Method and a system for XRF marking and reading XRF marks of electronic systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10607049-B2
Application number	US-201716091222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2017
Priority date	Apr 4, 2016
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

Methods and systems for verifying compatibility of components of an electronic system are disclosed. The method includes irradiating a first and second components presumably associated with the electronic system, with XRF exciting radiation, and in response thereto, detecting one or more XRF response signals indicative of first and second XRF signatures, emitted from the first and second components. Then the first and second XRF signatures are processed to determine whether they are associated with respectively a first and second XRF marking compositions on the first and second components, and the compatibility of the first and second components to the electronic system is determined/verified based on the correspondence between the first and a second XRF signatures. Electronic systems are also disclosed including at least a first and a second electronic components respectively having the first and second XRF marking compositions that enable verification of compatibility of the components.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic system comprising:
a plurality of components comprising at least a first and a second electronic components, wherein:
the first electronic component includes a first XRF marking composition configured for emitting a first XRF signal having a first XRF signature in response to irradiation thereof by XRF exciting radiation;
the second electronic component includes a second XRF marking composition configured for emitting a second XRF signal having a second XRF signature in response to irradiation thereof by XRF exciting radiation; and
wherein said first and second XRF markings are respectively configured such that the first XRF signature of the first electronic component corresponds to the second XRF signature of the second electronic component thereby enabling verification that said first and second electronic components are respectively compatible components of said electronic system.

2. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein a correspondence between said first and second XRF signatures is based on a predetermined mutual relationship condition between the signatures, thereby enabling in situ verification that the first and second components are complementary while obviating a need for using reference data.

3. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein a correspondence between said first and second XRF signatures is determined based on a reference data associating signatures of complementary components.

4. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the first component is an electronic circuit board and the second component is an electronic component associated with a designated place on the circuit board.

5. The electronic system of claim 4 wherein:
(I) the first marking composition is embedded in the circuit board in one or more of the following:
(a) the first marking composition may be blended with polymers comprising a solder mask applied to the circuit board during its fabrication;
(b) the first marking composition is blended with ink of prints printed on the circuit board;
(c) the first marking composition is blended with the compounds comprising under-fill binding of one or more components to the circuit board;
(d) the first marking composition may be blended with polymers of the packaging of some of the components on the circuit board;
(e) the marking composition is embedded in an overly or coating of the solder mask or of components of the circuit board;
(f) the marking composition is blended with polymers applied to through vertical interconnect access (VIA) holes on the circuit board;
(g) the marking composition is contained in a special ‘fake’ component designed for carrying the marking composition; and

(II) the second component is an electronic component mountable on the circuit board and said second marking composition is embedded in said electronic component in one or more of the following:
(h) the second marking composition is blended with ink of prints printed on the electronic component;
(i) the second marking composition may be blended with polymers of the packaging of the second component;
(j) the marking composition is blended with polymers applied to through vertical interconnect access (VIA) holes of the second component.

6. The electronic system of claim 4 wherein the first XRF marking is spatially located on said circuit board at said designated location of the second component on the circuit board, thereby enabling to utilize a spatially focused XRF reader to identify said designated location based on a correspondence between said first and second signatures and thereby verify proper placement of said second component on the circuit board.

7. The electronic system of claim 1 , wherein the first component is an electronic component and the second component is a casing packaging said electronic component.

8. The electronic system of claim 7 , wherein said first and second XRF marking compositions are configured such that in response to irradiation of the system by an XRF exciting radiation, they emit together a composite XRF signal comprising said first and second XRF signals indicative of said first and second XRF signatures, and such that the first and second XRF signatures do not interfere with one another in the composite XRF signal thereby enabling verification that said first and second electronic components by irradiating said system with the XRF exciting radiation, enabling to obviate a need to open said casing.

9. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein:
the first component is a first device comprising a first data storage module capable of storing a first data portion indicative of a correspondence between said first and second XRF signatures;
the second component is a second device comprising a second data storage module capable of storing a second data portion indicative of a correspondence between said first and second XRF signatures; and
wherein at least one of said first and second devices comprises a pairing controller configured and operable for: (i) accessing said first and second data storage modules upon wired or wireless connation between said first and second devices, (ii) retrieving said first and second data portions from said first and second data storage modules respectively, (iii) processing said first and second data portions to determine whether said first device is paired with said second device based a correspondence between the first and second XRF signatures of said first and second devices; and (iv) enabling conditioned activation of mutual operation of said first and second devices based on a pairing between said first and second devices.

10. The electronic system of claim 9 wherein at least one of said first and second devices is a smart wearable device; and wherein the XRF marking composition is included in said smart wearable device in at least one of the following:
the smart wearable device includes a fabric comprising natural fibers and wherein said second XRF marking compositions comprises Mordants used for dying said natural fibers; and
the smart wearable device includes a fabric comprising synthetic fibers and wherein said second XRF marking compositions is introduced into said synthetic fibers during an extrusion process thereof.

11. The electronic system of claim 9 wherein said electronic system is a healthcare system and wherein at least one of said first and second devices is configured for monitoring one or more conditions of a user, and at least one of said first and second devices is configured and operable for providing treatment to said user based on the monitored condition.

12. A method for verifying compatibility of components of an electronic system comprising at least a first and a second electronic components, the method comprising:
providing a first component and a second components presumably associated with the electronic system;
irradiating the first and second components with XRF exciting radiation;
detecting one or more XRF response signals emitted in response to said irradiating from the first and second components;
processing the one or more XRF response signals to identify a first and a second XRF signatures associated respectively with first and second XRF marking compositions on said first and second components;
upon identification of the of the first and second XRF signatures, processing said first and second signatures to determine a correspondence between them, and verifying a verifying compatibility of said first and second components to the electronic system based on said correspondence.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein processing said first and second signatures to determine said corr

Assignees

• Soreq Nuclear Res Ct
• Security Matters Ltd

Inventors

• Grof Yair
• Kislev Tzemah
• Yoran Nadav
• Alon Haggai

Classifications

• H05K1/038

  Textiles (used as reinforcing materials for organic insulating substrates H05K1/0366) · CPC title

• H05K3/287

  Photosensitive compositions · CPC title

• H05K2203/168

  Wrong mounting prevention · CPC title

• H05K2201/0959

  Plated through-holes or plated blind vias filled with insulating material · CPC title

• G01N23/223 Primary

  by irradiating the sample with X-rays or gamma-rays and by measuring X-ray fluorescence · CPC title