Expandable Flexible Circuit for Insulated Glazing Feedthroughs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing insulated glazing units face challenges in accommodating variable spans and thermal expansion, leading to potential damage or disconnection of electrical feed throughs due to rigid flexible circuits.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an expandable flexible circuit with crease, crumpled, or folded portions that can adjust its effective length to accommodate thermal gradients and relative movement between components, ensuring continuous operation without breaking or detaching from internal components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid flexible circuit is used to provide electrical feed through, then electrical connectivity is maintained, but the circuit is vulnerable to damage or disconnection due to thermal expansion and variable spans
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible circuit is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to flex and expand/contract in response to thermal gradients and relative movement between components. This dynamic flexibility enables the circuit to maintain electrical connectivity while adapting to dimensional changes in the insulated glazing unit, resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the flexible circuit length is fixed, then manufacturing is simplified, but the circuit cannot accommodate variable spans and thermal gradients
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible circuit incorporates variable length characteristics through design features such as creases, folds, or expandable sections that allow the effective length to change. This parameter variability enables the circuit to accommodate different spans and thermal expansion while maintaining ease of installation, as the circuit can be configured to match the specific dimensional requirements of each application.
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 expandable flexible circuit effectively adapts to changing distances within insulated glazing units, maintaining electrical connectivity and resilience to thermal stresses, thereby enhancing the operational reliability and longevity of the units.
Implementation Method 1
accommodate thermal gradients and relative movement between components
Implementation Method 2
Incorporating an expandable flexible circuit with crease, crumpled, or folded portions that can adjust its effective length to accommodate thermal gradients and relative movement between components
Data Source
AI summary
An insulated glazing unit can include a spacer frame disposed between a first substrate from a second substrate and forming a portion of a sealed boundary and a flexible circuit extending through the sealed boundary. In an embodiment, the flexible circuit includes a flexible ribbon having a total length, LA, and an effective length, LE, and wherein LE is less than LA. In another embodiment, the flexible circuit includes an expandable portion adapted to expand a length of the flexible circuit to accommodate: relative movement between two or more portions of the insulated glazing unit, resizing of one or more portions of the insulated glazing unit, or any combination thereof.