Method for making an air spring member

• US 9,833,947 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ContiTech Luftfedersysteme GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: ContiTech Luftfedersysteme GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Reck, Siegfried, Gawinski, Hubertus
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Edmund
• Application Number:
  US14/513,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20150028517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/70 by moulding using a particular moulding technique, see the relevant technique , e.g. by injection B29C45/14467
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2021/00 Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/04 in a chamber with a flexible wall producing hollow articles of plastics, e.g. air bellows, B29D22/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/3264 Arrangements for indicating, e.g. fluid level; Arrangements for checking dampers F16F9/3292 takes precedence; testing of vehicle damping G01M17/04

Abstract

An identification device (1) for a pneumatic spring (2) includes an RFID transponder (8), which is completely embedded into the elastomer matrix (13) of the flexible member (4). An electromagnetic field is generated by a read device (9), wherein the energy necessary for supplying the RFID transponder (8) is taken from the electromagnetic field generated by the read device (9). When the read device (9) is active, information can be exchanged between the RFID transponder (8) and the read device (9). The RFID transponder (8) operates completely without an internal energy supply. The RFID transponder (8) may also be configured as a read/write transponder including a memory chip, wherein data may be stored on the memory chip in a safe and permanent manner. By retrieving data from the RFID transponder (8), an identification of the pneumatic spring (2) is possible even without any internal power supply of the RFID transponder.

Claims

1. A method for making an air spring flexible member comprising the steps of:

constructing an air spring flexible member blank from at least one reinforcement carrier layer and at least one non-vulcanized elastomer material with said air spring flexible member defining a location thereon whereat said flexible member is stressed less in terms of deformation of said flexible member during operational use thereof;

introducing an RFID transponder into said elastomer material at said location so as to cause said RFID transponder to be completely embedded in said non-vulcanized elastomer material, wherein the RFID transponder has at least one unit configured to draw energy necessary to supply the RFID transponder from an electromagnetic field generated by a read unit and, when energy is available to the RFID transponder, information can be exchanged between the RFID transponder and the read unit; and

,

vulcanizing the flexible member causing said RFID transponder to be completely surrounded by vulcanized elastomer material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic components of the RFID transponder are introduced directly into the non-vulcanized elastomer material with no encapsulation surrounding said RFID transponder.