Method for producing a container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11318524-B2
Application number	US-201716099062-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2017
Priority date	Jun 21, 2016
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A method for producing a container having an upper part, a lower part and a receiving element such as an electronics module includes the following steps: the lower part is created from a first starting material in a first processing region of a processing device; the upper part is created from a second starting material in a second processing region of the processing device; the receiving element is fed into the first processing region of the processing device; the lower part receives the receiving element in the first processing region of the processing device; the upper part is fed from the second processing region into the first processing region of the processing device; and there the upper part and the lower part are joined together to form the container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising the steps:
a) producing a container lower part from a first starting material in a first processing region of a processing apparatus;
b) producing a container upper part from a second starting material in a second processing region of the processing apparatus;
c) feeding an electronic module into the first processing region of the processing apparatus;
d) after the step c), positioning, mounting and securing the electronic module in the container lower part in the first processing region of the processing apparatus;
e) after the step d), electrically contacting the electronic module in the container lower part;
f) separating the container lower part from a remainder of the first starting material;
g) separating the container upper part from a remainder of the second starting material;
h) feeding the container upper part from the second processing region into the first processing region of the processing apparatus; and
i) after the steps e), f), g) and h), in the first processing region of the processing apparatus, joining together the container upper part and the container lower part to form a container that encloses the electronic module therein.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps f) and g) are performed before the step d).

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the separating in the step f) comprises punching-out the container lower part from the remainder of the first starting material, and the separating in the step g) comprises punching-out the container upper part from the remainder of the second starting material.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps a) and b) are carried out with the first starting material and the second starting material both extending along a same common plane respectively in the first processing region and the second processing region of the processing apparatus, and wherein the container lower part and the container upper part are respectively produced adjacent to one another on the same common plane.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the first starting material corresponds to the second starting material as the same single common starting material.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the producing of the lower part and/or the producing of the upper part comprises reshaping the first starting material and/or the second starting material respectively.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the reshaping comprises deep-drawing.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic module comprises an electrical active element.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic module comprises a pre-populated printed circuit board.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, in connection with the step e), electrically checking a functionality of the electronic module after the step d) and before the step i).

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning, the mounting and the securing of the electronic module in the step d) comprises hot-deforming a connection element provided on the container lower part so as to connect the electronic module directly to the container lower part via the connection element.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the connection element comprises a centering pin protruding from a portion of the container lower part into an interior space bounded by the container lower part, and wherein the positioning, the mounting and the securing of the electronic module further comprises positioning the electronic module onto the centering pin and then embossing the centering pin to secure the electronic module.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the securing of the electronic module further comprises positioning the container upper part onto the centering pin so that the centering pin protrudes outwardly through the container upper part, whereby the container upper part holds down the electronic module onto the container lower part, and then the joining together of the container upper part and the container lower part comprises hot-deforming the centering pin.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning, the mounting and the securing of the electronic module in the step d) comprises screwing the electronic module to the container lower part with plastic screws.

15. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising forming a container intermediate piece from the first starting material adjacent to the container lower part, separating the container intermediate piece from the remainder of the first starting material, and connecting the container intermediate piece onto the container lower part after the step d) and before the step i).

Assignees

• Continental Teves Ag & Co Ohg

Inventors

• Goll Manfred
• Haverkamp Martin
• Sticksel Gerhard

Classifications

• B65B41/16

  by rollers · CPC title

• B65B61/00

  Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages · CPC title

• B65B47/10

  by vacuum · CPC title

• H05K5/0047

  having a two-part housing enclosing a PCB · CPC title

• B65B23/00

  Packaging fragile or shock-sensitive articles other than bottles; Unpacking eggs (embedding articles in shock-absorbing media B65B55/20) · CPC title