Bendable Glass Substrate Assembly for Dynamic Shape Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional glass and substrate assemblies in applications like automotive dashboards and consumer electronics are rigid and static, limiting their adaptability and increasing shipping and handling costs due to fixed shapes.
Innovation Solution
A bendable glass and substrate assembly is created using a flexible resin substrate bonded to a glass panel, allowing the assembly to maintain a planar geometry for shipping and installation, which can then be bent to various non-planar shapes using a fixture, with the materials returning to their original shape for storage and reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid glass and substrate assemblies are used, then structural strength and stability are improved, but adaptability and ease of shipping are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the glass panel and substrate flexible rather than rigid, allowing them to change shape between a planar pre-installation geometry for shipping and a bent post-installation geometry for final installation. This dynamic capability enables the assembly to adapt to different configurations while maintaining structural integrity through controlled flexibility of the glass and substrate materials.
2Stability of the object's composition
If rigid glass and substrate assemblies are used, then structural stability is improved, but shipping and handling costs are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible glass and substrate assembly can be bent into various shapes during shipping to maximize space efficiency and minimize damage risk, then returned to a stable planar configuration for installation. This dynamic shape-changing capability reduces shipping volume and handling costs while maintaining structural stability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of rigidity to flexibility, allowing the glass and substrate to be deformed during shipping and handling while maintaining structural integrity. This parameter change enables cost-effective shipping by reducing volume and protection requirements compared to rigid assemblies.
3Adaptability or versatility
If flexible materials are used, then adaptability and flexibility are improved, but structural strength is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by bonding a flexible substrate to a glass panel, creating a combined structure that leverages the strength of glass and the flexibility of the substrate. This composite construction maintains structural integrity while enabling the flexibility needed for bending between planar and non-planar configurations.
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
This solution reduces shipping and handling costs, allows for dynamic trim components and electronics that can change shape, and provides flexibility in fixture configurations, enhancing adaptability and reducing damage during handling.
Implementation Method 1
bonding a flexible resin substrate to at least a portion of the first panel surface
Implementation Method 2
the bendable materials of the glass panel and the substrate remain flexible and resilient even after the substrate is bonded to the glass panel and as a result the bendable glass and substrate assembly has a planar geometry before installation and is bent to a final non-planar shape or contour
Data Source
AI summary
A bendable glass and substrate assembly includes a glass panel that has a planar pre-installation geometry and first and second panel surfaces that are separated by a panel thickness and at least one substrate that is bonded to at least a portion of the first panel surface. Both the glass panel and the substrate are made of bendable materials and are adapted to take on at least one bent post-installation geometry that is different than the planar pre-installation geometry. The bendable materials of the glass panel and the substrate remain flexible and resilient even after the substrate is bonded to the glass panel and as a result the bendable glass and substrate assembly has a planar geometry before installation and is bent to a final non-planar shape or contour when the bendable glass and substrate assembly is mounted in a final installation.