Flexible Tire Sensor Device Using Merged FPC Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tire sensor devices are costly to manufacture due to the need for multiple molding steps in creating housings for sensor chips, necessitating a cost-efficient solution.
Innovation Solution
A tire sensor device comprising a flexible sheet with conductive paths, a tire sensor chip electrically coupled to these paths, and an energy supply, such as a flexible sheet battery or coil for energy harvesting, which allows for a simpler and more cost-effective manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional tire sensor devices use multiple molding steps to create housings for sensor chips, then the sensor device can be manufactured with proper housing protection, but the manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the housing and the sensor chip mounting substrate into a single integrated flexible printed circuit board structure. The FPC serves both as the structural housing support and as the electrical interconnection medium, eliminating the need for separate housing molding steps and reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining protective functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible printed circuit board as the housing structure instead of traditional rigid molded housings. The FPC provides mechanical support, electrical connections, and can be sealed within the tire, offering a thin-film alternative that reduces manufacturing steps and cost while maintaining the necessary protective enclosure.
2Reliability
If tire sensor devices use traditional rigid housing structures, then the sensor chip is protected, but the device complexity and manufacturing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure and sensor chip substrate are merged into a single FPC assembly. The flexible circuit board provides both the mechanical housing framework and the electrical interconnection pathways, integrating multiple functions into one component and eliminating sequential molding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The FPC serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the structural housing support, the electrical interconnection medium, the sensor chip mounting substrate, and part of the sealing structure. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components and manufacturing steps required.
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 solution reduces manufacturing costs by utilizing a flexible sheet with large area structures, enabling efficient energy supply and data transmission while maintaining the functionality of tire pressure monitoring and other measurements.
Implementation Method 1
an energy supply, such as a flexible sheet battery or coil for energy harvesting
Data Source
AI summary
Tire sensor devices, tires equipped with such devices and corresponding methods are disclosed, where a tire sensor chip is provided on a flexible sheet material.