Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Patent
1998-03-05
1999-11-30
Lee, Benjamin C.
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
3405721, 3405728, 3408253, 34082534, 34082554, 343720, G08B 1314
Patent
active
059950064
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to the field of radio frequency (RF) tagging and more particularly to improved radio frequency tag apparatus.
Radio Frequency Identification (RF ID) is one of a variety of types of technology used for object identification. The heart of an RF ID system is the information carrying tag which functions in response to a coded RF signal received from a base station. Typically, the tag reflects the incident RF carrier back to the base station. Information is transferred as the reflected signal is modulated by the tag according to its programmed information protocol.
An RF ID tag generally comprises a semiconductor chip having RF circuits, logic and memory. The tag also includes an antenna, often a collection of discrete components, capacitors and diodes for example, a battery (in the case of active tags), a substrate for mounting the components and interconnections between the components. These elements are contained within a physical enclosure. One type of tag--the passive tag--has no battery and functions by deriving energy from the RF signal used to interrogate the tag. In general, RF ID tags are manufactured by mounting the individual elements onto a circuit card. This is done using either short wire bond connections of soldered connections between the board and the circuit elements; chip, capacitors, diodes, antenna. The circuit card may be of epoxy-fibreglass composition or ceramic. The antennas are generally loops of wire soldered to the circuit card or consist of metal etched or plated on the circuit card. The whole assembly may be enclosed in a plastic box or moulded into a three dimensional plastic package, ready for attachment to the article to be tagged. In an alternative arrangement, the tag may comprise a unitary package incorporating all the tag components, including a coil antenna. In use, this latter type of tag is fixed to the article being tagged.
While the application of RF ID technology is not as widespread as other ID technologies, e.g. bar code, RF ID is becoming pervasive in certain markets e.g. vehicle identification. Another use proposed for RF ID technology is inventory management e.g. in a manufacturing and warehousing environment. The location of an article of manufacture (e.g. electrical/electronic component or system) at various stages of the manufacturing and handling process can be achieved by interrogating an RF ID tag attached to a unit of manufacture. In addition, an RF ID tag can be employed on such articles to prevent theft from the place of manufacture or from any other area where the article is subsequently kept e.g. in customer premises. At present, the cost of an RF ID tag prevents as use on all but high value items. As the cost of tags decreases, use will become more widespread.
GB-A-2255692 discloses an antenna circuit for a non-contact type portable storage device, in which the antenna coil is formed onto the card of the device. The storage device is not designed to tag a further electronic apparatus.
One disadvantage of prior RF tags is their relatively large size, due in part to the space required to provide a suitably efficient antenna. Furthermore, the overall manufacturing cost and complexity of the tag is relatively high in that it includes the cost of providing a circuit card carrier including integral antenna. The overall cost and size can therefore determine/limit the applications of an RF ID tag.
The present invention seeks to provide RF ID tagging apparatus which provides low cost tagging of electrical and/or electronic components and systems.
Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus comprising: at least one integrated circuit device mounted on a printed circuit board; and a radio frequency tag for tagging the electronic apparatus and comprising signal processing logic and memory contained in an electronic package mounted on the circuit board, the tag further comprising antenna means for receiving radio frequency signals and transmitting radio frequency signals modulated in accordance with
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Intermec IP Corp.
Lee Benjamin C.
LandOfFree
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