Method and apparatus for manufacturing a strip with integrated electronic components

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a strip of material having integrated electronic components, the method comprising the steps of: conveying a material web; cutting a first blank from the material web; lifting the first blank; placing an electronic component onto the material web; conveying the material web again having the electronic component thereon; cutting a blank from the material web to obtain a second blank, the electronic component being located on the second blank; and placing the first blank onto the second blank to house the electronic component between the first blank and the second blank, wherein the first blank and the second blank have unvulcanized rubber or are made of unvulcanized rubber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing strips with integrated electronic components. In particular, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing rubber strips with integrated radio frequency identification (RFID) chips. Background Technology

[0002] It is known in the prior art that radio frequency identification (RFID) chips are integrated into car tires or truck tires for logistical and quality assurance purposes. This method can also be used for traffic monitoring and, when necessary, to provide evidence of tire or wheel theft.

[0003] It is also known that strips with integrated RFID chips, so-called RFID tags, are made from uncured rubber, and then these strips are vulcanized together with the rubber used to make the tires during tire manufacturing. To manufacture such strips with integrated RFID chips, two separate webs of material are unrolled from a roll, and the RFID chip is integrated between the two webs and then laminated before the webs are cut into strips or RFID tags. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing strips with integrated electronic components, thereby reducing the space requirements for manufacturing equipment. This object is achieved by the method according to claim 1, the method according to claim 4, and the apparatus according to claim 11. The dependent claims relate to advantageous structural designs of the invention.

[0005] A method for manufacturing a strip of material having integrated electronic components, according to the present invention, comprises the following steps: conveying a strip of material; cutting a first blank from the strip of material; lifting the first blank; placing the electronic components onto the strip of material; conveying a strip of material again having the electronic components thereon; cutting a blank from the strip of material to obtain a second blank, on which the electronic components are located; and placing the first blank onto the second blank, thereby housing the electronic components between the first blank and the second blank.

[0006] According to the present invention, a first blank and a second blank are cut from the same material web. Therefore, only one device is needed for unfolding and conveying the single material web composed of unvulcanized rubber. In this way, the entire manufacturing equipment requires significantly less space, as the device for unfolding the second material web composed of unvulcanized rubber can be omitted. Furthermore, the operation is simplified because only the material web composed of unvulcanized rubber needs to be loaded into the manufacturing equipment.

[0007] If the blanks have sufficiently adhesive contact surfaces, then these blanks can be bonded together by the aforementioned placement. However, it is also possible to additionally bond or laminate the first and second blanks to obtain a strip with integrated electronic components.

[0008] The electronic component preferably has a memory and at least one antenna, wherein the antenna can be used for information exchange for writing to and / or reading from the memory, and for power supply when necessary. In particular, the electronic component is preferably a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip having at least one antenna. The first and second blanks are preferably made of uncured rubber.

[0009] Additionally, according to the invention, it is possible for the first and second billets to have different dimensions, and for one billet to be placed offset from the other. This allows for different forms of the strip. According to the prior art, only billets of the same size can be achieved, with their edges precisely having the same x and y orientation (x-axis: feed direction in manufacturing; y-axis: transverse to the feed direction; z-axis: vertical axis to the large surface of the billet). According to the invention, it is also possible for one billet to be smaller than the other, such that a roughly trapezoidal structure is produced in the cross-section when the centroids of the areas are oriented the same. Alternatively, one billet can be offset relative to the other along the x and y directions, resulting in a "Z-pattern" when the centroids of the areas are correspondingly offset (in the case where the edges are preferably parallel). Furthermore, one billet can be offset relative to the other only along the x-direction (in the case where the edges are preferably parallel) to obtain a "diamond pattern."

[0010] The placement of electronic components, particularly radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, on the material web can be performed after the first blank is cut from the material web to create a strip containing exactly the electronic component. Alternatively, the placement of the electronic component can be performed before the first and second blanks are cut from the material web to create a strip containing exactly the electronic component. In both cases, the material web, along with the electronic component disposed thereon, is guided through the cutting device. This again creates a spatial advantage, as the device for placing the electronic component can then be positioned upstream of the cutting device, for example, above it.

[0011] Preferably, the lifting of the first blank and the shearing of the second blank are performed simultaneously. This allows these processes to be performed concurrently, increasing manufacturing speed. Alternatively, the shearing of the first blank and the shearing of the second blank can be performed simultaneously, for example, by using a double-edged blade (Doppelmesser). Finally, as an optional solution, the placement of the first blank and the shearing of the second blank can also be performed simultaneously.

[0012] According to the invention, a method for manufacturing a strip with integrated electronic components can also be implemented, as an alternative, using the following steps: conveying a material web; cutting a first blank from the material web; cutting a second blank from the material web; placing the electronic components onto the second blank; placing the first blank onto the second blank, thereby housing the electronic components between the first and second blanks. The first and second blanks can then be additionally combined, particularly laminated, to obtain a strip with integrated electronic components. In this case, only one device is needed for unfolding and conveying a single material web made of unvulcanized rubber. However, the electronic components are not placed onto the material web upstream of the cutting device, but rather, more precisely, onto the already cut blanks downstream of the cutting device.

[0013] Preferably, the blanks containing the electronic components disposed therein are bonded together by pressure, particularly by lamination. The progressively manufactured blanks can then be placed onto a single-sided bonded strip or a support web, and the strip is then wound into a roll. In this way, blanks can be automatically cut from the roll during tire manufacturing, for example, in other factories.

[0014] In the context of this invention, the strip is generally preferably configured to bond with rubber used in the manufacture of tires.

[0015] The method for manufacturing strips according to the present invention generally preferably includes the final step of bonding the manufactured strips with rubber used for manufacturing tires.

[0016] According to the present invention, an apparatus for manufacturing a strip of material having integrated electronic components includes: means for conveying a web of material made of unvulcanized rubber; a shearing device; means for placing the electronic components onto the web of material or onto blanks cut from the web of material; and means for lifting the blanks cut from the web of material and for subsequently placing the lifted blanks onto another cut blank, thereby housing the electronic components between the two blanks. In this way, a second means for conveying the web of material made of unvulcanized rubber can be omitted. Furthermore, means for combining two blanks can be provided to obtain a strip of material having integrated electronic components.

[0017] In addition, it is preferable to provide means for laying strips with integrated electronic components onto transport webs or support webs and for winding transport webs or support webs into rolls after laying.

[0018] Generally, it is preferred that the device according to the invention be configured for implementing the method according to the invention.

[0019] According to the present invention, the equipment is configured to process a material web made of unvulcanized rubber and / or a blank made of unvulcanized rubber. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, which has a cutting device and a means for laying electronic components onto a material web;

[0021] Figure 2 A shearing device and a device for lifting a billet are shown according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 An apparatus arranged after or downstream of the shearing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Figure 4 An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown for winding a strip of material having integrated electronic components onto a transport web or a support web that is bonded to one side;

[0024] Figure 5 A top view of a strip with integrated electronic components according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Figure 5 A strip 13 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown, which has an integrated electronic component 3. Since the electronic component 3 is disposed between two blanks, it is not visible from the outside. Therefore, in Figure 5 The view of the electronic component 3 can only be considered as its position view within the strip 13.

[0026] The electronic component 3 according to the invention preferably has a memory and at least one antenna 12, wherein one or more antennas can be used for information exchange for writing to and / or reading from the memory, and for power supply when necessary. In particular, the electronic component is preferably a radio frequency identification chip 11 with two antennas 12 (see...). Figure 5 ).

[0027] The strip with integrated electronic components may have a length of, for example, 30 to 150 mm, particularly 50 to 120 mm, and more preferably 50 to 70 mm. The width may be, for example, 3 to 50 mm, particularly 5 to 20 mm, and more preferably 8 to 12 mm. The height may be, for example, 0.3 to 4 mm, particularly 0.5 to 1 mm, and more preferably 0.6 to 0.8 mm.

[0028] Figure 1An apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, having a cutting device 1 and a device 2 for laying electronic components 3 onto a material web 4. The material web 4 is preferably made of unvulcanized rubber.

[0029] The material web 4 is conveyed by a device 5 for conveying the material web. The material web 4 is first wound onto a roll 4a and unwound by the conveying device, and then conveyed to the shearing device 1 via a preferably driven guide roller or conveyor 6.

[0030] The material web 4 is first covered with an intermediate film or protective material 7. This protective material 7 is deflected in the area of ​​the guide roller 6, for example, around the guide plate or around the wedge 8, so that the protective material 7 can be removed from the material web 4. The protective material 7 can then be turned and wound onto the roll 10 via another guide roller 9.

[0031] Each electronic component 3 is first positioned between a transparent plastic strip 14a and a transparent plastic film 14b, which are wound onto a roll 15. The transparent plastic strip 14a and the transparent plastic film 14b, along with the electronic components 3, are unwound from the roll 15. Then, the transparent plastic strip 14a is wound around the roll 16a, and the transparent plastic film 14b is wound around the roll 16b. Here, the transparent plastic film 14b is turned by a guide plate or wedge 18, and the transparent plastic strip 14a is turned by a clamping element 17. The clamping element 17 is configured to be elongated, with a preferably circular or elliptical cross-section.

[0032] Although the electronic components 3 are wound on a roll in the illustrated embodiment, they can also be conveyed on a transparent plastic sheet (Blisterplatte) according to the present invention.

[0033] The clamping element 17 is adjacent to the transfer mechanism 18. From this area (where the transparent plastic strip 14a and transparent plastic film 14b are separated from each other), the individual electronic components are transferred to the material web 4. The transfer mechanism 18 preferably has a rotatable roll 20 and a fixed magnetic area 19 disposed within the roll 20. The electronic components are held on the roll 20 by magnetic force and then automatically detach so that they lie flat on the material web 4.

[0034] Instead of the aforementioned transfer mechanism 18, this transfer mechanism can also be constructed as a partially magnetic strip (instead of a partially magnetic roll) or as a mechanism with a gripping system.

[0035] The material web 4 is then cut into individual blanks by the shearing device 1. This shearing device can be configured in various ways, such as having a continuous blade (e.g., a punch or a paper cutter) that moves from top to bottom; a roller blade that moves transversely to the material web; or a blade located on the rotating roll (so-called a cross-cutter).

[0036] The shearing device is operated by a control device (not shown) to alternately shear off a first blank 21a without electronic components 3, and then shear off a second blank 21b having electronic components 3.

[0037] Figure 2 A shearing device 1 and a device 22 for lifting blanks according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown. The device 22 lifts a first blank 21a (without electronic components) so that a second blank 21b having electronic components can be positioned below the first blank. The first blank 21a is then lowered back down, thereby positioning or housing the electronic components 3 between the two blanks 21a and 21b. The device 22 may for this purpose have a mechanical gripping device or a vacuum gripping device.

[0038] Figure 3 An apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention is shown, positioned after or downstream of a shearing device. Two rollers, 23, are positioned after a device 22 for lifting the billet. These rollers are used to combine two billets to obtain a strip 13 with integrated electronic components. This device 23 is preferably a laminating device, such that pressure forces the billets together with the electronic components disposed therebetween.

[0039] In addition, a device 24 may be provided for transmitting information to the electronic component 3 (more precisely, to the memory of the electronic component via at least one antenna 12) and / or for testing the functionality of the electronic component 3. An inspection device for quality inspection of the strips or RFID tags 13 and a discharge device for separating defective strips or RFID tags 13 may also be provided.

[0040] Figure 4 An apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention is shown for winding a strip (13) with integrated electronic components onto a single-sided attached transport web or support web 25. The strip or RFID tag is pressed onto the support web via a roll 27. The support web 25, together with the strip 13 or RFID tag, is then wound onto a roll 26 so that it can be easily and automatically re-transported in a tire factory after transport if necessary.

[0041] In the tire factory, the strip 13 with integrated electronic components 3 is combined with the rubber used to manufacture the tire and vulcanized together, so that the electronic components are finally integrated into the tire.

[0042] Although in the above embodiment the electronic component 3 is laid on the material web 4 before the shearing device, the electronic component 3 can also be laid on the already sheared blanks 21a and 21b after the shearing device.

[0043] In addition, according to the present invention, electronic components can be laid on the first blank 21a (instead of the second blank) or on a portion of the material web 4, and then the material web is cut into the first blank 21a, and then the second blank 21b is laid on the first blank 21a.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a strip (13) having an integrated electronic component (3), the method comprising the following steps: A material web (4) is conveyed, a first blank (21a) is cut from the material web, the first blank (21a) is lifted, an electronic component (3) is placed on the material web (4), a material web (4) with the electronic component (3) thereon is conveyed again, a blank is cut from the material web to obtain a second blank (21b), the electronic component (3) is located on the second blank, and the first blank (21a) is placed on the second blank (21b), thereby housing the electronic component (3) between the first blank (21a) and the second blank (21b), wherein the first blank and the second blank have unvulcanized rubber or are made of unvulcanized rubber.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The placement of the electronic component on the material web is performed before the first and second blanks are cut from the material web in order to manufacture a strip that contains exactly the electronic component.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Simultaneously, the first billet is lifted and the second billet is sheared.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Simultaneously, the first blank and the second blank are sheared.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of combining the first blank (21a) with the second blank (21b) to obtain a strip (13) having integrated electronic components (3).

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, After cutting the first blank, the second blank is cut.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first blank and the second blank are cut from the same material strip.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first blank and the second blank are combined under pressure.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The first blank and the second blank are bonded together by lamination.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The electronic component has a memory and at least one antenna, and in particular a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip.

11. A method for manufacturing a strip (13) having an integrated electronic component (3), the method comprising the steps of: A material web (4) is conveyed, a first blank (21a) is cut from the material web (4), a second blank (21b) is cut from the material web (4), an electronic component (3) is placed on the second blank (21b), and the first blank (21a) is placed on the second blank (21b), thereby housing the electronic component (3) between the first blank (21a) and the second blank (21b), wherein the first blank and the second blank have unvulcanized rubber or are made of unvulcanized rubber.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Simultaneously, the first blank and the second blank are sheared.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising the step of combining the first blank (21a) with the second blank (21b) to obtain a strip (13) having an integrated electronic component (3).

14. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, After cutting the first blank, the second blank is cut.

15. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The first blank and the second blank are cut from the same material strip.

16. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The first blank and the second blank are combined under pressure.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The first blank and the second blank are bonded together by lamination.

18. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The electronic component has a memory and at least one antenna, and in particular a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip.

19. An apparatus for manufacturing a strip (13) having integrated electronic components (3), the apparatus comprising: The device (5) for conveying a material web (4) made of unvulcanized rubber, the shearing device (1), the device (2) for placing the electronic component (3) onto the material web (4) or onto blanks (21b, 21a) cut from the material web, the device for lifting the blanks (21a, 21b) cut from the material web (4) and for then placing the lifted blanks onto another, cut blank (21b, 21a) to house the electronic component (3) between the two blanks (21a, 21b).

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for combining two blanks to obtain a strip having integrated electronic components.

21. The device according to claim 19 or 20, wherein, In addition, there are devices for laying strips with integrated electronic components onto transport webs and for winding the transport webs into rolls after laying.

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