Methods For Coupling An RFID Chip To An Antenna

Abstract

A method for mounting multiple small RFID chips onto larger antenna. The chips are mechanically aligned with an interdigitated gap at the feed point of the antenna by electrostatic or magnetic techniques. In an alternate embodiment RF field coupling between the chips and the antenna is employed.

1 . A method for coupling a Radio Frequency Identification (RFIC) chip to an antenna having a feed region comprising the step of effecting coupling of the chip to the antenna by means of RF field coupling. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the RF field coupling includes a field coupling loop integrated into the RFID chip. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a small RFID chip is made from a wafer, the chip then being mounted onto a small coil, the chip and coupling coil then mounted onto the antenna. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the antenna is mounted on an item. 
     
     
         5 . A method for coupling a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip to an antenna having a feed region comprising the steps of:
 patterning conductive ink on a surface to form the antenna having a gap at the feed region; and,   self-aligning the chip across the gap.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the RFID chip is self-aligned by means of an electrostatic free charge. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the RFID chip is self-aligned by means of electrostatic dielectric polarization. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the RFID chip is self aligned by means of magnetostatic permanent and soft magnetism. 
     
     
         9 . A method providing a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag to an item, comprising the steps of:
 patterning an antenna at the item; and,   depositing microradio RFID chips at the feed point of the antenna using xerographic techniques in which the antenna is imaged onto photoconductive material and in which multiple microradios are deposited over the imaged antenna.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the pattern of the antenna imaged onto the photoconductive material corresponds to a charged image. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the pattern of microradios that are deposited over the photoconductive material exist only in the region of the charged image pattern. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the pattern of microradios on the photoconductive material is placed adjacent to and aligned with the patterned antenna, and further including the step of transferring the microradio pattern from the photoconductive material to the patterned antenna. 
     
     
         13 . A method for coupling an RFID integrated circuit chip to the feed point of an antenna, comprising the steps of:
 providing a coupling loop to the RFID integrated circuit chip, with the size of the loop being commensurate with the size of the chip;   providing neck-down antenna material at the feed point of the antenna; and,   locating the RFID integrated circuit chip and the coupling loop within the neck-down portion of the feed point of the antenna, whereby the focused magnetic field region associated with the neck-down portion of the antenna is commensurate in size with the size of the loop.