Fabric Pressure Sensor Manufacturing Process and Positioning Tools
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional manufacturing processes and tools are inadequate for producing fabric pressure sensors, which are needed for applications like sports clothing and healthcare due to their inflexibility and size limitations, making them unsuitable for personal use.
Innovation Solution
A process and toolset that includes cutting and connecting sensing fabric with wires, using electrical property measuring devices, wire connecting tools, and sensor structural component assembling tools to ensure precise bonding and tensioning, enhancing manufacturing ease and quality control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional manufacturing processes are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but manufacturing precision and quality control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces specialized positioning tools (positioning boxes, positioning clamps) as intermediary devices to achieve precise bonding and positioning. These tools act as mediators between the flexible sensing fabric and the bonding process, enabling accurate alignment without requiring complex manual operations. The positioning boxes provide fixed reference frames that guide the placement of conversion layers and sensing fabric, thereby improving bonding precision while keeping the process manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary positioning actions before bonding occurs. The sensing fabric is pre-positioned using positioning clamps, and conversion layers are pre-aligned using positioning boxes. This preliminary action ensures that all components are correctly positioned before the bonding process begins, eliminating the need for complex adjustments during bonding and improving overall manufacturing precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If flexible materials are used for fabric pressure sensors, then adaptability and comfort improve, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes flexible sensing fabric and thin conversion layers (silicone or silicone-fabric composite) that can be easily deformed and adapted to different shapes. These flexible materials are processed using specialized positioning tools that accommodate their deformability, such as positioning clamps that can hold flexible fabric in place and positioning boxes that guide the placement of thin conversion layers. This approach maintains the flexibility and adaptability of the materials while enabling their manufacture through dedicated tooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning tools serve as intermediaries that bridge the gap between the flexibility of the materials and the precision required for manufacturing. The positioning clamps and boxes provide stable reference frames that counteract the deformability of the flexible materials during processing, allowing accurate bonding without restricting the final flexibility of the product.
3Manufacturing precision
If specialized positioning tools are introduced, then manufacturing precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the positioning function into separate, specialized tools: positioning clamps for holding the sensing fabric and positioning boxes for guiding conversion layer placement. This segmentation allows each tool to be optimized for its specific function with relatively simple design, rather than requiring a single complex positioning system. The modular nature of these tools makes them easier to manufacture and use.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning boxes and clamps use simple geometric shapes and fixed dimensions that can be easily replicated. The positioning features are based on standard geometric forms that can be manufactured using conventional methods, reducing the complexity of the tools while maintaining positioning precision. The design avoids complex mechanisms in favor of simple, reproducible geometric features.
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 process enables the production of flexible fabric pressure sensors with improved precision, quality, and yield, suitable for personal and industrial applications, by ensuring accurate connection and positioning of layers and monitoring conductivity and sensitivity.
Implementation Method 1
Use an electrical property measuring device to measure the conductivity and sensitivity of said sensing fabric
Implementation Method 2
Fix said sensing fabric by a clamping positioner at a predetermined tension
Implementation Method 3
Bond a lower conversion layer with said sensing fabric by a lower conversion layer positioning box
Implementation Method 4
Use a resistance meter to determine the quality of the connection between said sensing fabric and said wire according to the conductivity and the sensitivity of said sensing fabric
Data Source
AI summary
A process for manufacturing a fabric pressure sensor comprises cutting a sensing fabric to a pre-determined size, connecting a flexible electric wire with a wire of the sensing fabric by sewing, fixing the sensing fabric by means of a clamping positioner at a pre-determined tension, bonding a lower conversion layer with the sensing fabric by means of a lower conversion layer positioning box, bonding an adjustable column with the sensing fabric by means of an upper conversion layer positioning box, and bonding the upper conversion layer with the adjustable column by means of the upper conversion layer positioning box. A tool for manufacturing the sensor comprises an electrical property measuring device, a wire connecting tool, and a sensor structural component assembling tool. The present invention provides an easy and convenient way of manufacturing a fabric pressure sensor, monitoring the quality of manufacture, and enhancing the manufacturing precision and product yield.