Interruptible Radial Bus Layout for Flexible LED Bead Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bus systems, such as loose wire buses and flex-print buses, face limitations in flexibility and ease of installation for addressable bead devices like LEDs, particularly in allowing for multiple directions of motion and efficient automated manufacturing, while also experiencing issues with crosstalk and signal propagation.
Innovation Solution
A flexible, interruptible radial bus system with a central stabilizer that allows for the easy installation of addressable bead devices by exposing pathways for interruption, enabling four ranges of motion and reducing crosstalk through a grounding wire, and utilizing surface mount soldering techniques for efficient signal propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a loose wire bus with plugs is used to connect devices, then the system allows for easy installation and reconfiguration, but the wires may become tangled and the structure lacks stability
Solution Approach 1:
The bus system is segmented into modular components with standardized connection points, allowing the bus to be divided into sections while maintaining overall structural integrity. This enables easy installation and reconfiguration without creating tangled wires, as each segment connects through defined interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
A stabilizing structure or framework acts as an intermediary between the flexible wire segments and the mounting surface, providing structural support while allowing the electrical connections to remain accessible and reconfigurable. This mediator maintains stability without restricting the ease of operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a flexible printed circuit board is used to mount LEDs, then the devices are securely connected, but the system lacks flexibility in multiple directions of motion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible printed circuit boards that can bend and conform to various shapes while maintaining electrical connections. The FPCB acts as a flexible shell that provides both structural support and electrical connectivity, allowing the system to achieve multiple directions of motion while keeping devices securely connected through the flexible substrate.
3Ease of operation
If traditional bus systems are used for addressable bead devices, then the installation process is complex, but automated manufacturing efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bus system is pre-configured with standardized connection points, pre-applied adhesives, or pre-attached connectors that prepare the installation interface in advance. This preliminary action reduces the complexity of the actual installation process and enables automated manufacturing equipment to quickly attach bead devices without complex manual wiring operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical wiring and manual connection methods with alternative systems such as conductive adhesives, snap-fit connectors, or automated soldering processes. This substitution reduces installation complexity and enables higher productivity in automated manufacturing environments by eliminating time-consuming manual wire manipulation.
4Illumination intensity
If radial bus configuration is used with addressable devices, then the visual field is improved, but crosstalk between signals increases
Solution Approach 1:
The grounding wire is extracted as a separate, dedicated component in the radial bus configuration. By providing a separate grounding path for each radial segment, the system removes the harmful crosstalk effect from the signal paths while maintaining the visual field benefits of the radial arrangement. Each signal line has its own reference ground, preventing interference between adjacent signals.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1D
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A multi-conductor bus with radially arranged conductor wires on which addressable bead devices that may incorporate light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or other surface mount devices (SMDs) can be easily mounted. The radial bus is designed to provide an improved range of flexibility and motion while allowing for easy addition of bead devices along its length that can utilize self-addressing bus protocols such as cascading device protocols. The design of the flexible, interruptible radial bus facilitates the use of pass-through and interrupted paths along the bus that can simplify the installation of addressable devices along the bus such as the bus-mounted bead devices disclosed herein.