KR19980703658A - Compact Transponder and Manufacturing Method Thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus 70, such as a transponder, is disclosed that includes a coating consisting of a shell 20 defining an electronic assembly 34 and a recess 66 and a solidified binder 64 in which the electronic assembly 34 is embedded. . The housing 20 has holes 26 that are used to insert the electronic assembly 34 and binder 64 during manufacture of the device 70. In the region of the hole 26 the outer surface 72 of the device 70 consists of a solidified binder 64. The apparatus described above is manufactured using a storage source that fills the recesses 66 using a binder 64 and recovers excess binder, wherein the excess binder and the storage source are at least partially cured by the binder 64. If so, disconnect it from the device.

Description

Compact Transponder and Manufacturing Method Thereof

Several small transponders are known in the art. In US 5 025 550 the transponder is formed by a coil electrically connected to an electronic circuit, which arrangement is located inside a glass case which completely seals the electronic arrangement.

In US 5 235 326 a transponder formed of an electronic arrangement comprising an integrated circuit connected to a coil is described, which arrangement is located inside a closed casing which completely encloses the electronic arrangement. There is a bond inside this casing to ensure the stability of the electron placement.

A similar device is also described in US 4 992 794, in which the casing is closed by a plug. This method is also proposed in international patent application WO 92/15105. The international patent application also proposes another embodiment for coating the electronic arrangement of the transponder. It is contemplated to place the electron placement between a simple over-molding of the electron placement or between two heat fused plastic sheets.

Finally, transponders of the same kind are described in international patent application WO 92/22827. Various transponders are proposed in this document. According to one particular embodiment (FIG. 4 of the document), it is contemplated to introduce an electronic arrangement formed by a coil connected to an electronic circuit inside a tube comprising a ring of fused material thereon and inside. This ring is melted to close the inlet of the electron placement to form a transponder.

All the transponders described above have drawbacks in that the coating of the considered electron batches requires a fairly complex manufacturing process, which increases the cost of the transponder.

In addition, it is difficult to fully fill the outer envelope that defines a closed casing that completely encloses the electronic arrangement inside the casing in all the transponders described in the various documents cited above.

The present invention relates to a small transponder. Transponders are electronic modules that function as emitter-receivers. Generally, the responder provides an identification signal in response to the received activation signal, which provides the energy needed for the transponder to generate the identification signal.

1 shows a longitudinal section of a first transponder according to the invention.

2 shows an arrangement of envelopes combined with a common storage source for carrying out the method of manufacturing a transponder according to the invention.

3 shows several electron arrangements connected to a common support for implementing the method according to the invention.

Figures 4 and 5 show two successive steps in cross section, respectively, during the execution of the method according to the invention (electronic arrangement is not cut).

FIG. 6 shows a second transponder obtained by the manufacturing process described in FIGS. 2 to 5.

* Code Description

2,70 transponder 3,34,34A, 34B ... electronic arrangement

4,42,42A, 42B ... Integrated circuit 6,38,38A, 38B ... coil

8,40,40A, 40B ... Core 12,20,20A, 20B, 20C ... envelope

14,26,26A, 26B, 26C ... hole 28 ... storage

30.Edge 36,36A, 36B ... Substrate

42 Printed circuit 44 Common support

46 Positioning hole 48 Distance

54 ... hole 56 ... recess

58 ... bottom 60 ... working surface

62 ... Block 10,64 ... Binder

66 pockets 72 surface

The present invention eliminates the drawbacks of the transponders of the known art described above. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device, in particular a transponder, which is inexpensive and the protection of the electronic arrangement is fully ensured.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic device, in particular a method for manufacturing a transponder, which allows manufacturing on an industrial scale at low manufacturing costs.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is a device comprising an electron arrangement and a coating for protecting the electron arrangement. The device is formed by an outer envelope where the coating forms a pocket and presents a hole, the solidifying binder completely fills the envelope and forms the outer surface of the device in a region defined by the hole, It is characterized by embedding in the binder.

Due to the properties of the device according to the invention the electron arrangement is suitably protected by an open envelope, ie by presenting holes into which the electron arrangement and binder are introduced, and by a filling binder in which the electron arrangement is embedded. Such a device is distinguished from the known art in that the external envelope is not completely closed, thereby avoiding at least one step of the device manufacturing process. In addition, since the binder itself forms the outer surface of the device, it ensures full filling of the envelope, making the device compact and resistant. In addition, since the electron arrangement is completely covered by the binder, stable positioning and full protection are ensured.

Another object of the invention is a method of manufacturing an electronic device, comprising the following steps:

Providing an envelope forming a pocket and having a top hole;

Positioning a reservoir on the envelope, the storage source having at least one filling hole through the pocket by the upper hole;

Providing a binder in liquid form to the storage source;

Providing an electronic arrangement in the pocket by a top hole in the envelope;

Completely filling the pocket with binder;

Curing the provided binder;

-Separating the electronic device from the storage source formed by the electron placement embedded in the envelope and the solidified binder.

The method according to the invention has several advantages. In particular, the presence of a storage source makes it possible to provide a larger amount of binder than is necessary to form the electronic device according to the present invention. The binder dose problem is therefore eliminated while ensuring full filling of the pocket defined by the envelope of the electronics.

If the top hole of the envelope is very small, the reservoir can act as a funnel, allowing easy filling of the pockets. If there is no such source, filling requires complex and expensive facilities. According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the storage source is made integrally from the same material as the envelope. Thus, initially provided storage sources and envelopes form a single piece of the same material. In this case the final separation of the electronics and the storage source is performed by machining, such as simply cutting at the height of the top hole of the electronics using a blade or laser beam.

According to a preferred embodiment, several envelopes are combined with one common storage source, each envelope presenting an upper hole to the common storage source. Thus, several envelopes can be filled by a single supply of a binder from a common storage source. This step is accomplished by placing binder lines to close the holes of the various envelopes.

A first transponder according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the transponder 2 is shown in longitudinal section. The transponder comprises an electronic arrangement 3 formed of an integrated circuit 4 electrically connected to a coil 6 wound around the core 8. The electron arrangement 3 is contained in a coating formed of a binder 10 and an envelope 12 forming the outer wall of the transponder.

According to the invention, the envelope 12 does not completely enclose the electron arrangement 3. In fact, the envelope 12 presents a hole 14 so that the electron arrangement 3 and binder 10 are introduced into the envelope through the hole. Thus, the envelope 12 forms a hole pocket that is completely filled by the binder 10 and the electron arrangement 3. According to the invention, the outer surface 16 of the transponder 2 is formed by the binder 10 itself. The envelope 12 has an axis of rotation X-X and the outer surface 16 can be planar, round or slightly hollow.

During manufacture of the transponder 2, the electron arrangement 3 is completely covered by the binder 10 in the region of the holes 14. After the envelope 12 is filled with the binder 10 and the binder is cured, the envelope portion located in the region of the hole 14 is not completely filled by the binder 10 or the surface formed by the binder has a substantial protrusion. If the irregularities and ridges that form the surface are visible, an apparatus for smoothing the outer surface of the object known to those skilled in the art can be used. In technical terms this is a finish by a rotating barrel.

2-5, the best embodiment of a method for manufacturing an electronic device according to the present invention is described.

At least one envelope 20 defining an upper hole 26 and a pocket and a storage source 28 disposed above the envelope 20 are provided. The storage source 28 includes a lower hole corresponding to the upper hole of the envelope 20. In addition, the reservoir 28 has a hole in the top to allow the binder to be removed from the reservoir. In particular, the storage source 28 is combined with several envelopes 20, 20A, 20B and 20C, each having top holes 26, 26A, 26B and 26C, with pockets defined by these envelopes being defined by the holes. By communicating with the common storage source (28). Although only four envelopes are shown in FIG. 2, this is for illustrative purposes. In fact, one can foresee a storage source in combination with any number of envelopes. As an example the diameter of the hole 26 is 2 to 3 millimeters and the main size of the surface defined by the edge 30 of the upper hole of the storage source 28 is larger, its width is 5 to 6 mm and its length is It can be several centimeters depending on the number of bellows.

Even when the size of the holes 26 is relatively small, especially when less than 5 mm, the storage source 28 serves to supply the binder.

In fact, the binder provided to the storage source 28 is a viscous liquid. Because of the viscosity of the binder, the binder mass or droplets deposited in the reservoir 28 exhibit a size above the top hole of the envelope, especially the average size of these holes. In the case where the holes 26, 26A, 26B and 26C have a small size, the binder provided in the form of a viscous liquid in the area defined by each hole penetrates into the pocket defined by the envelopes 20, 20A, 20B and 20C. . The storage source 28 functions as a storage source for the binder during the time intervals required for filling the pocket.

In addition, the storage source 28 first serves as a binder storage source provided in the form of a viscous liquid, and secondly serves as a source for filling the pocket defined by the envelope. These two functions are especially necessary for the manufacture of electronics, especially small transponders.

Envelopes 20, 20A, 20B, and 20C are made of the same material as storage source 28. Thus, the storage source 28 and the envelopes 20, 20A, 20B, and 20C are formed of the same piece of material. However, in another embodiment, the storage source 28 may be a material other than the envelope.

Several electron arrangements 34, 34A, 34B are shown in FIG. 3, each formed by substrates 36, 36A, 36B and wound thereon with coils 38, 38A, 38B wound around cores 40, 40A, 40B. ) Is placed. Each coil is electrically connected to integrated circuits 42, 42A, 42B. For example, each electronic arrangement 34, 34A, 34B forms an electronic device for identifying a person or object.

The substrates 36, 36A, 36B are all connected to a common support 44 which presents the positioning holes 46. The electron arrangements 34, 34A, 34B are regularly located along the support 44, where the distance 50 between the two electron arrangements is equal to the distance 48 separating the two neighboring envelopes. Thus, according to the present invention, several electron arrangements are connected to a common support and the number of these electron arrangements corresponds to the number of envelopes provided. Thus, a plurality of electron arrangements can be simultaneously introduced into a plurality of corresponding envelopes. Thus, if a binder is provided to the storage source 28, the electronic batch can be introduced simultaneously into a pocket confined to the envelope at least partially filled with the binder as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the envelope 20 and the reservoir 28 are shown in cross section, with the envelope 20 in the longitudinal section and the reservoir 28 in the horizontal cross section.

A hole 54 is present in the lower region of envelope 20. In addition, the aperture 54 opens into an outer recess 56 formed in the bottom portion 58 of the envelope 20. The aperture 54 serves as an air escape during binder introduction into the envelope 20. Recess 56 is provided to capture leakable binder through hole 54 during envelope 20 filling. However, in order to limit the amount of binder that can escape through the hole 54, it may be considered to hold the bottom 58 against the work surface 60 during the introduction of the electronic arrangement 34 as shown in FIG. have. For example, surface 60 forms the upper surface of silicon block 62. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, the binder 64 completely fills the envelope 20 during the introduction of the electron arrangement 34.

The extra binder is collected by the storage source 28 if the electronic arrangement 34 is fully introduced into the pocket 56 defined by the envelope 20. Thus, the storage source 28 has a third function of recovering the excess binder so that the full filling of the pocket 66 by the binder 64 can be assured without requiring an accurate dosage during the provision of the binder.

The binder 64 is also solidified to form a compact mass in which the electron arrangement 34 is embedded. If the overpressure applied on the binder 64 is no longer present during the solidification step of the binder 64, such as the introduction of the electron placement in the pocket 66, the envelope 28 against the surface 60 of the block 62 is removed. The bottom 58 may be maintained or the block 62 may be retracted. The effect of overpressure generated by introducing the electron arrangement 34 into the pocket 66 is especially present when the size of the coil cross-section introduced corresponds to the size of the upper hole 26 of the envelope 20.

Once the electronic arrangement 34 is introduced into the pocket 66 and the binder is at least partially solidified, the envelope 20 must be separated from the storage source 28 to form the electronic device. For this purpose the cut is carried out at the height of the line X-Y. This cutting is performed by various techniques, for example using a heat source or a blade such as a laser beam. During cutting, the substrate 36 of the electron placement 34 is separated from the support 44 where the storage source 28 and residual binder 68 remain.

Therefore, an electronic device such as transponder 70 shown in cross section in FIG. 6 is obtained. The second transponder 70 of the present invention presents an envelope 20 that defines an outer wall of the transponder 70. Envelope 20 also forms an open pocket 72 and presents a hole 26. The surface of the transponder 70 in the region of the hole 26 is formed by the solidified binder 26 in which the electron arrangement 34 is embedded.

The cross section of the transponder 70 can take many forms and in particular is shown in FIG. 2.

The envelope 64 is made of a plastic material or the like and the binder 64 is formed of a bicomponent glue such as an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin or a polyurethane resin. In the case of epoxy resins the production process is carried out at room temperature. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an electronic device that is completed without requiring a high temperature coating technique which is compact and may be a problem for the printed circuit 42.

Storage sources considered in the electronic device manufacturing process according to the present invention may have a variety of structures. The storage source may consist of several cavities defining each funnel for an envelope that is combined with the storage source.

According to another variant of the method, after the introduction of the electron arrangement the storage source is closed so that overpressure can be created in the space defined by the envelope and the storage source.

The binder may be provided by a filling hole capable of providing the binder under pressure before and after the storage source. It is also possible to fully fill the storage source whose size is reduced to limit the residual binder.

Binders are generally provided before and after electron placement.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, in a variant using an element similar to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the solidified binder in the envelope and reservoir is demolded with the aid of the support 44 and the included electronic arrangement. It can be separated from the solidified residual binder of the reservoir. The device obtained in this case is free of external envelopes.

Finally, the method according to the invention is suitable for mass production of electronic devices in which the electronic arrangement is fully protected. However, the method according to the invention can also be used for the individual production of electronic devices. In this case, one storage source may be provided for each envelope.

Claims (16)

In a device (2; 70) comprising an electron arrangement (3; 34) and a coating (10, 12; 20, 64) protecting the electron arrangement, The coating is formed by an outer envelope (12; 20) that forms a pocket and presents a hole and a solidified binder that completely fills the envelope to form the outer surface of the device in a region defined by the hole. And the device is embedded in the binder. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the envelope (20) comprises a small cross-section hole (54) in an area located opposite to the hole. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the hole (54) opens into an outer recess (56) formed in the envelope. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the binder (10; 20) consists of a two component glue. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the envelope (12; 20) is formed of a plastic material. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said electronic arrangement (3; 34) comprises an integrated circuit (4; 42) electrically connected to a coil (6; 40). Providing an envelope 20 defining a pocket 66 having a top hole 26; Providing a storage source (28) disposed over the envelope and in communication with the pocket by the upper hole and having at least one filling hole; Providing a binder (64) in liquid form to said storage source; Introducing an electronic arrangement (34) into the pocket by the top hole; Filling said binder in said pocket; Curing the binder; -Separating from said storage source said device consisting of said envelope and said electronic arrangement embedded in said solidified binder. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the amount of binder 64 provided is greater than the amount of binder contained in the device 70 appearing after the separation step, wherein the separation is the top hole 26 of the envelope 20. A manufacturing method, characterized in that made by cutting at height. 9. The storage source (28) of claim 8, wherein the storage source (28) is made of the same material as the envelope (20) and is made integrally, wherein the initially provided storage source and the envelope form a single piece of the same material. Manufacturing method characterized in that. 10. Method according to one of the claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the provided envelope (20) has a hole in the bottom. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the hole (54) is opened into an outer recess (56) provided in the envelope (20). 12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the closure of the envelope (20) by means of closure is provided while the hole (54) provides the electronic arrangement (34) in the pocket (66) formed by the envelope. Manufacturing method characterized in that closed on the outer surface. 13. The storage source (28) according to any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the storage source (28) serves as a funnel to fill the pockets by the binder (64), wherein the edges of the filling holes of the storage source have two main dimensions. And a surface larger than the smallest dimension of the top hole (26) of the envelope. 14. A pocket according to one of claims 7 to 13, wherein the envelopes 20, 20A, 20B, 20C are defined by the envelope and the upper openings 26, 26A, 26B, 26C of the envelope. And a plurality of electronic arrangements (34, 34A, 34B) each introduced into the pocket. 15. The electronic arrangement 34, 34A, 34B is initially connected to each other by a support 44, the electronic arrangement being spaced apart from the provided envelopes 20, 20A, 20B, 20C. 48 is positioned below the support at regular intervals corresponding to 48), the electronic arrangement is simultaneously introduced into the pocket with the aid of the support, and the support is a binder filling the envelope and the envelope. And wherein the device formed by the electron placement embedded in is separated from the electron placement during the separation step from the common storage source. Providing several envelopes 20, 20A, 20B, 20C defining pockets and having top holes 26, 26A, 26B, 26C, respectively; Positioning a reservoir on the envelope by the top hole, the storage source having at least one filling hole and in communication with the pocket; Providing a binder in liquid form to said storage source; Introducing an electronic arrangement (34, 34A, 34B) connected to each other by a support (44) into each of the pockets by the upper hole; Filling a binder in the pocket, the binder at least partially filling the storage source; Curing the binder; Separating the binder and the electronic arrangement from the storage source and the envelope; -Separating said electronic batch coated by said solidified binder of said envelope from said solidified binder of said storage source.