Splitting Bending-Sensitive Elements on Flexible Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printed electronic devices on flexible substrates experience significant variations in performance when bent, leading to ambiguity in sensed parameters and potential device failure, with existing solutions either requiring prior bending information or increasing device thickness, which are inadequate in fully addressing these issues.
Innovation Solution
The method involves splitting bending-sensitive elements into functionally equivalent portions and printing them on opposite sides of the flexible substrate, allowing bending to have an opposite effect on each portion, thereby canceling out the bending effects and maintaining the substrate's flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If bending-sensitive elements are printed on a flexible substrate, then the substrate can be bent and fitted into awkward spaces, but the performance of the electronic devices varies significantly when bent
Solution Approach 1:
The bending-sensitive element is divided into two separate portions printed on opposite sides of the flexible substrate. Each portion independently responds to bending in opposite directions, and their combined output cancels out the bending effects, maintaining stable device performance while preserving substrate flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the counterweight principle by placing two portions of the bending-sensitive element on opposite sides of the substrate. When the substrate bends, one portion experiences compression while the other experiences tension, creating opposing signals that cancel each other out, thereby compensating for the bending effect.
2Reliability
If another substrate layer is placed on top of the printed electronics to reduce physical deformation, then the deformation is reduced, but the overall thickness of the device is doubled
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding thickness in the vertical dimension to protect the electronics, the patent distributes the bending-sensitive elements across both surfaces of the substrate, utilizing the spatial dimension. This approach maintains device performance without increasing overall thickness, as the elements are integrated into the existing substrate structure rather than adding protective layers.
3Reliability
If devices are located in an area where bending is minimal, then bending effects are reduced, but prior information about the nature of bending is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the device to automatically compensate for bending effects through its own structure. The two portions of the bending-sensitive element inherently respond to bending in opposite ways, and their combined output self-cancels the bending effect without requiring external control systems, prior bending information, or complex design calculations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of fabricating an electrical circuit assembly on a flexible substrate comprises: identifying one or more bending-sensitive elements of an electrical circuit assembly, each bending-sensitive element having a performance that varies when said bending-sensitive element is flexed; splitting said one or more bending-sensitive elements into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are functionally equivalent and together equate to said bending-sensitive element; printing the first portion of said bending-sensitive element on a first surface of the flexible substrate; printing the second portion of said bending-sensitive element on a second surface of the flexible substrate, diametrically opposite the first portion such that bending of the flexible substrate has an opposite effect on each of the first and second portions thereby serving to substantially cancel the effect on each portion out; and electrically connecting the first portion and the second portion.