RFID Tag Embedded in Thermoplastic Housing for Filter Cartridge Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for identifying and tracking filter cartridges, such as engraving and laser marking, are prone to errors due to readability issues on translucent parts and the use of adhesives which can leach into fluid paths, while traditional adhesive-based RFID tags degrade over time.
Innovation Solution
Embedding a wireless device, like an RFID tag, into a thermoplastic housing with protrusions that act as energy directors for bonding to the device surface, eliminating the need for adhesives and ensuring compatibility with the device material for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive-based RFID tags are used, then wireless identification is achieved, but the adhesives degrade over time and may fail losing the tag
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the adhesive layer from the system entirely by embedding the RFID tag directly into the thermoplastic housing. The housing material itself serves as the bonding medium, eliminating the separate adhesive component that degrades over time. This extraction of the harmful adhesive element resolves the reliability issue while maintaining wireless identification functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the housing structure and the bonding function into a single integrated thermoplastic component. The housing material simultaneously provides structural enclosure and serves as the bonding agent through thermal bonding, eliminating the need for separate adhesive layers. This merging creates a more durable, long-term solution that prevents tag loss.
2Ease of manufacture
If adhesives are used to attach RFID tags, then tag attachment is achieved, but adhesives leach extractable matter into the fluid path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the adhesive layer that causes harmful leaching into the fluid path. By embedding the RFID tag directly into the thermoplastic housing and using thermal bonding to attach the housing to the device, the system eliminates the source of extractable matter while maintaining ease of manufacture through standard thermal bonding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermoplastic housing acts as an intermediary between the RFID tag and the device surface. Instead of using adhesives that directly contact the fluid path, the housing material provides a clean bonding interface through thermal bonding, preventing harmful leaching while maintaining attachment functionality.
3Loss of information
If engraving and laser marking are used, then identification information is transferred, but the process is subject to error due to readability issues on translucent parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical identification methods (engraving and laser marking) with wireless RFID technology. This substitution eliminates the readability problems associated with reading engravings on translucent parts, as RFID communication occurs through electromagnetic fields rather than optical reading of physical marks. The wireless system provides more reliable and error-free identification.
4Reliability
If in-mold labeling with wireless tags is used, then adhesive tags are eliminated, but the tooling is costly and needs to be specific to each part
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the solution into two independent parts: a standardized thermoplastic housing that can be mass-produced using conventional molding techniques, and the RFID tag assembly that is embedded within the housing. This segmentation allows the housing to be manufactured with existing tooling while accommodating the wireless tag, avoiding the need for costly, part-specific tooling modifications required by in-mold labeling.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a reliable, error-free method for tracking filter cartridges by leveraging wireless technology without introducing new materials into the fluid path, ensuring long-term functionality and real-time process information.
Implementation Method 1
bonded by an energy based heating such as ultrasonic or vibration welding
Implementation Method 2
bonded by an energy based heating such as ultrasonic or vibration welding
Implementation Method 3
preferentially melted and used to attach the housing to the device
Implementation Method 4
preferentially absorb the energy at their surfaces adjacent the device against which they have been placed to form a molten thermoplastic plastic bond
Data Source
AI summary
The invention described herein provides an embedded wireless device such as a RFID tag molded into separate housing formed of any thermoplastic material compatible to that of the plastic material as the device to which the housing is to be attached. Subsequently, the housed tag assembly can be thermally bonded onto the device through many means which are well known and accepted in the industry.