Flexible Foot Pressure Circuit for Durable VR Motion Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flexible electronic components are limited by reliability, longevity, and functional constraints due to constrained flexibility, resilience, and durability, which restricts their utility in various environments.
Innovation Solution
Development of flexible and deformable electronic circuits with a sealed, internal cavity filled with a compressible fluid, allowing geometric changes that alter electrical parameters, enabling real-time motion capture and navigation in virtual environments through pressure mapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional flexible electronic components are used, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability and durability worsen due to constrained flexibility and resilience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs) with deformable conductors embedded in encapsulant material, allowing the circuit to bend and deform without breaking. This flexible shell structure enables the circuit to withstand repeated bending cycles while maintaining electrical connectivity, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity by providing a inherently flexible design rather than requiring complex protective mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite structures combining FPCB layers, encapsulant material, and deformable conductors. The encapsulant provides mechanical protection and flexibility, while the FPCB provides electrical pathways. This composite approach enhances reliability through material synergy without increasing overall device complexity, as the components are integrated into a unified flexible assembly
2Adaptability or versatility
If flexible circuits with encapsulated deformable conductors are used, then flexibility and resilience improve, but manufacturing precision requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulant material acts as a flexible shell that protects the deformable conductor while allowing it to bend and deform. The encapsulation process embeds the conductor within the flexible matrix, enabling large deformations without exposing the conductor to mechanical damage. This approach achieves high flexibility without requiring extremely precise manufacturing tolerances, as the encapsulant provides a forgiving environment for the conductor
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the deformable conductor to dynamically adapt its shape during bending cycles. The conductor is intentionally made compliant rather than rigid, allowing it to flex with the FPCB during operation. This dynamic design accepts variations in manufacturing precision by allowing the conductor to conform to different bending radii and angles, maintaining functionality across a range of geometric configurations
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional rigid circuits are used, then manufacturing precision is easier to achieve, but adaptability to different environments worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The deformable conductor is designed to dynamically change its geometry in response to bending and deformation. Rather than maintaining a fixed rigid shape, the conductor adapts its configuration to match the FPCB's bending radius and angle. This dynamic adaptability allows the circuit to function reliably across diverse environmental conditions and wear configurations without requiring ultra-precise manufacturing to account for every possible deformation scenario
Solution Approach 2:
The patent exploits changes in geometric parameters (bending radius, angle, curvature) to enable adaptability. The deformable conductor's electrical properties remain stable despite changes in its physical shape, allowing the circuit to maintain functionality across different bending states. This parameter-based approach achieves versatility without demanding extreme manufacturing precision, as the system is designed to tolerate and utilize geometric variations
4Productivity
If flexible circuits undergo repeated bending cycles, then adaptability to motion capture improves, but durability worsens due to conductor degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulant material serves as a protective flexible shell that surrounds and protects the deformable conductor during repeated bending cycles. This encapsulation prevents the conductor from direct exposure to mechanical stress, moisture, and other environmental factors that would cause degradation. The flexible shell absorbs much of the mechanical strain, allowing the conductor to undergo numerous bending cycles without fatigue failure, thereby enabling sustained motion capture functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The encapsulant material provides beforehand cushioning protection to the deformable conductor against mechanical stress and environmental damage. By pre-encapsulating the conductor in a protective matrix before operation, the design anticipates and mitigates the effects of repeated bending and potential damage sources. This prior protection allows the circuit to withstand the wear and tear of extensive use in motion capture applications without rapid degradation
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
Enables natural and comfortable locomotion in virtual environments by translating physical motions into virtual representations, providing a more intuitive and efficient solution for user navigation.
Implementation Method 1
determine an electrical parameter based on the received signal, correlate the determined electrical parameter to a physical parameter of the flexible circuit
Data Source
AI summary
A system configured to control a virtual representation of a user within a virtual environment is disclosed herein. The system can include a foot base configured to receive a user input. The foot base can include a flexible circuit including an encapsulated deformable conductor. The system can further include a processor communicably coupled to the flexible circuit, and a memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive a signal from the flexible circuit, determine an electrical parameter based on the received signal, correlate the determined electrical parameter to a physical parameter of the flexible circuit, and alter the virtual representation of the user based on the correlation.