Elastic Flexible Substrate with Lattice Slits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible substrates used in electronics and other fields lack elasticity, limiting their ability to expand or contract without breaking, which is necessary for applications on curved surfaces or objects that bend and expand/contract.
Innovation Solution
An elastic flexible substrate is created by forming slits in an insulating film base material, which are held open by an insulating member, allowing the substrate to expand or contract while distributing stress evenly, and incorporating wires for conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible substrate is made uniformly thin to achieve flexibility and bendability, then the substrate can be bent and conform to curved surfaces, but the substrate lacks elasticity and cannot expand or contract without breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is divided into a lattice structure comprising multiple unit cells with internal void spaces. This segmentation allows the substrate to expand into the void spaces when stretched, providing elasticity while maintaining flexibility. The lattice structure breaks down the continuous material into discrete units that can deform independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate incorporates a porous lattice structure with controlled void spaces within each unit cell. These pores enable the material to expand and contract elastically by deforming the void spaces, transforming the substrate from a non-expandable flexible sheet to an elastic flexible material that can reliably stretch and return to its original shape.
2Reliability
If the substrate is made elastic with expandable lattice structure, then the substrate can expand and contract reliably, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lattice structure is integrated directly into the substrate material itself, combining the structural framework with the functional substrate. This merging eliminates the need for separate elastic components or mechanisms, achieving elasticity through the substrate's own geometry rather than adding complex external structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The unit cells incorporate curved walls and rounded corners rather than sharp angles, distributing stress more evenly during expansion and contraction. This curvature reduces stress concentration points that would otherwise lead to failure, simplifying the need for additional reinforcement structures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If slits are opened in the insulating film to create elasticity, then the substrate gains expandability, but stress concentration may occur at the slit edges causing breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The unit cell structure employs asymmetric wall thicknesses and varied slit configurations that redirect stress flows away from critical edges. By strategically placing thicker walls at high-stress regions and thinner walls where less stress occurs, the design balances expandability with stress resistance without requiring uniform reinforcement throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The slit edges and internal void boundaries are designed with curved transitions rather than sharp corners, distributing stress more evenly across the material. This curvature eliminates stress concentration points at slit intersections and endpoints, preventing crack initiation while maintaining the expandable lattice structure.
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 substrate can be reliably expanded or contracted without breaking, making it suitable for use on curved surfaces and objects, and can be used as a circuit board with added electronic elements.
Implementation Method 1
an opened state of the opening is held by an insulating member. With this configuration, the elastic flexible substrate has elasticity
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an elastic flexible substrate including an insulating film base material which includes a wire. The insulating film base material includes an opening which is formed by opening a slit, and an opened state of the opening is held by an insulating member.