Tag assembly
A tag assembly is described wherein the tag assembly is affixable to clothing and/or a body and wherein the assembly includes a support sheet; a tag disposed on the support sheet, the tag being configured to transmit a signal to a receiver; and, an expandable spacer structure disposed the support sheet, the expandable spacer structure providing a predetermined spacing between the tag and the body, the expandable spacer being configured to expand from a thin non-expanded state to a expanded state of a predetermined spacer thickness.
1. A tag assembly to be worn by a participant of a sports event during the sports event, the tag assembly comprising:
a support sheet;
a tag disposed on the support sheet, the tag comprising an antenna structure and the tag being configured to transmit a signal to a receiver that detects a passage of the participant; and
an expandable spacer structure disposed on the support sheet spaced away from or partly or fully on top of the antenna structure, the expandable spacer structure providing a predetermined spacing between the tag and a body of the participant, the expandable spacer structure being configured to expand from a non-expanded state to an expanded state of a predetermined spacer thickness, wherein the expandable spacer structure in the expanded state has a thickness in a range between 5 and 15 mm and in the non-expanded state has a thickness smaller than 5 mm, and wherein
the expandable spacer structure comprises one or more pieces of resilient material configured to adjust at least in one dimension in response to a change in pressure, the non-expanded state including the one or more pieces of resilient material being vacuum packaged, and an expansion to the expanded stated being initiated by breaking the vacuum package.
2. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the tag comprises at least one metallic dipole antenna structure; and
the expandable spacer structure is located at at least one of the following locations: (i) within a proximity of the antenna structure; and (ii) at least partly on top of the dipole antenna structure.
3. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the tag is operative in the ultra-high frequency range.
4. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the support sheet further comprises one or more metallic passive elements for directing at least part of the signal into a predetermined direction.
5. The assembly according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the passive elements is configured as a reflector.
6. The assembly according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the passive elements is configured as a director.
7. The assembly according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the passive elements is formed onto the support sheet using conductive ink or coating.
8. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the assembly further comprises a non-expandable spacer structure disposed on the support sheet, the non-expandable spacer structure providing a predetermined spacing between the tag and the body when the expandable spacer structure is not in its expanded state.
9. The assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the non-expandable spacer structure has a thickness between 2 mm and 6 mm.
10. The assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising at least a dielectric layer disposed between the tag and the expandable spacer structure, wherein
the dielectric layer comprises a high-dielectric material; and
a metallic thin-film antenna structure is impedance matched to a processor taking into account the presence of the dielectric layer in the direct proximity of the antenna structure.
11. A sports bib comprising:
a thin flexible sheet configured to be affixed to articles of clothing or a body of a participant of a sports event, the thin flexible sheet comprising a printed identifier on a front side;
a tag structure comprising a processor connected to a metallic thin-film antenna structure, disposed on the back side of the thin flexible sheet, the tag structure being configured to transmit a signal to a receiver that detects a passage of the participant; and
an expandable spacer structure disposed on the back side of the thin flexible sheet spaced away from or partly or fully on top of the antenna structure, the expandable spacer structure providing a predetermined spacing between the tag structure and the body, the expandable spacer structure being configured to expand from a non-expanded state to an expanded state of a predetermined spacer thickness, wherein the expandable spacer structure in the expanded state has a thickness in a range between 5 and 15 mm and in the non-expanded state has a thickness smaller than 5 mm, and wherein
the expandable spacer structure comprises one or more pieces of resilient material configured to adjust at least in one dimension in response to a change in pressure, the non-expanded state including the one or more pieces of resilient material being vacuum packaged, and an expansion to the expanded stated being initiated by breaking the vacuum package.