Elastomeric Encapsulation for Smart Textile Connection Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smart textile products face mechanical and electrical failures under stress due to inadequate protection of electronic and optoelectronic components integrated with conductive threads, with existing methods either being complex or failing to provide reliable stress absorption.
Innovation Solution
A flexible and/or stretchable textile fabric with integrated electrically conductive threads and at least one rigid electronic or optoelectronic component, where an elastomeric encapsulation layer is formed around the electrical connections to provide a gradual transition in deformability between the rigid component and the textile, reducing mechanical stress and enhancing reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid epoxy encapsulation layer is applied to protect electrical connections, then protection against mechanical stress is improved, but breakage of conductive thread and textile carrier at the transition zone occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the encapsulation layer from rigid (epoxy) to flexible (elastomeric), fundamentally altering the mechanical properties to match the textile substrate. This allows the encapsulation layer to deform with the textile during washing and wearing, preventing stress concentration and connection breakage at the transition zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structure by combining the elastomeric encapsulation layer with the textile fabric and conductive threads. The elastomeric material acts as a bridge between the rigid electronic component and the flexible textile, creating a gradient of mechanical properties that reduces stress concentration and prevents failure at interfaces.
2Reliability
If multiple textile layers are added to create gradual transition between stiff and flexible parts, then failure is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the transition function from the textile structure itself and implements it through a single elastomeric encapsulation layer. Instead of using multiple textile layers to create a gradual transition, the elastomeric material provides this transition function in one integrated layer, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric encapsulation layer serves as an intermediary between the rigid electronic component and the flexible textile substrate. This single intermediary layer provides the necessary mechanical transition, eliminating the need for multiple textile layers and reducing device complexity while still achieving gradual stress distribution.
3Reliability
If rigid encapsulation is used to protect components, then early breakage of connections is avoided, but mechanical stress causes breakage at the transition between textile and rigid encapsulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mechanical parameter of the encapsulation layer from rigid to flexible, allowing it to deform with the textile during washing and wearing. This parameter change eliminates the harmful stress concentration at the transition zone while maintaining protection of the electrical connections through the flexible encapsulation.
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 elastomeric encapsulation layer significantly reduces mechanical stress at electrical connections, improving the reliability of smart textile products by acting as a mechanical stress buffer, thereby reducing mechanical and electrical failure rates compared to prior art methods.
Implementation Method 1
an elastomeric encapsulation layer in which the electrical connection and the part of the flexible and/or stretchable textile fabric adjacent the electrical connection is embedded, so as to provide a gradual transition in deformability between the flexible and/or stretchable textile fabric and the at least one rigid component
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(c)
Figure 2(a)~2(d)
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a smart textile product and a method for manufacturing a smart textile product. The smart textile product is provided with a flexible and/or stretchable textile fabric (10) comprising a plurality of electrically conductive threads (11, 12) and at least one rigid electronic or optoelectronic component (20) comprising at least one electrically conductive pad (21, 22), which is in electrical contact with at least one of the plurality of electrically conductive threads. The smart textile product (10) comprises an elastomeric encapsulation layer (31) in which the electrical connection (1, 2) is embedded, so as to provide a gradual transition in deformability between the flexible and/or stretchable textile fabric (10) and the at least one rigid component (20) at the location of the at least one electrical connection (1, 2).