4406 results about "Flexible electronics" patented technology

The invention provides methods and devices for fabricating printable semiconductor elements and assembling printable semiconductor elements onto substrate surfaces. Methods, devices and device components of the present invention are capable of generating a wide range of flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices and arrays of devices on substrates comprising polymeric materials. The present invention also provides stretchable semiconductor structures and stretchable electronic devices capable of good performance in stretched configurations.

In an aspect, the present invention provides stretchable, and optionally printable, components such as semiconductors and electronic circuits capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed, and related methods of making or tuning such stretchable components. Stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits preferred for some applications are flexible, in addition to being stretchable, and thus are capable of significant elongation, flexing, bending or other deformation along one or more axes. Further, stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention are adapted to a wide range of device configurations to provide fully flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.

The present invention provides stretchable, and optionally printable, semiconductors and electronic circuits capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed. Stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention preferred for some applications are flexible, in addition to being stretchable, and thus are capable of significant elongation, flexing, bending or other deformation along one or more axes. Further, stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention may be adapted to a wide range of device configurations to provide fully flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.

The present invention provides for smart and dumb implementations of a stand-alone, remotely updateable, remotely alterable, flexible electronic label. The electronic label provides for displaying information in connection with a mammal, non-mammal, an item or location. The label includes a display assembly having electronic ink disposed on a support, one or more antennas for sending or receiving signals corresponding to one of instructions, programs, data or selected indicia to be displayed by said display assembly, a storage element in circuit with the antenna for storing the instructions, programs, data and indicia, and one or more processors for intelligently determining the indicia to be displayed by the display assembly, for controlling and coordinating operation of the label, and for generating output signals for instructing the display assembly to display the indicia.

Disclosed are appendage mountable electronic systems and related methods for covering and conforming to an appendage surface. A flexible or stretchable substrate has an inner surface for receiving an appendage, including an appendage having a curved surface, and an opposed outer surface that is accessible to external surfaces. A stretchable or flexible electronic device is supported by the substrate inner and/or outer surface, depending on the application of interest. The electronic device in combination with the substrate provides a net bending stiffness to facilitate conformal contact between the inner surface and a surface of the appendage provided within the enclosure. In an aspect, the system is capable of surface flipping without adversely impacting electronic device functionality, such as electronic devices comprising arrays of sensors, actuators, or both sensors and actuators.

A flexible microwave applicator and method of use thereof. The applicator includes a flexible, dielectric-containing compartment (e.g. temperature regulated water or oil) having a variable contour, tissue-engaging surface and an opposite non-tissue-engaging surface and an antenna array adjacent to a non-tissue-engaging surface. The antenna array includes at least one flexible printed circuit board having a front metal surface, a dielectric substrate, a back metal surface, a connection structure for connecting the antenna array to at least one external microwave device, at least one dual concentric conductor aperture on the front surface, and at least one microstrip feedline in communication with the dual concentric conductor aperture and the connection structure. The microwave applicator also includes flexible attachment material for placement over the antenna array and dielectric compartment to allow the microwave applicator to be attached to a subject like a garment which closely conforms to the anatomy portion to be heated. The flexible attachment material may be configured such that the microwave applicator is configured as an appropriately-shaped type of garment, for example, a vest, jacket, cap, hood, blanket, custom shaped conformal wrap, sleeve, or as a pair of shorts.

A highly reliable electrostatic-capacitive-type display device with a touch panel which allows a user to perform finger touch inputting and exhibits excellent detection sensitivity is provided. A transparent conductive film is formed above a back surface of an electrostatic-capacitive-type touch panel so as to block noises generated by a display device. A conductive member is provided to supply a voltage to a transparent conductive film formed above a back surface of the touch panel. An electrode which is formed on the electrostatic-capacitive-type touch panel is divided in accordance with a ratio between the number of X electrodes and the number of Y electrodes. A floating electrode is formed in a gap defined between the electrodes so as to adjust an area of the electrode. Due to the shrinkage of the area of the electrode, it is possible to lower a noise level to a level equal to or lower than a signal level. Accordingly, an S/N ratio is increased thus enhancing detection sensitivity. Further, lines are branched on a flexible printed circuit board and intersecting lines are formed on a back surface of the flexible printed circuit board, and the intersecting lines are made to orthogonally intersect with lines formed on a front surface of the flexible printed circuit board thus lowering line capacitance.

A dynamic transaction card that includes a transaction card having a number of layers, each of which may be interconnected to one another. For example, a dynamic transaction card may include an outer layer, a potting layer, a touch sensor layer, a display layer (including, for example, LEDs, a dot matrix display, and the like), a microcontroller storing firmware, Java applets, Java applet integration, and the like, an EMV chip, an energy storage component, one or more antenna (e.g., Bluetooth antenna, NFC antenna, and the like), a power management component, a flexible printed circuit board (PCB), a chassis, and/or a card backing layer.

A dynamic transaction card that includes a transaction card having a number of layers, each of which may be interconnected to one another. For example, a dynamic transaction card may include an outer layer, a potting layer, a sensor layer that may be utilized to activate a dynamic transaction card by authenticating the card user as authorized to use the card through user authentication input recognition, which may be gesture and voice recognition processing, a display layer (including, for example, LEDs, a dot matrix display, and the like), a microcontroller storing firmware, Java applets, Java applet integration, and the like, an EMV™ chip, an energy storage component, one or more antenna (e.g., Bluetooth™ antenna, NFC antenna, and the like), a power management component, a flexible printed circuit board (PCB), a chassis, and/or a card backing layer.

A fingerprint sensing system includes an image sensor, a rate sensor and a sensor circuit. The image sensor includes a linear array of capacitive sensors for capacitive sensing of ridge peaks and ridge valleys of a fingerprint on a swiped finger. The rate sensor senses the speed of the finger as it is swiped across the image sensor. The sensor circuit supplies image drive signals to the image sensor and detects image signals in response to the drive signals. The sensor circuit supplies rate drive signals to the rate sensor and detects rate signals in response to the rate drive signals. The sensor circuit further coordinates the image signals and the rate signals to provide a fingerprint image. The image sensor may be configured as an image pickup plate and multiple image drive plates formed on a substrate, such as a flexible printed circuit board or other flexible substrate which may conform to the shape of the finger.

A dynamically flexible article or device, such as a wristband, an armband, a rollable e-reader, or a belt, includes a flexible electronic component (e.g., a flexible display) and a support structure coupled to the flexible electronic component. The support structure is configured to limit bending of the flexible electronic component to a range within a bending tolerance of the flexible electronic component.

The touch panel has a structure such that a projection portion is provided on a second transparent substrate and a flexible printed-circuit board is bonded by thermocompression to the projection portion. By allowing width of a picture frame to be smaller in other portions than the projection portion, downsizing and a lighter weight of a touch panel-carrying apparatus can be attained. By bonding a sheet member such as a polarizing plate to a top face of the second transparent substrate excluding an area of the projection portion, stress to be applied from the sheet member to the thermocompression-bonding portion of the FPC is reduced and, therefore, electric connection stability of the FPC can be enhanced.

A manufacture method and structure of a curved capacitive touch panel is disclosed. A flat flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) with capacitive touch sensing/detecting capability is provided, followed by subjecting the flat FPCB to compressing molding to form a curved FPCB. Subsequently, a curved substrate is provided, wherein an outer curved surface of the curved FPCB is bonded to an inner curved surface of the substrate, thereby forming the curved capacitive touch panel.

A dynamic transaction card that includes a transaction card having a number of layers, each of which may be interconnected to one another. For example, a dynamic transaction card may include an outer layer, a potting layer, a sensor layer that may detect and identify a card free fall and/or subsequent impact, which may trigger a microcontroller to send a mobile notification to a cardholder notifying the user that the card has been dropped, and/or may disable or deactivate the card and/or a user account associated with the card, a display layer (including, for example, LEDs, a dot matrix display, and the like), a microcontroller storing firmware, Java applets, Java applet integration, and the like, an EMV™ chip, an energy storage component, one or more antenna (e.g., Bluetooth™ antenna, NFC antenna, and the like), a power management component, a flexible printed circuit board (PCB), a chassis, and/or a card backing layer.

A backplane for use in an electro-optic display comprises a patterned metal foil having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough, coated on at least side with an insulating polymeric material and having a plurality of thin film electronic devices provided on the insulating polymeric material.

A flexible circuit assembly for accommodating a plurality of power electronic devices, including an insulating cover layer having first openings for power electronic devices, a flexible conductive layer arranged under the insulating cover layer and attached with a first adhesive to the insulating cover layer, an intermediate insulating layer arranged under the flexible conductive layer and attached with a second adhesive to the flexible conductive layer, the intermediate insulating layer having second openings, a plurality of heat-conductive elements arranged inside the second openings, a first thin heat sink layer, the heat-conductive elements arranged to be in contact with an upper surface of the thin heat sink layer and the lower surface of the islands via heat-conductive material; and a second thin heat sink layer, upper surfaces of the power electronic devices arranged to be in contact with a lower surface of the thin heat sink layer and the lower surface of the islands via heat-conductive material.

A variable stiffness screen for wearable electronic devices provides a viewable area that can be adjusted by managing the screen's physical properties. The screen incorporates a flexible electronic display, attached to a structural system, in which the physical properties can be changed from a flexible state to a rigid one to control the stiffness of the display.

A communications connector with a flexible printed circuit board is provided. The flexible printed circuit board is electronically and mechanically connected to the plug interface contacts of the jack near the plug/jack interface, in order to provide effective crosstalk compensation. The flexible printed circuit board has fingers at one end allowing it to flex as individual plug interface contacts are depressed when a plug is installed into the jack. A second end of the flexible printed circuit board has through holes for accepting insulation displacement contacts. The second end of the flexible printed circuit board may be rigidly supported, to allow insertion of the insulation displacement contacts. Various designs for capacitive and/or inductive couplings are provided, resulting in improved crosstalk performance.

There is provided herein a flexible electronic circuit board for a tip section of a multi-camera endoscope, the circuit board comprising a front camera surface configured to carry a forward looking camera, a first side camera surface configured to carry a first side looking camera, a second side camera surface configured to carry a second side looking camera, one or more front illuminator surfaces a configured to carry one or more front illuminators to essentially illuminate the FOV of the forward looking camera, one or more side illuminator surfaces configured to carry one or more side illuminators to essentially illuminate the FOV of the first side looking camera and one or more side illuminator surfaces configured to carry one or more side illuminators to essentially illuminate the FOV of the second side looking camera.

A dual interface SIM card adaptor is described for use with an existing SIM card slot that provides a dual interface electronic information storage card. The dual interface SIM card carrier comprises a flexible printed circuit board, a mini-sized SIM card, a housing to house the mini-sized SIM card, and a cap to affix the mini-sized SIM card in place. The mini-sized SIM card has dimensions that are less than the dimensions for a typical SIM card. The mini-sized SIM card is separable from a carrier that holds the mini-sized SIM card and an antenna. The adaptor is inserted into the SIM card slot in a mobile handset for contact electronic communication, such as wireless telecom, and for contactless electronic communication, such as public transportation, payment and RFID. Contactless communication can be carried out by RFID, Near Field Communication or bar codes.

A display device having a highly reliable electrostatic capacitive type touch panel which allows finger touch inputting and possesses excellent detection sensitivity is provided. With respect to X electrodes and Y electrodes which are formed on an electrostatic capacitive type touch panel, either one of the X electrodes and the Y electrodes is divided corresponding to a ratio between the number of X electrodes and the number of Y electrodes, and a floating electrode is formed in gaps formed along with the reduction of area of the electrode thus adjusting the area of the electrode. Due to the contraction of the area of the individual electrode, a noise level can be lowered more compared to lowering of a signal level and hence, an S/N ratio can be increased thus enhancing the detection sensitivity. Further, a line is branched on a flexible printed circuit board, intersecting lines are formed on a back surface of the flexible printed circuit board, and the intersecting lines are arranged to orthogonally intersect with lines formed on a front surface of the flexible printed circuit board thus lowering line capacitance.

A linear light-emitting diode (LED)-based solid-state device comprising a curved surface to hold a flexible printed circuit board with multiple linear arrays of surface mount LEDs provides lighting applications with a broad viewing angle over 180° along the radial direction. On each of the two lamp bases of the lamp, a shock-protection switch is mounted to prevent shock hazard during re-lamping.