Laminated product with electronic identification device.

Abstract

The invention relates primarily to a laminated product having a thickness adjustable by thinning, this product comprising an alternating stack (10) of sheets (11) and layers (12) of an adhesive material, each sheet (11) having intrinsic tear resistance, and each layer (12) of adhesive material bonding two adjacent sheets (11) of the stack (10) to each other by a bonding force weaker than the tear resistance of the sheets (11), resulting in each sheet (11) being able to be detached from the stack (10) without tearing, which product includes a housing (20) formed in the thickness of the stack (10), and an electronic identification element (30) disposed in the housing (20), characterized in that the product includes a power supply battery (34) for the electronic identification element (30) disposed in the housing (20). Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig 2.

Description

Title of the invention: Laminated product with electronic identification device. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates generally to laminated products and the tracking of these products. PRIOR ART AND DISADVANTAGES OF PRIOR ART

[0002] More specifically, the invention relates to a laminated product having a thickness adjustable by delamination, this product comprising an alternating stack of sheets and layers of an 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 bonding force weaker than the resistance of the sheets to tearing, resulting in each sheet being able to be detached from the stack without tearing.

[0003] Products of this type are known from the prior art and are notably used as shims for mechanical assemblies. These assemblies generally exhibit significant clearances at certain points, resulting from the combination of manufacturing tolerances. These clearances are compensated for by inserting shims. The thickness of these shims is adjusted by removing the upper or lower sheets one by one until the desired thickness is achieved.

[0004] These shims are used in particular in industries where complete traceability of all parts is required, for safety or quality assurance reasons. This is the case, for example, in the aeronautics industry. Each part constituting an aircraft is numbered and a quality assurance file is associated with it, including manufacturing drawings, or at least their references, material certificates, references to manufacturing specifications, etc.

[0005] The serial numbers of the peelable wedges are generally marked in indelible ink by a stamp on the upper face of the wedge at the time of manufacture.

[0006] This technique, however, has drawbacks, notably because the upper sheets of the shim, bearing the serial number, are removed during the shim thickness adjustment operation. Once this operation is completed, the shim is no longer identifiable. It can be lost or mistakenly interchanged with another between the time its thickness is adjusted and the time it is installed. Furthermore, the marking is difficult to read on certain types of shims, such as composite shims, which have a surface unsuitable for shimming, being smooth or textured depending on the material. Finally, the amount of information that can be marked on the shim is very limited and is generally restricted to the shim's serial number.

[0007] To overcome this drawback, publication FR 2854098 discloses a laminated product in which is integrated an electronic identification device which includes not only 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 date.

[0008] The information contained in the electronic organ is read via a reading unit which is associatable with computer means.

[0009] However, reading this information must be done at a very short distance from the electronic component, typically a few centimeters. This task is made difficult when the installed laminated product is hard to access. Furthermore, it is only possible to identify one product at a time. OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In this context, the present invention aims to overcome the defects mentioned above. STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0011] To this end, the invention relates to a laminated product having a thickness adjustable by delamination, this product comprising an alternating stack of sheets and layers of an 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 bonding force weaker than the resistance of the sheets to tearing, resulting in each sheet being able to be detached from the stack without tearing, which product includes a housing formed in the thickness of the stack, and an electronic identification element disposed in the housing, characterized in that the product includes a power supply battery for the electronic identification element disposed in the housing.

[0012] The product of the invention may also include the following optional features considered individually or in all possible technical combinations: - The battery is attached to the electronic identification unit, the battery and the electronic unit forming an electronic assembly. - The battery is rechargeable. - The battery delivers a voltage between 2 and 5 V and an electrical charge between 40 and 60 mAh. - The battery has an extension axis and has an extension dimension between 1 and 4 mm, and a thickness less than 0.4 mm. - The electronic identification device has a thickness of less than 200 microns and / or a cross-section of less than 2.5 square millimeters. - The electronic component includes a memory for storing identification information identifying or characterizing the product, and a remotely queryable transmission device capable of transmitting the identification information stored in the memory. - The memory of the electronic identification device has a storage capacity of at least one megabyte. - The identification information stored in memory includes at least the product serial number. - The memory of the electronic identification device allows at least a large part of the identification information, such as product manufacturer identification, product type, order reference, customer identification, product material identification and material certificate reference, reference of the standard applicable to the manufacture of the product, reference of the product's technical specifications, reference of the certificate of conformity, date of manufacture, delivery slip reference, delivery date. - Some of the identification information is stored in memory in coded form. - The electronic component includes means for measuring temperature and / or pressure and / or vibration and / or irradiation, the transmission device being capable of transmitting the results of the measurements made by said means. - The housing is delimited by an inner wall, a hardenable filling material filling the housing around the electronic component and the battery and securing them to the inner wall. - The filling material is a resin, for example an epoxy, phenolic, vinyl ester or polyvinyl resin. - The sheets are made of a metallic or composite material. - The sheets all extend parallel to a reference plane, the housing also extending parallel to the reference plane.

[0013] The invention also relates to a system for identifying and tracking laminated products of adjustable thicknesses by thinning. These products each comprise an alternating stack of sheets and layers of an adhesive material, each sheet having intrinsic tear resistance, and each layer of adhesive material connecting two adjacent sheets of the stack with a bonding force weaker than the tear resistance of the sheets, resulting in each sheet being able to be detached from the stack without tearing. The system is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of laminated products, each equipped with an electronic identification device and a battery to power said electronic identification device, and a reading unit. The electronic device includes a memory. storage of identification information identifying or characterizing the product, and a transmission device capable of transmitting the identification information stored in the memory, the reading unit communicating with the transmission device of the electronic organ and being capable of consulting the identification information stored in the memory.

[0014] The system may also include the following optional features considered individually or according to all possible technical combinations: - The reading unit is portable and communicates remotely, without a wired connection, with the electronic component. - The reading unit and the computer unit for managing identification information are integrated into a portable identification device, the reading unit being able to transmit to the computer unit the information read from the memory. - The reading unit is capable of transmitting to the electronic organ the identification information managed by the computer unit, for writing into memory. - The computer unit performs the encoding and decoding of certain identification information stored in coded form in memory. - The encoding and decoding of identification information is done using tables that map the information to be encoded to an alphanumeric code to be stored in memory. PRESENTATION OF FIGURES

[0015] Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the description given below, by way of example and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying figures, among which: [Fig.1] Fig.1 is a perspective view of a laminated product according to a first embodiment of the invention; [Fig.2] The [Fig.2] is a cross-sectional view of the electronic identification organ 20 according to the arrows II of the [Fig.1]; [Fig.3] The [Fig.3] is a schematic diagram of the product tracking device of the invention, showing the computer unit integrating the reading unit communicating with the electronic identification organ. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] It is first specified that in the figures, the same references designate the same elements regardless of the figure in which they appear and regardless of the form of representation of these elements. Similarly, if elements are not specifically referenced in one of the figures, their references can easily be found by referring to another figure.

[0017] It is also specified that the figures essentially represent one embodiment of the object of the invention but that there may be other embodiments which meet the definition of the invention.

[0018] Fig. 1 represents a rolled product of adjustable thickness by flaking, the thickness being the vertical dimension of the product as shown in Fig. 1.

[0019] This product comprises an alternating stack 10 of sheets 11 and layers 12 of an adhesive material. The product is prepared from thin sheets 11, generally with a thickness ranging from 0.1 to 0.01 millimeters. These sheets 11 are coated with an extremely thin film of adhesive material, on the order of 0.002 millimeters, and stacked. The stacked sheets 11 then undergo a treatment consisting of applying very high pressure while subjecting them to prolonged heating cycles. The thickness of the layers 12 of adhesive material is even less after treatment, becoming barely measurable.

[0020] Each sheet 11 has intrinsic tear resistance, and each layer of adhesive material 12 bonds two adjacent sheets 11 of the stack 10 to each other with a bonding force weaker than the tear resistance of the sheets 11. As a result, each sheet 11 can be detached from the stack 10 without tearing. A cutter is generally used to detach the sheets 11.

[0021] According to the invention, the product comprises a housing 20 formed in the thickness of the stack 10, and an electronic identification element 30 disposed in the housing 20.

[0022] The electronic component 30, commonly called a chip, includes 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.

[0023] This identification information includes at a minimum the product serial number.

[0024] According to a first embodiment of the invention, illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the memory 31 has a large storage capacity, sufficient to store at least a large part of the following information: identification of the product manufacturer, type of product, serial number of the product, order reference, customer identification, identification of the material constituting the product and reference of the material certificate, reference of the standard applicable to the manufacture of the product, reference of the technical specifications of the product, reference of the certificate of conformity, date of manufacture, reference of the delivery slip, date of delivery.

[0025] The memory 31 has a storage capacity of at least one megabyte, and preferably 1024 bits, which allows hundreds of thousands of alphanumeric characters to be stored.

[0026] This capacity is sufficient to store all the information listed above. Some of the identification information is stored in memory 31 in coded form, as will be seen later. This list is not exhaustive, and other information may also be stored in memory 31, within the limits of its storage capacity. This other information may also replace some of the information listed above.

[0027] The transmission device 32 is also capable of remotely receiving identification information and transmitting it to the memory 31, which stores it.

[0028] The electronic component 30 is write-lockable.

[0029] The transmission device 32 includes a copper coil 321, acting as an antenna, electrically connected to the memory 31.

[0030] The electronic component 30 typically operates at a frequency of 125 kiloHertz.

[0031] According to the invention, the product also comprises a rechargeable battery 34 of the lithium-polymer type, which may have a voltage between 2 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 and 30 pAh, typically around 20 pAh. The battery 34 is attached to the electronic component 30, for example via a resin, and forms an electronic assembly 35.

[0032] The electronic assembly 35, formed by the battery 34 and the electronic component 30, is shown in [Fig. 2]. It has the general shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, less than 0.5 millimeters thick. This parallelepiped typically has a length of approximately 3 millimeters and a thickness of approximately 0.2 millimeters.

[0033] Typically, the electronic component 30 is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped with a thickness of less than 200 microns – and preferably on the order of 100 microns – and a cross-section of less than 2.5 square millimeters in a plane perpendicular to the thickness. This cross-section is typically a square, with sides of 1.3 millimeters. Furthermore, the battery is also in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped with a thickness of less than 400 microns, typically on the order of 100 microns, a length between 1 and 4 millimeters, typically on the order of 3.1 millimeters, and a width between 1 and 2 millimeters, typically on the order of 1.7 millimeters.

[0034] As can be seen in [Fig. 1], the sheets 11 all extend parallel to a reference plane P, shown horizontally in [Fig. 1]. The housing 20 preferably extends parallel to the reference plane P, in order to occupy as small a thickness of the product as possible.

[0035] This housing 20 is cylindrical, blind, and opens at an open end 23 onto a lateral face of the product. It can be made very simply, for example using a drill.

[0036] It has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the electronic assembly 35.

[0037] 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 an inner wall 21, a hard filling material 22, filling the housing 20 around the electronic element 30 and securing it to the inner wall 21.

[0038] This filling material 22 is typically a resin, for example of the epoxy, phenolic, vinyl ester or polyvinyl type.

[0039] The invention also relates to an identification device 40 and tracking of laminated products equipped with an electronic identification element 30 such as that described above.

[0040] This device 40 includes a computer unit 41 for managing identification information, and a reading unit 42 communicating with the computer unit 41 and with the transmission device 32 of the electronic organ 30.

[0041] Advantageously, the device 40 forms a compact unit, the size of a smartphone or a computer tablet, and therefore integrates the computing unit 41 - which includes at least one processor and a memory area - and the reading unit 42 - which includes, for example, an RFID type chip.

[0042] The reading unit 42 is capable of consulting the identification information stored in the memory 31 and transmitting it to the computer unit 4L. To do this, it queries the electronic device 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.

[0043] The reading unit 42 is also capable of transmitting to the electronic organ 30 the identification information managed by the computer unit 41, for writing in the memory 31, via the transmission device 32.

[0044] Computer unit 41 is equipped with database management software.

[0045] This software is programmed to present the device user with predetermined input masks, including fields corresponding to the identification information stored in memory 31.

[0046] Information in the form of an alphanumeric code is stored in this form in memory 31. This information is typically: product serial number, order reference, material certificate reference, product technical specifications reference, certificate of conformity reference, manufacturing date, delivery slip reference, delivery date.

[0047] Other information is stored in memory 31 in coded form because it would occupy too much space in memory 31 in its usual form or because it is in unsuitable formats. This information typically includes: identification of the product manufacturer, product type, customer identification, identification of the material constituting the product, and reference to the standard applicable to the product's manufacture.

[0048] The computer unit 41 performs the encoding and decoding of the identification information stored in coded form in memory 31.

[0049] Encoding and decoding are performed using tables included in the software, matching the information to be encoded with an alphanumeric code to be stored in memory.

[0050] The identification device 40 is portable, lightweight, small in size, and can be easily carried by a user.

[0051] The reading unit 42 includes a buffer memory for storing identification information, and the computer unit 41 includes a display screen 411 and a control device 412.

[0052] The buffer memory allows for the temporary storage of identification information read from memory 31 of the electronic organ 30, or identification information to be written into memory 31 of the electronic organ 30.

[0053] Screen 411 allows some identification information to be viewed, and parameters concerning the operation of the reading unit 42 to be displayed.

[0054] The control device 412 is preferably a real or virtual keyboard, and allows triggering the reading of identification information in the memory 31 of the electronic component 30, the writing of this information in the memory 31 and the write locking of the electronic component 30.

[0055] The reading unit 42 communicates remotely, without a wired connection, with the electronic organ 30, as shown in [Fig.3].

[0056] Information is transmitted between the reading unit 42 and the electronic component 30 by waves or by optical means. To this end, the reading unit 42 includes transmission means cooperating with the transmission device 32 of the electronic component 30.

[0057] Since the electronic component 30 is battery-powered, the reading distance between said component and the reading unit is irrelevant. The transmission range depends solely on the transmission power of the transmission device 32 and the reading unit 42, i.e., several meters.

[0058] The reading unit 42 communicates directly with the computer unit 41 within the identification device 40.

[0059] The procedure for "marking" the identification of a laminated product is as follows. 1 / Introduction of the electronic assembly 35 consisting of the electronic organ 30 and the battery 34 joined together in the housing 20 of the product. 2 / Filling of housing 20 with filling material 22, hardening. 3 / User entry of identification information into the database of computer unit 41, by filling in the different sections of the mask provided for this purpose. 4 / Encoding of certain identification information by the computer unit 41, and transfer of all identification information into the buffer memory of the reading unit 42. 5 / Transfer of identification information from the buffer memory of the reading unit 42 to the electronic organ 30 and writing of information into memory 31, on user command. 6 / Write-lock of the electronic component 30, as commanded by the user.

[0060] The procedure for reading the identification information is as follows. 1 / Activation of the reading unit 42 via the computer unit 41. 2 / Reading identification information from memory 31 of electronic organ 30, on user command, and transferring information into the buffer memory of reading unit 42. 3 / Transfer of identification information from the buffer memory of the reading unit 42 to the computer unit 41, upon user command from the computer unit 4L 4 / Decoding of coded identification information, by the 4L computer unit 5 / Visualization of identification information by the user using the masks provided in the database.

[0061] The product can be manufactured with sheets 11 made of metallic or composite material. If the sheets 11 are metallic, special precautions must be taken to ensure the quality of communication between the electronic component 30 and the reading unit 42.

[0062] The antenna 321 of the transmission device 32 of the electronic component 30 is in this case positioned in the immediate vicinity of the open end 23 of the housing 20. Furthermore, the inner diameter of the housing 20 is chosen to be sufficiently large relative to the outer diameter of the electronic assembly 35. A minimum gap, for example of 0.5 millimeter, is maintained between the electronic assembly 35 and the inner wall 21 of the housing 20.

[0063] In one embodiment, the electronic component 30 may include means for measuring ambient temperature, pressure exerted on the product, vibrations, or irradiation. The measurement results are transmitted by the transmission device 32 to the reading unit 42, which in turn transmits them to the computer unit 41.

[0064] It is therefore clear that the invention makes it possible to identify laminated products in a reliable and durable manner, without risk of loss of information when the upper or lower layers of the product are peeled to adjust its thickness.

[0065] A large amount of information can be stored in the electronic organ 30, and thus be physically associated permanently with the laminated product, which was not possible previously.

[0066] Furthermore, the battery provides the necessary power to the electronic component that communicates remotely—over several meters—with the reading unit. In addition, the reading unit can communicate simultaneously with several electronic components 30 of several laminated products. In particular, simultaneous reading from several electronic components 30 or simultaneous writing to several electronic components 30 is possible.

[0067] Of course, the examples cited here are not exhaustive, and it is understood that it is possible to choose the type and size of the identification device according to the thickness of the laminated product, in order to obtain the best compromise between memory capacity and size. In any case, laminated products equipped with identification devices combining a large storage capacity and a very small thickness also fall within the scope of the invention.

[0068] Furthermore, the means of identifying the invention is tamper-proof and unforgeable. First, because the electronic components cannot be removed from the housings once the filling material has been poured. This would require destroying the housing or the electronic component itself. Second, because the electronic components can be write-protected or are read-only.

[0069] Fraudulent claims regarding the origin of laminated products are therefore made much more difficult, or even impossible for the first embodiment, since all the data enabling product identification are permanently accessible and cannot be falsified.

[0070] It should be noted that the laminated products described above are well suited to serve as peelable shims to compensate for play in mechanical assemblies, particularly in the aeronautical industry where all parts are subject to very thorough monitoring and quality control.

Claims

Claims

1. A laminated product having an adjustable thickness by disintegration, this product comprising an alternating stack (10) of sheets (11) and layers (12) of an adhesive material, each sheet (11) having an intrinsic tear resistance, and each layer (12) of adhesive material connecting two adjacent sheets (11) of the stack (10) to each other by a bonding force lower than the tear resistance of the sheets (11), with the result that each sheet (11) can be detached from the stack (10) without tearing, which product comprises a housing (20) formed in the thickness of the stack (10), and an electronic identification member (30) arranged in the housing (20), characterized in that the product comprises a power supply battery (34) for the electronic identification member (30) arranged in the housing (20), which battery is rechargeable.

2. Product according to claim 1, characterized in that the battery (34) is secured to the electronic identification member (30), the battery (34) and the electronic member (30) forming an electronic assembly (35).

3. Product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the battery (34) delivers a voltage of between 2 and 5 V and an electrical charge of between 10 and 30 pAh.

4. Product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the battery (34) has an extension axis and has an extension dimension of between 1 and 4 mm, and a thickness of less than 0.4 mm.

5. Product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electronic identification member (30) has a thickness of less than 200 microns and / or a section of less than 2.5 square millimeters.

6. Product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electronic member (30) comprises a memory (31) for storing identification information identifying or characterizing the product, and a transmission device (32) which can be interrogated remotely and capable of transmitting the identification information stored in the memory (31).

7. Product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (20) is delimited by an inner wall (21), a hardenable filling material (22) filling the housing (20) around the electronic member (30) and the battery (34) and securing them to the inner wall (21).

8. System for identifying and tracking laminated products, of thicknesses adjustable by disintegration, these products each comprising an alternating stack (10) of sheets (11) and layers (12) of an adhesive material, each sheet (11) having an intrinsic tear resistance, and each layer (12) of adhesive material connecting two adjacent sheets (11) of the stack (10) to each other by a bonding force weaker than the tear resistance of the sheets (11), which results in each sheet (11) being able to be detached from the stack (10) without tearing, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of laminated products each provided with a housing (20) formed in the thickness of the stack (10), an electronic identification member (30) arranged in the housing (20), and a rechargeable power supply battery (34) for the electronic member identification (30), and in that it comprises a reading unit (42),the electronic member (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), the reading unit (42) communicating with the transmission device (32) of the electronic member (30) and being capable of consulting the identification information stored in the memory (31).,

9. System according to claim 8, characterized in that the reading unit (42) and the computer unit (41) for managing the identification information are integrated in a portable identification device (40), the reading unit (42) being capable of transmitting to the computer unit (41) the information read in the memory (31).

Images