Sensor Sheet and Ink Adhesive for Electronic Enclosure Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for assembling and securing sensors and cameras in electronic devices are costly, time-consuming, and prone to damage, with challenges in achieving optimal performance due to the fragility of foam blocks used for sensor tuning and the difficulty in bonding adhesives to glass or metal surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The use of robust sheets over foam blocks to define sensor openings and the application of ink layers with adhesives to improve bonding, along with grounding assemblies that accommodate camera movement during assembly, such as springs and clips, to ensure proper operation and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If foam blocks are used to define sensor openings and prevent cross-talk, then sensor performance is improved, but the foam blocks are fragile and difficult to manipulate without damage
Solution Approach 1:
A sheet of material is introduced as an intermediary between the foam block and the external environment. The sheet extends beyond the periphery of the foam block and defines the opening, allowing manipulation of the sheet rather than the fragile foam block directly. This protects the foam block from damage while maintaining the sensor performance benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheet material acts as a flexible protective layer that conforms to the foam block while extending beyond its boundaries. This thin film structure allows for easy manipulation and positioning without compromising the underlying foam block structure, resolving the contradiction between fragility and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If different configurations of foam blocks are created to tune sensor performance, then sensor performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The solution separates the tuning function from the structural function. The foam block maintains a single standard configuration for structural support, while the sheet material provides the variable opening definitions. This segmentation allows sensor performance tuning through sheet variations rather than foam block variations, simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of changing the physical dimensions or configuration of the foam block to tune sensor performance, the invention changes the parameters of the sheet material (size, shape, position) that defines the opening. This allows performance tuning through parameter changes in the sheet rather than complex foam block manufacturing.
3Strength
If adhesive is applied directly to glass or metal surfaces to secure the cover, then bonding is attempted, but the adhesive has difficulty bonding to these surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
An ink layer is introduced as an intermediary between the adhesive and the glass or metal surface. The ink layer is applied to the surface, and the adhesive is then applied over the ink layer. This intermediary layer facilitates bonding to surfaces that are otherwise difficult to bond to directly, improving adhesive strength while maintaining ease of manufacture.
4Strength
If the cover opening is smaller than the cover to form a bonding ring, then adhesive bonding is enabled, but the adhesive still has difficulty bonding to glass or metal
Solution Approach 1:
The ink layer serves as a mediator between the adhesive and the difficult-to-bond surfaces (glass or metal) in the bonding ring area. This allows the adhesive to reliably bond to the cover by first bonding to the ink layer, which then bonds to the cover surface, ensuring both strength and reliability.
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
This approach reduces manufacturing complexity and cost, enhances sensor performance, and ensures reliable operation by protecting foam blocks and improving adhesive bonding, while maintaining camera grounding across positional changes.
Implementation Method 1
an ink layer can be applied to the ring around the periphery of the cover such that the ink layer is between the cover and the adhesive (which is placed in contact with the enclosure)
Implementation Method 2
one or more foam blocks can be placed at least between the emitter and detector to prevent cross talk, or light emitted by the emitter being detected by the detector without passing through the glass cover
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device can include different components providing different functionality. Some electronic devices can include a proximity sensor for determining when a user's face is near the device. The sensor can include an emitter and a detector that are separated by a foam block to limit cross-talk between the emitter and detector. A sheet can be placed over the foam block to define openings for each of the emitter and detector. Some electronic devices can also include a camera. A glass cover secured to the device enclosure can protect the camera. To improve an adhesive bond between the glass cover and a metal enclosure, an ink layer can be placed between an adhesive and the glass. In addition, the camera or another component may need to be grounded to ensure proper operation. During assembly, however, the position of the camera can shift due to closing an enclosure. A grounding assembly that maintains contact with the camera in its initial and final positions can be provided.