Flexible Touch Sensor With Sunk Conductive Wire
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional touch sensors with rigid structures cannot be properly fitted to curved surfaces, such as the human body, leading to false recognition and malfunction due to accidental conductive contact during deformation.
Innovation Solution
A flexible touch sensor design featuring a cushioning sheet material with a conductive wire sunk into its surface, preventing conductive contact during deformation and ensuring accurate touch detection only when intentionally pressed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a rigid structure is used for the touch sensor, then manufacturing precision and structural stability are improved, but adaptability to curved surfaces and flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The touch sensor employs a flexible substrate and thin-film conductive layers instead of rigid structures, enabling the sensor to conform to curved surfaces while maintaining functional integrity. The flexible substrate allows the entire sensor assembly to bend and adapt to non-planar surfaces without compromising structural stability or manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch sensor utilizes composite material construction combining flexible substrate materials with conductive material layers. This composite structure integrates the flexibility needed for curved surface adaptation with the electrical conductivity required for touch sensing functionality, resolving the contradiction between structural rigidity and surface adaptability.
2Reliability
If a rigid structure is used for the touch sensor, then structural stability is improved, but false recognition due to accidental conductive contact during deformation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible substrate and thin-film conductive layers allow the sensor to deform elastically with curved surfaces while maintaining proper conductive patterns. This flexibility prevents accidental contact between conductive elements that would occur in rigid structures during deformation, thereby eliminating false recognition while preserving accurate touch detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible substrate acts as a cushioning element that absorbs and distributes deformation forces before they can cause accidental contact between conductive patterns. This pre-cushioning effect prevents the harmful factor of false recognition by accommodating surface curvature changes without creating unwanted conductive connections.
3Measurement precision
If conductive material is placed on the surface, then touch detection capability is improved, but accidental conductive contact during deformation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive material is implemented as thin-film layers deposited on the flexible substrate. This thin-film configuration maintains effective touch detection capability through proper electrical conductivity while the flexibility of the substrate prevents the thin conductive films from making accidental contact during deformation, thereby preventing malfunction.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible substrate serves as an intermediary between the conductive material layers and the external environment. It provides the necessary mechanical separation and cushioning to prevent accidental contact between conductive elements during deformation, while still allowing the conductive material to function effectively for touch detection.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible touch sensor comprises: a first sheet material that has a first major surface, and that has a cushioning property; a second sheet material that includes a conductive material, and that is disposed on the first major surface of the first sheet material; and a conductive wire that is disposed on the first major surface of the first sheet material, and that is sunk into the first sheet material.