WO1998015853A2 - Multi-bit magnetic tag and its method of manufacture - Google Patents
Multi-bit magnetic tag and its method of manufacture Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1998015853A2 WO1998015853A2 PCT/GB1997/002760 GB9702760W WO9815853A2 WO 1998015853 A2 WO1998015853 A2 WO 1998015853A2 GB 9702760 W GB9702760 W GB 9702760W WO 9815853 A2 WO9815853 A2 WO 9815853A2
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- tag
- magnetic
- zones
- substrate
- magnetised
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01V—GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS
- G01V15/00—Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object
Definitions
- the present application relates to novel magnetic tags and to methods of reading magnetic tags.
- a multi-bit magnetic tag which comprises a substrate which carries at least two magnetically active zones each formed of the same material and each of substantially the same shape and size.
- a tag as just defined comprises from three to twenty magnetically active zones; these may be arranged in a regular or irregular formation, e.g. in line along a strip- orm tag; or as a two-dimensional array on a tag.
- Data may be generated in a number of ways with such tags - for example, by one or more of the following: the number of magnetically active zones; their relative positions on the tag; the spacing between the magnetically active zones; and the intensity of magnetisation of the zones.
- a multi-bit magnetic tag which comprises a substrate which is coated with a magnetic material carrying a plurality of magnetised zones spaced apart from one another by non-magnetised areas.
- a multi-bit magnetic tag which comprises a substrate carrying a plurality of magnetised zones characterised in that the magnetic material from which said zones are formed is an anisotropic magnetic material having an axis of easy magnetisation, and in that at least two of the magnetically active zones are such that their easy axes of magnetisation are non-parallel.
- an additional source of data - namely the direction of the axis of easy magnetisation (hereinafter termed "DEAM" ) - is present in the tag.
- DEAM direction of the axis of easy magnetisation
- a tag as just defined comprises at least three magnetised zones; these may be arranged in a regular or irregular formation, e.g. in line along a strip-form tag; or as a two-dimensional array on a tag.
- magnetised zones may be spaced apart by non- magnetised areas, or they may be substantially adjacent, or they may be spaced apart by differently magnetised zones (although in such a case the intervening magnetic material will be chosen so as not to inhibit or corrupt the desired variation in DEAM).
- Data may be generated in a number of ways with such tags - for example, by one or more of the following: the number of magnetically active zones; their relative positions on the tag; the spacing between the magnetically active zones; and the intensity of magnetisation of the zones.
- a method of making a tag as defined above comprises sputtering a magnetically anisotropic material onto a substrate carried on a coating drum, characterised in that a non-uniform magnetic bias is applied to, or close to, the drum or the substrate so as to influence the direction of the axis of easy magnetisation of the magnetically anisotropic material as it is deposited by the sputtering process; removing the coated substrate from the coating drum; and cutting the coated substrate into tags of the desired shape and size.
- This permits tags with variable DEAM to be manufactured by sputtering techniques utilising a magnetic bias during the sputtering operation.
- the magnetic bias may, for example, be associated with the cooled drum carrying the substrate onto whose surface a magnetic alloy is being deposited.
- a spatially alternating magnetic bias magnet is positioned beneath the surface of the drum.
- a suitable bias magnet for this purpose is one formed of a flexible polymeric material containing magnetisable particles, e.g. ferrite. These flexible sheets can readily be magnetised according to any desired pattern of magnetisation, and so more complicated patterns may be generated if desired.
- the DEAM extends across the width of the film which is being produced.
- the sputtered material experiences varying magnetic environments as the drum rotates. Where the magnetisation behind the drum is very low or zero, the sputtered material will have its DEAM aligned across the width of the web, as normal; as the underlying magnetic field increases, it will progressively influence the environment at which deposition occurs, resulting in the DEAM swinging around from its "zero point" direction to a new direction whose vector depends upon the magnetisation direction underlying the drum.
- the DEAM of the sputtered web can be made to rotate as the web is produced.
- the rotation is not uniform, however, since a certain field strength is required before the deposited material "flips" away from its zero point DEAM.
- a method of reading data stored in a magnetic tag which comprises subjecting the tag to a relatively large substantially static magnetic field which progressively reduces to' zero; and, at least when the said magnetic field is at or approaching zero, subjecting the tag additionally to a relatively low amplitude alternating magnetic field; and detecting the response of the tag when the substantially static field is at or in the vicinity of its zero point and the tag is experiencing the alternating magnetic field.
- the substantially static magnetic field will usually be a DC magnetic field; it could alternatively be a slowly changing field, as for example would be obtained if two electromagnets generate the field and are fed with ac of say 1 Hz or less.
- Figure 1 shows a plan view of one tag in accordance with this invention
- FIG. 2 shows a plan view of another tag in accordance with this invention.
- Figure 3 shows a plan view of a third tag in accordance with this invention.
- Figure 4 shows a magnetic biassing means for use in generating tags with variable DEAMs
- Figure 5 illustrates how the DEAMs vary in dependence on the properties of the magnetic biassing means of Fig. 4.
- the tag comprises a substrate 1 which carries a plurality of magnetically active zones such as 2.
- each zone of magnetically active material is formed of the same material and has substantially the same shape and size.
- the zones in Figure 2 form a simple liner array, while those of Figure 1 are arranged in four linear arrays indicated by dashed lines A, B, C and D.
- Figure 3 shows two of a series of identical tags produced from a web 4 obtained from a sputtering machine which is operated with magnetic biassing means underlying the coating drum.
- the arrows show the DEAM for each of the zones; as shown, zones 2, 3a, 3b and 3c have different DEAM.
- the gaps 6 between the magnetically active zones can be formed by modifying the magnetic properties of the sputtered material during or after the sputtering process.
- Figure 4 shows a magnetic biassing means for use in producing tags having variable DEAMs.
- the means consists of a flexible polymer sheet incorporating fine particles of ferrite which are magnetised in alternating field directions F- j _, F 2 , F-,, F 2 , etc. as shown.
- the resultant web of sputtered material is shown in Figure 5.
- the dashed and chain lines E, F and G are used to correlate field directions F ⁇ ( line E ) , F 2 (line G) and zero field (line F) in the magnetic biassing sheet with the resultant DEAMs K, L and M in the sputtered web. Cutting such a web into thin strips produces a series of strip labels whose characteristics resemble those of Fig. 3, but with a more regular variation of the DEAM.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9908065A GB2335118A (en) | 1996-10-09 | 1997-10-08 | Magnetic tags and techniques |
DE19782088T DE19782088T1 (en) | 1996-10-09 | 1997-10-08 | Magnetic markings and procedures |
AU45681/97A AU4568197A (en) | 1996-10-09 | 1997-10-08 | Magnetic tags and techniques |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GBGB9621000.0A GB9621000D0 (en) | 1996-10-09 | 1996-10-09 | Magnetic tags and techniques |
GB9621000.0 | 1996-10-09 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1998015853A2 true WO1998015853A2 (en) | 1998-04-16 |
WO1998015853A3 WO1998015853A3 (en) | 1998-09-03 |
Family
ID=10801131
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB1997/002760 WO1998015853A2 (en) | 1996-10-09 | 1997-10-08 | Multi-bit magnetic tag and its method of manufacture |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
AU (1) | AU4568197A (en) |
DE (1) | DE19782088T1 (en) |
GB (1) | GB9621000D0 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1998015853A2 (en) |
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2334183A (en) * | 1998-01-12 | 1999-08-11 | Sentec Ltd | Programmable magnetic data tag |
WO2000010123A1 (en) * | 1998-08-14 | 2000-02-24 | Flying Null Limited | Magnetic information carriers |
US6317044B1 (en) | 1996-09-05 | 2001-11-13 | Key-Track, Inc. | Inventoriable object control and tracking system |
US6392543B2 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2002-05-21 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Mobile object tracking system |
US6407665B2 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2002-06-18 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Object tracking system with non-contact object detection and identification |
US6427913B1 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2002-08-06 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Object control and tracking system with zonal transition detection |
US6501379B2 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2002-12-31 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Object carriers for an object control and tracking system |
WO2003012484A1 (en) * | 2001-07-31 | 2003-02-13 | Terram Limited | Detecting buried geosynthetic |
GB2394725A (en) * | 2002-10-04 | 2004-05-05 | Qinetiq Ltd | Method of forming a magnetic information tag by electroless deposition |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE10139502C1 (en) * | 2001-08-10 | 2003-03-20 | Diehl Munitionssysteme Gmbh | Method and device for finding cluster munitions duds |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1331604A (en) * | 1969-11-14 | 1973-09-26 | Emi Ltd | Magnetic information storage means |
EP0011053A1 (en) * | 1978-10-30 | 1980-05-14 | IPM - Industria Politecnica Meridionale | Method for obtaining a credit card having an anisotropic, uniaxial magnetization and credit card obtained thereby |
EP0448114A1 (en) * | 1990-03-23 | 1991-09-25 | Unitika Ltd. | Thin-film magnetic material and process of production thereof |
WO1996031790A1 (en) * | 1995-04-04 | 1996-10-10 | Scientific Generics Limited | Spatial magnetic interrogation |
WO1997004338A1 (en) * | 1995-07-17 | 1997-02-06 | Flying Null Limited | Improvements relating to magnetic tags of markers |
-
1996
- 1996-10-09 GB GBGB9621000.0A patent/GB9621000D0/en active Pending
-
1997
- 1997-10-08 WO PCT/GB1997/002760 patent/WO1998015853A2/en active Application Filing
- 1997-10-08 DE DE19782088T patent/DE19782088T1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1997-10-08 AU AU45681/97A patent/AU4568197A/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1331604A (en) * | 1969-11-14 | 1973-09-26 | Emi Ltd | Magnetic information storage means |
EP0011053A1 (en) * | 1978-10-30 | 1980-05-14 | IPM - Industria Politecnica Meridionale | Method for obtaining a credit card having an anisotropic, uniaxial magnetization and credit card obtained thereby |
EP0448114A1 (en) * | 1990-03-23 | 1991-09-25 | Unitika Ltd. | Thin-film magnetic material and process of production thereof |
WO1996031790A1 (en) * | 1995-04-04 | 1996-10-10 | Scientific Generics Limited | Spatial magnetic interrogation |
WO1997004338A1 (en) * | 1995-07-17 | 1997-02-06 | Flying Null Limited | Improvements relating to magnetic tags of markers |
Cited By (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6707380B2 (en) | 1995-09-08 | 2004-03-16 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Inventoriable-object control and tracking system |
US6317044B1 (en) | 1996-09-05 | 2001-11-13 | Key-Track, Inc. | Inventoriable object control and tracking system |
GB2334183A (en) * | 1998-01-12 | 1999-08-11 | Sentec Ltd | Programmable magnetic data tag |
GB2334183B (en) * | 1998-01-12 | 2000-12-13 | Sentec Ltd | Magnetic data tagging |
WO2000010123A1 (en) * | 1998-08-14 | 2000-02-24 | Flying Null Limited | Magnetic information carriers |
US6424260B2 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2002-07-23 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Mobile object tracking system |
US6407665B2 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2002-06-18 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Object tracking system with non-contact object detection and identification |
US6427913B1 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2002-08-06 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Object control and tracking system with zonal transition detection |
US6501379B2 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2002-12-31 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Object carriers for an object control and tracking system |
US6693538B2 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2004-02-17 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Object carriers for an object control and tracking system |
US6392543B2 (en) | 1998-09-11 | 2002-05-21 | Key-Trak, Inc. | Mobile object tracking system |
WO2003012484A1 (en) * | 2001-07-31 | 2003-02-13 | Terram Limited | Detecting buried geosynthetic |
GB2394725A (en) * | 2002-10-04 | 2004-05-05 | Qinetiq Ltd | Method of forming a magnetic information tag by electroless deposition |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB9621000D0 (en) | 1996-11-27 |
WO1998015853A3 (en) | 1998-09-03 |
AU4568197A (en) | 1998-05-05 |
DE19782088T1 (en) | 1999-11-18 |
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