A flexible sensor production line and processing method

Abstract

The present application discloses a flexible sensor production line and processing method, including a steel frame structure, a laser engraving machine, a plasma processor, an air compressor, a dispensing machine and a drying machine. The present application completes the automated production of flexible sensors by setting up an assembly line transmission mechanism and four workstations. The fully automated operation not only greatly improves the production efficiency of flexible sensors, but also greatly reduces the impact of errors in the production process, saves manpower, greatly reduces production energy consumption, and reduces environmental pollution. The application has made outstanding contributions to the manufacture of flexible sensors, can reduce the impact of manual labor on sensor accuracy, can realize the manufacture of sensors on a single assembly line, and reduce the use of manual labor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of automation, and in particular to a flexible sensor production line and a processing method. Background Art

[0002] Flexible sensors usually refer to sensors made of flexible materials. They have good flexibility and ductility, and can even be bent or folded freely. Flexible sensors have flexible and diverse structures and can be arranged arbitrarily according to the requirements of measurement conditions. They can easily detect complex objects.

[0003] In the prior art, flexible sensing is usually achieved by assembling electronic devices using stretchable and foldable conductor devices, or by mixing conductive materials into an elastic matrix for preparation. This preparation method is complex and requires doping and chemical processing between different materials. Under the existing distributed processing method, it is difficult to position electrodes and sensitive materials, which increases the error in the preparation process of flexible sensors, resulting in reduced accuracy of flexible sensors, and requires a lot of manpower, which is time-consuming and inefficient to produce. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, this application provides a flexible sensor production line and processing method. This application uses laser engraving technology to directly engrave a flexible circuit structure on PI or PET materials, which can reduce the space occupied by the circuit and simplify the processing requirements for the flexible sensor. This application specifically adopts the following technical solutions.

[0005] First, in order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a flexible sensor production line is proposed, which includes: an assembly line conveying mechanism, which is used to carry a flexible sensor fixing block and transport the flexible sensor fixing block and a flexible substrate material to be processed arranged in a processing groove of the flexible sensor fixing block according to a preset path and a preset speed; a laser engraving machine, which is arranged at the head end of the assembly line conveying mechanism along the direction of the conveying path, and is used to laser engrave on the surface of the flexible substrate material to be processed to form a circuit structure; a plasma surface treatment machine, which is arranged behind the laser engraving machine along the direction of the conveying path, and is used to spray low-temperature plasma on the surface of the flexible substrate material to be processed arranged in the flexible sensor fixing block; a glue dispensing machine, which is arranged behind the plasma surface treatment machine along the direction of the conveying path, and is used to perform glue dispensing operation on the surface of the flexible substrate material to be processed sprayed with plasma so that the glue covers the laser engraved part of the entire substrate material; a heating device, which is arranged behind the glue dispensing machine along the direction of the conveying path, and is used to heat and cure the flexible substrate material to be processed so that it is encapsulated to form a flexible sensor.

[0006] Optionally, a flexible sensor production line as described in any of the above, wherein the flexible sensor fixing block is a carbon fiber nanocomposite material with a high temperature resistance of at least 300 degrees; a processing groove is opened in the middle of the upper surface of the flexible sensor fixing block to accommodate the flexible base material to be processed, and silicone is used to fix the flexible base material to be processed at the bottom of the processing groove, and the silicone is converted into a solid and falls off directly after drying in the heating equipment; the length and width dimensions of the processing groove exceed the length and width dimensions of the flexible base material to be processed.

[0007] Optionally, in a flexible sensor production line as described above, a circuit structure pattern is pre-set in the laser engraving machine, and the laser engraving machine uses a laser induction method to engrave the circuit structure of the graphene film on the surface of the flexible substrate material to be processed according to the pre-set circuit structure pattern to provide a conductive path, component connection pads and a sensitive component structure; the flexible substrate material to be processed is a polyimide PI film or a polyethylene terephthalate PET film, and its surface is engraved by a laser cutting process with a laser power of 30W, a scanning rate of 15cm / s and a carbon dioxide atmosphere to form the graphene film.

[0008] Optionally, in any of the above-described flexible sensor production lines, the plasma surface treatment machine uniformly covers the entire engraving range of the laser engraving machine with low-temperature plasma at room temperature.

[0009] Optionally, in a flexible sensor production line as described above, the dispensing machine nozzle is synchronized with the circuit structure pattern pre-set in the laser engraving machine, and automatically dispenses glue to cover the entire engraving range of the laser engraving machine with a colloid made of graphene aqueous solution, water or organic solvent material.

[0010] Optionally, in any of the above-described flexible sensor production lines, the heating temperature of the heating device is a constant temperature of 150 degrees.

[0011] At the same time, in order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application also provides a flexible sensor processing method, which includes the following steps: the first step is to fill the bottom of the groove processed inside the flexible sensor fixing block with silicone, place the flexible base material to be processed on the surface of the silicone, and drive the assembly line conveying mechanism to operate; the second step is to trigger the laser engraving machine to laser engrave the surface of the flexible base material to be processed carried by the assembly line conveying mechanism to form a circuit structure; the third step is to trigger the plasma surface treatment machine to spray low-temperature plasma on the surface of the flexible base material to be processed set in the flexible sensor fixing block; the fourth step is to trigger the glue dispensing machine to perform glue dispensing operation on the surface of the flexible base material to be processed sprayed with plasma so that the glue covers the laser engraved part of the entire base material; the fifth step is to send the flexible sensor fixing block and the flexible base material to be processed it carries into the heating equipment together, and heat and cure the flexible base material to be processed at a constant temperature to encapsulate it to form a flexible sensor.

[0012] Optionally, in any of the above-described flexible sensor processing methods, the laser engraving machine forms a graphene film by engraving the surface of the flexible substrate material to be processed at a laser power of 30 W and a scanning rate of 15 cm / s in a carbon dioxide atmosphere.

[0013] Optionally, in any of the above-described flexible sensor processing methods, wherein in the fourth step, the nozzle of the glue dispensing machine is set to be synchronized with the circuit structure pattern pre-set in the laser engraving machine, and the glue is automatically dispensed, and the colloid used in the glue dispensing is: graphene aqueous solution, water or organic solvent.

[0014] Optionally, in a flexible sensor processing method as described above, the heating temperature in the heating device is a constant 150 degrees, and after the heating is completed, the silicone at the bottom of the processing groove of the flexible sensor fixing block is dried and converted into a solid, and the flexible base material to be processed can be directly fallen off from the surface of the solid silicone.

[0015] Beneficial Effects

[0016] This application completes the automated production of flexible sensors by setting up an assembly line transmission mechanism and four workstations. The fully automated operation not only greatly improves the production efficiency of the flexible sensors, but also greatly reduces the impact of errors in the production process, saves manpower, significantly reduces production energy consumption, and reduces environmental pollution, which can play an important role in the development of this technical field.

[0017] Other features and advantages of the present application will be set forth in the following description, and in part will become apparent from the description, or may be understood by practicing the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the present application and do not constitute a limitation of the present application. In the accompanying drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the flexible sensor production line of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a flexible sensor fixing block used in the assembly line transmission mechanism of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the overall structure of the flexible sensor production line of the present application.

[0022] In the figure, 1 represents the assembly line transmission mechanism; 2 represents the laser engraving machine; 3 represents the plasma surface treatment machine; 4 represents the glue dispensing machine; and 5 represents the heating equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the purpose and technical solution of the embodiment of the present application clearer, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiment of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiment is a part of the embodiment of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiment of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless defined as herein.

[0025] The meaning of "and / or" described in this application means that the situations where each exists alone or both exist at the same time are included.

[0026] The meaning of "inside" and "outside" in this application refers to the direction pointing to the inside of the processed groove of the flexible sensor fixing block itself, and the opposite direction is outside; it is not a specific limitation on the device mechanism of this application.

[0027] The meaning of "left and right" mentioned in this application refers to that when the user is facing the conveying direction of the assembly line conveying mechanism, the user's left is left and the user's right is right, rather than a specific limitation on the device mechanism of this application.

[0028] The term “connection” as used in this application may mean a direct connection between components or an indirect connection between components via other components.

[0029] The meaning of "up and down" mentioned in this application refers to that when the user is facing the conveying direction of the assembly line conveying mechanism, the direction from the conveyor belt to the processing groove of the flexible sensor fixing block is up, and the opposite direction is down, rather than a specific limitation on the device mechanism of this application.

[0030] Figure 1 A flexible sensor production line according to the present application comprises:

[0031] The assembly line conveying mechanism 1 includes a conveyor belt starting device and a PVC material conveyor belt. A laser engraving machine, a plasma surface treatment machine head, a dispensing machine head, and a drying machine are arranged above the PVC material conveyor belt from the left, with a total of four stations. Laser sensors are respectively installed between the four stations to respond to the real-time position of the flexible sensor fixing block 10 carried by the PVC material conveyor belt. When the flexible sensor fixing block 10 and the flexible substrate material 11 to be processed arranged in the processing groove of the flexible sensor fixing block 10 are transported to the preset position according to the preset path and preset speed, the processing equipment of the corresponding station is triggered to perform processing operations;

[0032] The laser engraving machine 2 is arranged at the head end of the assembly line conveying mechanism 1 along the transportation path, and a laser engraving machine chassis and a water tank are placed on the right side of the laser engraving machine, which is used to laser engrave the surface of the flexible substrate material 11 to be processed to form a circuit structure;

[0033] The plasma surface treatment machine 3, whose head is arranged behind the laser engraving machine 2 along the transport path direction and is located above the PVC conveyor belt, and whose head is connected to the plasma surface treatment machine body at the rear, is used for adjusting the spraying angle position of the spray gun through the head when the product reaches under the spray gun so as to evenly spray low-temperature plasma onto the surface of the flexible substrate material 11 to be processed provided in the flexible sensor fixing block 10;

[0034] The glue dispenser 4 has a head arranged behind the plasma surface treatment machine 3 along the transport path and above the PVC conveyor belt. The glue dispenser body is connected to the rear of the head of the glue dispenser, and is used to dispense glue on the surface of the flexible substrate material 11 to be processed sprayed with plasma through the head when the product arrives under the head, so that the colloid covers the laser engraved part of the entire substrate material; in order to provide the power required for colloid injection and low-temperature plasma injection, an air compressor can be arranged on the right side of the glue dispenser body, and the air compressor is connected to the plasma surface treatment machine body and the glue dispenser body through a pu air pipe, and the colloid or low-temperature plasma is driven by compressed air to achieve injection;

[0035] The heating device 5 is arranged behind the dispensing machine 4 along the transportation path, and is used to receive the flexible sensor fixed mold placed on the PVC material conveyor belt, suspend the operation of the PVC track, heat and cure the flexible base material 11 to be processed, and encapsulate it to form a flexible sensor.

[0036] refer to Figure 2 As shown, in order to fix the flexible substrate material 11 to be processed, the present application generally selects a carbon fiber nanocomposite material, and a processing groove is opened in the middle of its upper surface to accommodate the flexible substrate material to be processed. The carbon fiber nanocomposite material selected by the flexible sensor fixing block 10 generally needs to be resistant to high temperatures of at least 300 degrees to prevent it from deforming during the drying process. The bottom of the processing groove of the flexible sensor fixing block 10 can be further provided with a silicone layer to fix the flexible substrate material 11 to be processed. After drying in the heating equipment, the silicone is converted into a solid and falls directly off from the inside of the processing groove, so that the graphene film obtained after processing can be conveniently taken out. In order to facilitate demolding and taking out the obtained graphene material, the present application generally sets the length and width of the processing groove to exceed the length and width of the flexible substrate material 11 to be processed, so as to provide an operating space for clamping the film.

[0037] In the specific production process, the corresponding circuit structure pattern can generally be pre-set in the laser engraving machine 2 through a program, and the circuit structure of the graphene film is engraved on the surface of the flexible substrate material to be processed according to the pre-set circuit structure pattern in a laser-induced manner to provide a conductive path, a component connection pad and a sensitive component structure;

[0038] In the specific processing process, polyimide PI film or polyethylene terephthalate PET film is usually selected as the flexible substrate material to be processed, and the low-temperature plasma sprayed on its surface can increase the adhesion to the colloid material applied in the dispensing process. The present application uses a laser engraving head with a laser power of 30W, a scanning rate of 15cm / s, and a carbon dioxide atmosphere to engrave the graphene film, and then provides packaging isolation through a dispensing process.

[0039] During the plasma spraying process, the plasma surface treatment machine 3 can evenly cover the entire engraving range of the laser engraving machine with low-temperature plasma directly at room temperature, so as to facilitate the bonding of other materials on the graphene surface during subsequent processing.

[0040] The glue dispenser nozzle of the glue dispenser 4 is synchronized with the circuit structure diagram pre-set in the laser engraving machine 2, and automatically dispenses glue and encapsulates the surface of the graphene material formed by the corresponding laser engraving according to the circuit structure diagram, providing sensitive materials for the sensor. The colloid material required for glue dispensing can be adjusted accordingly according to the principle of sensor electrical signal conversion. For example, when preparing a graphene humidity sensor, a graphene aqueous solution is usually used as a glue dispensing colloid; and in the process of preparing other sensors, a colloid made of organic solvent materials such as water or ethanol can also be selected to cover the entire engraving range of the laser engraving machine 2.

[0041] In the heating process after dispensing, the heating temperature of the heating device 5 can be set to a constant temperature of 150 degrees. After the PVC production line transports the graphene film carried by the flexible sensor fixing block 10 to the heating device, it can be paused manually or triggered according to the position of the fixing block detected by the laser sensor to ensure sufficient heating time.

[0042] Generally speaking, in the above processing, since laser processing adopts a processing method without direct mechanical contact, the flexible sensor fixing block 10 can be directly placed on the surface of the PVC conveyor belt. If the production line is installed on an uneven ground, the base position of the flexible sensor fixing block 10 will gradually deviate during the conveying process, and you can consider using high-temperature resistant tape to bond the edge of the base to the slider.

[0043] In summary, this application uses a PVC conveyor belt to penetrate the steel frame structure, laser engraving machine, plasma processor, dispensing machine and dryer. The air pressure output by the air compressor drives the plasma processor to spray low-temperature plasma, and the dispensing machine head sprays the colloid on the top layer of the circuit connection structure to achieve an integrated assembly line processing method. This application has made outstanding contributions in the manufacture of flexible sensors. The processing accuracy of the circuit structure can be improved to 0.1mm level through laser engraving, which can effectively reduce the space required for the circuit. At the same time, the processing technology of the assembly line integration method can reduce the impact of labor on the accuracy of the sensor. The sensor can be manufactured on a single assembly line, which can effectively reduce labor costs.

[0044] In addition, in the assembly line processing method provided by the present application, each station is in a parallel relationship, and the four stations are independent of each other, and the flexible sensor is processed step by step from the inside to the outside. The present application connects 4 stations in series through an assembly line, and through the organic combination of the stations, the processing structure of each station can be adjusted in real time according to the processing requirements, and the preparation of a variety of flexible sensors, such as temperature sensors, humidity sensors, gas sensors, etc., can be flexibly realized. Compared with the traditional LIG laser conversion preparation process, the flexible sensor production line of the present application has an integrated processing method. The flexible sensors prepared by the processing method of the present application are of better quality and more obvious effects.

[0045] The above is only an implementation method of the present application, and its description is relatively specific and detailed, but it cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the patent of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, which all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A flexible sensor production line, characterized in that: include: An assembly line conveying mechanism (1) is used to carry the flexible sensor fixing block (10) and transport the flexible sensor fixing block (10) and the flexible substrate material to be processed (11) arranged in a processing groove of the flexible sensor fixing block (10) according to a preset path and a preset speed; A laser engraving machine (2) is arranged at the head end of the assembly line conveying mechanism (1) along the direction of the transport path, and is used for laser engraving on the surface of the flexible base material (11) to be processed to form a circuit structure; A plasma surface treatment machine (3) is arranged behind the laser engraving machine (2) along the transport path and is used to spray low-temperature plasma onto the surface of a flexible base material (11) to be processed provided in a flexible sensor fixing block (10); A glue dispenser (4) is arranged behind the plasma surface treatment machine (3) along the transport path, and is used to dispense glue on the surface of the flexible base material (11) to be processed sprayed with plasma so that the glue covers the entire laser engraved part of the base material; A heating device (5) is arranged behind the glue dispenser (4) along the transport path and is used to heat and solidify the flexible substrate material (11) to be processed so that it is packaged to form a flexible sensor; The laser engraving machine (2) is pre-set with a circuit structure pattern, and uses a laser induction method to engrave the circuit structure of the graphene film on the surface of the flexible substrate material to be processed according to the pre-set circuit structure pattern to provide a conductive path, a component connection pad and a sensitive component structure; The flexible substrate material to be processed is a polyimide (PI) film or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, and the surface of the PI film is engraved to form the graphene film by a laser cutting process at a laser power of 30W and a scanning rate of 15cm / s in a carbon dioxide atmosphere.

2. The flexible sensor production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible sensor fixing block (10) is made of a carbon fiber nanocomposite material, and its high temperature resistance reaches at least 300 degrees; A processing groove is provided in the middle of the upper surface of the flexible sensor fixing block (10) for accommodating the flexible substrate material to be processed, and the flexible substrate material to be processed (11) is fixed with silica gel at the bottom of the processing groove, and the silica gel is directly shed after being converted into a solid after drying in the heating device; The length and width of the processed groove both exceed the length and width of the flexible base material (11) to be processed.

3. The flexible sensor production line according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plasma surface treatment machine (3) uniformly covers the entire engraving range of the laser engraving machine with low-temperature plasma under room temperature conditions.

4. The flexible sensor production line according to claim 2, characterized in that: The glue dispenser nozzle of the glue dispenser (4) is synchronized with the circuit structure pattern pre-set in the laser engraving machine (2) to automatically dispense glue, so that the colloid of the graphene aqueous solution, water or organic solvent material covers the entire engraving range of the laser engraving machine (2).

5. The flexible sensor production line according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heating temperature of the heating device (5) is a constant temperature of 150 degrees.

6. A method for processing a flexible sensor, characterized in that: A flexible sensor production line as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising the following steps: In the first step, silicone is filled at the bottom of the groove machined inside the flexible sensor fixing block (10), a flexible substrate material to be machined (11) is placed on the surface of the silicone, and the assembly line conveying mechanism (1) is driven to operate; The second step is to trigger the laser engraving machine (2) to laser engrave the surface of the flexible substrate material (11) to be processed carried by the assembly line conveying mechanism (1) to form a circuit structure; The third step is to trigger the plasma surface treatment machine (3) to spray low-temperature plasma onto the surface of the flexible substrate material (11) to be processed provided in the flexible sensor fixing block (10); The fourth step is to trigger the glue dispenser (4) to perform glue dispensing on the surface of the flexible base material (11) sprayed with plasma so that the glue covers the entire laser engraved part of the base material; In the fifth step, the flexible sensor fixing block (10) and the flexible substrate material to be processed (11) carried by it are sent into the heating device (5) together, and the flexible substrate material to be processed (11) is heated and cured at a constant temperature so as to be packaged to form a flexible sensor.

7. The method for processing a flexible sensor according to claim 6, wherein: The laser engraving machine (2) forms a graphene film by engraving the surface of a flexible substrate material (11) to be processed at a laser power of 30 W and a scanning rate of 15 cm / s in a carbon dioxide atmosphere.

8. The method for processing a flexible sensor according to claim 6, wherein: In the fourth step, the dispensing machine (4) is set to synchronize the circuit structure pattern pre-set in the laser engraving machine (2) to automatically dispense glue. The colloid used in dispensing is: graphene aqueous solution, water or organic solvent.

9. The method for processing a flexible sensor according to claim 6, wherein: The heating temperature in the heating device (5) is a constant temperature of 150 degrees. After the heating is completed, the silica gel at the bottom of the processing groove of the flexible sensor fixing block (10) is dried and converted into a solid, and the flexible substrate material (11) to be processed can be directly detached from the surface of the solid silica gel.

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