Auxetic Flexible Circuit Substrate with Temporary Tethers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Forming flexible circuit substrates that are both sufficiently flexible and robust, while minimizing distortion when stressed, is challenging due to the inflexibility of traditional substrates and the risk of damage during assembly.
Innovation Solution
A flexible support structure formed from stretchable materials like fabric or elastomeric polymers, with embedded or attached flexible components and serpentine interconnect paths, utilizing temporary tethers for assembly and auxetic mesh configurations to maintain image quality during stretching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional rigid substrates are used for circuit boards, then structural strength and stability are improved, but flexibility and adaptability are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible substrates including polyimide films and thin plastic layers that can bend and conform to curved surfaces while maintaining electrical connectivity. These flexible substrates replace traditional rigid PCBs, enabling the circuit board to adapt to various mounting configurations and three-dimensional surfaces without sacrificing structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite material structures combining flexible substrates with reinforcement elements such as fiberglass layers and protective coatings. This composite approach provides both the flexibility needed for conformal mounting and the structural strength required for mechanical durability, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and adaptability
2Adaptability or versatility
If flexible substrates are made thinner to improve flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing precision and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies precise parameter ranges for substrate thickness (0.5mm to 2.0mm) and material properties to optimize both flexibility and manufacturability. By carefully controlling these parameters, the invention achieves sufficient flexibility for conformal mounting while maintaining manufacturing precision and assembly reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates pre-formed reinforcement structures and protective layers within the substrate construction before final assembly. These preliminary structural elements are integrated during substrate manufacturing to prevent deformation and maintain dimensional stability during subsequent manufacturing and assembly processes
3Adaptability or versatility
If flexible substrates are stretched to improve adaptability, then versatility is improved, but image distortion and reliability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the substrate into discrete modular segments that can independently stretch and conform without causing distortion to mounted components. This segmentation allows the substrate to accommodate stretching and bending while maintaining the integrity and visual quality of displayed images or optical elements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates pre-stretching procedures and compensatory design features that counteract potential distortion before it occurs. By pre-conditioning the substrate and designing compensation mechanisms into the structure, the invention prevents image quality degradation during subsequent stretching and deployment operations
4Ease of manufacture
If temporary tethers are used to hold flexible substrates during assembly, then ease of manufacture is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs temporary tethers and sacrificial support structures that are intentionally designed to be removed after serving their assembly function. These temporary elements provide necessary support during manufacturing and assembly operations, then are cleanly extracted or broken away to leave the final device in its intended configuration without permanent additional complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a robust and flexible circuit substrate that minimizes image distortion and ensures maximum flexibility during use, with controlled breaking of tethers to achieve desired flexibility stages, maintaining component integrity and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
The mesh-shaped flexible circuit substrates may be auxetic substrates that widen when stretched (e.g., structures with a negative Poisson's ratio that become thicker perpendicular to applied force when stretched)
Implementation Method 2
Component mounting regions may be interconnected by serpentine interconnect paths or other flexible interconnect paths in the flexible circuit substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An item may have a flexible support structure and may include a flexible component. The flexible component may have electrical components mounted on component mounting regions in a flexible circuit substrate. The component mounting regions may be interconnected by serpentine interconnect paths or other flexible interconnect paths. The flexible circuit substrate and component mounting regions may extend along a longitudinal axis of the flexible component or may form a two-dimensional array. Two-dimensional mesh-shaped flexible circuit substrates may be used in forming displays. The mesh-shaped flexible circuit substrates may be auxetic substrates that widen when stretched (e.g., structures with a negative Poisson's ratio that become thicker perpendicular to applied force when stretched) and that therefore reduce image distortion. Temporary tethers may help hold flexible circuit substrates together until intentionally broken following assembly of a flexible component into the flexible support structure.