Flexible Substrate With Segmented Protrusions for Breathable Wearables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible substrates with conductive lines face damage from stress caused by bending and stretching, and when attached to the human body, they often suffer from poor air permeability leading to skin disorders such as stuffiness and rashes due to inadequate ventilation.
Innovation Solution
A flexible substrate design featuring conductive lines on a flexible insulating base material with a support body and a coating layer, including through holes between adjacent scanning and signal lines to enhance air permeability and prevent moisture-induced damage, while maintaining structural integrity and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conductive lines are made meandering or honeycomb-shaped openings are provided to prevent damage from bending and stretching stress, then the flexibility and stretchability are improved, but the air permeability deteriorates leading to skin disorders
Solution Approach 1:
The base material is divided into multiple independent protrusions separated by grooves, creating a segmented structure that allows each protrusion to move independently during stretching while maintaining overall flexibility. This segmentation enables air to pass through the grooves, solving the air permeability problem.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the substrate have different properties: the protrusions provide structural support and conductive line placement, while the grooves provide air permeability and stretching accommodation. This local differentiation allows the substrate to simultaneously achieve flexibility and breathability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the base material is made more flexible to accommodate curved surfaces, then the adaptability to curved surfaces is improved, but the structural integrity deteriorates due to stress concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions are designed with curved surfaces that match the curvature of the underlying surface, allowing the substrate to conform to curved shapes without creating sharp stress concentration points. The rounded geometry distributes stress more evenly throughout the structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusion-groove structure allows dynamic deformation during stretching and bending. The grooves act as hinges that enable controlled movement, allowing the substrate to adapt to curved surfaces while maintaining structural integrity through elastic deformation rather than rigid breaking.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a flexible substrate includes flexible insulating base material, conductive lines, a support body and a coating layer. The conductive lines are provided on the insulating base material. The support body supports the insulating base material. The coating layer covers the insulating base material and the support body. The conductive lines include scanning lines and signal lines. The scanning lines extend in a first direction and are arranged side by side in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The signal lines extend in the second direction and are arranged side by side in the first direction. The support body and the coating layer have a through hole in a region enclosed by two adjacent scanning lines and two adjacent signal lines.