ELASTOMERIC SENSOR COMPONENT WITH AN INTEGRATED SENSOR MODULE

Abstract

An elastomeric sensor component includes a component body made of elastomer material and a sensor module embedded within the component body. The sensor module includes a sensor chip, a radiofrequency transponder chip electrically connected to the sensor chip, and a loop antenna electrically connected to the radiofrequency transponder chip. The elastomeric sensor component further includes a booster antenna having a booster antenna loop, with the booster antenna loop deposited on a surface of the component body in order to allow near field data communication and energy transfer with the loop antenna.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. An elastomeric sensor component comprising a component body made of elastomer material and a sensor module embedded within the component body, the sensor module comprising a sensor chip, a radiofrequency transponder chip electrically connected to the sensor chip, and a loop antenna electrically connected to the radiofrequency transponder chip, wherein the elastomeric sensor component further comprises a booster antenna comprising a booster antenna loop, wherein the booster antenna loop is deposited on a surface of the component body in order to allow near field data communication and energy transfer with the loop antenna.

16. The elastomeric sensor component according to claim 15, wherein the booster antenna comprises two booster antenna arms.

17. The elastomeric sensor component according to claim 16, wherein the booster antenna arms are of straight or meander-like shape and/or the booster antenna arms and the booster antenna loop are arranged in a plane.

18. The elastomeric sensor component according to claim 16, wherein the booster antenna arms are deposited together with the booster antenna loop on the surface of the component body.

19. The elastomeric sensor component according to claim 15, wherein the booster antenna is deposited by printing, coating or lamination technologies.

20. The elastomeric sensor component according to claim 15, wherein the booster antenna deposited on the surface of the component body is covered with a dielectric layer, a dielectric foil or a dielectric ink or lacquer different from the material of the component body.

21. The elastomeric sensor component according to claim 15, wherein the material of the booster antenna is a stretchable material.

22. The elastomeric sensor component according to claim 15, wherein the elastomer material of the component body is a thermoset elastomer or a thermoplastic elastomer.

23. A sensor system comprising the elastomeric sensor component according to claim 15 and a radiofrequency (RFID) reader device equipped with a communication module for providing energy to the sensor module of the elastomeric sensor component via the booster antenna and reading data from the sensor module via the booster antenna.

24. A method for manufacturing the elastomeric sensor component according to claim 15, the method comprising: embedding the sensor module in a component body of elastomer material using a molding technique depositing the booster antenna on the surface of the component body in alignment with the loop antenna of the sensor module.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the sensor module is embedded by placing the sensor module between two layers of elastomer material and compression molding the component body with the embedded sensor module.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein a surface of the sensor module is modified to obtain better bonding between the sensor module and the elastomer body before embedding the sensor module.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the booster antenna is protected with a dielectric layer of a different material than the component body.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein before depositing the booster antenna, the surface of the component body is modified to increase adhesion of the booster antenna.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the surface of the component body is modified by coating with a bonding agent or by plasma or corona treatment.

30. The method according to claim 24, wherein the molding technique is compression molding (CM), injection molding (IM), transfer molding (TM), injection transfer molding (ITM) or injection compression molding (ICM).

31. The method according to claim 26, wherein the surface of the sensor module is modified by coating with a bonding agent or by plasma or corona treatment.

Description

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE FIGURES

[0022] The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to embodiments that are illustrated in the figures. The figures show:

[0023] FIG. 1 a perspective view of an elastomeric sensor component;

[0024] FIG. 2 a top view of the elastomeric sensor component of FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 3 a side view of the elastomeric sensor component of FIG. 1, and

[0026] FIG. 4 a diagram of a sensor system using the component of FIG. 1.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an elastomeric sensor component 1 comprising a component body 2 of elastomer material, a sensor module 3 and a booster antenna 7. In the example shown, the sensor module 3 is entirely embedded in the component body 2. Alternatively, a part of the sensor module, e.g. a sensing part of the sensor chip, may surface and is thereby not covered by the elastomer material. The component body 2 is shown transparent to see the sensor module 3. FIG. 2 shows a top view of the elastomeric sensor component of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 shows a side view of the elastomeric sensor component of FIG. 1.

[0028] The sensor module 3 comprises a sensor chip 4, e.g. a temperature sensor, a radiofrequency transponder chip 5 (RFID chip) including an interface to electrically connect the sensor chip 4 to the RFID chip 5, and a loop antenna 6 electrically connected to the RFID chip 5. These components may be placed on a coin-shaped circuit board of a few millimetres in diameter, with the loop antenna 6 surrounding the two chips 4, 5.

[0029] The entire sensor module 3 is embedded in the component body 2 made of elastomer material. The elastomer material may be selected from the group of a thermoset elastomer or a thermoplastic elastomer. Good results have been achieved with ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM).

[0030] A booster antenna 7 comprising a booster antenna loop 71 and two booster antenna arms 72 is deposited on the surface of the component body 2 in a way that the booster antenna loop 71 is concentrically aligned with the antenna loop 6 of the sensor module 3. The booster antenna 7 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has straight shaped booster antenna arms 72. The printed booster antenna 7 has a unique shape which ensures the inductive coupling between the loop antenna 6 of the sensor module 3 and the booster antenna 7. Good results have been achieved with printing the booster antenna 7 with a stretchable ink or paste, e.g. a stretchable silver ink, to ensure the stretchable properties of the elastomer material. Preferably, the surface is treated by plasma to ensure a good adhesion.

[0031] The RFID chip 5 and the loop antenna 6 together with the booster antenna 7 ensure energy supply for the sensor chip 4 and communication of the sensed data via the booster antenna 7 to a radiofrequency reader device (RFID reader) 8 (see FIG. 4).

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a diagram of a sensor system comprising an elastomeric sensor component 1 and a radiofrequency (RFID) reader device 8 equipped with a communication module for providing energy to the sensor module 3 of the elastomeric sensor component 1 via the booster antenna 7 and reading data from the sensor module 3 via the booster antenna 7.

TABLE-US-00001 Reference Signs 1 elastomeric sensor component 2 component body 3 sensor module 4 sensor chip 5 radiofrequency transponder chip 6 loop antenna 7 booster antenna 71 booster antenna loop 72 booster antenna arm 8 radiofrequency (RFID) reader device