Conductive Thread Pressure Sensor for Wearables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pressure sensors struggle to effectively respond to deformation in flexible materials and maintain high application flexibility, particularly in wearable devices, requiring improved sensitivity and adaptability to various materials and shapes.
Innovation Solution
A pressure sensor design incorporating a conductive thread sensor with through-holes in a base material, where the conductive thread extends through these holes, allowing for vertical deformation and enhanced sensitivity, and optionally filled with conductive paste or insulating materials to enhance sensitivity and structural support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional pressure sensors are coupled to a general substrate as a thin film, then the sensor structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the sensor cannot effectively respond to deformation of flexible materials and has low application flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible substrate as the base material for the pressure sensor, allowing the sensor to conform to and deform with flexible materials. The conductive thread is configured to extend through holes in the substrate, enabling the sensor to maintain functionality while accommodating the flexible nature of the base material, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive thread extends vertically through the substrate via holes, transitioning from a planar two-dimensional configuration to a three-dimensional structure. This dimensional change allows the sensor to effectively detect deformation in flexible materials while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, addressing both adaptability and manufacturing ease.
2Measurement precision
If the conductive thread extends through the through-hole vertically, then the pressure sensing sensitivity is improved, but the sensor structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive thread is specifically positioned to extend through holes in the substrate, creating localized regions of high sensitivity where the thread interacts with the flexible material during deformation. This localized configuration enhances pressure sensing sensitivity while avoiding the need to complicate the entire sensor structure, as only specific areas require the through-hole configuration.
3Measurement precision
If the sensor is designed for high sensitivity to deformation, then the measurement precision improves, but the device becomes less suitable for various emerging fields requiring versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure sensor is designed with a universal flexible substrate and conductive thread configuration that can be applied to various emerging fields such as wearable devices, flexible electronics, and deformable structures. The through-hole configuration provides consistent high sensitivity across different applications, making the sensor both precise and versatile simultaneously.
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 design enables effective pressure sensing on flexible materials, improving sensitivity and reliability by measuring changes in resistance and capacitance, suitable for various applications including wearable devices.
Implementation Method 1
the conductive thread is coupled to the through-hole in a direction in which the conductive thread extends through the through-hole such that a vertical deformation of the conductive thread is induced in response to pressure
Implementation Method 2
a vertical deformation of the conductive thread is induced in response to pressure
Implementation Method 3
the inner space of the through-hole and a space between the bent parts of the sensing portion bent the plurality of times may be filled with an insulating material configured to elastically support an upper part and a lower part of the through-hole
Implementation Method 4
an interior of the through-hole may be filled with conductive paste in addition to the sensing portion so as to be elastically supported in an upward-downward direction of the base material with respect to external pressure
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2~4
Figure 5A~6
AI summary
A pressure sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises: a base material; a through-hole formed to pass through the upper surface and the lower surface of the base material; and a conductive thread sensor including conductive thread that passes through the through-hole. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the pressure sensor is implemented through a structural combination of the conductive thread and the base material so that the degree of design freedom can be effectively increased in the application of a variety of recent wearable flexible materials.