System and Method for Embedding a Communication Device into Carbon Fiber Structures

Abstract

A remote frequency communication device is embedded into a physical product build from carbon fiber materials whereby the communication device can interact with an interrogation device such as a mobile phone or tablet.

The present invention specifies a method to layer the communication device in a way that prevents the conductive carbon fiber material from short-circuiting the electro-magnetic field of the interrogating device by integrating insulating and protective layers around the communication device.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. The communication device that may be flush mounted on an object made of carbon fiber material comprising: a near field communication chipset or radio frequency identification chipset that may be read by an interrogation device; an antenna connected to said near field communication chipset or radio frequency identification chipset; a carrier film, wherein said near field communication chipset or radio frequency identification chipset and antenna are provided in said carrier film an insulation layer wherein said carrier film containing said near field communication chipset or radio frequency identification chipset and antenna is mounted on said insulation layer to form said communication device, wherein said insulation layer is able to absorb frequencies utilized by said communication device and interrogation devices and made of non-conductive material; and a protective laser covering said communication device, wherein said communication device maybe flush mounted on a carbon fiber object.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein said communication device utilizes near field communication (NFC) radio frequency.

4. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein said NFC radio frequency is about 13.5 MHz.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary in-mold layering of the communication device and the carbon fibers.

[0025] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a Near Field Communication device, or NFC tag, including an integrated circuit and an antenna.

[0026] FIG. 3A and 3B illustrate how an electro-magnetic field used for remote frequency communication is short circuited and how it can be prevented.

[0027] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an integrated communication device in the formed object material.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

[0029] FIG. 6 is an illustration of how an interrogation device communicates with the communication device embedded in the physical object.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0030] Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to an or one or some embodiment(s) in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. Additionally, in the following description of exemplary embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which it is shown by way of illustration of specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the preferred embodiments of the invention.

OVERVIEW

Use Case

[0031] A bicycle manufacturer wants to integrate an anti-counterfeiting and consumer engagement system with their bicycles. An NFC-based RFID system [FIG. 6] is chosen because of readability with most modern smart phones, i.e. the interrogation devices [602]. In order to make the communication device [604] a part of the bicycle frame [601], resistant to tempering, product use, and still invisible from the outside, the communication device [604] has to be embedded into the frame material [405] itself.

Communication Device

[0032] The bicycle manufacturer uses standard ISO-based chipsets [201] and antennas [202] to communicate with the interrogating mobile phones [602]. The antenna size [202] is chosen to ensure a certain read-range, in typical NFC implementations the effective read-range can be up to 10 cm, and the chipset [201] to ensure sufficient memory for bicycle identification purposes.

Placement

[0033] A position for the communication device [604] on the bicycle frame [601] is chosen that prevents excessive warping or bending of the antenna [202], for instance, the object's surface diameter on rounded surfaces should be larger than 25 mm. Yet, the positioning should be easily accessible for later scanning by the interrogation device, a mobile phone or tablet [501].

Layering and Molding Process

[0034] The communication device [103] is now attached to an insulation layer of poly-carbonate [104] with slightly larger dimensions than the antenna, about 1 mm on each side [202].

[0035] During the production process, the placement position is marked in the bicycle frame mold [101]. Into that position, an oversized raisin-infused fiber glass protective layer [102] is placed, followed by the communication device with antenna

[0036] and insulation layer [104], all smaller than and completely inside the fiber glass layer [102], followed by the raisin-infused carbon fiber layers [105] to the thickness as the rest of the frame.

[0037] Finally, expandable tubing [106] is placed inside the mold and the mold is closed.

Resin Heating and Curing of the Carbon Fiber Material

[0038] Now the whole mold [520] is heated to a temperature necessary to liquefy the resin [404] particles embedded in carbon [105] and glass fiber [102] layers to eventually harden the carbon and fiber layers into their final shape. The inner-mold tubes

[0039] are expanded to press the fiber layers [102] against the mold walls with the necessary pressure. The pressure used in production processes is usually comparatively small (200 kPa) and remain well below a pressure that can damage the communication device (1 MPa at least).

[0040] The mold [101] is heated to a temperature that liquefies the raisin [404] particles in both carbon [405] and glass fibers [401]. Temperatures range depending on the raisin, but are typically between 90-160 C. The method described here requires the heating temperature to be below the melting temperature of the soldering metal (solder) used to produce the conductors of the communication device [402], typically far above 160 C. For example, standard solder formulations based on tin and lead (63/37) melt at 183 C. and tin and lead solder (50/50) has a melting point of up to 215 C. Lead-free solders melt at around 250 C.

[0041] The pressure of the expandable tubing [106] now presses the liquefied raisin [404] in between the glass [401] and carbon fibers [405] and around the communication device [402] and insulation layer [403]. The pressure also puts the fiber layers [401, 405] into their final mold shape [101], tightly around the communication device [402], and onto each other [FIG. 4]. The following cooling process hardens the raisin [404] and substantiates the final form or the carbon-fiber based product, including the embedded communication device [402].

Integrated Communication Device Communicates with Interrogating Devices

[0042] After removing the final product from the mold [522], the communication device can now be scanned by an interrogator device like a computer tablet or mobile phone [FIG. 6]. The communication device can even be used in the following production steps to communicate the specifics of the product or advice operators and machines on operational procedures.

Further Processing

[0043] Since the communication device is protected by a layer of fiber glass [401], whichcompared to carbon fiber [405]has very little effect on the electro-magnetic field of the interrogating device, the product can even be processed further [524], like application of light abrasion to smoothen the surface. Even additional paint layers are possible while assuring the communication function of the embedded device.