WO2021079165A1

WO2021079165A1 - Rfid device having an antenna with increased weight

Info

Publication number: WO2021079165A1
Application number: PCT/IB2019/001209
Authority: WO
Inventors: Claire Laurens de Lopez; Lars Klemm; Carsten Nieland; Sebastian GALLSCHÜTZ; Benoit LIONET; Jorge Rolando ALBITES-BEDOYA
Original assignee: Linxens Holding
Priority date: 2019-10-22
Filing date: 2019-10-22
Publication date: 2021-04-29

Abstract

In an RFID device a conductive material, such as metal material, is incorporated so as to impart increased weight to the device, wherein at least a significant portion of the conductive material is configured as an antenna that enables wireless communication with an external reader device.

Description

RFID device having an antenna with increased weight

Technical field

The present invention generally relates to radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, which generally include wireless information exchange capability by wireless interaction with a corresponding reader device.

Background art

In many technical fields wireless information exchange is taken advantage of in order to improve overall user experience upon using such devices. According to other aspects new use cases have become available on the basis of wireless communication techniques, which otherwise would not be viable in a technically and/or economically reasonable manner. For example, using the RFID device as a type of wireless information device, such as a payment card, enables transactions, such as payment transactions, and the like, to be performed or at least triggered on the basis of such RFID devices, which typically contain sensitive user information and also provide the technological platform required for initiating a corresponding transaction. In other cases, the identification of persons or animals, for instance, when requesting entry to a restricted area, and the like, may be performed on the basis of such RFID devices, thereby significantly reducing the total overhead that would otherwise be required when not relying on wireless communication techniques. Also, in many cases respective RFID devices or labels may be used for product identification and the like, thereby gaining increasingly in importance in many types of production processes and/or in the field of transportation, and the like. Consequently, in view of superior performance of any such RFID devices specific RF characteristics have to be implemented and dedicated specifications have to be met in order for a respective RFID device to be usable in combination with respective reader devices.

In addition to steadily increasing the technological capabilities of any such RFID devices, such as payment cards, RFID labels, and the like, other characteristics thereof have to comply with certain requirements in order to meet user expectations with respect to handling and optical appearance of these RFID devices. For example, when using such RFID devices as card-type information devices, these cards may have to exhibit a significant mechanical robustness so as to withstand mechanical stress, such as bending forces, and the like, over an extended period of time. In other cases, generally such RFID devices or labels may be exposed to certain environmental influences so that increased mechanical robustness and also superior resistance against external influences may contribute to overall availability of such types of devices. Moreover, in general the device itself may have to exhibit a high degree of tamper resistance so as to substantially avoid the possibility of unintended change of information and/or functionality of the RFID device. Moreover, in some cases even optical and haptic characteristics of the RFID device, for instance when used as a payment card, and the like, is increasingly gaining in importance in order to enhance competitiveness of such devices.

In order to address at least some of the above specified requirements, frequently metal components, such as metal pads, and the like are added to the device base material (substrate material) so as to impart increased weight and/or superior outer appearance to the RFID devices. In still other approaches respective RFID devices, in particular in the field of payment cards, are formed on the basis of a metal base material, thereby achieving heavy weight and a specific outer appearance, which may lead to superior user experience due to the apparently increased value of any such RFID device. When incorporating such heavy components based on metal, however, in many applications the wireless communication capability may be significantly affected. Therefore, in many conventional RFID devices used for payment card applications the wireless communication capability is sacrificed and instead a contact-type communication technique is implemented, which, however, may, in addition to inferior handling, contribute to significant restricting of usable lifetime due to wear and tear of respective contacts.

In view of the situation described above it is an object of the present invention to enable an increase of weight and/or provide for superior external appearance of RFID devices substantially without negatively affecting the wireless communication capabilities of these types of devices.

Disclosure of invention

Upon addressing the above specified technical object of the present invention the inventors have recognized that usage of heavy components in an RFID device may be taken advantage of by using at least a portion of any such specific heavy component as an antenna or at least a part thereof. That is, the present invention is based on the concept that conductive components, which may add weight to the RFID device, may at least partially also be used as a component of an antenna, which represents a part of the RF component required for the wireless communication. In this manner, aspects relating to increasing overall weight and/or outer appearance of an RFID device may also serve the purpose of efficiently implementing wireless communication capabilities. In one aspect of the present invention the above-identified technical object is solved by a radio frequency identification (RFID) device that includes an electronic module. Moreover, the RFID device includes a conductive component that imparts increased total weight to the RFID device, wherein the conductive component is operatively connected to the electronic module and is configured as an antenna for wireless communication with a periphery of the RFID device.

As discussed above, the conductive component is efficiently used so as to increase the overall weight of the RFID device and simultaneously acts as an antenna for wireless communication, thereby resolving many of the difficulties encountered in conventional RFID devices, such as payment cards, and the like, in which typically a heavy component of conductive nature added for increasing weight may result in a significant adverse influence on the wireless communication capabilities.

In a further embodiment, the RFID device comprises a substrate material that is formed at least between some conductive segments of the antenna. That is, the substrate material may represent spacer elements formed between some segments of the antenna, thereby restricting relative mobility of individual antenna segments and thus increasing mechanical strength of the antenna. Moreover, the substrate material may act as an electrical insulator between antenna segments, which may be accomplished by providing at least an outer surface of said substrate material in the form of an insulating material.

In a further illustrative embodiment the conductive component is configured as a substrate. That is, the conductive component and thus the antenna are appropriately configured to carry or otherwise mechanically stabilize or connect the components of the RFID device.

In one illustrative embodiment the conductive component is a metal component. In this manner, many types of conductive materials may be used on the basis of respective metals in order to address overall functionality and/or optical appearance and/or total weight of the RFID device. For example, many types of metal materials are well known in the art and may be appropriately selected so as to meet the specific requirements of a specified type of RFID device, i.e. adding weight and acting as an antenna for the wireless communication capability, while also well established and reliable techniques are available for processing the respective metal materials.

In illustrative embodiments the conductive component represents 10% or more of the total weight of the RFID device, while in other illustrative embodiments the conductive component represents 20% or more, 30% or more of the total weight of the RFID device. Consequently, any desired ratio between weight of the device base material, if any, and the additional conductive component may be selected in accordance with overall design requirements of the RFID devices under consideration. In particular, the respective fraction of the total weight that is caused by the conductive component may readily be adjusted on the basis of a selection of the type of material, i.e., its specific weight, the amount of material used for configuring the antenna, and the like. Therefore, a high degree of flexibility in designing a specific type of RFID device is achieved so as to address weight aspects of the RFID device without sacrificing the functionality thereof.

In one advantageous embodiment the conductive component represents 50% or more of the total weight of the RFID device. In this case, even requirements of highly sophisticated RFID devices, such as payment cards, may be met, in which typically a high amount of metal conveys the impression of high value to the user.

In one illustrative embodiment the conductive component is configured so as to have at least three windings or turns formed in a same plane. That is, in this embodiment a planar antenna may be provided in the form of the conductive component, wherein the at least 3 windings or turns yield a sufficient RF performance of the antenna. Furthermore, by providing at least three windings or turns in a same plane at least this part of the antenna including the three planar windings may provide for a certain mechanical stability, thereby resulting in superior process conditions upon manufacturing the RFID device.

In one illustrative embodiment the conductive component includes at least two conductive areas so as to act as a dipole antenna. Consequently, when designing the antenna as a dipole antenna additional design flexibility may be achieved, since moderately large areas of the RFID device may be covered by the antenna, thereby adding significant weight to the device, while nevertheless the overall design may readily be optimised so as to obtain the desired RF performance.

In other illustrative embodiments the conductive component is operatively connected to the electronic module by direct electrical coupling. In this case, the conductive component, acting as an antenna or a part thereof, is electrically wire-connected to the electronic module, thereby taking advantage of the superior electrical characteristics of a wire connection, which in turn may reduce the burden in terms of RF performance requirements of the conductive component. In further illustrative embodiments the conductive component is operatively connected to the electronic module by wireless connection based on a module-internal antenna. That is, in any such embodiments coupling between the conductive component, acting as an antenna, and the electronic module is established in a wireless manner, for instance by inductive coupling, thereby increasing overall flexibility in positioning the electronic module within the RFID device. Moreover, by the inductive coupling ability between electronic module and antenna the overall process for assembling the RFID device may be simplified as typically only a pick and place process may be required without necessitating the usage of a respective contact technique, for instance connecting bond wires to the electronic module and the conductive component.

In a further illustrative embodiment the conductive component exposes an antenna area that is designed to accommodate another antenna for coupling to the module-internal antenna. As already discussed above, the wireless communication capability between the electronic module and the conductive component may result in superior flexibility. In particular, the wireless communication between the conductive component and the electronic module may be established on the basis of an additional antenna, which may readily be positioned in an area that is not covered by actual antenna segments of the antenna used for the wireless communication with an external reader device.

In one illustrative embodiment the conductive component covers 50% or more of a total device area of the RFID device, when viewed in a top view. As already discussed above, the design of the antenna and thus of the conductive component may readily be selected so as to address specific requirements, such as optical appearance. Consequently, by selecting a respective antenna design that covers a significant part of the total area of the RFID device any desired optical appearance may be achieved. Moreover, as also discussed above, by selecting an appropriate material or material composition or by selecting the amount of material used in the conductive component, for instance by selecting a respective material thickness, nevertheless the weight contribution to the total weight of the RFID device may be adjusted in a more or less decoupled manner with respect to the overall area covered by the conductive component. Hence, flexibility in designing the conductive component with respect to adding weight and covering a wide floorspace in the RFID device may be accomplished.

In a further illustrative embodiment the RFID device includes a first device surface and an opposing second device surface, wherein the conductive component is placed between the first and second device surfaces so as to enable wireless communication via both the first device surface and the second device surface. Consequently, in this case the RFID device exhibits superior flexibility in providing its wireless communication capabilities, since the respective orientation of the RFID device with respect to an external reader device may no longer be relevant. For example, when used as a payment card, the orientation thereof may not negatively affect the wireless communication capability. In other cases, when the RFID device is used as product, person or animal identification means, superior responsiveness to an external reader device may be achieved, thereby significantly increasing overall user experience.

In illustrative embodiments the conductive component includes stainless steel and/or a noble metal and/or copper and/or a metal alloy. Therefore, many respective metal-containing materials are available for tailoring the conductive component in view of the functional and/or optical and/or handling characteristics that have to be met by the RFID device under consideration.

In one particular embodiment the RFID device is a payment card, as already discussed above. In this case, in particular the additional weight and/or the optical appearance of the payment card may have high economic relevance, while on the other hand the wireless communication capability is of great importance in terms of superior handling and enhanced functionality, wherein all these aspects may concurrently be addressed by means of the inventive RFID device.

According to a further aspect of the present invention the above-identified technical object is solved by a radio frequency identification (RFID) device. The device comprises a planar antenna for wireless communication with a periphery of the RFID device, wherein the planar antenna represents 10% or more of a total weight of the RFID device.

As already discussed above, providing the antenna used for wireless communication with a pronounced weight may result in a desired increase of total weight of the RFID device. In illustrative embodiments the antenna may contribute a significantly higher fraction, for example 20% or more, 30% or more, 50% or more, or even 70% or more of the total weight of the RFID device.

In other embodiments the device includes a substrate material that is formed at least laterally between some conductive segments of the planar antenna, thereby achieving superior mechanical strength and electric insulation.

In other illustrative embodiments, the planar antenna or a portion thereof is configured as a substrate. In this case all of the components of the RFID device may be carried or otherwise mechanically stabilized or connected by the antenna itself or a portion thereof.

In one illustrative embodiment the planar antenna comprises a single piece of conductive material that is formed into three or more turns. In this manner any appropriate conductive sheet of material may be subjected to a desired type of processing so as to obtain the antenna as a single piece of conductive material, wherein the overall design, including at least three turns, may be adopted so as to meet the RF performance requirements in terms of impedance, resonance frequency, capacitance, and the like.

In other illustrative embodiments the planar antenna includes at least two conductive areas that are operatively connected so as to form a dipole-type antenna. As also discussed above, by using respective conductive regions efficient dipole-type antennas may be designed, while at the same time a large area of the RFID device may be covered by the antenna, thereby adding additional weight and imparting a metallic appearance to the RFID device.

Also, as similarly discussed above, the RFID device may include an electronic module operatively coupled to the planar antenna, wherein the coupling is accomplished by wireless connection or wired connection. Moreover, in other illustrative embodiments, the planar antenna is configured and positioned so as to enable wireless communication via a first device surface and/or a second opposing device surface, thereby providing for superior performance flexibility for wirelessly connecting to an external reader device.

In illustrative embodiments, the RFID device comprises a capacitive component for adjusting RF performance of the RFID device. In this manner, only few different antenna designs may suffice so as to cover a wide range of different RF requirements by implementing the capacitive component that allows finely tuning the RF performance.

According to a further aspect the above-referenced technical object is solved by a method of forming a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device. The method includes an act of forming a planar antenna from a conductive material, for example a single piece of conductive material, wherein the planar antenna includes at least one free-standing portion. Additionally, the method includes the act of operatively coupling the planar antenna to an electronic module.

When forming at least a part of a planar antenna as free-standing portion from a conductive material the respective material characteristics may therefore provide for a mechanically relatively robust configuration, which also adds a significant amount of weight to the RFID device. In this manner, as already discussed above, well-established process techniques may be applied to the conductive material, such as laser processing, grinding, masking and etching techniques, cutting techniques, and the like, in order to form a specific structure from the conductive material. For example, in some illustrative embodiments, a single piece of conductive material may be used as a base material, while in other cases an appropriate carrier material may be provided for receiving the conductive material so as to impart the free-standing feature to the conductive material. Therefore, upon further processing the conductive component it has sufficient mechanical stability, while also respective electrical characteristics thereof may specifically be tailored for meeting RF performance requirements. However, providing a free-standing portion for the planar antenna integration of the antenna into the device may be achieved on the basis of reduced overall process complexity. For example, respective lamination techniques may readily be adapted in a way that the planar antenna may be incorporated into the substrate material. In other cases the substrate material itself may be provided as a conductive material which is then formed into a free-standing antenna. Due to the "free-standing" characteristics of the planar antenna or at least a part thereof the antenna may receive appropriate portions of insulating materials in spaces between antenna segments during a respective heat treatment, thereby ensuring electrical integrity of the antenna during the further processing.

In some illustrative embodiments, the free-standing portion of the planar antenna may be configured to serve as a substrate so as to carry or other mechanically stabilize or connect all of the components of the RFID device. In this manner, not only a very robust and heavy RFID device is obtained but also the overall process flow may be streamlined as many of the processes typically associated with the preparation of conventional plastic substrates may be skipped.

In a further illustrative embodiment the method additionally includes an act of adjusting a weight of the planar antenna by selecting design and/or material composition thereof in order to represent 10% or more of a total weight of the RFID device. In this respect it should be appreciated that the term "design" in the context of the planar antenna or at least a significant part thereof is to be understood as including a geometric configuration of the antenna when viewed in a top view, also referred to herein as two-dimensional design or configuration, as well as a respective configuration of the planar antenna when viewed in a side view, i.e., the configuration in the thickness direction. That is, the term "design" may also include a respective cross-sectional configuration of the planar antenna or portions thereof, for instance when portions of varying material thickness may be provided so as to adjust respective characteristics of the planar antenna, such as weight of the planar antenna, RF performance, mechanical stability, and the like.

Brief description of the drawings

Further illustrative embodiments and other aspects of the present invention will be described in more detail in the following specification, while also referring to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a top view of an RFID device including a "heavy" antenna according to an illustrative embodiment, wherein in this case the RFID device may represent a payment card;

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a top view of RFID device including a heavy antenna based on a large conductive region and respective connection parts according to a dipole design according to an illustrative embodiment;

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a top view of a heavy antenna with appropriate configuration so as to enable the placement of further components within the two-dimensional area of the antenna for coupling regimes in the context of an electronic module according to illustrative embodiments;

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a top view of an RFID device with an additional antenna for inductive coupling according to illustrative embodiments;

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a top view of an RFID device, wherein the heavy antenna exposes an area for placing inserts of an appropriate material for providing electrical connection to an electronic module according to illustrative embodiments; and

Figs. 6A and 6B schematically illustrate top views of RFID device (Fig. 6A) and a portion of thereof (Fig. 6B), wherein connection to an electronic module is established on the basis of inductive coupling with a coupling component for adjusting RF performance of the overall coupling configuration to the electronic module, for instance by providing a capacitive component, according to further illustrative embodiments.

Best mode(s) for carrying out the invention

With reference to the accompanying drawings further illustrative embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a top view of an RFID device 100 according to illustrative embodiments of the present invention. As already discussed, and in the context of this specification an RFID device is to be understood as any type of device having the capability of wirelessly communicating with an appropriate reader device (not shown), wherein in many applications typically the reader device interacts with the RFID device so as to provide power to device internal components of the RFID device, while at the same time enabling a data exchange with the RFID device.

It should be appreciated, however, that in other cases the RFID device 100 may also include a power source or may be equipped to generate the power required for operating one or more internal components by resources other than an externally supplied electromagnetic radiation provided by the external reader device. For example, in some cases, the RFID device 100 may include a power source that enables active operation of at least some of the electronic components in the device 100 without interaction with the external reader device, for instance, by providing a battery type power source, a capacitor of sufficiently high capacitance, and the like. The power source, if provided, may be rechargeable, for instance by inductive coupling, and the like, depending on the overall design of the RFID device 100.

It should be appreciated that the RFID device 100 may have application specific overall dimensions. For example, a basically card-type configuration may be encountered in many types of applications. Therefore, in illustrative embodiments, for instance as illustrated in Fig. 1 , the RFID device 100 may be provided so as to comply with the standards of a typical payment card, i.e. the lateral dimensions as well as a thickness dimension are selected so as to conform with the respective standards in this field of applications. For example, a width 100W of the RFID device 100 may be in the range of 50 to 55 mm, while a length 100L may be in the range of 80 to 90 mm. The thickness of the RFID device 100, i.e. the dimension in a direction that is perpendicular to the drawing plane of Fig. 1 , may be 1 mm or even less.

In other illustrative embodiments respective dimensions may be selected so as to meet the requirements of an application under consideration and may significantly deviate from the dimensions of a card-type device.

In some illustrative embodiments, the device 100 may include a substrate material 110, which, depending on the overall configuration of the RFID device 100, may be provided at least partially, as an appropriate plastic material, as is widely used in the field of RFID devices or labels and/or in the field of payment cards, and the like, while in other cases the substrate material 110 may, additionally or alternatively to a plastic material, comprise conductive materials, such as metal-containing materials, and the like. For example, frequently payment cards may be formed on the basis of a metal material as a substrate material so as to impart superior outer appearance and increased weight to a respective payment card. In other cases, well-established techniques and materials, as for instance known in the field of payment cards, may be applied so as to provide the substrate material 110. Consequently, depending on the overall design requirements the substrate material 110 may form and define the outer dimensions of the RFID device 100 and may also be formed as a substantially continuous layer on any surface areas, such as the front surface, a back surface and respective side surfaces of edges of the RFID device 100, for instance when provided as a card-type device. In other cases, at least a portion of the surface area of the RFID device 100 may not be covered by the substrate material 110, for instance when contact pads that are designed for direct contact with an external reader device may have to be exposed, as is the case for dual interface payment cards.

Furthermore, the RFID device 100 includes an electronic module 120 which may represent any type of electronic module that enables storage of information, processing an RF signal, irrespective of whether any such RF signal carries useful information or is merely used as carrier for transferring power to the electronic module 120, and outputting a corresponding RF signal. It should be appreciated that many types of electronic modules are available in the art and may be used in combination with the RFID device 100, depending on the overall requirements of a specific application.

Moreover, the RFID device 100 includes a conductive component 150, which is to be understood as component that includes a material of sufficient conductivity so as to enable at least a part of the conductive component 150 to act as an RF antenna. Moreover, as already discussed above, the conductive component 150 has a weight that significantly contributes to the total weight of the RFID device 100. As previously discussed, increasing the weight of an RFID device may be of high importance in many technical fields so as to enhance overall appearance of the RFID device 100 and/or providing for superior mechanical robustness and/superior robustness with respect to withstanding external influences, for instance compared to a device that is formed of well-established plastic materials without incorporation of significant amounts of metals or metal-containing materials.

In illustrative embodiments, the conductive component 150 may represent at least 10% of the total weight of the RFID device 100. In other cases, the conductive component 150 may represent at least 20%, preferably, at least 30% and in illustrative embodiments, even at least 50% of the total weight of the RFID device 100. For example, in one illustrative embodiment when the RFID device is to represent a card-type device, such as a payment card having standardised lateral and thickness dimensions, the conductive component 150 may contribute approximately 3 g to approximately 10 g, while the total weight of the device 100 may be approximately 13 g. In this manner, a very "heavy" card-type device may be provided so as to address specific requirements of card users and card manufacturers.

The conductive component 150 that is configured as an RF antenna is operatively connected to the electronic module 120, which may be accomplished by direct electrical connection, i.e., by a wired connection, and/or by inductive coupling, as will be discussed later on in more detail.

Generally, the RF characteristics of the conductive component or antenna 150 may be appropriately adapted to the characteristics of the electronic module 120 so as to enable wireless communication with an external reader device in order to meet the respective specifications of a certain type of wireless connection. To this end, the antenna or conductive component 150 itself may be designed so as to exhibit desired RF characteristics, for instance by designing the lateral size and shape of respective conductive segments of the component 150, and/or by selecting appropriate contact areas of the component 150, and/or by providing additional components, for instance exhibiting a capacitive behaviour, and the like.

For example, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 the antenna or conductive component 150 is designed as a planar antenna having 10 turns, wherein a width of the conductive segments of the individual turns and the lateral spacing between the turns are appropriately selected so as to meet the required RF performance and enabling the incorporation of the required number of turns in combination. For example, by varying the number of turns the RF behaviour of the antenna 150 may be adapted in accordance with overall requirements. Furthermore, the overall weight of the conductive component 150 may also be adjusted on the basis of the size and shape of respective conductive segments of the component 150. For example, upon increasing the width of the individual conductive segments of the turns in the planar configuration of the antenna 150 the total weight of the component 150 may be "modulated", for instance when the number of turns has to be modified in order to address specific requirements of the electronic module 120. For instance, when reducing the number of turns, the respective width of the individual segments of the turns of the component 150 may be increased, thereby still ensuring a significant contribution to the total weight of the RFID device 100 while still obtaining a modification of the RF performance thereof. In some illustrative embodiments, the conductive component 150 acting as an antenna may thus be formed as a planar antenna, i.e. as a planar coil, wherein at least three turns may be provided so as to obtain the desired RF behaviour, while at the same time adding significant weight to the RFID device 100. With respect to a material of the conductive component 150 it is to be noted that any type of conductive material may be used, as long as the required RF behaviour, for instance in terms of quality factor, resonance frequency, and the like may be obtained. For example, in some illustrative embodiments, stainless steel, copper, silver, gold, platinum, aluminium, respective alloys of one or more of these metals, or mixed materials, and the like may be selected so as to comply with the weight and RF requirements of the application under consideration. It should be appreciated that for a given two-dimensional layout of the conductive component 150 the overall weight of the conductive component may additionally be modulated by selecting an appropriate thickness of its base material. In other cases, as already discussed above, a significant portion of the substrate material 110 or the entire substrate material 110 may be provided in the form of a conductive material, such as a metal, and the conductive component or antenna 150 may be formed from the substrate material by appropriate process techniques so as to obtain the antenna portion, which is electrically isolated from the remaining substrate material.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a top view of an RFID device 200, which may have basically the same configuration as the RFID device 100 of Fig. 1 , with the exception of conductive component acting as an antenna. In Fig. 2 the conductive component 250 is illustrated so as to comprise a first conductive area 250A, which represents an extended conductive region, thereby significantly contributing to the total weight of the device 200. Furthermore, the antenna or conductive component 250 includes respective conductive areas 250B, 250C separated by a small gap. In this manner, the antenna 250 may act as a dipole antenna that complies with the RF requirements for certain applications while at the same time allowing a "weight efficient" two-dimensional design. It should be appreciated that also in this case the RFID device may represent any appropriate RFID label or product. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, lateral dimensions and the thickness dimension of the conductive component 250 are selected so as to comply with a card-type device, such as a payment card, and the like, without, however, intending to restrict the present invention to this exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a top view of an RFID device 300, which may have basically the same configuration as discussed above in the context of Figs. 1 and 2, with the exception that a conductive component 350 has an appropriate two-dimensional layout so as to expose an antenna area 351 that may be used for appropriately connecting to an electronic module (not shown). For example, the antenna area 351 may represent an antenna internal area, which is not covered by conductive antenna segments and in which an additional antenna may be placed so as to inductively connect to an electronic module, while in other cases, an electronic module having incorporated therein an RF antenna may be placed in the area 351 . In still other cases, appropriate contact regions may be implemented in the area 351 so as to appropriately electrically connect to a respective electronic module.

It should be appreciated that the antenna or conductive component 350 may be designed so as to enable the placement of additional components, such as further electrical components that may not be incorporated into an electronic module. For example, a capacitive component, a power source, an energy storage element, a sensor element, and the like, may be positioned in accordance with the two-dimensional design of the antenna. For instance, any such additional component may be positioned in the central area of the device 300, or, at any other location that is not occupied by antenna components. Similar considerations also apply to any antenna embodiments described herein.

As already discussed above, it should be appreciated that the two-dimensional layout of the conductive component 350 may be appropriately designed so as to comply with respective RF requirements, while also contributing to the total weight of the device 300 in a significant manner. Furthermore, regarding any appropriate materials for the component 350, the same criteria may apply as discussed above.

Generally, RF devices of the present invention, such as the devices 100, 200, 300, as discussed above, may be formed on the basis of the following process techniques. In some illustrative embodiments, the respective conductive components, such as the components 150, 250, 350, may be formed in a separate manufacturing step on the basis of any available process technique, for instance, by starting from a sheet of metal or any other conductive material, which may be processed on the basis of laser cutting, chemical treatment, such as etching on the basis of an appropriate masking technique, other mechanical processes, such as grinding, and the like to obtain the two-dimensional layout of the respective RF antenna. In some illustrative embodiments, the base material, for instance in the form of a respective metal sheet or plate, and the like, may be processed so as to have the desired thickness, while in other cases, if required, additional process steps may be applied so as to reduce or increase the thickness of the conductive material at any desired regions within the conductive component so as to obtain the finally desired thickness or thickness profile. For example, the appropriate antenna layout may be formed on the basis of a moderately thin metal layer, for instance by masking and etching techniques, selective deposition, such as printing techniques, and the like. Thereafter, upon having established the base layout, selective metal deposition may be initiated by appropriate galvanic deposition techniques, in order to obtain the desired final thickness. In other cases, when starting from a moderately thick base material, the final thickness may be established prior to or after having patterned the antenna layout by removing material, for instance by etching, grinding, and the like.

In some illustrative embodiments, the conductive component or RF antenna may be provided in a free-standing form, that is, the conductive component itself may have a certain mechanical stability so as to allow the further processing in a highly efficient manner. In other cases, the "free-standing" nature of the conductive component may be established by using an appropriate carrier layer, on which the respective metal pattern may be formed in accordance with the overall design requirements. In other illustrative embodiments, the free-standing conductive component with its final two-dimensional configuration may be attached to a carrier material and may adhere thereon while also respective spacer elements may be positioned within spaces of the individual antenna segments so as to obtain a required spacing and prevent short-circuiting of specific antenna segments during the further processing. To this end, any appropriate insulating material portions may be inserted into the respective spaces at certain positions, thereby possibly re-establishing the required geometric configuration of the antenna structure, should modification of respective antenna segments have taken place during the preceding processing. If required, a further carrier layer may be provided so as to adhere to the antenna structure, thereby sandwiching the antenna structure and mechanically fixing the antenna structure as to have the desired lateral layout. On the basis of this free standing antenna configuration, then the further processing may be continued by performing well-established process techniques so as to position an electronic module and establish operational connection to the antenna, for instance by wired connection or by inductive coupling, as will be discussed later on. Thereafter, additional substrate material, if necessary, such as any desired plastic material, may be provided and may be adhered to previously attached components by lamination, and the like.

In other illustrative embodiments, the free-standing antenna may be formed by additive techniques, such as 3-D printing, in which a desired material or material composition may be formed so as to comply with the desired design. In this manner, respective deformation or antenna internal stress components, which may be frequently associated with other “mechanical” techniques, such as cutting, grinding, and the like, may be avoided or at least significantly reduced. Furthermore, in view of material characteristics and/or RF performance, layers of different materials may be applied during the printing process, thereby achieving superior flexibility in tailoring specific aspects of the antenna. Similarly, the “spacings” between antenna segments or areas may efficiently be “filled” with any desired insulating material by printing a complementary insulating antenna structure and combining the actual antenna structure with the complementary insulating antenna structure prior to and/or during the further processing of the RFID device.

It should be appreciated that by providing a moderately thick conductive component in the form of an antenna the RF behaviour thereof is typically such that transmission and reception of signals may be accomplished via both surfaces of the RFID device. For example, when referring to the RFID device 100, 200, 300 an interaction with an external reader device may be performed via the device surface facing upwards in Figs. 1 to 3, while wireless communication may also be performed via the opposing device surface, i.e. the device surface not shown in Figs. 1 to 3. In this manner, a specific orientation of the RFID device with respect to the external reader device may no longer be necessary.

Moreover, as is also discussed above, and in certain applications the substrate material may be provided substantially in the form of a conductive material, such as a metal. In this case, conventionally such card-type device may not have implemented RF capabilities and may therefore require direct electrical contact to an external reader device, or the RF capabilities may be significantly adversely affected by the metal base material. In the present invention, on the other hand, the conductive component in the form of an antenna may directly be formed from the conductive substrate material by any appropriate process technique in order to obtain the desired two-dimensional layout. For example, respective cutting techniques may be applied so as to cut through the entire substrate material, thereby forming respective conductive segments having a layout, as for instance illustrated in the examples shown in Figs. 1 to 3. In this manner, the RF antenna may act as a card body having RF capabilities and thus eliminating any negative influence of metal material on the RF behaviour of any additional antenna, which would conventionally have to be implemented so as to provide RF capabilities to a metal type card, which, however, will typically being associated with severe interference from the metal type substrate material. Consequently, as discussed above typically such conventional metal-type cards may not be provided with RF capabilities or may require at least a significant reduction of the metal material and/or significant modification of the respective electronic module.

With reference to Figs. 4 to 6A and 6B further illustrative embodiments will now be described, in which specific configurations are shown for operatively connecting an electronic module to the heavy antenna. Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a top view of an RFID device 400, which may have basically the same configuration as discussed above in the context of Figs. 1 , 2 and 3. That is, the RFID device 400 may have any desired lateral and thickness dimensions, as discussed above so as to meet the requirements of a specific application. A conductive component 450 in the form of an antenna and having a high weight is incorporated in the device 400. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 the two-dimensional layout of the antenna 450 is provided in the form of a basically coil-type layer, wherein the two-dimensional layout is selected so as to provide an antenna area 451 that may be filled with an additional component 440, such as a second antenna for inductive coupling to an electronic module (not shown). In other cases, the component 440 may represent an electronic module having incorporated therein coil-type antenna for inductively coupling to the antenna 450. The additional antenna 440 may be provided in the form of a planar antenna formed on an appropriate carrier material with appropriate configuration, i.e. number of turns, and the like, in order to provide for the required RF characteristics.

In other illustrative embodiments, as for instance shown in Fig. 1 , the operative connection between the antenna such as the antenna 150, 450, and the like, to a corresponding electronic module, such as the module 120 (see Fig. 1) may be established on the basis of laser welding or resistance welding techniques, soldering, and the like. To this end, the material characteristics of the antenna 150, 250, 350, 450 may have to be taken into consideration in order to establish a reliable electrical connection.

In still other illustrative embodiments, conductive adhesives may be used so as to establish a connection between an electronic module and the antenna, that is, an appropriate wire may be bonded to respective contact pads of the electronic module and the antenna by applying a conductive adhesive and curing the same on the basis of an appropriate heat treatment.

In still other illustrative embodiments, appropriate "channels" in the form of grooves may be implemented so as to accommodate a respective bond wire routed from a contact portion of the antenna to a respective contact portion of the electronic module, wherein a mechanically and electrically robust connection may be established upon performing a lamination process, wherein the respective grooves formed in the antenna may act as a clamp for reliably fixing the respective bond wires.

In still other illustrative embodiments, the antenna 450 may be equipped with respective holes all apertures of respective contact areas so as to accommodate portion of a bond wire, wherein a reliable mechanical and electrical connection may be established during lamination, and the like.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a top view of an RFID device 500 including a conductive component or antenna 550 having a two-dimensional layout so as to expose an antenna internal area 551 , as also discussed above, which may accommodate appropriate components 552 in the form of inserts of any suitable material so as to enable conductive bonding to an electronic module (not shown). Any such conductive bonding techniques are well established in the art and may appropriately be applied so as to enable a reliable and robust functional connection to an electronic module, wherein the two-dimensional design of the antenna 550 allows for the incorporation of any suitable material portions. In this manner, increased flexibility may be obtained and a functional connection between the antenna 550 and a corresponding electronic module may be established.

Fig. 6A schematically illustrates a top view of an RFID device 600, which may have basically the same configuration as already discussed above in the context of the RFID devices 100, 200, 300, 400, 500. Thus, the RFID device 600 includes a conductive component or antenna 650 of any desired configuration, as already discussed above. It should be appreciated that typically the RF characteristics of an antenna may have to be adapted to specific applications, i.e. to a specific electronic module used and to operating conditions with respect to wireless communication with an external reader device, and the like. In order to address any such requirements with respect to RF behaviour the overall antenna design may appropriately be adapted, as already discussed above, and/or contact regions of the antenna may be varied so as to modify the RF characteristics, and the like. In other cases, additional components may be incorporated into the overall configuration in order to obtain the desired RF behaviour. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6A, a component 660 is incorporated so as to modify the RF behaviour, for instance by incorporating a capacitive component 620 and an additional antenna 640 that is positioned in an antenna internal area 651. The RF performance of antenna 650 can thus be adapted by incorporating a component 660 containing a capacitive component 620.

Fig. 6B schematically illustrates a top view of the component 660, which may basically be provided as a separate component and which may be added to the RFID device 600 at any appropriate manufacturing stage, for instance upon incorporating the capacitive element 620 and establishing electrical connection with the antenna 650 on the basis of a lamination process, and the like. The capacitive component 620 may specifically be designed so as to finely tune the RF characteristics of the component 660 with respect to the antenna 650 so as to obtain the required overall RF behaviour. Two contact terminals 665A and 665B are used to connect the component 660 to the antenna 650. Components 665A, 665B may be provided in the form of metal stripes or any other suitable connecting components. The electric connection between the contact terminals 665A, 665B and the antenna 650 can be made by soldering, welding, crimping, wire connection, conductive gluing or other techniques.

Generally, it is to be noted that appropriate RF characteristics of the heavy antenna in combination with a desired electronic module and a required connection topology may be determined on the basis of experiments and/or simulation.

As a result, the present invention provides RFID devices or labels, in which superior appearance and/or handling may be accomplished by adding additional weight on the basis of a conductive component, which at the same time is configured as an antenna for wireless communication with an external reader device. For example, in the field of card-type devices there is frequently a demand for increased weight of such devices, which can be accounted for by incorporating a significant amount of conductive material, such as metals, and the like, wherein at least a significant portion of the conductive component itself may be reconfigured so as to act as an antenna. Even when using a metal based substrate material in card-type devices or any other RFID labels, RF capabilities may be provided, while respective adverse influences of the metal based substrate material may be removed..

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification device, comprising an electronic module; and a conductive component, said conductive component imparting increased total weight to said RFID device, said conductive component being operatively connected to said electronic module and configured as an antenna for wireless communication with a periphery of said RFID device.

2. The RFID device of claim 1 , further comprising a substrate material formed between at least some conductive segments of said antenna.

3. The RFID device of claim 1 , wherein said conductive component is configured as a substrate of said RFID device.

4. The RFID device of any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said conductive component is a metal component.

5. The RFID device of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said conductive component represents 10% or more of said total weight, alternatively 20%, 30% or more.

6. The RFID device of claim 5, wherein said conductive component represents 50% or more of said total weight.

7. The RFID device of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said conductive component is configured so as to have at least 3 windings formed in a same plane.

8. The RFID device of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said conductive component comprises at least two conductive areas so as to act as a dipole antenna.

9. The RFID device of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein said conductive component is operatively connected to said electronic module by a wired electric connection.

10. The RFID device of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein said conductive component is operatively connected to said electronic module by a wireless connection based on a module- internal antenna.

11 . The RFID device of claim 10, wherein said conductive component exposes an antenna area designed to accommodate another antenna for coupling to said module-internal antenna.

12. The RFID device of any of the preceding claims, wherein, in top view, said conductive component covers 50% or more of a total device area of said RFID device.

13. The RFID device of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a first device surface and an opposing second device surface, wherein said conductive component is placed between said first and second device surfaces so as to enable wireless communication via both said first device surface and said second device surface.

14. The RFID device of any of the preceding claims, wherein said conductive component comprises at least one of stainless steel, a noble metal, copper or a metal alloy.

15. The RFID device of any of the preceding claims, wherein said RFID device is a payment card.

16. A radio frequency identification device, comprising a planar antenna a for wireless communication with a periphery of said RFID device, said planar antenna representing 10% or more of a total weight of said RFID device.

17. The RFID device of claim 16, further comprising a substrate material formed between at least some segments of said planar antenna.

18. The RFID device of claim 16, wherein said planar antenna is configured as a substrate of said RFID device.

19. The RFID device of any of claims 16 to 18, wherein said planar antenna comprises a single piece of conductive material formed into three or more turns.

20. The RFID device of any of claims 16 to 18, wherein said planar antenna comprises at least two conductive areas operatively connected so as to form a dipole-type antenna.

21. The RFID device of any of claims 16 to 20, further comprising an electronic module operatively coupled to said planar antenna by one of a wireless connection or a wired connection.

22. The RFID device of any of claims 1 to 21 , further comprising a capacitive component for adjusting RF performance.

23. The RFID device of any of claims 16 to 22, wherein said planar antenna is configured and positioned so as to enable said wireless communication both via a first device surface and a second opposing device surface.

24. The RFID device of any of claims 16 to 23, wherein said planar antenna is formed as a single piece of conductive material.

25. A method of forming a radio frequency identification device, said method comprising forming a planar antenna from a conductive material, said planar antenna including at least one free-standing portion;

; and operatively coupling said planar antenna to an electronic module.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising: adjusting a weight of said planar antenna by selecting at least one of design and material composition so as to represent 10% or more of a total weight of said RFID device.