JP2006127363A - Non-contact ic medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-contact IC medium that can obtain a communication distance nearly equal to an active type non-contact IC medium without requiring exchange of a battery. <P>SOLUTION: The non-contact IC medium 1, having a non-contact IC 3 which performs transmission and receiving of information with an external reader/writer in a non-contact state by using electromagnetic waves, comprises an antenna section 7 receiving transmitted electromagnetic waves, a power supply control section 5 supplying DC power by rectifying power generating in the antenna section 7 caused by the electromagnetic waves, and an electronic double-layer capacitor 4 accumulating the rectified DC power. The power supply control section 5 supplies the power accumulated in the electric double-layer capacitor 4 to the non-contact IC 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact IC medium such as a non-contact IC tag or a non-contact IC card having a non-contact IC that transmits and receives information without contact with an external reader / writer device using electromagnetic waves.

  In recent years, many RF-ID technologies using these non-contact IC tags and non-contact IC cards have been put into practical use.

  These non-contact IC tags and non-contact IC cards are roughly classified into two types according to the specifications of the operating power. One is a passive type that operates using electric power from an electromagnetic wave transmitted (supplied) from a reader / writer device without mounting a power source means such as a battery, and the other is a small button. There is an active type in which power supply means such as a battery is mounted and operated by power from the power supply means.

  However, since the passive type operates with the electric power generated by the electromagnetic waves from the reader / writer device, it cannot operate at a location far away from the reader / writer device, and its application range is limited because the communicable distance is short. On the other hand, the active type can be used at a location far away from the reader / writer device, but when the installed battery is exhausted, it is necessary to replace the exhausted battery sequentially. There was a problem of being troublesome.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and provides a non-contact IC medium that does not require replacement of a battery or the like and that can obtain a communication distance almost equal to that of an active type. For the purpose.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a non-contact IC medium according to claim 1 of the present invention provides
In a non-contact IC medium having a non-contact IC that transmits and receives information without contact with an external reader / writer device using electromagnetic waves,
An antenna for receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted from the reader / writer device;
A power supply control unit that rectifies power generated in the antenna unit by the electromagnetic wave and supplies DC power;
An electric double layer capacitor for storing DC power rectified by the power supply controller;
With
The power control unit supplies the electric power stored in the electric double layer capacitor to the contactless IC.
According to this feature, since the electric power stored in the electric double layer capacitor is supplied to the non-contact IC and used for non-contact communication with the reader / writer device, the communication distance is almost equal to that of the active type. In addition, the power supply control unit supplies DC power rectified by electromagnetic waves from the reader / writer device to the electric double layer capacitor and repeatedly stores it. There is no need to do.

A non-contact IC medium according to claim 2 of the present invention is the non-contact IC medium according to claim 1,
The antenna unit is provided separately from a communication antenna for the non-contact IC to communicate with the reader / writer device.
According to this feature, since the antenna unit can be configured without being restricted by the antenna specifications of the non-contact IC, the degree of freedom in designing the antenna unit according to the capacity of the electric double layer capacitor to be used can be improved.

A non-contact IC medium according to claim 3 of the present invention is the non-contact IC medium according to claim 1 or 2,
The antenna unit is configured by a loop antenna, and the electric double layer capacitor is disposed inside the loop antenna.
According to this feature, the non-contact IC medium obtained can be reduced in size by disposing the electric double layer capacitor, which is a relatively large component, inside the loop antenna.

A non-contact IC medium according to claim 4 of the present invention is the non-contact IC medium according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The power supply control unit performs control to supply the DC power to the contactless IC when the electric power stored in the electric double layer capacitor is small.
According to this feature, even if the electric power stored in the electric double layer capacitor is small, the direct current power is supplied to the non-contact IC, so that it can operate in the same manner as a normal passive type.

A non-contact IC medium according to claim 5 of the present invention is the non-contact IC medium according to claim 4,
The power supply control unit performs control to cut off a power feeding path to the electric double layer capacitor when supplying the DC power to the non-contact IC.
According to this feature, the power supply path to the electric double layer capacitor is cut off, so that the power supplied to the non-contact IC due to the power supply to the electric double layer capacitor can be avoided.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an entire image of a non-contact IC tag 1 which is a non-contact IC medium in an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the non-contact IC tag 1 of the present embodiment is formed into a square resin plate shape having a protruding portion containing the electric double layer capacitor 4 on one surface thereof, and is opposite to the protruding portion. Is a flat surface, and the non-contact IC tag 1 can be attached to, for example, a product in a store with an adhesive (not shown). In this embodiment, the shape of the non-contact IC tag 1 is a square plate, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the shape of the non-contact IC tag 1 depends on the intended use and purpose of use. It may be selected appropriately according to the situation.

  The non-contact IC tag 1 is capable of storing data such as an identification ID uniquely given to the non-contact IC tag 1 in a resin plate 2 serving as a base, and an external reader (not shown). / A non-contact IC chip 3 capable of rewriting stored data by receiving and transmitting the stored data by wireless non-contact data communication with the writer device, and storing power for operating these non-contact IC chips 3 In addition, the electric double layer capacitor 4 to be fed and the power control unit 5 serving as the power source control unit in the present invention for controlling the charging of the electric double layer capacitor 4 and controlling the power supplied to the non-contact IC chip 3. And a loop antenna that is connected to the non-contact IC chip 3 and performs non-contact data communication along the outer periphery thereof. A communication antenna coil 8 and a loop connected to the power control unit 5 for receiving power radio waves transmitted from a charging antenna (not shown) disposed in a reader / writer device, a product shelf or the like. A power antenna coil 7 composed of an antenna is provided concentrically.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the communication antenna coil 8 and the power antenna coil 7 are provided separately, and this is not limited by the antenna specifications of the non-contact IC chip 3 or the like. Since the power antenna coil 7 can be configured, the power antenna coil 7 can be formed in accordance with the capacity of the electric double layer capacitor 4 to be used, and the design flexibility of the power antenna coil 7 can be improved. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the power antenna coil 7 and the communication antenna coil 8 may be used as a common antenna.

  The power control unit 5 used in the present embodiment is connected to the power antenna coil 7 and is connected to the electric double layer capacitor 4 and the non-contact IC chip 3, from the reader / writer device. A rectifier circuit that rectifies an electromotive force generated in the power antenna coil 7 by a transmitted electric wave and converts the electromotive force into a DC voltage, and supplies the rectified DC power to the electric double layer capacitor 4 or a non-contact IC. By using a switching circuit for the chip 3, various detection circuits for detecting the voltage of the rectified DC power, the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 4, the current supplied to the non-contact IC chip 3, and the rectified power Charging the electric double layer capacitor 4, supplying the electric power charged in the electric double layer capacitor 4 to the non-contact IC chip 3, and non-contacting the rectified power And a control circuit for implementing the control of the direct supply of the IC chip 3.

  As the non-contact IC chip 3 used in the present embodiment, a known non-contact IC chip, in particular, a non-contact IC that can operate both passively (low power) and active (high power) is preferably used. The power antenna coil 7 corresponding to the specifications of the non-contact IC used, specifically, the frequency of the radio wave used for communication with the reader / writer device may be connected to the non-contact IC. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the non-contact IC chip 3 mainly includes an analog unit 32, a digital control unit 33, and a nonvolatile memory 34 for storing data such as the identification ID. The communication antenna coil 8 is connected to the analog unit 32.

  The analog unit 32 processes analog signals received by the communication antenna coil 8 such as detection, modulation / demodulation, and clock extraction.

  Further, the non-contact IC chip 3 changes the amplitude of the signal appearing in the receiving circuit on the reader / writer device side by changing the load between its own antennas according to the response signal to the interrogation signal from the reader / writer device, for example. Communication can be performed with modulation. However, these non-contact data communication methods are not limited to this, and methods other than these amplitude modulation methods may be used.

  The digital control unit 33 comprehensively controls transmission / reception data processing, operations in the non-contact IC chip 3, access to data stored in the memory 34, and rewriting.

  In addition, as the electric double layer capacitor 4, for example, an activated carbon layer having a thickness of several tens of μm is provided on an aluminum current collector anode and an aluminum current collector cathode each having a thickness of about 16 μm, and paper or the like is sandwiched as a separator. A commercially available product filled with liquid and sealed with an aluminum sheet (not shown) or the like can be used. In this example, Kyocera using a water-based polymer as the electrolyte ( The low ESR electric double layer capacitor BestCap series sold by KK) was used. In this embodiment, a rectangular shape is used, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a thin button type may be used.

  In this electric double layer capacitor 4, when a DC voltage is applied between the activated carbon layers, negative ions are positively charged in the activated carbon layer polarized on the positive side, and positive ions are electrostatically charged in the activated carbon layer polarized on the negative side. As a result, an electric double layer is formed at the interface between the activated carbon layer and the electrolyte. The electric double layer capacitor 4 is based on the principle of storing electric charge in this electric double layer region, and can obtain a capacitance of 1000 times or more that of a normal electrolytic capacitor, and has a large farad (F) unit. Capacitive power can be stored. The rated voltage is determined by the decomposition voltage of the electrolyte and is about 2.3 V to 2.5 V. By connecting the cells of the electric double layer capacitor in series, the charging voltage can be made an integral multiple. It is.

  The electric double layer capacitor 4 used in this embodiment is disposed inside the power antenna coil 7 and the communication antenna coil 8 formed of the loop antenna, and this is relatively large. The size of the obtained non-contact IC tag 1 can be reduced as compared with the case where the electric double layer capacitor 4 that is a large component is disposed outside the power antenna coil 7 and the communication antenna coil 8. Although it is preferable from being able to do, this invention is not limited to this.

  Hereinafter, the state of power control in the power control unit 5 of the present invention will be described below along the use state of the non-contact IC tag 1 based on FIG. In this embodiment, a case where the non-contact IC tag 1 is attached to a product such as a department store and product management is performed will be described as an example.

  First, a charging antenna for supplying power to the power antenna coil 7 is disposed on a product shelf or the like on which a product with the non-contact IC tag 1 attached is displayed. The electric wave for electric power is transmitted appropriately.

  The power control unit 5 rectifies the electromotive force generated by the power radio wave transmitted from the charging antenna by a rectifier circuit and converts it into a DC voltage. Based on the voltage of the electric double layer capacitor 4, the electric double layer capacitor When the voltage of 4 is lowered and charging is necessary, as shown in FIG. 3B, a DC voltage generated from the electric wave for power is supplied to the electric double layer capacitor 4 to supply the electric double layer capacitor 4 Is always charged.

  When electric power is required for the non-contact IC chip 3 to communicate with an external reader / writer device in a state where the electric double layer capacitor 4 is charged, it is shown in FIG. As described above, the power control unit 5 supplies the power stored in the electric double layer capacitor 4 to the non-contact IC chip 3, so that the non-contact IC chip 3 is relatively supplied from the power control unit 5. High-capacity power can be used for communication with the reader / writer device, and thus communication capability (communication distance) equivalent to that of a normal active type can be obtained.

  When the electric power stored in the electric double layer capacitor 4 is supplied to the non-contact IC chip 3 in this way and the electric power of the electric double layer capacitor 4 is reduced, it is shown in FIG. Thus, the electric double layer capacitor 4 is repeatedly charged by the power control unit 5 again.

  As described above, the electric power stored in the electric double layer capacitor 4 is supplied to the non-contact IC chip 3 and used for non-contact communication with the reader / writer device. In addition to being able to obtain the distance, the power control unit 5 supplies the electric double layer capacitor 4 with the rectified DC power by the electric wave for power from the reader / writer device and repeatedly stores it. In addition, it is not necessary to replace batteries.

  Note that the power control unit 5 of the present embodiment performs communication and the like by the non-contact IC chip 3 during the charging shown in FIG. 3B, that is, in a state where the electric power of the electric double layer capacitor 4 is low. Therefore, when electric power is required for this purpose, the DC power generated by the electric wave for power transmitted from the reader / writer device is not supplied to the electric double layer capacitor 4, but is supplied to the non-contact IC chip 3. By supplying the non-contact IC chip 3 operates in the same manner as the passive non-contact IC tag, non-contact communication with the non-contact IC chip 3 can be performed. At this time, the power control unit 5 separates (cuts off) the circuit to the electric double layer capacitor 4 with a switching circuit, thereby supplying power to the non-contact IC chip 3 by supplying power to the electric double layer capacitor 4. Can be avoided, and sufficient operating power of the non-contact IC chip 3 can be secured.

  The power control unit 5 reconnects the circuit to the electric double layer capacitor 4 when the non-contact communication of the non-contact IC chip 3 is completed and the power supplied to the non-contact IC chip 3 is reduced. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, charging to the electric double layer capacitor 4 is resumed, and the electric double layer capacitor 4 is maintained in a charged state.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications and additions within the scope of the present invention are included in the present invention. It is.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the non-contact IC tag 1 is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and instead of the non-contact IC tag 1, a thinner electric double layer capacitor is used. Needless to say, if 4 is used, the present invention can be applied to a non-contact IC card.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole image of the non-contact IC tag in the Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the non-contact IC tag in the Example of this invention. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing which shows the condition of the supply control of the electric power by an electric power control part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Non-contact IC tag tag 2 Resin plate 3 Non-contact IC chip 4 Electric double layer capacitor 5 Power control part 7 Power antenna coil 8 Communication antenna coil 32 Analog part 33 Digital control part 34 Memory

Claims (5)

In a non-contact IC medium having a non-contact IC that transmits and receives information without contact with an external reader / writer device using electromagnetic waves,
An antenna for receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted from the reader / writer device;
A power supply control unit that rectifies power generated in the antenna unit by the electromagnetic wave and supplies DC power;
An electric double layer capacitor for storing DC power rectified by the power supply controller;
With
The non-contact IC medium, wherein the power control unit supplies power stored in the electric double layer capacitor to the non-contact IC.   The non-contact IC medium according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit is provided separately from a communication antenna for the non-contact IC to communicate with the reader / writer device.   The non-contact IC medium according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit is configured by a loop antenna, and the electric double layer capacitor is disposed inside the loop antenna.   The said power supply control part implements control which supplies the said DC power to the said non-contact IC, when the electric power currently stored by the said electric double layer capacitor is small. The non-contact IC medium described in 1.   The contactless IC medium according to claim 4, wherein the power supply control unit performs control to cut off a power supply path to the electric double layer capacitor when supplying the DC power to the contactless IC. .

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