EP4029149A1 - Male device, electronic tag and near-field communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a male device (1) comprising an elongate portion (100) and an antenna (120). The elongate portion (100) extends in one direction between a first end (101) and a second end (102), and is intended for receiving at least one female device by threading from the first end. The near-field communication antenna (120) is placed inside the elongate portion and comprises at least one conductive turn comprising two connection terminals at the second end, the two connection terminals being intended for being connected to a reading circuit, the conductive turn being positioned so as to produce at least one magnetic field generating a flux passing through the elongate portion perpendicularly to the direction when the antenna is traversed by a current produced by the reading circuit.

Description

Description

Title of the invention: MALE DEVICE, ELECTRONIC LABEL AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IN

NEAR FIELD

[0001] [Technical field

The present invention relates to a male device, a female device and a near field communication system.

[0003] Technological Background

[0004] Automatic object tracking in a given area can be done in different ways. In electronic anti-theft, it is known to place electromagnetic terminals at the store outlet and to equip products with an anti-theft device comprising a resonant circuit tuned to the frequency of the electromagnetic field of said terminals. As soon as an anti-theft device is placed in the field produced by the electromagnetic terminals, it starts to resonate and creates a significant disturbance in the electromagnetic field. This disturbance is easily detectable and makes it possible to locate an anti-theft device present in a determined zone. However, such a tracking method does not make it possible to accurately identify an object associated with said device.

[0005] Two more recent technologies allow more precise identification of an object. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and NFC (Near Field Communication) technologies use an electronic chip coupled to an antenna that allows communication with a reader while using the electric or magnetic field produced by the reader. to power the electronic chip. These two technologies make it possible to send an identifier, generally unique, to a reader as soon as the identification object is in the communication field of the reader, making it possible to identify an object precisely in a determined area without the object or its identification device does not have an intrinsic energy source. RFID technology uses an electric field that allows communication a few meters away with one or more identification devices without allowing power. precisely locate an object. NFC technology uses a magnetic field that allows communication a few centimeters from the reader.

[0006] Among object location applications, there are special needs which require high precision in the location and identification of objects. By way of example, in the field of interactive games, there is a need for locating game pieces on a game board. In the commercial field, there is a need for locating and identifying the products present in a shelf. in order to be able to quickly make an inventory and also to locate the products presented to the customer (s).

[0007] The French patent application filed on August 29, 2019, under number 19-09528 and entitled "near-field communication platform and method for locating said platform", discloses a communication platform using NFC technology which makes it possible to precisely locate an object with an electronic tag on a communication platform. Said patent application proposes a solution which can be used both in the field of games and for locating an object on a shelf or a store display. The aforementioned tray provides a solution allowing a trader to be notified when a display unit is empty or when products are not placed on the correct display unit, thus making it possible to respectively replenish or store the display unit.

A sales shelf is not limited to shelf product displays. Indeed, there are wall displays with hooks. This type of hook display is particularly suitable for small products with plastic or cardboard packaging including a hanging hole. The wall-mounted hanger display allows different versions of a product to be displayed in an orderly fashion. For example, each display hook can be dedicated to a particular dimension or size of a product presented to the customer. For this purpose, it is important that the products are well stored on the hooks to facilitate the choice of the customer.

[0009] The use of a communication plate positioned vertically and provided with hooks can allow the identification of the position of products provided with an identification device when they are placed on the hooks. Nevertheless a such a solution is not satisfactory. The use of NFC technology for precise location is limited to communications over distances less than ten centimeters. However, the display hooks can have a length of up to 40 centimeters. There is therefore a need for identification for display units with hooks.

[0010] Summary of the Invention

The invention aims to solve the problem of locating products on a display rack. For this the invention proposes a solution in which a male part integrates an NFC reader antenna and a female part, comprising a hole, integrates an NFC identification device having its antenna around said hole. Thus, the antenna of the NFC reader is located inside the antenna of the NFC identification device.

[0012] According to a first embodiment, the invention provides a male device of a near-field communication system comprising an elongated portion and at least one near-field communication antenna. The elongated portion extends in a threading direction between a first end and a second end and is intended to receive at least one female device around the elongated portion by threading from the first end. The at least one near-field communication antenna is placed inside the elongated part and comprises at least one conductive coil comprising two connection terminals at the level of the second end, the two connection terminals being intended to be connected to a reader circuit, the conductive coil being positioned so as to produce at least one magnetic field generating a flux passing through the elongated part perpendicular to the direction of threading when the antenna is traversed by a current produced by the reader circuit

[0013] For reasons of compactness and ease of use, the Male device may include a fixing base integral with the second end, said base including a reader circuit connected to the connection terminals of said at least one antenna. In order to improve communication, several antennas can be used. The invention may include a plurality of antennas juxtaposed and aligned along the direction of threading extending between the first end and the second end, each antenna comprising at least one turn.

Preferably, to simplify manufacture, the antennas of the plurality of antennas can be made on an insulating substrate and can be coplanar

According to a first detection improvement, the antennas can be coupled together in parallel and two adjacent antennas can be polarized in an opposite manner so that the direction of the magnetic field is reversed between two adjacent antennas.

According to a second detection improvement, each antenna of the plurality of antennas can include at least two connection terminals at the second end intended to be connected to the reader circuit.

According to the second detection improvement, the reader circuit can be configured to activate a single antenna of the plurality of antennas at a time in order to determine a position of the female device on the elongated part.

[0019] According to a second embodiment, the invention provides an electronic tag for a near-field communication system comprising a hole, a near-field communication antenna and an integrated circuit. The hole is intended to receive at least one male device. The near-field communication antenna comprises at least one conductive coil having two connection terminals, said coil surrounding the hole, said antenna transforming a magnetic field into electric current. The integrated circuit is connected to the connection terminals in order to be powered by the antenna.

[0020] To improve communication, the electronic tag may include orientation means for orienting the antenna relative to the male device.

According to a third embodiment, the invention provides a near field communication system comprising a male device and one or more electronic tags as defined above. The elongated part of the male device is a display hook, the labels Electronic devices constitute female devices threaded onto the male device and the hole of the electronic labels is a hole for hanging a product or a product packaging, the integrated circuit comprising a unique identifier to identify the product with which it is associated.

Brief Description of the Figures

The invention will be better understood and other characteristics and advantages thereof will appear on reading the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, given by way of illustrative and non-limiting examples, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, among which:

[0024] [Fig. 1] shows a first embodiment of a male device of a communication system according to the invention,

[0025] [Fig. 2] shows a first embodiment of a female communication device according to the invention,

[0026] [Fig.3] illustrates the operation of the male device of Figure 1 with the female device of Figure 2,

[0027] [Fig. 4] shows a second embodiment of a female communication device according to the invention,

[0028] [Fig.5] shows examples of improvement of the female device of Figure 4,

[0029] [Fig.6] shows a second embodiment of a male device of a communication system according to the invention,

[0030] [Fig.7] illustrates the operation of the male device of Figure 6 with the female device of Figure 2,

[0031] [Fig.8] shows a third embodiment of a male device of a communication system according to the invention,

[0032] [Fig.9] shows the male device of Figure 8 in an opposite view,

[0033] [Fig.10] illustrates the operation of the male device of Figures 8 and 9 with the female device of Figure 2,

[0034] [Fig .11] illustrates the operation of the male device of Figures 8 and 9 with the female device of Figure 2, [0035] [Fig.12] illustrates the operation of the male device of Figures 8 and 9 with the female device of Figure 2.

[0036] Detailed description

By near-field communication, this document refers to the NFC technology limited to a few centimeters, and using antennas made using conductive loops forming half-transformers both on the side of the reader and on the side of the electronic tag. The communication thus achieved takes place through a magnetic field coupling the transmission antenna of the reader and the energy recovery antenna of an electronic tag.

By electronic tag, this document refers to an identification device comprising an electronic chip coupled to an antenna forming a coil and being self-powered by the magnetic field created by the reader. Such an identification device generally takes the form of a label which can be easily attached to many types of packaging or products. However, the invention is not limited to a form factor of the "label" type and may for example include any other form of electronic device.

Before explaining in detail the operation of the location of a tag, it is first of all necessary to recall the operation of near-field communication between a reader and an electronic tag. The reader has an antenna, comprising one or more turns, tuned to a resonant frequency which corresponds to the frequency of the magnetic field emitted, for example 13.56 megahertz. The electric current flowing through the turns of the reader antenna creates a radiating magnetic field near the antenna. The electronic tag has an antenna, comprising one or more turns, tuned to the magnetic field emitted by the reader. When the electronic tag is in the reader's magnetic field, the electronic tag's antenna resonates and transforms the magnetic field it receives. If the magnetic field is strong enough, the antenna of the electronic tag can power the electronic chip of said tag. Communication between the reader and the electronic tag is effected by modulation of the magnetic field. On the side of reader, the field is modulated by modulating the current sent to the antenna and therefore the field emitted. On the side of the electronic tag, the modulation is done by tuning and detuning the antenna of the electronic tag producing a modulated disturbance of the magnetic field also called retro-modulation. The modulated disturbance of the magnetic field results in a modulation of the current flowing in the antenna of the reader which the latter can demodulate. For more details, those skilled in the art can refer to the standard IS014443 which defines the operation of near-field communications.

For communication to be established between the reader and the electronic tag, the electronic tag must receive a magnetic field of sufficient power to power the electronic tag chip. The distance allowing communication between the reader and the electronic tag depends on the sizing of the reader antennas and the electronic tag antenna but also on the transmission power of the reader. Using low transmit power on the reader side, an electronic tag can only be detected if it is very close to the transmit antenna. In addition, the coupling between the reader antenna and the electronic tag antenna may vary depending on the relative position of the antennas relative to each other.

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a display hook 1 forming a male device according to the invention. Figure 1a shows the display hook 1 in top view, Figure 1b in side view, and Figure 1c in cross section along the axis AA indicated in Figure 1a. The display hook 1 has an elongated portion 100 and an attachment base 110. The elongated portion extends in a direction between a first end 101 and a second end 102. The elongated portion 100 is tapered in shape and, for example, of flat section, so as to be able to receive by threading, from the first end 101, a product or a product package provided with a suspension hole. The second end 102 is fixed to the fixing base 110. The fixing base 110 is provided with non-hooking means. shown, in order to be fixed, for example in a removable manner, to a display wall not shown and intended to receive the display hook 1.

[0042] An antenna 120 is placed inside the elongated portion 100. The antenna 120 is a near-field communication antenna made up of one or more turns of conductive material. The antenna 120 has two ends forming connection terminals at the second end 102 intended to be connected to a reader circuit. In a preferred example, the reader circuit is placed inside the fixing base 110. As a variant, the fixing base 110 only comprises connection elements intended to electrically connect the antenna 120 to a reading circuit placed in the display wall on which it is fixed. Whatever the embodiment, the reader circuit is for example a standard circuit conforming to the ISO 14443 standard.

In this first embodiment, the elongated portion 100 is, for example, produced using two molded plastic half-shells forming an elongated "O" and hollowed out inside to receive the antenna. 120 produced for example using an insulated conductor wire forming one or more turns. The assembly thus produced forms an elongated portion 100 which is substantially flattened and which can serve as a hook. The configuration of the antenna 120 forms a loop going from the first end 101 to the second end 102 so that the conductive wire constituting the antenna produces a magnetic field whose flux is perpendicular to the central part of the "O" c '. that is to say perpendicular to the direction going from the first end 101 to the second end 102 and perpendicular to the flattened part.

In order to cooperate with the male device of Figure 1, it is appropriate to define the female device which is for example an electronic label 2 for product marking as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2a shows the label according to a first face, Figure 2b shows the label in side view according to the section BB indicated in Figure 2a, and Figure 2c shows the label on a second face opposite to the first face. The label comprises an insulating substrate 200 serving as a support for an electronic chip 210 placed on the first face and an antenna 220 placed on the second face. Chip 210 is connected to the antenna 220 by means of two holes 230 made at the level of contact zones of the electronic chip 210 and of the antenna 220. The substrate 200 is a preferably flexible insulating substrate such as for example paper, cardboard, polyimide, polyester, epoxy resin, or any other material. The antenna 220 can be produced by printing a conductive material, by silver screen printing, by etching a layer of copper integral with the substrate, by depositing or stitching a copper wire or any other technique used for the production of printed circuit boards. Chip 210 is a near field communication and identification chip.

The electronic tag 2 differs from a conventional electronic tag by the presence of a hole 240 in its center, the antenna 220 surrounding the hole 240. The hole 240 is intended to receive a male communication device such as than hook 1 described above.

Figure 3 illustrates the operation of the male device of Figure 1 with the female device of Figure 2. Female devices 20, 21 and 22, comprising an electronic tag 2, are placed along the elongated portion 100 of the device of FIG. 1. The positioning of the female devices 20, 21 and 22 is done by threading from the first end 101. When a reader placed in the fixing base 110 supplies the antenna 120 placed in the elongated part 100 , a magnetic field is created, said field being composed of a multitude of field lines 310 and 320.

In this Figure 3, it can be seen that the field lines 310 located in the central part of the elongated part 100 extend perpendicularly to said part 100. Such an arrangement of the field lines 310 can cause some drawbacks. The hole 240 of a female device 21 placed perpendicular to the elongated portion 100 is not crossed by the field lines 310 and therefore cannot communicate with the reader of the male device. On the other hand, a female device 20 also placed perpendicularly with respect to the elongated part 100 but near an end 101 or 102 is found to be crossed by field lines 320 which bend at this location. Also, when a female device 22 is tilted, even slightly with respect to the elongated part, the latter is crossed by the field lines 310.

In order to improve the coupling between the hook 1 of Figure 1 and a female communication device, consideration should be given to the placement of an electronic label 2 on a product package. Figure 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a female communication device 4 comprising an electronic label 2 attached to a tab 400 of a product package. Figure 4a shows a partial view of the female communication device 4 corresponding to the tab 400 allowing the attachment of the packaging of a product and Figure 4b shows the latter in sectional view along the axis CC indicated on the figure. figure 4a. In order to simplify the drawing, all the details of the electronic tag 2 are not shown in Figure 4.

The tab 400 has a suspension slot 410. The electronic label 2 is fixed on the tab 400 so that the suspension slot 410 is positioned at the level of the hole 240. The attachment of the label 2 on the tab 400 can be made by gluing or any other means making it possible to make the label 2 integral with the tab 400.

[0050] Figure 5 shows two packages 500 and 550 whose tab 400 is positioned so as to tilt the electronic label 2 when the package is suspended on the elongated portion 100 of a display hook.

The package 500 has a tab 400 in the extension of a vertical side of said package 500. Such an arrangement of the tab 400 that the package 500 tilts naturally in order to align the suspension slot 410 with the center of gravity 510 of the package 500 under the action of the force of gravity 520. Very many packages use such a positioning of the suspension tab, thus the adaptation of the invention to such packages remains minimal and allows the use of a display hook as shown in Figure 1.

The packaging 550 to a type of packaging having a suspension tab 400 substantially aligned with the center of gravity 560 in the direction of the force of gravity 570. For this type of packaging, it is preferable to use a tab 400 inclined with respect to the packaging 550.

According to a variant not shown, it is possible to use a tongue 400 thick enough for the suspension slot 410 to ensure guidance of the elongated portion 100. In this case, the electronic label 2 is placed in an inclined manner in the thickness of the tongue 400.

A display hook according to the example described in Figure 1 allows the presence of products suspended therein to be detected. However, as described above, electronic tags must have a certain inclination in order to be detectable on the central portion of the elongated portion 100 of the male element. While it is easy to obtain an inclination of the electronic label 2 for packages 500 and 550 having a certain thickness, it is more difficult for very thin packages.

In order to allow the detection of an electronic label 2 positioned perpendicularly over the entire length of an elongated portion of a display hook, a second embodiment is detailed with the aid of FIG. 6. In FIG. Figure 6, the display hook 6 comprises a male element 600 of elongated shape extending in a direction from a first end 601 to a second end 602. The second end 602 is connected to a fixing base 610 serving in fixing the hook 6 to a vertical wall of a display unit, not shown.

The male element 600 comprises a plurality of antennas 620 juxtaposed and aligned in the direction passing through the first and second ends 601 and 602. Each antenna 620 has one or more turns. Two adjacent antennas 620 are oppositely polarized so that the direction of the magnetic field is reversed between two adjacent antennas 620. The antennas 620 are coupled together in parallel and connected to a reader circuit placed in the display wall or in the fixing base 610. Preferably, the antennas 620 are produced in a coplanar manner and for example etched on an insulating substrate according to a known technique for producing a printed circuit. The printed circuit is then overmolded in a plastic material in order to solidify it for use as a display hook. The antennas 620 thus connected allow the magnetic field to be alternated over the entire length of the elongated portion 600. FIG. 7 illustrates the field lines 700 of the hook 6 of FIG. 6. All the field lines 700 are perpendicular on the surface of the elongated part but they curve in order to pass through a neighboring antenna 620. Thanks to such an arrangement of the antennas 620, whatever the position of an electronic label 2 along the elongated part, the latter is crossed by field lines 700 making it possible to detect all the electronic labels 2 threaded onto the part. elongate 600 of the hook 6. [0058] By means of the hook 6, it is possible to detect which products are present. In particular, it is possible to detect that a product is present on the hook but it is not possible to know its exact position. FIGS. 8 and 9 show a third exemplary embodiment of a male device of a communication system according to the invention, which makes it possible to locate the position of an electronic label on a hook 8 of a display rack.

Figure 8 shows the hook 8 in top view and Figure 9 shows the hook 8 in bottom view. The display hook 8 comprises a male element 800 of elongated shape extending in a direction from a first end 801 to a second end 802. The second end 802 is connected to a fixing base 810 serving to fix the product. hook 8 to a vertical display wall, not shown.

The male element 800 comprises a plurality of antennas 820 juxtaposed and aligned in the direction going from the first end 801 to the second end 802. Each antenna 820 comprises one or more turns and comprises at least two terminals of connections brought back to the second end 802 in order to be connected to a reader circuit. In this embodiment, the antennas 802 are individually connected to the reader circuit so that they can be used one by one by the reader circuit.

Preferably, the antennas 820 are produced in a coplanar manner and for example etched on an insulating substrate according to a known technique for producing a printed circuit of the double-sided type. The printed circuit is then overmolded in a plastic material in order to solidify it for the use of display hook.

The reader circuit is preferably contained in the fixing base 810. The type of reader circuit used is for example in accordance with a reader circuit as disclosed in the French patent application filed on August 29, 2019, under number 19- 09528. Such a reader circuit uses the antennas 820 one by one to detect labels present on the elongated portion 800.

Figures 10, 11 and 12 illustrate the successive operation of three antennas 820 vis-à-vis two female devices 25 and 26 placed on the elongated portion 800. Figure 10 shows the magnetic field lines 1000 produced by a 820 active antenna. Figure 11 shows the 1100 magnetic field lines produced by an active antenna 820 adjacent to the antenna 820 which is active in Figure 10. Figure 12 shows the 1200 magnetic field lines produced by a subsequent active antenna 820. The female devices 25 and 26 are provided with electronic labels 2 conforming to those described in Figure 2.

In Figure 10, the field lines 1000 pass through the female device 26 but do not pass through the female device 25 which is too far away. The reader device can therefore only detect the female device 26.

In Figure 11, the field lines 1100 do not cross the female device 25 and barely cross the device 26. The device 26 is in a central position of the active antenna 820. The device 25 is located very far from the active antenna 820 and this distance means that the detection is not systematic. The reader device can therefore detect that the female device 25 is remote from said active antenna 820.

In FIG. 12, the field lines 1200 pass through the female devices 25 and 26. The reader device can therefore detect these two female devices 25 and 26. Also, the reader circuit can detect that the female device 26 is more distant than the female device 25.

The reader device can then determine the position of the female devices 25 and 26 more precisely by crossing the detections made by each antenna 820. Two antennas 820 having detected the female device 26 while the antenna 820 situated between the two has not detected it, the reader circuit can deduce that the position of the female device 26 is located at the center of the antenna 820 which did not detect it. For the female device 25, two neighboring antennas 820 have detected it, one having detected it from a greater distance than the other, a triangulation of the detection distances makes it possible to know the position precisely.

Many position detection techniques can be used to obtain a precise position. As an exemplary embodiment, those skilled in the art can refer to the location techniques disclosed in the French patent application filed on August 29, 2019, under number 19-09528 for more details.

The invention has been described in relation to a display hook. However, the invention is not limited to a display hook. By way of example, the invention can be used in educational games for children comprising a rod and elements to be stacked on the rod, the rod forming the male element corresponding to the hook and the elements to be stacked forming the female elements of the type electronic tag. The game may consist of giving the child an instruction to "stack all the red items". When all the requested items are well stacked on the rod, a message may indicate "well done, you have succeeded". If on the other hand an element of the wrong color is stacked, the message can be "attention this element is not red, it is green". A more educational version like the example in Figures 8 and 9 may allow items to be stacked in a certain order.

[0070] In the case of an educational game for children, the pieces to be stacked may have a certain thickness. Thus, these parts can have a hole which ensures the guidance of the female device on the male device. The antenna of the female device can advantageously be tilted relative to the direction of the male device in order to improve the coupling between the female devices and the male device.

Claims

Claims [Claim 1] [Male device (1, 6, 8) of a near field communication system comprising: - an elongated part (100, 600, 800) in a threading direction extending between a first end (101, 601, 801) and a second end (102, 602, 802), intended to receive at least one device female (2, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 400) around the elongated part by threading from the first end, - at least one near-field communication antenna (120, 620, 820) placed inside the elongated part and comprising at least one conductive coil comprising two connection terminals at the second end, the two connection terminals being intended to be connected to a reader circuit, the conductive coil being positioned so as to produce at least one magnetic field generating a flux passing through the elongated part perpendicular to the direction of threading when the antenna is traversed by a current produced by the reader circuit. [Claim 2] A male device according to claim 1, which comprises a fixing base (110, 610, 810) integral with the second end, said base including a reader circuit connected to the connection terminals of said at least one antenna. [Claim 3] A male device according to claim 1 or 2, which comprising a plurality of antennas (620, 820) juxtaposed and aligned in the direction of threading extending between the first end and the second end, each antenna comprising at minus one turn. [Claim 4] A male device according to claim 3, wherein the antennas (620, 820) of the plurality of antennas are formed on an insulating substrate and are coplanar. [Claim 5] A male device according to claim 4, wherein the antennas (620) are coupled together in parallel and wherein two adjacent antennas (620) are oppositely polarized so that the direction of the magnetic field is reversed between two. adjacent antennas. [Claim 6] A male device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each antenna (620, 820) of the plurality of antennas has at least two connection terminals at the second end intended to be connected to the reader circuit. [Claim 7] A male device according to claim 5 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the reader circuit is configured to activate a single antenna (820) of the plurality of antennas at a time to determine a position of the device. female on the elongated part. [Claim 8] Electronic tag (2, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 400) of a near field communication system comprising: - a hole (240, 410) intended to receive at least one male device, - a near-field communication antenna (220) comprising at least one conductive coil having two connection terminals, said coil surrounding the hole (240, 410), said antenna transforming a magnetic field into electric current, - an integrated circuit (210) connected to the connection terminals in order to be powered by the antenna (220). [Claim 9] An electronic tag according to claim 8 which includes orienting means (400, 510) for orienting the antenna relative to the male device. [Claim 10] A near field communication system comprising a male device according to one of claims 1 to 7 and one or more electronic tags according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the elongated portion (100, 600, 800) of the device male is a display hook, in which the electronic labels constitute female devices threaded onto the male device and in which the hole (410) of the electronic labels is a hanging hole of a product or of a product package (500 , 550), the integrated circuit (210) comprising a unique identifier to identify the product with which it is associated.