections. The resin from operation 620 serves to protect the small components in the form of electronic blocks and to fix them in place within the labels. Also, the interconnection between the section and the antenna can be fragile. Thus, a resin material can be dispensed over the area of the interconnect and then cured to a hard finish that stabilizes the interconnect against flexural breakage, fatigue or the like. Examples of suitable resin materials include silicon-filled, heat-curing epoxy resin or ultraviolet-curable acrylic resin with a transparent filler. The epoxy or acrylic resin can be applied directly to the interconnection area or it can be dispensed indirectly, using a transfer device.
In step 622, one or more sheets of face material are laminated with the band carrying the antennas and the joined sections. Referring again to FIG. 4, this operation would serve, in the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, to adhere the layer 400 of obverse material to the layer 404 with inserts. Likewise, additional layers such as face material layer 412 can be laminated at positions above and / or below layer 404 with inserts, as shown in Figure 5.
Once the various layers of the label material have been laminated together, the label material can be stamped to form individual labels at step 624. Labels can also be cut into strips or sheets, as desired. The labels can be rewound onto a take-up roll at step 626.
In the final phase of manufacturing, the die-cut labels are unwound from the reel at step 628. Through a creasing operation at step 630, the cut strips of labels are sent to individual facilities for final processing. Once the web has been divided into individual strips, these can be cut into sheets. The sheets can then be packaged and shipped in step 632.
Fig. 14 is a simplified diagram of a manufacturing process for obtaining RFID tags. The base film for printing antennas is unwound at station 600 '. The web carrying the small electronic blocks is unwound in step 608 '. Steps 610'-620 'are then performed, which relate to punching and fixing the sections to form an insert material.
In block 622 'the insert material is laminated with face material and a bottom band. The labels are punched out and the label matrix is peeled off the laminated web at block 624 '. The face material is unwound from the reel at 636 'and at 638' the adhesive coated bottom strip assembly and release liner are unwound from the reel. Alternatively unwinding at 638 'may provide only a release liner web to laminate with adhesive applied directly as a coating on web 500. The affixed labels are rewound at area 626'. The label matrix, which constitutes the additional material remaining after the punching operation, is rewound at station 634 '.
Fig. 15 is a more detailed representation of a manufacturing process compared to Fig. 14. Fig. 15 shows several different stations that carry out various secondary processes. Considering a secondary process that begins on the left side of the drawing, an unwind station 700 contains the previously described RFID web material. The RFID web material is unwound, at station 700, and enters a feed station 702 and then a converting module 704. In the conversion module 704, the RFID strip material is punched out to obtain a grouping of sections that are attached to the pre-printed antenna strip. The remainder of the web material (residual matrix) is fed through exit station 706 and finally rewound onto a spool at winding station 708.
Another part of the manufacturing process, illustrated in Fig. 15 refers to the printed antenna strip 500, which is provided on a reel at station 710. The pre-printed antenna strip 500 is unwound from the reel at station 710 , then advances to a feed station 712. The pre-printed antenna web 500 advances to a printing or coating station 714, where adhesive is applied to the web. The band 500 continues to station 704, where the grouping of RFID sections are attached to the pre-printed antennas to form a material 504 with RFID inserts. The material 504 with RFID inserts advances to station 716 where post-curing of the fixing adhesive takes place (eg, for a partially cured adhesive). Methods for curing adhesives are known in the art and, by way of example and not limitation, include heat, ultraviolet and infrared curing.
ES 2 270 072 T3
An additional stabilizer resin can be applied at a station 718. As previously described, the resin can serve to protect the small electronic blocks and to stabilize them on the web. A station 720 can be used to inspect the material with RFID inserts and maintain quality control. The material with RFID inserts then continues to an exit station 722 and through station 724. At station 724 a laminating adhesive can be applied to the top and bottom sides of the material with RFID inserts. A laminate 506 of face material that may optionally be pre-printed or that may be suitable for printing on at a user's facility, travels through a feed station 726 and then to station 724 and to station 728. At station 724 and / or station 728 the face material is laminated with the material with RFID inserts. At the same time, a bottom layer 508, which may have been previously coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive on its underside, is unrolled from a station 730. The bottom layer 508 enters stations 724 and 728, where it is laminated with the band. The bottom layer, which is unwound from station 730, may also include a release liner that covers the pressure sensitive adhesive on the underside of the layer. The face material layer is unwound from spool 731.
The fully laminated construction then passes through an exit unit 732. It should be noted that there are two take-up spools - 734 and 736. The take-up spool 734 collects the applied labels. The take-up reel 736 picks up the die-cut label matrix which essentially constitutes waste material from the process in which the labels are cut. The punching operation can be carried out at station 728. It is to be noted that the cutting operation is not limited to punching, but may include other cutting techniques such as laser cutting, punching, creasing, punching, or other methods known in the art.
Fig. 16 illustrates an alternative arrangement in which stations 750, 752 and 754 serve to print graphics and / or text on the top face material once it is unwound from the spool. Three separate print stations 750-754 are shown to illustrate that printing can be carried out with more than one print head, such as multi-color printing, if desired. However, it is also possible to print with only one print head, as appropriate. Compared to the arrangement of Fig. 15, this process of Fig. 16 allows printing on the top face material in the same manufacturing facility where the other label material preparation operations are performed. It may be desirable to print on the face material during label manufacture when, for example, variable information is to be printed on the corresponding label, such as identification information that is stored on a particular chip.
However, from Fig. 15 it is apparent that the face materials can be printed prior to being wound onto the spool. That is, the pre-printing can be done at another facility or at a location other than the manufacturing facility where the various specific label manufacturing steps are performed. Alternatively, the face material may be partially pre-printed elsewhere, with additional printing done at the label manufacturing facility.
In the foregoing, it has been assumed that ICs (integrated circuits) or small electronic blocks are provided on a wound web that is unwound during the manufacturing process. However, as an alternative, the receiving film with the microchips may be provided in the form of a sheet rather than in the form of a rolled band. Then, the carrier sections of the individual ICs would be cut from the pre-cut sheets and not from a roll, and these sections could be integrated into RFID tag or tag material by a pick and put operation. To regulate the pick-and-place operation, the position of a carrying section of a small electronic block can be matched to a corresponding tag using, for example, a CCD camera to detect a match or alignment mark on or near the tag. . Instead of the web handling equipment illustrated above (eg, indexing station, and bonding station), sheet handling equipment may be employed.
The pick-and-put operation can be carried out by a pick-and-put device that may include mechanical and / or vacuum gripping elements for picking up a section carrying a small electronic block while moving it to the desired position in alignment with the label. It will be appreciated that a wide variety of suitable pick-and-place devices are well known. Examples of such devices are those described in US Patent Nos. 6,145,901 and 5,564,888, both of which are incorporated herein by reference, as are the prior art devices described in those patents.
Alternatively, rotary positioning devices can be used to position the sections on the labels. An example of such a device is described in US Patent No. 5,153,983, the description of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Integrated circuits or RFID chips can be friction-mounted in the recesses of the RFID microelectronics material or can be secured to it using adhesives and / or soldering. The electrical connection between the RFID chips and the circuitry to be connected to the antennas can be done by wiring, taping, automatic taping, using conductor frames, chip flipping bonding and / or gluing the conductors with conductive adhesive.
IV. Material Properties - RFID Strip Material and RFID Sections
It is preferred that the RFID sections are sufficiently rigid in order to maintain sufficient rigidity and dimensional stability in all processes. Additional requirements may be imposed on the substrate material for the RFID microelectronics material by virtue of the procedure followed to form the material (eg, form receiving walls); and to form conductive and dielectric materials and various interconnecting electrical structures. Other desirable properties of web material are dictated by the processes for forming the insert material and for converting it into label material, such as: ca12
ES 2 270 072 T3 characteristics of clean and defined punching; sufficient tensile modulus to avoid undue elongation under tension (typically more than 3.45 GPa (500,000 psi) and adequate strength to prevent web breakage during operations such as die peeling.
When using the Alien Technologies flattening procedure, as described above, a suitable polymer film substrate is one that is dimensionally stable at 150 ° C for 1 hour, micro-reproducible at 260 ° C, which has good adhesion to the flattening layer, good resistance to chemical agents, has the property of staying flat (a rise <0.5 inch for a 27.9 cm (11 inch) sheet), that can be easily removed from the tool and can be punched out.
When supercalendered Kraft (SCK) paper is compared to polysulfone, the tensile modulus is comparable. This means that, for the same belt tension and the same gauge, the SCK and the polysulfone will stretch to the same extent; however, the elongation at break of SCK is much lower. In the case of paper, its sensitivity to moisture is a problem, as it would adversely affect the dimensional stability of an article according to the present invention. A preferred alternative is paper with a polymer coating, such as paper coated with polyethylene or polypropylene on one or both sides thereof. In this way, any dimensional instability due to exposure to moisture would be reduced.
V. Antenna band
The antenna parts can be formed in the antenna band using a wide variety of materials and procedures. For example, one method includes printing onto the antenna strip with a conductive material, such as silver conductive ink, in a pattern that defines multiple antennas. The ink can be applied, for example, by stenciling techniques, such as in a sheet or roll feed operation. The antennas can be printed in a variety of shapes and patterns, such as a symmetrical pattern, a non-symmetrical pattern, a bow tie pattern, a checkerboard pattern, and / or an uneven pattern pattern, or with other configurations and patterns. known in the art.
Typically, the antennas are dried and stored on the rolled band. However, as an alternative, the antennas can be wet printed during the conversion process and the sections can be applied directly to the wet, printed ink. When the ink dries, bond the sections to the underlying band. Optionally, the ink can include a doping agent to improve adhesion. A pressure sensitive adhesive layer can be used in conjunction with the wet ink to provide additional stability.
Suitable methods of forming the antennas include printing with conductive ink, sputtering metal deposition, sheet lamination or hot stamping, or any method known in the art for forming an antenna on film.
Considering the sputtering approach to metal deposition, it is to be noted that antennas of metal thus applied can be made very thin, while achieving conductivity or surface resistance as desired. In a preferred embodiment of a device and method according to the present invention, the antennas are formed by sputtering metal coating. Compared to a conventional coating with an ink filled with 60% silver, a comparable surface resistance can be achieved by sputtering a silver thickness of one tenth. Also, no drying is required, as is the case with a silver-filled ink coating.
In a preferred embodiment where the antennas are formed by sputtering applied metallization, sputtering occurs on a 40cm x 15cm (16in x 6in) square target at a distance of 10-12.5cm ( 4-5 inches), with a copper or aluminum target and with a belt speed of up to 30 cm / min (1 ft / min) and with a belt width of 15-25 cm (6-10 inches) . Various masking alternatives are available. According to a first alternative, the masking is applied to the substrate and, after sputtering, the masking is removed. In a second alternative, a masking pattern is applied to the back of the PSA coated web which is laminated to the substrate immediately prior to sputtering, which masking is peeled off immediately after sputtering. In a third alternative, a permanent mask is used that is very close (1 cm or less) to the substrate band so that sputter divergence is minimized.
The precision or definition of the printed elements made up of lines and spaces is critical from the front to the behavior of the antenna. With some antenna designs, a typical type impression may not offer adequate resolution, line spacing, or other qualitative characteristics necessary to achieve projected performance.
Likewise, controlling the thickness and smoothness of the printed areas of an antenna is critical to its performance. Variability due to ink composition, ambient conditions, substrate specifications, process conditions, and other factors can have an impact on both the smoothness and the final thickness of the printed antennas. The effects of surface tension influence many of these variables and impose restrictions on the amount of ink that can be deposited and on how close the graphic elements can be placed with each other.
Preferred substrates for the antenna strip include, but are not limited to, high glass transition temperature polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyarylate, polysulfone, norbornene copolymer, polyphenylsulfone, polyetherimide, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) , polyethersulfone (PES), polycarbonate (PC), phenolic resin, polyester, polyimide, polyether ester, polyetheramide, cellulose acetate, aliphatic polyurethanes, polyacrylonitrile, polytrifluoroethylenes, poly (vinylidene fluorides), HDPE (high-density polyethylene), poly (methyl methacrylates), or a cyclic or acyclic polyolefin. Particularly preferred substrates include polysulfone, polyester polyarylate, norbornene copolymer, polycarbonate with
ES 2 270 072 T3 high glass transition temperature and polyetherimide.
It may be desirable to use a material that does not stretch unduly during the manufacturing process. For example, it may be desirable to use a web material with a tensile modulus greater than 3.45 GPa (500,000 psi).
Considering now illustrative dimensions, presented by way of example and not limitation, in one embodiment of labels, the section has a thickness of approximately 178-203 microns (7-8 mils), the antenna coating is of approximately 5-10 microns (0.2-0.4 mil. inch). The antenna can be coated onto a plastic film such as Mylar, approximately 50-127 microns (2-5 mils) thick. The thickness of the label for this particular embodiment, including a backsheet with a release coating, is between about 381 and 508 microns (15 and 20 mil). The purpose of presenting these illustrative thicknesses is not to limit the thickness of any of the layers or the entire label. Rather, it is to illustrate that RFID tags according to the present invention can be very thin.
These various tag embodiments incorporating integrated circuits (ICs) are simply various examples of different arrangements that can be envisioned for an RFID tag or tag. Certainly other arrangements are possible and these fall within the scope of this patent application.
SAW. Additional aspects
It should be understood that the above detailed description sets forth particular embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific examples provided by such detailed description. Various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the invention in the labels or in the manufacturing process.
For example, in the embodiments discussed above, sections are cut from one band and then applied to another band in which the antennas are located. However, it is possible, for example, to apply a section to a strip and then print or otherwise position an antenna on the section. This can be achieved, for example, by printing an antenna on the section after it has been applied to a band. Or alternatively by sputtering metal or otherwise forming the antenna over the section.
Considering other alternative embodiments, several additional layers can be included in RFID tags. For example, there may be additional layers of damping above or below ICs (integrated circuits), in order to cushion components against shocks or bumps during normal use. Water resistant layers, such as one or more layers of a water resistant polymer, can be included in the construction. Still other layers may be included, depending on the particular properties required and the intended application of the RFID device.
Articles according to the present invention may be, for example, a luggage tag or tag, a laundry tag or tag, a tag or tag for cataloging library items, a tag or tag for identifying a garment, a tag or tag to identify a postal item, a label or tag to identify a medical item, a tag or tag for a transportation ticket. As used herein, and as stated above, the term "label" refers to an article, in accordance with the present invention, that includes adhesive on one surface to bond the article to another article, depending on its projected use. The term "tag" refers to an article, according to the present invention, that lacks adhesive to stick it. A tag can be combined, in the roll-fed lamination process of the invention, with a flat substrate provided with additional functionality, such as a flat packaging material.
The layers of the label can be bonded together by means other than an adhesive. For example, the integrated circuit can be held in place with a hot melt resin or another substance, which would also play the role of a bonding agent. The resin could then take the place of a layer of adhesive. The layers can also be joined together, for example by ultrasonic welding.
The adhesive surface of the label may include an adhesive coating that covers the entire underside of the label or the adhesive may be coated according to a pattern, as is known in the art. The adhesive can be of the removable type, so that the label can be removed from the substrate once applied thereto, or the adhesive can be a permanent type adhesive, to permanently bond the label to the substrate. Alternatively, the adhesive may be of the re-adhesive class so that the label can be re-pasted to the substrate after it has been initially applied. The adhesive can be activated with water, by heat, by pressure and / or by other means, depending on the specific application of the particular label. Alternatively, the label may be completely devoid of adhesive on its underside, so that the label (or tag) has to be attached to the substrate by other means, which could include stitching, welding, heat bonding, mechanical attachment, or any other method. fixation known in the art of labels or tags.
Another alternative is to provide a tag or tag with more than one RFID chip. For example, the receiving film can have multiple recesses in each section, with one RFID chip per recess. RFID chips can be arranged in a row, column or matrix and can be electrically interconnected.
As another alternative, a tag or tag can include electrical and / or electronic components other than RFID chips. For example, an RFID tag or tag may include a sensor, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), or other type of component. The components can be electrically interconnected to form a circuit. The type of electrical and / or electronic components to be used can be selected by one of ordinary skill in the art and depends on the use to be made of the label or tag.
It should be noted, again, that the RFID chip does not necessarily have to be positioned in a cavity, as shown, for example, in Fig. 2. The RFID chip could be on the substrate, instead of in a cavity, or it could be in14
ES 2 270 072 T3 otherwise embodied in or on the substrate. For example, the RFID integrated circuit could be of the "inverted chip" type, in which the chip is manufactured so that the exposed contacts, or contact areas thereof, have protrusions on them. In a typical inverted chip package, the chip is flipped over and placed directly in contact with the conductors that provide the electrical contacts for a circuit that includes the integrated circuit. RFID tag and tag constructions using "reverse chip" technology are available, for example, from KSW Microtec GmbH, Dresden, Germany.
As another example of integrated circuit encapsulation technologies compatible with the present invention, the manufacturing method of the invention can be used with "lead frame" strips. In this embodiment, the integrated circuit would be mounted in a band with a conductive metal network that may have relatively large area portions, commonly referred to as zones or tabs, for direct contact with semiconductor chips or dice and conductive elements to facilitate electrical interconnection of the chips or dice through intermediate connections (eg bridges) with the antenna.
Accordingly, it should be understood that the detailed description does not describe all of the various changes that could be made from the specific examples offered in this detailed description.
Contents3
9 sheets
Sheet 1 Sheet 2 Sheet 3 Sheet 4 Sheet 5 Sheet 6 Sheet 7 Sheet 8 Sheet 9
72 members in 14 offices
Priority claims5
| Document | Office | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20020350606P | United States of America | – | |
| 35060602 | United States of America | P | |
| 20020323490 | United States of America | – | |
| 32349002 | United States of America | A | |
| 0301513 | United States of America | W |
Members72
| Document | Office | Kind | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO0243032A2 | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | A2 | |
| WO0243044A2 | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | A2 | |
| AU3928602A | Australia | A | |
| AU3928702A | Australia | A | |
| US2002149107A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| WO02093625A1 | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | A1 | |
| WO0243044A9 | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | A9 | |
| WO02093625B1 | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | B1 | |
| WO0243044A3 | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | A3 | |
| WO0243032A3 | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | A3 | |
| GB0313769D0 | United Kingdom | D0 | |
| US2003136503A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| GB2385975A | United Kingdom | A | |
| US2003214229A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| EP1366509A1 | European Patent Office (EPO) | A1 | |
| CA2473729A1 | Canada | A1 | |
| CA2816158A1 | Canada | A1 | |
| CA2816180A1 | Canada | A1 | |
| CA2816324A1 | Canada | A1 | |
| US2003232174A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| WO03105063A2 | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | A2 | |
| AU2003267938A1 | Australia | A1 | |
| US2004004609A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| WO03105063A3 | World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | A3 | |
| KR20040075095A | Republic of Korea | A | |
| GB2385975B | United Kingdom | B | |
| MXPA04006913A | Mexico | A | |
| EP1470528A2 | European Patent Office (EPO) | A2 | |
| CN1628321A | China | A | |
| JP2005520266A | Japan | A | |
| DE03748885T1 | Germany | T1 | |
| US6951596B2 | United States of America | B2 | |
| US2005252605A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| EP1470528B1 | European Patent Office (EPO) | B1 | |
| AT326734T | Austria | T | |
| ATE326734T2 | Austria | T2 | |
| DE60305295D1 | Germany | D1 | |
| EP1693792A1 | European Patent Office (EPO) | A1 | |
| US2006210769A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| US2006213609A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| DE60305295T2 | Germany | T2 | |
| ES2270072T3This record | Spain | T3 | |
| US7199527B2 | United States of America | B2 | |
| CN100342395C | China | C | |
| DE20321502U1 | Germany | U1 | |
| CN101159036A | China | A | |
| US7361251B2 | United States of America | B2 | |
| AU2003267938B2 | Australia | B2 | |
| US7368032B2 | United States of America | B2 | |
| US2008142154A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| JP2009048662A | Japan | A | |
| KR100967856B1 | Republic of Korea | B1 | |
| CN101159036B | China | B | |
| EP2306372A1 | European Patent Office (EPO) | A1 | |
| JP4860918B2 | Japan | B2 | |
| US8246773B2 | United States of America | B2 | |
| US2012297609A1 | United States of America | A1 | |
| EP1693792B1 | European Patent Office (EPO) | B1 | |
| ES2551274T3 | Spain | T3 | |
| CA2473729C | Canada | C | |
| BRPI0306992A2 | Brazil | A2 | |
| EP2306372B1 | European Patent Office (EPO) | B1 | |
| CA2816158C | Canada | C | |
| EP1470528B2 | European Patent Office (EPO) | B2 | |
| ES2588207T3 | Spain | T3 | |
| US9495632B2 | United States of America | B2 | |
| DE60305295T3 | Germany | T3 | |
| ES2270072T5 | Spain | T5 | |
| CA2816324C | Canada | C | |
| BRPI0306992B1 | Brazil | B1 | |
| CA2816180C | Canada | C | |
| BRPI0306992B8 | Brazil | B8 |
Numbers
- Publication
- 2270072
- Application
- 3748885
Titles2
- Spanish
- Método para la fabricación de etiquetas RFID
- English
- METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF RFID LABELS.
Classification
- CPC, 37
- G06K19/07758
- G06K19/07
- B32B37/0053
- B32B37/025
- B32B38/0004
- B32B38/06
- B32B38/145
- B32B2309/02
- B32B2309/105
- B32B2519/02
- G06K19/07718
- G06K19/07745
- G06K19/07749
- G06K19/0775
- G06K19/07779
- G06K19/07783
- H05K1/0393
- H05K3/0097
- B31D1/021
- B31D1/027
- B31D1/028
- Y10T29/53178
- Y10T29/49016
- Y10T29/49117
- Y10T156/1074
- Y10T156/1075
- Y10T156/1056
- Y10T156/1062
- Y10T156/1052
- Y10T156/1097
- Y10T156/1057
- Y10T156/1077
- Y10T29/4913
- Y10T156/1092
- H10W46/00
- H10W72/0198
- H10W70/682
- IPC, 7
- G06K19 077
- B31D1 02
- G06K19 07
- G09F3 00
- H01L21 58
- H05K1 00
- H05K3 00