WO2022085029A1

WO2022085029A1 - A system for patch integration in automotive glazings and a method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2022085029A1
Application number: PCT/IN2021/051001
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arunvel Thangamani; Keerthivasan SRIDHARAN; Robin C JAYARAM; Samson RICHARDSON D
Original assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France
Priority date: 2020-10-22
Filing date: 2021-10-22
Publication date: 2022-04-28

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system dispenses and pastes the patch electronic s/antennas in an automotive glazing manufacturing line. It includes an imaging unit (101) configured to obtain one or more parameters associated with the glazing, a processing unit (102) configured to obtain data from the imaging unit (101) and process the data from the imaging unit (101) to determine a location for dispensing and affixing the electronic unit on the glazing and an actuating unit (103) configured to obtain the location from the processing unit (102) and to accurately and adjustably affix the electronic unit precisely at the determined location. The disclosed system provides for accurate positioning and pasting of the electronic unit on the glazing and computes the tolerance stacking data for facilitating the same.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a system for patch integration, and particularly, to such a system that dispenses and pastes the patch electronics or antennas in an automotive glazing manufacturing line. The disclosure also provides a method for pasting patch antennas to the windshield.

BACKGROUND

Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

The flexible electronics patches are becoming an integral part of automotive systems especially glazing where the form factors of thin flexible patches are very significant. Reference is made to patent application CN203141862 that discloses the utility model aiming at providing a hot pressing device for the heat curing of RFID tags, and the hot pressing device for the heat curing of the RFID tags is compact in structure and good in using effects. The technical scheme of the hot pressing device for the heat curing of the RFID tags includes that the hot pressing device for the heat curing of the RFID tags comprises a hot pressing head base, a magnet is arranged on the hot pressing head base, an air cylinder is arranged at the upper end of the magnet and fixed on a limit seat, the limit seat is provided with a sliding groove and a sleeve which slides in the sliding groove, the upper end of the air cylinder is connected with a hot pressing head through a connecting block, and the connecting block is fixedly connected with the sleeve. The hot pressing device for the heat curing of the RFID tags belongs to the technical field of hot pressing device designs.

Again, reference is made to KR101266744B1 that relates to a high pressure hot air type container label applying device to prevent the deformation of the container by temporarily shrinking the label by the high pressure hot air tunnel in the state that the label is contracted to maintain the best conditions that can be attached to the container. It further includes a primary contraction tunnel provided with a first hot air plate for blowing hot air dried on the side of the container conveyed on the conveyor belt. The container that is in close contact with one side of the primary shrink tunnel and passed through the primary shrink tunnel is made up of a secondary shrink tunnel having a second hot wind plate that is transported inside the conveyor belt to blow dry hot air.

A further reference is made to patent application JP2007153346A which provides solution to perform accurate data processing on an RFID inlet and a label piece separately so that the data can be attached to a desired adhered. An objective of the present invention is to provide a possible RFID label sticking device. A first RFID inlet applicator, and a plurality of label pieces temporarily attached at predetermined intervals on a band- shaped backing sheet, and desired information is printed on the label pieces wound in a roll shape, and attached to the adhered. A second label sticking machine that can be attached so as to overlap the attached RFID inlet, the RFID label including the RFID inlet having desired information and the label piece is attached to the adhered. This is an RFID label sticking device capable of sticking.

Another reference is made to US2019300222 Al that discloses patent application to provide a system, a method, and an apparatus for inspecting a label for proper application thereof. The system includes a label application apparatus and an inspection apparatus associated with said label application apparatus. The method includes inspecting a spent carrier web for the presence of labels, or portions thereof, that did not transfer to articles being labelled.

A further reference is made to patent application JP2000112524A that provides a method and device for controlling the traveling of a gantry crane for realizing highly precise control with a simple constitution. At the time of traveling a gantry on a desired path by driving wheels of legs of the gantry, the position of a fixed place on ground and the position of the gantry are measured by satellite radio waves, and the measured position of the gantry is corrected based on the simultaneously measured position of the fixed place, and the driving of the wheels is controlled based on the corrected position of the gantry.

In the above mentioned prior art there are several disadvantages and limitations with respect to repeatability and tolerance stacking details and requirement for a commercial system or similar system is not developed or available for patch electronics integration on automotive glazing or curved glass surfaces. The integration with available system are complex and need very specific control algorithms to do the same. Further, the integration of patch electronics onto a transparent media and having adhesive capable of handling glass manufacturing process temperatures are some of the challenges encountered for integration of patch electronics on automotive glazing.

Hence, there is a need for custom hardware-firmware system for dispensing and pasting of the patch electronics/antennas on an automotive glazing with complex profile movement, flexible patch electronics integration, local heating system for enhanced adhesive curing and the like. It is therefore, desirable and advantageous to provide a system and a method for the same with high repeatability in terms of location of pasting the antenna, online modification, testing and verification modules, and many more.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The aforementioned drawbacks mentioned in the background are overcome by an optimized imaging system which helps in detecting the glass model to integrate patch electronics.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for accurate dispensing and integrating of the electronic units like patch electronics or antennas on an automotive glazing. It is another object of the present invention to provide a system with proper process control facilitating uniform application for proper bonding of patch electronics on an automotive glazing.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a system for integrating electronic patch on automotive glazing with the system having means for error proofing.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for integrating electronic patch on automotive glazing having means for inline testing and validation of patch electronic components after integrating it on the glazing.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved by the following aspects of the invention. The following disclosure presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This presents some concept of the invention in a simplified form to a more detailed description of the invention presented later. It is a comprehensive summary of the disclosure and it is not an extensive overview of the present invention. The intend of this summary is to provide a fundamental understanding of some of the aspects of the present invention.

In an aspect of the present invention is disclosed a system for integrating an electronic unit in an automotive glazing. The disclosed system comprises inter-alia an imaging unit, a processing unit and an actuating unit. The imaging unit is configured to obtain one or more parameters associated with the glazing. The processing unit is configured to obtain data from the imaging unit and process the data from the imaging unit to determine a location for dispensing and affixing the electronic unit on the glazing. Further, the actuating unit is configured to obtain the location from the processing unit and to adjustably affix the electronic unit precisely at the determined location and to send a feedback to the processing unit about affixing the electronic unit to the processing unit. The disclosed system is configured to ensure proper affixing or integration of the electronic unit at the location. The disclosed invention is capable of proposing a system to help in the placement and integration of the patch electronics on a glazing as per required standards and custom requirements. It further discloses of having a custom end effector or applicator capable dispensing and picking the patch electronics and heat presses it to the glazing. The disclosed system is capable of detecting the curvature of the automotive glazing such as a windshield and pasting patch electronics at a specified location based on least interference or regulations.

The disclosed system facilitates for accurate positioning and pasting of the electronic patch on the glazing. It ensures optimum functioning of the integrated product like antenna with respect to frame and RFID within a specified area of glazing. The process control is brought forth by the disclosed system and it includes uniform application for proper bonding of antenna or RFID to substrate providing reduced bubbling of the adhesive during pasting. The disclosed system is capable of preventing particulate matter from getting under the patch electronics during pasting. It is capable of performing the pasting operation within reduced process time. The herein disclosed system is capable of error proofing as well. It includes means for inline testing and validation of the patch electronic components after pasting. Generally, the pad printing based custom end effector may use ink transfer method with a pliable polymer pad to conform to curved surfaces like bottles. In the disclosed invention, the pad printing tool has been customized to include a vacuum based suction in the flexible or compliant pad surface.

Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following briefly describes the accompanying drawings, illustrating the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, for assisting the understanding of a person skilled in the art to comprehend the invention. It would be apparent that the accompanying drawings in the following description merely show some embodiments of the present invention, and persons skilled in the art can derive other drawings from the accompanying drawings without deviating from the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed block diagram of the functionality of the remote server in the system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates the process flow for integration of patch electronics in glazing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a custom end applicator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates discloses a schematic diagram showing an instance of how the locators are marked on a glazing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is now discussed in more detail referring to the drawings that accompany the present application. In the accompanying drawings, like and/or corresponding elements are referred to by like reference numbers. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or the like parts. The present disclosure is directed at a system for dispensing and affixing an electronic unit on an automotive glazing. Said electronic unit may include and is not limited to patch electronics or antennas. The disclosure also provides a method for the same. The present disclosure relates to a system that dispenses and pastes the patch electronics/antennas in an automotive glazing manufacturing line. The disclosure also provides a method for pasting patch antennas to the glazing like a windshield. The present disclosure provides a system for dispensing and pasting of the patch electronics/antennas on an automotive glazing and a method for the same. It also provides a system to detect the curvature of the windshield and pasting patch electronics at a specified location based on least interference or regulations.

Reference is made to FIG. 1 of the present invention that discloses a system for integrating an electronic unit in an automotive glazing according to the present invention. The disclosed system comprises an imaging unit (101) configured to obtain one or more parameters associated with the glazing. The one or more parameters associated with the glazing includes at least the curvature of the glazing, edge detection of the glazing, surface detection of the glazing, orientation of the location on which the electronic unit is to be placed, specific markings or patterns on glazing, and/or the type of a substrate of the glazing. The disclosed vision system seeks for dimensions of the glazing and locator markings on the glazing. The orientation of the location for affixing or integrating the electronic unit may be obtained by detecting one or more markings on the glazing such as the black ceramic paint on the glazing. The system further includes a processing unit (102) configured to obtain data from the imaging unit (101) and process the data from the imaging unit (101) to determine a location for disposing and affixing the electronic unit on the glazing. It also includes an actuating unit (103). The actuating unit (103) is configured to obtain the location from the processing unit (102) and to adjustably affix the electronic unit precisely at the determined location on the glazing and to send a feedback to the processing unit about said integration or affixing of the electronic unit on the glazing. The disclosed vision system is configured to ensure proper integration or affixing of the electronic unit. The electronic unit referred herein may include patch electronic components such as flexible electronics patches that are integrated on automotive systems especially glazing where the form factors of thin flexible patches can be important. Instances of such electronic unit includes near-field communication (NFC) tag, radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, patch antenna and the like. In the instant disclosure, the electronic unit may be interchangeably used with patch electronics, RFID tag and the like.

In an implementation, it is disclosed that the electronic unit such as a patch electronics or antenna units may be pasted on the glazing. Glazing referred to may include and not limited to automotive glazing such as laminated glazing, sidelite, quaterlite, windshields, backlite, encapsulated glazing and the like. The imaging unit (101) may include sensors for ensuring proper pasting of the patch electronics or patch antenna and further to check and validate the presence of said patch electronics on the glazing. Examples of the sensors of the imaging unit may include proximity sensors, infrared (IR) sensors, ultrasonic sensors to detect the presence of the glazing in the pasting section of the system in a glazing production line, the orientation, the edges of the glazing and the like. The imaging unit (101) may include a camera, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor (IR), an ultrasonic sensor and the like for obtaining values of the required parameters. The optical sensor may include sensors like Lidar sensor, laser sensor. The proximity sensor may be inductive or capacitive types. A 3D scanner may be included in the imagining unit (101) to obtain the location details of the pasting area on the glazing. The imagining unit (101) is capable of further sensing and detecting the type of patch electronic component to be integrated on the glazing.

The parameters from the glazing may be read by the imaging unit (101) which is then used to determine the dimensions or type of the substrate of the glazing (for e.g. glass dimension, glass type) and relative position in the manufacturing line. The disclosed system uses sensor fusion data i.e. the combination of the data from all the sensors to identify the position or orientation of the glazing in the manufacturing line. Once the parameters are obtained from the imaging unit (101), details such as the glass model and the like may be obtained from the database. The imaging unit (101) may also be capable of locating the pasting area on the glazing by way of the detecting the presence of markings such as black ceramic paint on glazing.

In an implementation of the present invention, the processing unit (102) is capable of analyzing the data from the one or more sensors of the imaging unit and send the location data from a 3D scanner, proximity sensors and other peripheral sensors to the actuating unit (103). The sensor outputs may be provided to a remote server (104) such as a cloud computing unit as a part of remote conditional monitoring process or simply as a means for storing the data to the cloud server. The processing unit (102) is further configured to test and validate whether or not the patch has been appropriately integrated on the glazing. For example, say if an RFID tag need to be integrated on a glazing, once the integration of the tag on the glazing is completed, the disclosed system may have readers capable of reading the tag integrated on the glazing for testing and verifying the proper functional integrity of the tag post affixing it on the glazing. The processing unit (102) may further facilitate the actuating unit to paste the patch electronics component to the glazing accurately based on the output from the processing unit (102) and once the integration is complete it sends a feedback to the processing unit to reinitialize the process. The feedback is useful in computing the tolerance stacking details or data. The processing unit (102) may determine the occurrence of any deviation of the actual location of the integrated electronic unit on the glazing from the predetermined location for affixing the electronic unit. Such feedback is useful to compensate for the differences in the subsequent integration of the electronic unit on the glazing.

The imaging unit (101) may include a camera to obtain the images of the glazing, a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of electronic units on the glazing or the presence of glazing in the conveyor to initiate pasting or placing action. Said camera may be optically adapted to obtain glass dimensions such as length and width of the glazing or it may be a stereoscopic type camera adapted to obtain the depth information such as curvature or height of the glazing. Imaging unit may have sensors capable of validating. The conditional monitoring process is to validate the data from the sensors against the data in the servers to identify the glazing model and the approximate position of locator markings (such as the black ceramic marking on the glazing) from where the imaging unit (101) may identify them on the glazing and further send the respective signal or command to the actuator for patch integration. Other sensors may be used for pasting the unit accurately, to check and validate the presence of the patch electronics etc. For example, proximity sensors may be used to detect the presence of a windshield in the pasting section of a manufacturing line and further for detecting the type of patch electronic component to be integrated on the windshield. It would be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the sensors mentioned here are provided by way of examples and are in no way limited to these. Other sensors that may be required for accurate integration of the patch electronics on the glazing may be included in the imaging unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed that the system that comprises an actuating unit (103). The actuating unit (103) is configured to paste the patch electronic component to the glazing based on the location output from the processing unit (102). Once the integration is complete, the actuating unit is configured to send a feedback to the processing unit (102) to reinitialize the process. The actuating unit (103) is configured to exhibit control of force on the system so as to prevent breakage of the glazing during integration. The actuating unit (103) facilitates an applicator to affix the electronic unit on the glazing, such as by way of pasting. The force with which the applicator sticks or pastes the unit on the glazing is less than the glass flexural strength (or the substrate of the glazing) and it may vary accordingly with respect to parameters of the glass such as the type of glass, its thickness etc. The sticking force is always ensured to be operative well within the range from 0% to 80% of the flexural strength value for facilitating proper pasting of the patch electronics on the glazing but prevent it from breaking. In an implementation, the actuating unit (103) may have dispensing mechanism attached to a robotic arm for quick change over of patch spools, wherein the spools contain the patch electronic units to be embedded on the glazing. The actuating unit may include a robotic arm with a custom end effector to paste the components to the glazing. The custom end effector being the applicator is configured to heat press the patch electronic components to the substrates of the glazing (like the Polyvinyl butyral, PVB sheet or on glass) to ensure for proper adhesion. Addition of adhesive layer to the patch electronics, providing a cut out in the PVB or interlayer, providing locator markings on the glazing, attaching the dispensing mechanism to the robotic arm for quick change over of patch spools, ensuring to control the force of the system to prevent breakage of the glazing during integration are some of modifications possible for easy integration of the patch electronics. Alternatively, the integration system may be mounted on a gantry system to move along the integration area with the sensor outputs to prevent tolerance stacking, in which the actuating unit (103) may include actuators of the gantry system for orienting the glazing in the desired manner. Said gantry system may be customized to include the custom end effector or applicator to paste the patch electronics.

In an implementation of the system is consider that integration of a RFID tag on the glazing. Data in the tag is encoded to reduce the memory size, data being a simple identification number for instance. The disclosed system may include an RFID reader capable of obtaining the stored data from the tag. The thus obtained data is provided to the server by the processing unit. At the remote server, the product information like glass type, dimensions, models etc., historical data of the process, necessary data from the sensor system, processing unit, actuating system by using an edge device, OTA updates for the systems developed over time, necessary backend details and processes for each subsystem may be mapped to the encoded data. Such data may be updated as well. The system may further include a RFID write module that is capable of writing such updated data from the server on the tag. This is depicted in FIG. 2.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the data encoded to the tag or any data may be printed on the surface of the patch electronic component by the means of an integrated printer in the disclosed system. The ink used for such printing may be and not limited to inks having a boiling point of about 157°C, flash point of about 57 C and ignition temperature of about 420 C. The temperature of the autoclave is 147 °C for a laminated glazing and the printing is so chosen that it will not be affected by the temperature of process, any part of the process or the integration.

In an implementation of the present invention, the actuating unit (103) comprises a dispensing unit configured to dispense the electronic unit on the glazing. The disclosed system is capable of triggering the actuating unit operably coupled with a gantry or a robotic system to paste the patch electronic by using the custom end effector or applicator. Said custom applicator is adapted to ensure proper integration of the electronic unit on the glazing, wherein said custom applicator includes a thermal or vacuum pad (302) configured to hold the electronic unit at the determined location. FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of custom end effector. The custom end effector may further include a heating element adapted for curing the adhesive. The heating element (301) is adapted to promote diffusive bonding of the adhesive on the substrate of the glazing and thereby facilitate proper integration of the patch electronics on the glazing. The actuating unit (103) may further include a testing unit (303) configured to check for functional and physical integrity of the electronic component on the glazing after the integration. The testing unit may include one or more sensors (like temperature sensor, proximity sensors) to ensure for physical integrity of the patch electronics after the integration. The testing unit may also include a reader say for instance an RFID reader configured to validate the functional integrity of the electronic component like an RFID tag after the integration.

Reference is made to FIG. 3 again that discloses the custom end effector or an applicator according to the present invention comprising the vacuum gripper and the heating element. The custom end effector is capable of heat presses the patch electronic components to the substrates such as a PVB sheet or on glass to ensure for proper adhesion. The pad based printing system may use an ink transfer method with a pliable polymer pad to conform to curved surfaces like bottles. The pad printing tool according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a vacuum based suction in the flexible/comphant pad surface adapted to pick and hold the flexible electronics substrate. The pad with flexible patch is then pressed against the curved glass surface. The heating element may be a thin film structure for ensuring flexibility over a curved surface of material such as polyaminde, PEEK, silicone, Teflon. The material may also be made in form of a thick pad layer to accommodate larger curvatures of the glazing. Heating may be achieved by using a metallic mesh made of carbon, aluminium, copper etc. In an implementation, heating may be brought forth by way of resistive heating or hot air blower. The applicator may include a pad printing based on custom end effector in accordance with the present invention.

The pad may have a higher surface energy than the source of release for the electronic unit (like a release paper for the patch electronics) but has lower surface energy than that of the glass surface (i.e. substrate surface of the glazing). The pads may be having length and width dimensions of at least 10% to 20% greater than the print area. It has a Shore OO Hardness of 2-10 so that it may be used for placing over the glass surface. The hardness value is to be maintained to avoid the breakage of the glass. The selection of the silicone rubber pads may be done for the glazing based on the materials’ ability to have to have excellent absorption and detachment of the ink, perfect transposal of the pattern to be printed for the printing process. It is expected to have a reasonably good tear strength and resistance to solvents and inks and also render long life to the pad for printing. Furthermore, selection of the silicone rubber pads may be done considering the hardness and form stability of the applicator, possibility of being used several times, and it is required to cleaned easily and is seamless to maintain. In an alternate embodiment for easy integration several modifications may be done. For example, addition of adhesive layer to the patch electronics so as to facilitate easy adhesion of the patch electronics on the glazing, cut out the PVB layer or interlayer for facilitating easy accommodation of the patch electronics on the interlayer and providing locator markings on the glazing so as to facilitate the easy identification of the location by way of detecting the markings by the imaging unit. Reference is made to FIG. 4 of the present invention that discloses a process flow for the integration process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The integration process flow comprises a glazing such as windshield entering an integration zone, the plurality of sensors of the disclosed vision system functions to obtain the relevant details of the glazing followed by positioning of the glazing on the conveyor and/or positioning the custom applicator based on the obtained parameters of the sensors and executing the process of integration of the electronics by the integration modules or component that includes the custom application. Once the integration is performed, the functionality of the disclosed vision system comes again to identify the tolerance stacking. This is obtained by way of sending feedback to the processing unit on the integration performed by the system.

The system disclosed herein referred as the vision system also is configured to identify the location on the glazing to integrate the patch electronics. It further is configured to get the model of the windshield and the tolerance stacking after pasting the electronic unit. The positioning block in the integration process, comprises sensors of imaging unit along the conveyor to ensure positioning of the windshield. This may be achieved by conveyor base movement control. The pasting area on the glazing is also identified by the plurality of sensors of the imaging unit. There may be markings on the glazing like say within the black ceramic region. Such markings may be as a part of usual ceramic printing or additional markers with minimum of about 0.1 - 0.2 mm marking in shapes like square, rectangular, edge points for imaging unit to identify the location. The sensors locate the windshield on the fixture and check presence of antenna after pasting. The integration system block in the integration process, is mounted on a robot or a gantry system. Further the custom end effector is a part of the integration system and pastes the patch to the windshield.

In a further embodiment, in accordance with the present invention the integration process flow comprises a vision system. The vision system functions as a patch position check. If the location of the patch is not maintained a feedback is sent to the positioning system to compensate for tolerance stacking. For mstance, for a first glazing if there is a deviation in pasting from the identified location, the information is provided to the processing unit as feedback so as to compensate for the deviation such that in a second glazing, the pasting is done at the desired area. The vision system therefore, controls the location of either the windshield or the pasting apparatus to ensure proper positioning of antenna during the pasting operation. In an embodiment of the present invention, the disclosed system includes means for reading and printing a specific unique ID on an inlay by RFID reader to read tag information. Further, it includes means to print other information along with unique ID such as bar code, QR codes and the like.

In the following is provided an exemplary embodiment of the printing by means of the disclosed vision system:

A lab scale robotic system for patch integration has been developed. A full scale system requires 6-axis arm for pasting along the curved surface of windshield, and payload to be determined based on the weight of the end effector and the dispensing setup. In alternate embodiments, the pasting patch electronics may be integrated on a curved glass surface and custom end effector may be developed for patch electronics integration with several customization possibilities, some instances of said possibilities may include but not limited to: pressing or blowing operation heating and pressing or blowing operation data read and write operation (provision for testing) printing and heating and pressing or blowing and data read/write individual control and modular design

The present system in accordance with the present invention provides accurate positioning and pasting of the patch electronics. The pasting accuracy may be within 50 -100 microns depending upon the curvature of the glazing. The positioning and pasting of the patch electronics is performed within one or more zones based on regulations for automotive glazing (like pasting must not in the visible area for the driver). The system ensures optimum functioning of the integrated product (antenna with respect to frame and RFID with specified area of glazing). The process control ensures uniform application for proper bonding of the patch electronics like antenna or RFID to the substrate for instance, it ensures reduced bubbling of the adhesive during pasting, prevents particulate matter from getting under the patch electronics during pasting, and performs the process in reduced process time. For manual process the time taken is in the range of 20 to 25 sec. However, this depends on operator skill as well. However, where an automated system is used the time taken is less than 10 seconds inclusive of heat pressing and inline testing of patch.

In an implementation of the present invention is disclosed a recipe for the method of integration of an RF tag on an automotive glazing (like a windshield) in accordance with the disclosed invention. It may include simultaneous process and a sequential process. The simultaneous process will include heating and pressing for approximately 10s and then RF testing occurs for about 2s. The sequential process includes pressing of the tag on the glazing for approximately 3 s, heating it for about 6s (occurs after it reaches the surface of the windshield) and followed by the process of curing for about 4s.

The system in accordance with the disclosed system provides error proofing in terms of the tag or antenna for model selected, location to paste the patch component. Further the inline testing and validation of patch electronic components after pasting is not available in commercial systems. The present invention also provides a system to detect the curvature of the windshield and pasting paste electronics at a specified location based on least interference or the regulations. The curvature of the automotive glazing and the location to paste the patch electronic component will be detected by an imaging system which triggers the gantry or the robotic system to paste the patch electronic by using the custom end effector or applicator which comprises of a dispensing unit for dispensing the RFID tag or the Antenna), a vacuum pad to hold the patch component in place, a heating element to promote diffusive bonding of adhesive on the substrate and for curing the adhesive and a testing module to check for integrity of the patch component. The disclosed system and method in accordance with the present invention achieves a custom hardware-firmware system for dispensing and pasting of the patch electronics or antennas on an automotive glazing with at least the following capabilities:

• means for detection of curved surface or facilitating complex profile movement

• custom end effector design and respective features to provide for the proper integration of the patch electronic unit on the glazing

• dispensing system inclusive of spool, line or conveyor loaded

• end effector pad (e.g. silicone) to enable flexible patch electronics integration

• local heating system (such as air blow, surface heater, mesh) for enhanced adhesive or substrate curing

• pressing system (like pneumatic or hydraulic, robotic arm, gantry, spring loaded system, motorized linear actuators). In an implementation, the subassembly may comprise dispensing, pasting, heating system, pressing system, while the adhesive dispenser may be mounted to a gantry or robotic arm.

• means for facilitating affixing the electronic patch by heating and pressing

• means for facilitating heating and blowing for contactless integration

• adhesive dispenser

• combination of above system (e.g. adhesive capable of sustaining a minimum temperature of around 160°C)

• local preparation for integration to interlayers (PVB), in which the preparation includes cutting, pattern ironing etc.

The disclosed system and method in accordance with the present invention achieves a high repeatability in terms of location of pasting the antenna and proper pasting along curved surfaces (for instance, locating and placing it on curved windshield). Reference is made to FIG. 5 that discloses a schematic diagram showing an instance of how the locators are marked on a glazing by the imaging unit. The machine vision based corrective mechanism of the disclosed system includes markers or dimensional reference. The method for integration onto a transparent media includes edge detection, surface detection, inclusion of proximity sensors.

FIG. 5 depicts schematically on how the pasting needs to be performed at a laboratory scale. The glass may be placed in position with the help of locating jig, two-line contact maintained with glass sample to mimic process conveyor belt in real scenario, and the location is then defined in the glass sample (in the center portion). The robustness of the system may be checked by repeatability checked by changing glass samples. Tests have been performed with 10, 30, 50 and 100 number of samples and uniformity of the sticking force is checked. In the following table is provided the sample data obtained from these test runs.

Industrial Applicability

In an embodiment, the system and method in accordance with the present invention may be used in the following:

• RF tag integration to windshields and abrasives

• patch antenna integration to the glass panels

• electronic or flexible patch integration.

Some of the advantages of the disclosed system may include the following:

• The disclosed system provides for accurate positioning and pasting thereof of the patch electronic unit. The system computes the tolerance stacking data for facilitating the same. • The disclosed vision system provides for uniform application for proper bonding of antenna/ RFID to substrate, thereby reduced bubbling of the adhesive during pasting.

• It facilitates for repeatability and compensates for any deviation by computing the tolerance stacking details. It is capable of being used in commercial system or similar system for patch electronics integration to automotive glazing or curved glass surfaces and further prevent particulate matter from getting under the patch electronics during pasting.

• Integration with available system are complex and need very specific control algorithms to do the same. With the disclosed vision system, it is possible to integrate patch electronics onto a transparent substrate as well.

• The disclosed vision system includes heating element for facilitating curing of the adhesive and promote bonding of the electronic unit with the substrate of the glazing.

Note that not all of the activities described above in the general description or the examples are required, that a portion of a specific activity may not be required, and that one or more further activities may be performed in addition to those described. Still further, the order in which activities are listed is not necessarily the order in which they are performed.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any feature(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature of any or all the claims.

The specification and illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The specification and illustrations are not intended to serve as an exhaustive and comprehensive description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that use the structures or methods described herein. Certain features, that are for clarity, described herein in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in a sub combination. Further, reference to values stated in ranges includes each and every value within that range. Many other embodiments may be apparent to skilled artisans only after reading this specification. Other embodiments may be used and derived from the disclosure, such that a structural substitution, logical substitution, or another change may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

The description in combination with the figures is provided to assist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein, is provided to assist in describing the teachings, and should not be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of the teachings. However, other teachings can certainly be used in this application.

As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, “including”, “has”, “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of features is not necessarily limited only to those features but may include other features not expressly listed or inherent to such method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, "or" refers to an inclusive-or and not to an exclusive-or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

Also, the use of “a” or “an” is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural, or vice versa, unless it is clear that it is meant otherwise. For example, when a single item is described herein, more than one item may be used in place of a single item. Similarly, where more than one item is described herein, a single item may be substituted for that more than one item.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. To the extent that certain details regarding specific materials and processing acts are not described, such details may include conventional approaches, which may be found in reference books and other sources within the manufacturing arts.

While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.

Claims

WE CLAIM

1. A system for integrating an electronic unit in an automotive glazing, the system comprises: an imaging unit (101) configured to obtain one or more parameters associated with the glazing; a processing unit (102) configured to obtain data from the imaging unit (101) and process the data from the imaging unit (101) to determine a location for dispensing and affixing the electronic unit on the glazing; and an actuating unit (103) configured to obtain the location from the processing unit (102) and to adjustably affix the electronic unit precisely at the determined location and to send a feedback to the processing unit about affixing the electronic unit to the processing unit; wherein the system is configured to ensure proper affixing or integration of the electronic unit at the location.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters associated with the glazing includes at least curvature of the glazing, edge detection of the glazing, surface detection of the glazing, orientation of the location on which the electronic unit is to be placed, specific markings or patterns on glazing, and/or the type of a substrate of the glazing.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imaging unit (101) includes a camera, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor (IR), an ultrasonic sensor, and/or a 3D scanner.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprises a remote server for storing and/or processing the data from the imaging unit (101) for conditional monitoring of the process of integration of the electronic unit.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating unit (103) comprises:

22 a dispensing unit configured to dispense the electronic unit on the glazing; a custom applicator adapted to ensure proper integration of the electronic unit on the glazing, wherein said custom applicator includes a vacuum pad (302) configured to hold the electronic unit at the determined location and a heating element (301) adapted for curing the adhesive; and a testing unit (303) configured to check for functional and physical integrity of the electronic component on the glazing after the integration.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the applicator is configured to ensure that the force applied by the applicator is less than the flexural strength value of a substrate of the glazing to prevent breakage of the glazing during integration and ensure proper integration of the electronic unit on the glazing, wherein the force applied by the applicator is preferably 0% to 80% of the flexural strength value of a substrate of the glazing.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the vacuum pad is having a higher surface energy than the source of release for the electronic unit and is having the surface energy lower than that of the surface of the substrate of the glazing.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vacuum pad is having shore OO Hardness of 2-10 to avoid the breakage of the glazing.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit (103) is configured to compute the tolerance stacking data from the feedback and compensate for any deviation in the integration of the electronic unit on the glazing.