Vent Assembly Using Permeable Membrane on Transfer Liner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vent assembly processes, such as pick-and-place and punch-and-weld, face challenges in quality control, automation complexity, adhesive reliability, and material handling, particularly in ensuring a liquid-tight seal while maintaining air permeability and ease of production.
Innovation Solution
A method involving pre-cut, liquid-proof, and gas-permeable material pieces removably attached to a support material, which is placed over a device's through hole, allowing energy application to create a welding connection while the support material remains present, providing protection and automation benefits similar to both pick-and-place and punch-and-weld processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pre-cut membrane pieces are arranged on transport liner for pick-and-place process, then quality control of pieces prior to assembly is possible, but automation complexity increases and adhesive reliability becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
A transfer liner with release coating acts as an intermediary carrier that enables automated handling of pre-cut membrane pieces. The release coating allows pieces to be easily transferred from the liner to the vent hole location, solving both the quality control advantage (pieces are pre-cut and inspected) and the automation complexity disadvantage (standard automated equipment can handle the liner-pieces assembly without complex manipulation systems)
2Device complexity
If homogeneous continuous membrane material is used for punch-and-weld process, then automation is simplified, but quality control of entire material prior to assembly becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is pre-cut into individual pieces before being placed on the transfer liner, allowing quality control and inspection to be performed in advance. This preliminary action enables defect detection and sorting before the automated assembly process, combining the automation simplicity of punch-and-weld with the quality control capability of pre-cut pieces
3Ease of operation
If adhesive is used to attach membrane pieces, then piece placement is simplified, but reliability of adhesive strength becomes problematic with weak adhesive causing piece loss and strong adhesive causing errors during picking
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer liner with release coating serves as an intermediary that eliminates the need for permanent adhesive bonding. The release coating provides temporary, controlled adhesion that allows automated picking without piece loss while enabling easy transfer to the final location, replacing the unreliable adhesive bonding system with a mechanically controllable release system
4Reliability
If welding connection is established to create liquid-tight seal, then liquid proofing is achieved, but gas permeability must be maintained for venting function
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane material is selected and positioned such that the membrane itself provides the liquid-tight seal when welded to the vent housing, while the membrane's inherent porous structure maintains gas permeability for venting function. The welding connection is applied locally at the interface between membrane and housing, preserving the membrane's dual functionality of liquid barrier and gas passage
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 method ensures a reliable, liquid-tight seal with improved air exchange, enhanced material handling, and simplified automation, combining the quality control of pre-cut pieces with the ease of continuous production, while maintaining the support material's protective role until final use.
Implementation Method 1
one of said plurality of pieces (4) is completely covering said through hole (6)... allowing energy application to create a welding connection... ensures a reliable, liquid-tight seal with improved air exchange
Implementation Method 2
applying energy (1) to said placed assembly in such a way that a welding connection (7) surrounding said through hole (6) is established between said piece (4) and said device (5)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2d
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention provides an improved method to assemble vents, whereas pieces (4) of gas permeable material are spanned across through holes of housings (5) to be vented.