Laminated product with electronic identification member

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to a laminated product exhibiting thickness adjustability by layer removal, the product comprising an alternating stack (10) of sheets and layers of adhesive material, each sheet having an intrinsic tear resistance, and each layer of adhesive material connecting two adjacent sheets of the stack (10) to each other by an adhesion force weaker than the tear resistance of the sheets, thus the thickness of the laminated product being adjustable by layer removal. The present invention relates to a product comprising a stack (10) of sheets, each of which can be detached from the stack (10) without tearing, the product comprising a housing (20) disposed in the thickness of the stack (10) and an electronic identification member (30) disposed in the housing (20), where the product comprises a power battery (34) for the electronic identification member (30) disposed in the housing (20).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present embodiments relate generally to laminated products and the tracking of these products. More particularly, the present embodiments relate to a laminated product presenting an adjustable thickness by peeling, the product comprising an alternating stack of sheets and layers of adhesive material, each sheet presenting an intrinsic resistance to tearing, and each layer of adhesive material connecting two adjacent sheets of the stack to each other by a joining force weaker than the resistance to tearing of the sheets, so that each sheet can be detached from the stack without tearing. BACKGROUND

[0002] Products of this type are known from the prior art and are used in particular as shims for mechanical assemblies. These assemblies generally present significant clearances at certain points, resulting from the combination of manufacturing tolerances. These clearances are compensated by the insertion of shims. The thickness of these shims can be adjusted by removing the upper sheet or the lower sheet one by one until the desired thickness is reached.

[0003] These shims are used in particular in industries requiring complete traceability of all parts for safety or quality assurance reasons. This is the case, for example, in aeronautics. Each part constituting an aircraft is numbered and a quality assurance file is associated with it, including the manufacturing plan, or at least their number, the material certificate, the number of manufacturing specifications, etc.

[0004] The serial number of the peelable shims is generally marked on the upper face of the shims by a stamp with non-fading ink at the time of manufacture.

[0005] However, this technique has drawbacks, in particular because during the operation of adjusting the thickness of the shims, the upper sheet of the shim with the serial number is removed. Once this operation is complete, the shim is no longer identifiable. It can be lost or exchanged with another by mistake between the time when its thickness is adjusted and when it is placed in position. In addition, the marking is difficult to read on certain types of shims, such as composite material shims, which present a surface that is not suitable for stamping, smooth or textured, depending on the material. Finally, the amount of information that can be marked on the shims is very limited and is generally limited to the serial number of the shims.

[0006] To overcome this drawback, the publication FR 2854098 discloses a laminated product integrating an electronic identification means, not only comprising the serial number of the product, but also other information such as the manufacturer, the material constituting the product, the date of installation, the order number and the date of the order.

[0007] The information contained in the electronic means is read via a reading unit that can be associated with a computer device.

[0008] However, reading this information must be performed at a very short distance from the electronic means, usually a few centimetres. This task becomes difficult when the installed laminated product is not easily accessible. Moreover, it is possible to identify only one product at a time. SUMMARY

[0009] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In this context, the present disclosure aims to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks.

[0011] To this end, the present disclosure relates to a laminated product whose thickness is adjustable by peeling, the product comprising an alternating stack of sheets and layers of adhesive material, each sheet having an intrinsic resistance to tearing, and each layer of adhesive material connecting two adjacent sheets of the stack to each other by a joining force weaker than the resistance to tearing of the sheets, so that each sheet can be detached from the stack without tearing, the product comprising a housing arranged in the thickness of the stack and an electronic identification means arranged in the housing, wherein the product comprises a power cell for the electronic identification means arranged in the housing.

[0012] The product of the present disclosure embodiments can also comprise the following optional features, considered individually or according to any technically possible combination:

[0013] - the cell is fixed to the electronic identification means, the cell and the electronic means forming an electronic assembly.

[0014] - the cell is rechargeable.

[0015] - the cell delivery comprises a voltage comprised between 2V and 5V and a cell capacity comprised between 40mAh and 60mAh.

[0016] - the cell has an extension axis and has an extension size comprised between 1mm and 4mm and a thickness less than 0.4mm.

[0017] - the electronic identification means have a thickness less than 200 microns and / or a cross section less than 2.5 square millimetres.

[0018] - the electronic means comprise a memory for storing identification information identifying or characterizing the product and a remotely queryable transmission means capable of transmitting the identification information stored in the memory.

[0019] - the memory of the electronic identification means has a storage capacity of at least 1 megabyte.

[0020] - the identification information stored in the memory comprises at least a serial number of the product.

[0021] - the memory of the electronic identification means allows to store at least most of the identification information, such as the identification of the product manufacturer, the product type, the order number, the customer identification, the identification of the materials that constitute the product and the number of the material certificates, the number of the applicable manufacturing standards, the number of the technical specifications of the product, the number of the qualification certificates, the date of manufacture, the delivery order number, the delivery date.

[0022] - some of the identification information is stored in coded form in the memory.

[0023] - the electronic means comprise devices for the measurement of temperature and / or pressure and / or vibration and / or radiation, the transmission means being able to transmit the measurements obtained by said devices.

[0024] - the housing is delimited by an internal wall, the fillable material filling the housing around the electronic means and the battery and fixing them to the internal wall.

[0025] - the fillable material is a resin, for example an epoxy resin, a phenolic resin, a vinyl ester resin or a polyethylene resin.

[0026] - the sheet is made of metal or composite material.

[0027] - the sheets all extend parallel to a reference plane, the housing also extending parallel to the reference plane.

[0028] The present disclosure also has the purpose of an identification and tracking system for a plurality of laminated products whose thickness is adjustable by peeling, each comprising an alternating stack of sheets, each sheet having intrinsic tear resistance, and of layers of adhesive material, each layer of adhesive material connecting two adjacent sheets of the stack to each other by a joining force weaker than the tear resistance of the sheets, so that each sheet can be detached from the stack without tearing, wherein it comprises a plurality of laminated products each equipped with an electronic identification means and a power supply battery for said electronic identification means, and a reading unit, the electronic means comprising a memory for storing identification information identifying or characterizing the product and transmission means able to transmit the identification information stored in the memory, the reading unit communicating with the transmission means of the electronic means and being able to query the identification information stored in the memory.

[0029] The system can also comprise the following optional features, considered individually or in any technically possible combination:

[0030] - the reading unit is portable and communicates remotely with the electronic means without wired connection.

[0031] - the reading unit and a computer unit for managing the identification information are integrated into a portable identification device, the reading unit being able to transmit the information read in the memory to the computer unit.

[0032] - the reading unit is able to transmit the identification information managed by the computer unit to the electronic component for writing in the memory.

[0033] - the computer unit implements the encoding and decoding of some of the identification information stored in the memory in encoded form.

[0034] - the encoding and decoding of the identification information are implemented using a mapping of the encoded information and a table of alphanumeric codes stored in the memory. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] Other characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure embodiments will become apparent from the description given below, which is given as an indication and not limitation, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0036] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a laminated product according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic identification component according to arrow II of Figure 1

[0038] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 is a schematic view of a product tracking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, showing a computer unit integrating a reading unit in communication with an electronic identification component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] It is first specified that in the attached drawings, the same reference designations designate the same elements, whatever the figure in which they appear, and whatever the form of representation of these elements. Similarly, if some elements are not specifically designated on one of the figures, their designation can easily be found by referring to another figure.

[0040] It should also be specified that the attached figures mainly represent one embodiment of the object of the present disclosure embodiments, but that other embodiments meeting the definition of the present disclosure embodiments can exist.

[0041] Figure 1 represents a laminated product whose thickness is adjustable by peeling, the thickness being such as Figure 1 the vertical dimension of the product represented in

[0042] ​The product comprises an alternating stack 10 of sheets 11 and layers 12 of adhesive material. The product is prepared from thin sheets 11, the thickness of which generally varies between 0.1 and 0.01 millimetres. These sheets 11 are coated with an extremely thin film of adhesive material, of the order of 0.002 millimetres, and are stacked. The stacked sheets 11 are then subjected to a treatment which consists in applying very high pressure to them while subjecting them to an extended heating cycle. The thickness of the layers 12 of adhesive material is even lower after the treatment, the thickness becoming almost immeasurable.

[0043] Each sheet 11 has an intrinsic resistance to tearing and each layer 12 of adhesive material connects two adjacent sheets 11 of the stack 10 to one another by a joint force which is weaker than the resistance to tearing of the sheets 11. Each sheet 11 can thus be detached from the stack 10 without tearing. A cutter is generally used to detach the sheets 11.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the product comprises a housing 20 arranged in the thickness of the stack 10 and an electronic identification member 30 arranged in the housing 20.

[0045] The electronic member 30, generally called a chip, comprises a memory 31 for storing identification information identifying or characterising the product and a remotely queryable transmission device 32 capable of transmitting the identification information stored in the memory 31.

[0046] The identification information comprises at least a serial number of the product.

[0047] According to a first embodiment of the disclosure, Figures 1 to 3 As illustrated in Figure 1, the memory 31 has a large storage capacity, sufficient to store at least a large part of the following information: the identity of the manufacturer of the product, the type of product, the serial number of the product, the order number, the identity of the customer, the identity of the materials constituting the product and the number of the certificate of materials, the number of the applicable manufacturing standard, the number of the technical specification of the product, the number of the certificate of conformity, the date of manufacture, the number of the delivery note, the date of delivery.

[0048] The memory 31 has a storage capacity of at least 1 megabyte and preferably 1024 bits, which allows the storage of several hundred thousand alphanumeric characters.

[0049] This capacity is sufficient to store all the information listed above. Some of the identification information is stored in coded form in the memory 31, as will be seen later. The list is not exhaustive and, within the storage capacity of the memory 31, other information can also be stored in the memory 31. This other information can also replace some of the information listed above.

[0050] In addition, the transmission device 32 is capable of remotely receiving the identification information and transmitting it to the memory 31, which stores the identification information.

[0051] The electronic component 30 is write-locked.

[0052] The transmission device 32 comprises a copper winding 321, acting as an antenna, electrically connected to the memory 31.

[0053] The electronic component 30 generally operates at a frequency of 125 kilohertz.

[0054] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the product also comprises a rechargeable battery 34 of the lithium polymer type, which can have a voltage between 2 V and 5 V, preferably between 3.6 V and 4.2 V, and even more preferably around 3.9 V, and a capacity between 10 μAh and 30 μAh, typically around 20 μAh. The battery 34 is fixed to the electronic component 30, for example via a resin, and forms an electronic assembly 35.

[0055] The electronic assembly 35 formed by the battery 34 and the electronic component 30 is represented in Figure 2 . It presents the overall shape of a cuboid, with a thickness less than 0.5 millimeter. This parallelepiped generally has a length of about 3 millimeters and a thickness of about 0.2 millimeter.

[0056] Typically, the electronic component 30 presents the shape of a cuboid, with a thickness less than 200 micrometers, preferably about 100 micrometers, and a cross section in a plane perpendicular to the thickness less than 2.5 square millimeters. This cross section is generally a square cross section, 1.3 millimeters on each side. Furthermore, the battery also presents the shape of a cuboid, with a thickness less than 400 micrometers, typically about 100 micrometers, a length between 1 millimeter and 4 millimeters, typically about 3.1 millimeters, and a width between 1 millimeter and 2 millimeters, typically about 1.7 millimeters.

[0057] As can be seen in Figure 1 , the sheet 11 extends parallel to the reference plane P represented horizontally in Figure 1 . The housing 20 preferably extends parallel to the reference plane P to occupy as small a product thickness as possible.

[0058] This housing 20 is a cylindrical blind hole and is open by an open end 23 on the lateral side of the product. It can be manufactured very simply, for example using a drill.

[0059] It has an internal diameter slightly greater than the external diameter of the electronic assembly 35.

[0060] The electronic assembly 35 is arranged in the housing 20, the axis of symmetry of the electronic assembly 35 being parallel to the axis of symmetry of the housing 20. The antenna 321 of the transmission device 32 is arranged on the side of the open end 23 of the housing 20. The housing 20 is delimited by the internal wall 21, the hard filler material 22 filling the housing 20 around the electronic component 30 and fixing it to the internal wall 21.

[0061] The filling material 22 is generally a resin such as an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, a vinyl ester resin or a polyvinyl type resin.

[0062] The present disclosure embodiments also relate to an identification device 40 and the tracking of laminated products equipped with an electronic identification device 30 such as described above.

[0063] The device 40 comprises an information management unit 41 for the identification information and a reading unit 42 in communication with the computer unit 41 and with the transmission device 32 of the electronic component 30.

[0064] Advantageously, the device 40 forms a compact assembly, the size of a smartphone or a tablet computer, and therefore integrates the computer unit 41, which comprises at least one processor and a memory area, and the reading unit 42, which comprises a chip of the RFID type for example.

[0065] The reading unit 42 is able to interrogate the identification information stored in the memory 31 and to transmit it to the computer unit 41. To do this, it interrogates the electronic component 30 by sending a signal to the transmission device 32, which transmits the identification information stored in the memory 31 to the reading unit 42.

[0066] The reading unit 42 is also able to transmit the identification information managed by the computer unit 41 to the electronic component 30, by means of the transmission device 32, for writing in the memory 31.

[0067] The computer unit 41 is equipped with a database management software.

[0068] The software is programmed to present to the user of the device a predetermined input mask comprising a field corresponding to the identification information stored in the memory 31.

[0069] The information presented in the form of an alphanumeric code is stored in the memory 31 in this form. This information is generally: the product serial number, the order number, the material certificate number, the product technical specification number, the certificate of conformity number, the date of manufacture, the delivery note number, the delivery date.

[0070] Other information is stored in the memory 31 in coded form, either because they would occupy too much space in the memory 31 in their conventional form, or because they are presented in a less suitable form. This information is generally: the identification of the product manufacturer, the product type, the customer identification, the identification of the materials constituting the product and the number of the applicable manufacturing standard.

[0071] The computer unit 41 implements the encoding and decoding of the identification information stored in coded form in the memory 31.

[0072] The encoding and decoding are implemented using tables included in the software, which map the encoded information and the alphanumeric codes to be stored in the memory.

[0073] The identification device 40 is portable, light, compact and can be easily carried by the user.

[0074] The reading unit 42 comprises a buffer memory for storing the identification information and the computer unit 41 comprises a display screen 411 and control means 412.

[0075] The buffer memory allows temporary storage of the identification information read in the memory 31 of the electronic component 30 or writing of the identification information in the memory 31 of the electronic component 30.

[0076] The screen 411 allows visualization of some of the identification information and allows display of parameters related to the operation of the reading unit 42.

[0077] The control means 412 are preferably a real or virtual keyboard and allow triggering of the reading of the identification information in the memory 31 of the electronic component 30, writing of the information in the memory 31 and locking of the electronic component 30 in writing.

[0078] The reading unit 42 communicates remotely with the electronic component 30 without a wired connection, as shown in Figure 3 .

[0079] The information is transmitted between the reading unit 42 and the electronic component 30 by means of waves or optical means. For this purpose, the reading unit 42 comprises transmission means cooperating with the transmission means 32 of the electronic component 30.

[0080] Since the electronic component 30 is powered by a battery, the reading distance between the component and the reading unit is not important. The transmission range depends only on the transmission power of the transmission means 32 and the reading unit 42, i.e. several meters.

[0081] The reading unit 42 communicates directly with the computer unit 41 inside the identification device 40.

[0082] The procedure for identification of the "tagged" laminated product is as follows.

[0083] 1) Introduction of the electronic assembly 35 formed by the electronic component 30 and the battery 34 fixed together in the casing 20 of the product.

[0084] 2) Filling of the casing 20 with the curable filling material 22.

[0085] 3) Introduction by the user of the identification information into the database of the computer unit 41 by filling in the different sectors of the mask sectors provided for this purpose.

[0086] 4) Some of the coded identification information is decoded by the computer unit 41 and all the identification information is transmitted to the buffer memory of the reading unit 42.

[0087] 5) The identification information is transmitted from the buffer memory of the reading unit 42 to the electronic means 30 according to a user command and the information is written in the memory 31.

[0088] 6) The electronic means 30 are locked in writing according to a user command.

[0089] The procedure for reading the identification information is as follows.

[0090] 1) The reading unit 42 is activated via the computer unit 41.

[0091] 2) The identification information in the memory 31 of the electronic means 30 is read according to a user command and the information is transmitted to the buffer memory of the reading unit 42.

[0092] 3) The identification information is transmitted from the buffer memory of the reading unit 42 to the computer unit 41 according to a user command from the computer unit 41.

[0093] 4) The coded identification information is decoded by the computer unit 41.

[0094] 5) The identification information is visualized by the user using the masks provided in the database.

[0095] The product can be manufactured with a sheet 11 of metal or composite material. In the case where the sheet 11 is metal, special precautions must be taken to ensure the quality of the communication between the electronic means 30 and the reading unit 42.

[0096] The antenna 321 of the transmission means 32 of the electronic means 30 is arranged in this case in the immediate vicinity of the open end 23 of the housing 20. Furthermore, the internal diameter of the housing 20 is chosen sufficiently large with respect to the external diameter of the electronic assembly 35. A minimum spacing is maintained between the electronic assembly 35 and the internal wall 21 of the housing 20, for example 0.5 mm.

[0097] In an alternative embodiment, the electronic means 30 can comprise means for measuring the ambient temperature, the pressure exerted on the product, the vibrations or the radiation. The measurement results are transmitted by the transmission means 32 to the reading unit 42 which in turn transmits them to the computer unit 41.

[0098] Thus, it is well understood that the embodiments of the disclosure allow the laminated product to be identified reliably and durably without the risk of information loss when the upper layer or the lower layer of the product is peeled off to adjust its thickness.

[0099] A large amount of information can be stored in the electronic component 30 and thus physically permanently associated with the laminated product, which was not possible before.

[0100] Moreover, the presence of the battery provides the electronic component with the necessary energy for remote communication several meters away from the reading unit. Furthermore, the reading unit can communicate simultaneously with several electronic components 30 of several laminated products. In particular, it is possible to read several electronic components 30 simultaneously or to write in several electronic components 30 simultaneously.

[0101] Of course, the examples of the embodiments cited here are not limiting and it is well understood that it is possible to choose the type and size of the identification means depending on the thickness of the laminated product to obtain the best compromise between memory capacity / size. In any case, a laminated product equipped with identification means combining a large storage capacity and a very low thickness also falls within the scope covered by the embodiments of the disclosure.

[0102] Moreover, the identification device of the embodiments of the disclosure is tamper-proof and counterfeit-proof. First, because the electronic component cannot be removed from the housing when the filling material has been poured. It is necessary to damage the gasket or the electronic component itself. Then, because the electronic component can be locked in write mode or available only in read-only mode.

[0103] Thus, for the first embodiment, fraud on the origin of the laminated product becomes more difficult, or even impossible, since all the data allowing the identification of the product are permanently accessible and tamper-proof.

[0104] It should be noted that the laminated product described above is very well suited for use as a peelable gasket to compensate for the gaps in mechanical assemblies, in particular in the aeronautical industry, where all the parts are subject to very thorough tracking and quality control.

Claims

1. A laminated product presenting an adjustable thickness by peeling, the product comprising an alternating stack (10) of sheets (11) and layers (12) of adhesive material, each sheet (11) having an intrinsic resistance to tearing, and each layer (12) of adhesive material connecting two adjacent sheets (11) of the stack (10) to each other by a joining force weaker than the resistance to tearing of the sheets (11), each sheet (11) thus being able to be detached from the stack (10) without tearing, the product comprising a housing (20) disposed in the thickness of the stack (10) and an electronic identification means (30) arranged in the housing (20), wherein, The product comprises a power cell (34) for the electronic identification means (30) arranged in the housing (20).

2. The product of claim 1, wherein, The cell (34) is fixed to the electronic identification means (30), the cell (34) and the electronic means (30) forming an electronic assembly (35).

3. The product of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The cell (34) is rechargeable.

4. The product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The cell (34) delivers a voltage comprised between 2 V and 5 V and a cell capacity comprised between 10 μAh and 30 μAh.

5. The product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The cell (34) has an extension axis and has an extension dimension comprised between 1 mm and 4 mm and a thickness less than 0.4 mm.

6. The product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The electronic identification means (30) present a thickness less than 200 microns and / or a section less than 2.5 mm2.

7. The product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The electronic means (30) comprise a memory (31) for storing identification information identifying or characterizing the product and a remotely queryable transmission device (32) capable of transmitting the identification information stored in the memory (31).

8. The product of any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The housing (20) is delimited by an internal wall (21), the electronic means (30) and the cell (34) being filled around by a curable filling material (22) and fixed to the internal wall (21).

9. An identification and tracking system for the peeling presentation of laminated products of adjustable thickness, each comprising an alternating stack (10) of sheets (11) and layers (12) of adhesive material, each sheet (11) presenting an intrinsic resistance to tearing, and each layer (12) of adhesive material connecting two adjacent sheets (11) of the stack (10) to each other by a joining force weaker than the resistance to tearing of the sheets (11), each sheet (11) thus being able to be detached from the stack (10) without tearing, wherein, It comprises a plurality of laminated products each equipped with electronic identification means (30) and a power cell (34) for the electronic identification means (30), the electronic means (30) comprising a memory (31) for storing identification information identifying or characterizing the product and a transmission device (32) capable of transmitting the identification information stored in the memory (31), and a reading unit (42) in communication with the transmission device (32) of the electronic means (30) and capable of querying the identification information stored in the memory (31).

10. The system of claim 9, wherein, The reading unit (42) and the computer unit (41) for managing the identification information are integrated into a portable identification device (40), the reading unit (42) being capable of transmitting the information read in the memory (31) to the computer unit (41). The reading unit (42) and the computer unit (41) for managing the identification information are integrated into a portable identification device (40), the reading unit (42) being capable of transmitting the information read in the memory (31) to the computer unit (41).

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