JP2008067037A - Antenna device, antenna assembly device, and reader/writer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reader/writer device which can be easily manufactured at a low cost and is capable of simultaneously communicating with a plurality of non-contact data carriers, and to provide an antenna device and an antenna assembly device for use in the reader/writer device. <P>SOLUTION: The reader/writer device 1 communicates with non-contact data carriers 2 and includes a reader/writer 3 and the antenna device 21 connected to the reader/writer 3. The antenna device 21 includes an antenna element 22 and a radio wave shielding member 23 for shielding a part of a radio wave radiated from the antenna element 22. The radio wave shielding member 23 has a laminate structure of a magnetic material layer 31 and a conductor layer 32, the insides of which are the magnetic material layer 31, and includes a prismatic enclosure 25 and a cover part 26 attached to the enclosure 25. The cover part 26 has an opening 27 formed therein. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reader / writer device that performs communication with a contactless data carrier, and an antenna device and an antenna assembly device that are used in the reader / writer device.

  In recent years, contactless data carriers using IC chips (for example, also referred to as IC tags, wireless tags, RFIDs, etc.) have been used as carriers for tag information of articles. The main components of the non-contact data carrier are an IC chip that holds data and an antenna connected to the IC chip.

  A reader / writer device is used as a device that performs communication with a non-contact data carrier, reads stored data, and writes data. The reader / writer device includes an antenna, and communicates with the non-contact data carrier by transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from the non-contact data carrier placed in the communication area of the antenna.

  For example, in the manufacturing process of a non-contact data carrier, the reader / writer device conducts the non-contact data carrier when the non-contact data carriers supplied in a connected state are confirmed to operate normally. The mask is covered with a conductive mask and moved over the antenna of the reader / writer device to perform communication with each non-contact data carrier to check the operation (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  However, with the recent reduction in size of non-contact data carriers, when the outer size becomes, for example, 10 mm square or less, moving the non-contact data carriers one by one on the antenna of the reader / writer device takes time to recognize. In addition, it is difficult to move adjacent non-contact data carriers so as not to be mistakenly recognized, and it has been desired to improve the range in which information can be transmitted / received to / from non-contact data carriers and the reliability of the transmission / reception direction. .

In addition, as an antenna for a reader / writer device, for example, an antenna coil is spirally wound around a magnetic rod having a diameter of about 4 mm, but development risk and cost are required (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP-A-2005-174101 JP 2002-24776 A

  An object of the present invention is to cope with such problems, and is a reader / writer device that can be easily manufactured at low cost and can communicate with a plurality of non-contact data carriers at one time, and is used for the reader / writer device. An object is to provide an antenna device and an antenna assembly device.

An antenna device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an antenna element having a radiation conductor layer formed on a main surface of an insulating substrate and a surface facing an end surface surrounding the main surface of the antenna element on which the radiation conductor layer is formed. A radio wave shield having a laminated structure of the magnetic body layer and the conductor layer, which is provided so as to surround the antenna element with at least a part of the opening and surrounding the periphery of the antenna element. And
That is, in an antenna device used in a reader / writer device that performs communication with a non-contact data carrier, a radio wave shield having a laminated structure of a magnetic layer and a conductor layer with a magnetic layer on the inside is an antenna element. Surrounds the surroundings. However, the antenna element is surrounded by leaving a part or one surface of the radio wave shield facing the end face of the antenna element (the face surrounding the surface on which the radiation conductor layer is formed) as an opening. At this time, the antenna element is positioned so that the surface on which the radiation conductor layer is formed is substantially perpendicular to the communication surface of the non-contact data carrier (the surface provided with the IC chip connected to the antenna pattern). ing.
As a result, the radio wave shield having a laminated structure of the magnetic layer and the conductor layer with the magnetic layer inside, leaving an opening so that a part of the radio wave radiated from the radiating conductor layer of the antenna element passes therethrough. By surrounding the periphery of the element, it is possible to improve the reliability of the range in which information is transmitted / received with the non-contact data carrier and the direction of transmission / reception, and excellent directivity can be exhibited. Thereby, for example, even when confirming individual operations of a plurality of non-contact data carriers arranged continuously, a plurality of arrangements are made so as to correspond to the positions of the plurality of non-contact data carriers arranged continuously. Can recognize a plurality of non-contact data carriers in a short time without erroneously recognizing adjacent non-contact data carriers by using an antenna device (also referred to as an arrayed antenna device). it can.
Further, since a commercially available antenna element for a reader / writer device can be used, the antenna device can be easily provided at low cost by arranging the element in the radio wave shielding body.

The antenna device according to the present invention is characterized in that a radiation conductor layer is formed in a loop shape on the main surface of the insulating substrate.
According to this, the radiation conductor layer can also be applied to an antenna element having a loop shape.

Moreover, the antenna device according to the present invention is characterized in that the radio wave shield is a quadrangular prism-shaped housing.
According to this, an antenna element can be installed easily and reliably by using a rectangular columnar housing such as a rectangular parallelepiped, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, or a substantially cube.

Moreover, the antenna device according to the present invention is characterized in that the radio wave shield is a cylindrical housing.
According to this, an antenna element can be installed easily and reliably by using a cylindrical housing.

In the antenna device according to the present invention, the radio wave shield further includes a lid portion having an opening.
According to this, even if it is a case where it communicates with a small non-contact data carrier of 10 mm square or less, for example, by providing the lid part in which the opening was formed in the above-mentioned case, transmission and reception with a non-contact data carrier are performed. The reliability of the range to be performed and the transmission / reception direction can be further increased. The lid also has a laminated structure of a magnetic layer and a conductor layer with the magnetic layer on the inside.

Further, the antenna device according to the present invention is characterized in that the opening of the lid is provided on the side facing the main surface of the antenna element disposed in the casing.
According to this, the communication distance can be extended by forming the opening at a position where the radio wave from the radiation conductor layer of the antenna element is easily radiated.

In the antenna device according to the present invention, the radio wave shield is provided around the antenna element so that an end face of the antenna element arranged in the housing and a diagonal line of the lid portion are substantially parallel to each other. It is characterized by that.
According to this, it is possible to reduce the size of the antenna device, and it is possible to narrow the interval between the antenna devices when a plurality of antenna devices are arranged.

The antenna assembly device according to the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the antenna devices are arranged and integrated.
According to this, by arraying the antenna devices, for example, even when confirming individual operations of a plurality of non-contact data carriers arranged in succession, a plurality of non-contact data carriers can be recognized in a short time at a time. can do.

The antenna assembly device according to the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the antenna devices are arranged in a line.
According to this, by arraying the antenna devices, for example, even when confirming individual operations of a plurality of non-contact data carriers arranged in succession, a plurality of non-contact data carriers can be recognized in a short time at a time. can do.

The antenna assembly device according to the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the antenna devices are arranged in a matrix.
According to this, by arraying the antenna devices, for example, even when confirming individual operations of a plurality of non-contact data carriers arranged in succession, a plurality of non-contact data carriers can be recognized in a short time at a time. can do.

The reader / writer device according to the present invention includes a reader / writer, an antenna element connected to the reader / writer, a radiation conductor layer formed on a main surface of an insulating substrate, and a radiation conductor layer of the antenna element. The antenna element is provided so as to surround the periphery of the antenna element, leaving an opening in at least a part of the surface that faces the end surface that surrounds the main surface, and has a laminated structure of the magnetic layer and the conductor layer with the magnetic layer as an inner side. And a radio wave shield.
According to this, the antenna element connected to the reader / writer is a radio wave shield having a laminated structure of a magnetic layer and a conductor layer with the magnetic layer inside, and a part of the radio wave radiated from the antenna element is allowed to pass therethrough. By surrounding the periphery in this way, it is possible to improve the reliability of the range in which information is transmitted and received with the non-contact data carrier and the direction of transmission and reception. Thereby, for example, even when confirming individual operations of a plurality of non-contact data carriers arranged continuously, a plurality of non-contact data carriers can be recognized in a short time at a time.
In addition, since a commercially available antenna element for a reader / writer device can be used, the reader / writer device can be easily provided at low cost by arranging it in the radio wave shielding body.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a reader / writer device that can be easily manufactured at low cost and can communicate with a plurality of non-contact data carriers at one time, and an antenna device and an antenna assembly device used in the reader / writer device.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a reader / writer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reader / writer device 1 is a device that communicates with a non-contact data carrier 2. The non-contact data carrier 2 is provided with an IC chip and an antenna pattern connected to the IC chip on the main surface of a plate-like substrate. The reader / writer device 1 includes a reader / writer 3 and an antenna device 21 connected to the reader / writer 3.

  The antenna device 21 includes an antenna element 22 and a radio wave shield 23 that shields a part of radio waves radiated from the antenna element 22.

  In the antenna element 22, a radiation conductor layer 24 made of, for example, copper wire or copper foil is formed on an insulating substrate several times in a loop shape. Further, the antenna element 22 has a main surface on which the radiation conductor layer 24 is formed substantially perpendicular to a surface (a surface provided with an IC chip connected to an antenna pattern) that performs communication of the non-contact data carrier 2. It is arranged to become. A rectangular columnar (rectangular) radio wave shield 23 is provided so as to surround the periphery of the antenna element 22.

  The radio wave shield 23 includes a square columnar casing 25 and a lid portion 26 attached to the casing 25. In addition to the box shape such as the housing 25, a cylindrical shape having no bottom surface may be used, but a box shape is preferable from the viewpoint of excellent directivity. In addition, the lid portion 26 may be provided as necessary, but by attaching the lid portion 26, further excellent directivity is exhibited. The antenna element 22 is disposed in the radio wave shield 23 so that the end face of the antenna element 22 (the face surrounding the main surface on which the radiation conductor layer 24 is formed) and the diagonal line of the lid portion 26 are substantially parallel. (See FIG. 2). Thereby, the effective area in the radio wave shield 23 facing the antenna element 22 can be minimized, and the antenna device 21 can be downsized.

  The lid portion 26 is formed with an opening portion 27 for sending out radio waves radiated from the antenna element 22 in a desired direction. In the present embodiment, the position of the opening 27 is the same as the surface on which the radiation conductor layer 24 of the antenna element 22 is formed in the four corners of the lid 26 in a state where the antenna element 22 is disposed in the radio wave shield 23. It is arranged on the opposite side. Accordingly, the opening 27 is formed at a position where the radio wave from the radiation conductor layer 24 of the antenna element 22 is likely to be radiated, so that the communication distance can be extended and good communication with the non-contact data carrier 2 can be performed. it can. Moreover, although the shape of the opening part 27 is a rectangular shape in this embodiment, it should just obtain desired directivity and is arbitrary. The size of the opening 27 is arbitrary as long as the desired directivity can be obtained. For example, when the outer size of the lid 26 is 12 mm square, the size of the opening 27 is about 6 mm square. Is preferred.

  In addition, the radio wave shield 23 has a laminated structure of a magnetic layer 31 and a conductor layer 32 having a magnetic layer 31 on the inside (see FIG. 3). By providing the magnetic layer 31 on the side (inner side) facing the antenna element 22, radio waves radiated from the antenna element 22 can be prevented from being absorbed by the conductor layer 32. The conductor layer 32 is composed of conductive metal particles, and for example, copper, aluminum, iron, nickel, silver, gold or the like can be used. On the other hand, the magnetic layer 31 is made of particles such as soft magnetic material and ferrite. As the soft magnetic material, for example, a high permeability metal such as soft iron, silicon steel, permalloy, sendust, or the like is used. As the ferrite, for example, Ni—Zn ferrite, Mn—Zn ferrite, or the like is used. The thicknesses of the conductor layer 32 and the magnetic layer 31 are preferably in the range of 100 to 300 μm.

  As a method for manufacturing the radio wave shield 23, for example, a container made of a synthetic resin is prepared in advance, a conductive coating 32 is formed on the entire inner side of the container, and a conductor layer 32 is formed thereon. And a method of laminating the magnetic layer 31 by applying a coating material. In addition to this method, a method of forming a magnetic layer 31 by preparing a metal container in advance and attaching a magnetic sheet to the entire inside of the metal container may be used.

  The antenna device 21 described above is connected to the reader / writer 3.

  The reader / writer 3 includes an input device, a display device, a control circuit, a memory, and a transmission / reception circuit (see FIG. 4). The transmission / reception circuit is connected to the wiring via the input / output terminal.

  Various information is input to the input device by the operator of the reader / writer device 1. Information (input information) input to the input device is supplied to the control circuit. The input information includes, for example, read / write command information of the reader / writer device 1 and information to be written to the non-contact data carrier 2.

  The display device displays various information under display control of the control circuit. For example, information such as information indicating the state of the reader / writer device 1, input information of the input device, communication information with the non-contact data carrier 2, and the like are displayed on the display screen.

  The memory stores various information under the control of the control circuit. The memory stores input information of the input device, communication information with the non-contact data carrier 2, and the like.

  The control circuit is a controller that controls the entire reader / writer device 1, and is configured by a microcomputer, for example. The control circuit supplies the input information of the input device to the display device, and displays the input information on the display screen of the display device. The control circuit also controls memory access and transmission / reception circuits. For example, the control circuit reads information for writing stored in the memory and supplies the cylinder information to the transmission / reception circuit. Further, the control circuit supplies the reception information of the transmission / reception circuit to the memory and the display device, and displays the reception information on the display screen of the display device.

  The transmission / reception circuit supplies information for writing and a write command (write command) from the control circuit to the non-contact data carrier 2 via the antenna device 21 and controls information obtained by communication with the non-contact data carrier 2. Supply to the circuit. The transmission / reception circuit supplies a read command (read command) to the non-contact data carrier 2 via the antenna device 21 and supplies information obtained through communication with the non-contact data carrier 2 to the control circuit.

  The antenna device 21 converts an electric signal supplied from a transmission / reception circuit via a wire into a radio wave, and sends a signal composed of the radio wave to the non-contact data carrier 2. The antenna device 21 converts a signal composed of radio waves transmitted from the non-contact data carrier 2 into an electrical signal, and supplies the electrical signal to a transmission / reception circuit. The transmission / reception circuit amplifies the electric signal supplied from the antenna device 21 via the wiring and supplies the amplified signal to the control circuit.

  Next, FIG. 5 to FIG. 6 show an example of an antenna assembly device when a plurality of antenna devices 21 according to this embodiment are arranged and integrated. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of an antenna assembly device when a plurality of antenna devices 21 illustrated in FIG. 1 are arranged in a line on a plane. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an example of an antenna assembly device when a plurality of antenna devices 21 shown in FIG. 1 are arranged in a matrix on a plane. 5 and 6 show a case where the antenna device 21 is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the lid portion 26.

  As shown in FIG. 5, by arranging a plurality of antenna devices 21 in a line on a plane, for example, when a plurality of non-contact data carriers continuously arranged are checked for operation, a plurality of antenna devices 21 are arranged at a time. Can be recognized in a short time. In addition, arrangement | positioning in the case of arrange | positioning two or more antenna apparatuses is arbitrary, and you may arrange | position with a fixed space | interval.

  As shown in FIG. 6, by arranging a plurality of antenna devices 21 in a matrix on a plane, for example, by moving a tray on which a plurality of non-contact data carriers are placed one by one on each device, Each non-contact data carrier placed on the tray can be recognized in a short time in a batch.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the radio wave shield 23 having a laminated structure of the magnetic layer 31 and the conductor layer 32 having the magnetic layer 31 on the inner side, the radio wave radiated from the antenna element 22 can be transmitted. By surrounding the periphery of the element 22 so as to pass a part, it is possible to improve the range in which information can be transmitted / received to / from the non-contact data carrier 2 and the reliability in the transmission / reception direction. Moreover, the antenna device 21 that exhibits excellent directivity can be provided by providing the radio wave shield 23 with the cover 26 provided with the opening 27 in the housing 25. Therefore, for example, even when a plurality of non-contact data carriers 2 are continuously arranged and the operation of each non-contact data carrier 2 is checked, a plurality of non-contact data carriers 2 can be formed at a time by arraying the antenna devices 21. The data carrier 2 can be recognized in a short time.

  Further, by installing the commercially available antenna element 22 for the reader / writer device 1 in the radio wave shield 23, the antenna device 21 of the present embodiment can be easily obtained at low cost.

(Other embodiments)
The embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the antenna element 22 has the radiation conductor layer 24 formed in a loop shape on the insulating substrate several times in a loop, but the number of turns may be one. Further, the shape is not limited to the loop shape, and can be applied to various shapes such as a dipole antenna and a patch antenna.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the shape of the housing 25 is a rectangular parallelepiped, but other than this, various shapes such as a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, a substantially rectangular cube such as a cube, a cylinder, and a substantially cylinder are exemplified. You may be comprised by the shape of. For example, a cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 can be applied. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing a modification of the case 25 of the radio wave shield shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the lid portion shown in FIG. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the antenna element 22 has a main surface on which the radiating conductor layer 24 is formed so that the area of the radiating conductor layer 24 is maximized with respect to the casing 25. It is provided along the plane including the diameter. The opening 27 formed in the lid part 26 has a center of gravity G of the opening 27 from the extended surface of the main surface of the radiation conductor layer 24 and the intersection line of the lid part 26 (in this case, the diameter of the lid part 26). It is provided at a position on the peripheral side of the lid portion 26 shifted in the direction of the normal line n with respect to the main surface of the layer 24. As described above, by arranging the opening 27 at the position where the radio wave from the radiation conductor layer 24 of the antenna element 22 is easily radiated, the antenna device 21 having good directivity and a long communication distance can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the antenna element 22 is arranged so that the principal surface of the antenna element 22 on which the radiation conductor layer 24 is formed is along the diagonal line of the lid portion 26 of the radio wave shield 23 with respect to the direction of the radio wave shield 23. However, the antenna element 22 may be disposed so that the main surface of the antenna element 22 and the side surface of the radio wave shield 23 are substantially parallel to each other (see FIG. 2).

  Further, in the present embodiment, the non-contact data carrier 2 has been described using a plate-like one, but various shapes such as a wrist watch type and a coin type are applicable.

  In the present embodiment, as an example of an antenna assembly device in which a plurality of antenna devices are arranged and integrated, when a plurality of antenna devices 21 shown in FIG. 1 are arranged in a row (see FIG. 5), Although the case where a plurality of antenna devices 21 shown in FIG. 1 are arranged in a matrix (see FIG. 6) is shown, the arrangement method is arbitrary. For example, a plurality of antenna devices 21 can be arranged obliquely, or the antenna devices 21 can be alternately arranged in two rows one by one.

[Example]
Next, an example explains the present invention. In this example, the reason why it is preferable to cover the antenna element 22 with the radio wave shield 23 in the antenna device 21 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the directivity when the antenna element was not covered with the radio wave shield was evaluated, and the result is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a graph showing the directivity of the antenna element when the antenna element is not covered with a radio wave shield. The directivity of the antenna element is such that a non-contact data carrier (IM0505, manufactured by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.) is attached to the antenna element in a state in which an antenna element (TR3-A401, manufactured by Takaya Corporation) of 52 mm × 15 mm size is fixed. By moving left and right, the communication distance of the non-contact data carrier was measured with a reader / writer output of 500 mW and evaluated.

  Hereinafter, the measurement method will be described in detail.

  The surface on which the radiation conductor layer of the antenna element is formed and the communication surface of the non-contact data carrier are substantially perpendicular, and are not in contact so that they are directly below the center line of the surface on which the radiation conductor layer of the antenna element is formed. The data carrier was placed on a plane and the antenna element was fixed. The moving position of the non-contact data carrier at this time was set to 0 mm.

  Next, the non-contact data carrier was moved in the right direction with respect to the center line of the antenna element. In this case, the movement position of the non-contact data carrier was measured with reference to the left end surface of the non-contact data carrier. What measured the communication distance under these conditions is the characteristic on the plus side of the horizontal axis (the movement position of the non-contact data carrier) shown in FIG.

  Similarly, the non-contact data carrier was moved in the left direction with respect to the center line of the antenna element. In this case, the movement position of the non-contact data carrier was measured with reference to the right end surface of the non-contact data carrier. What measured the communication distance under these conditions is the characteristic on the negative side of the horizontal axis shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the range in which the non-contact data carrier can be read is about 40 mm, and the communication distance is about 13 mm at the maximum.

  Next, the directivity when the antenna element was covered with a radio wave shield was evaluated, and the result is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a graph showing directivity when the antenna element is covered with a radio wave shield (see FIG. 1). The measurement method is the same as described above with reference to FIG. 9 except that the measurement is performed with a reader / writer output of 300 mW. The outer size of the casing of the radio wave shield is 12 mm wide × 12 mm deep × 35 mm high, and the thickness of the conductor layer and the magnetic layer is 0.5 mm. The size of the opening formed in the lid is 6 mm × 6 mm. As shown in FIG. 10, the range in which the non-contact data carrier can be read is about 5 mm, and the communication distance is about 4 mm at the maximum.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the periphery of the antenna element is covered with a radio wave shield, the readable range of the non-contact data carrier can be shortened to 5 mm, and the maximum communication distance is 4 mm. Can be shortened.

  Therefore, from these measurement results, when the antenna device having the antenna element covered with the radio wave shield shown in FIG. 1 is used, the readable range (effective transmission / reception range) and the communication distance can be shortened. It is clear that excellent directivity can be obtained. Therefore, by arraying this antenna device, for example, even in a state where a plurality of non-contact data carriers of 10 mm square or less are continuously arranged, without erroneously recognizing adjacent non-contact data carriers, It is considered that a plurality of non-contact data carriers can be recognized in a short time at a time.

  Below, the directivity of the antenna assembly device in which the antenna devices are arrayed is evaluated, and the results are shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing directivity when ten antenna devices shown in FIG. 1 are arranged in a horizontal row so that the pitch of the openings is 12.5 mm on a plane. The directivity of the antenna device is such that a non-contact data carrier is placed on each of 10 trays arranged in a horizontal row and moved to the left and right with respect to the opening of each antenna device, and placed on each tray. Communication was performed with each non-contact data carrier at one time, and the communication distance was measured with a reader / writer output of 500 mW. In addition, the external size of the radio wave shield constituting each antenna device and the size of the opening formed in the lid are as described in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the communication distance can be 6 mm or less. In addition, the effective reception range of each antenna device can be separated without erroneously recognizing adjacent non-contact data carriers.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing directivity when ten antenna devices shown in FIG. 1 are arranged in a horizontal row on a plane and measured at reader / writer outputs of 300 mW and 500 mW, respectively. The directivity at the reader / writer output of 500 mW is the same as that shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, even when the reader / writer output is 300 mW, the effective reception range of each antenna device can be separated. When the reader / writer output is 500 mW, the communication distance can be extended, but when the reader / writer output is 300 mW, the peak value of the communication distance is more stable.

  Next, the directivity when the antenna element is covered with a radio wave shield is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 in the in-plane distribution of the communication distance. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show a case when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the bottom surface (lid portion) of the radio wave shield (antenna device).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the directivity when the antenna element is covered with a radio wave shield in the in-plane distribution of the communication distance. However, the radio wave shield is not provided with the lid portion as shown in FIG. 1, and is only the casing having the width of 12 mm × the depth of 12 mm × the height of 35 mm described in FIG. The external size of the antenna element is as described above.

  The in-plane distribution of the communication distance is the non-contact by 1 mm from the reference point with the lower left corner of the four corners of the surface of the housing (radio wave shield) facing the non-contact data carrier as the reference point (0, 0). The communication distance when the data carrier was moved in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction was measured.

  As shown in FIG. 13, by covering the periphery of the antenna element with a radio wave shield, a part of the radio wave radiated from the antenna element is blocked by the radio wave shield. Further, since this radio wave shield is not provided with a lid portion, two peak values (7.0 to 8.0) of the communication distance are formed.

  Hereinafter, it will be described with reference to FIG. 14 that even more excellent directivity is exhibited by attaching a lid portion having an opening to the radio wave shield.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the directivity when the antenna apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is used as an in-plane distribution of communication distance. The external size of the radio wave shield constituting the antenna device and the size of the opening formed in the lid are the same as those described in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the peak value (6.0 to 7.0) of the communication distance is formed near the opening of the antenna device, and good communication with the non-contact data carrier is possible in this vicinity. Become.

  Therefore, based on these measurement results, the antenna element is covered with a radio wave shielding body composed of a magnetic material layer and a conductor layer to cover a predetermined portion, thereby blocking a part of the radio wave radiated from the antenna element and thereby making contactless data. It is possible to provide an antenna device capable of improving the effective reception range with the carrier and the reliability of the reception direction. Moreover, the directivity which was further excellent is exhibited by providing the cover part in which the opening part was formed. Thus, for example, even when a plurality of non-contact data carriers are continuously arranged and the operation of each non-contact data carrier is checked, a plurality of non-contact data carriers can be obtained at a time by using the antenna device in an array. The data carrier can be recognized in a short time.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a reader / writer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows typically the cover part of the electromagnetic wave shielding body shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view schematically showing the structure of the radio wave shield shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the reader / writer device shown in FIG. 1. The figure which shows typically an example of the antenna assembly apparatus at the time of arrange | positioning multiple antenna apparatuses shown in FIG. 1 in a line on the plane. The figure which shows typically an example of the antenna assembly apparatus at the time of arrange | positioning multiple antenna apparatuses shown in FIG. 1 in the matrix form on the plane. The perspective view which shows typically the modification of the electromagnetic wave shielding body shown in FIG. The figure which shows the cover part shown in FIG. 7 typically. The graph which shows the directivity at the time of using only an antenna element. The graph figure which shows the directivity at the time of using the antenna apparatus shown in FIG. The figure which shows the directivity at the time of arrange | positioning ten antenna apparatuses shown in FIG. 1 in a horizontal line on the plane. The figure which shows the directivity at the time of arrange | positioning ten antenna apparatuses shown in FIG. 1 in a horizontal line on the plane. The figure which showed the directivity at the time of covering an antenna element with the housing | casing of a radio wave shield with the in-plane distribution of communication distance. The figure which showed the directivity at the time of using the antenna apparatus shown in FIG. 1 by the in-plane distribution of communication distance.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Reader / writer apparatus, 2 ... Non-contact data carrier, 3 ... Reader / writer, 21 ... Antenna apparatus, 22 ... Antenna element, 23 ... Radio wave shield, 24 ... Radiation conductor layer, 25 ... Housing, 26 ... Cover part, 27: opening, 31: magnetic layer, 32: conductor layer.

Claims (11)

An antenna element having a radiation conductor layer formed on the main surface of the insulating substrate;
The antenna element is provided so as to surround the periphery of the antenna element, leaving an opening in at least a part of the surface facing the end surface surrounding the main surface on which the radiation conductor layer is formed. An antenna device comprising: a radio wave shield having a laminated structure of a body layer and a conductor layer.   The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element has a radiating conductor layer formed in a loop shape on a main surface of the insulating substrate.   The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the radio wave shielding body is a quadrangular columnar casing.   The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the radio wave shield is a cylindrical housing.   The antenna device according to claim 3, wherein the radio wave shielding body further includes a lid portion in which an opening is formed.   The antenna device according to claim 5, wherein the opening of the lid is provided on a side facing a main surface of the antenna element disposed in the housing.   6. The radio wave shielding body is provided around the antenna element so that an end face of the antenna element arranged in the housing and a diagonal line of the lid portion are substantially parallel to each other. Antenna device.   An antenna assembly apparatus, wherein a plurality of antenna apparatuses according to claim 1 are arranged and integrated.   The antenna assembly device according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of the antenna devices are arranged in a line.   The antenna assembly apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of the antenna apparatuses are arranged in a matrix. With reader / writer,
An antenna element connected to the reader / writer and having a radiating conductor layer formed on a main surface of an insulating substrate;
The antenna element is provided so as to surround the periphery of the antenna element, leaving an opening in at least a part of the surface facing the end surface surrounding the main surface on which the radiation conductor layer is formed. A reader / writer device comprising: a radio wave shield having a laminated structure of a body layer and a conductor layer.