Stretchable Raised Electrode With Conductive Fibers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible electrodes lack stretchability and comfort when used as wearable biological electrodes, as they do not effectively maintain electrical conductivity during deformation and stretching/shrinking, which limits their usability on sensitive skin and for long-term applications.
Innovation Solution
A stretchable raised electrode is created by embedding conductive fibers with one end inserted into a stretchable resin layer on a sheet material, allowing for isotropic electric conductivity and maintaining contact points during stretching/shrinking, using an electrostatic spraying method to form the conductive fiber structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a metal film electrode is arranged on a stretchable sheet material, then the electrode can be made flexible and wearable, but the electrode portion cannot stretch/shrink while the sheet material stretches, causing discomfort and limiting usability
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is divided into multiple raised portions made of conductive fibers rather than using a continuous metal film. This segmentation allows each fiber to independently stretch and move, enabling the electrode to maintain electrical conductivity while accommodating the deformation of the stretchable sheet material.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode uses a structure based on flexible conductive fibers arranged in a mesh pattern on the stretchable sheet material. This fiber-based structure inherently provides flexibility and stretchability, allowing the electrode to deform with the underlying sheet without breaking electrical contact.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conductive fibers are raised on the sheet material surface, then the electrode can follow surface deformation, but achieving electrical and mechanical connection with multiple raised portions while maintaining conductivity during stretching is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple conductive fiber portions are electrically connected to form a continuous conductive network across the electrode surface. This merging of discrete fiber elements into an integrated conductive mesh simplifies the overall structure while maintaining electrical connectivity during deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode structure is designed to be dynamic rather than rigid, allowing the conductive fibers to move, flex, and reconfigure during stretching and deformation. This dynamic structure automatically maintains electrical connections through the relative movement of fiber portions without requiring complex mechanical linkages.
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 provides stable electric conductivity and comfort by allowing the electrode to follow the surface of the body, maintaining contact points and conductivity even during deformation, thus enhancing the usability of wearable biological electrodes.
Implementation Method 1
a step of making charged conductive fibers (3) fly toward the sheet material (1) by using an electrostatic spraying method
Data Source
AI summary
A stretchable raised electrode having a stretch property that can be used as a biological electrode for collecting biological signals while being pressed against a body is provided, and a method of manufacturing the stretchable raised electrode is provided. This raised electrode is a raised electrode formed by raising a surface of a sheet material having the stretch property. This raised electrode includes: a resin layer configured to be stretchable to follow the surface of the sheet material; and a plurality of conductive fibers each having an inserted portion, one end of which is inserted into the resin layer. The conductive fibers that are adjacent to one another are electrically in contact with one another at non-inserted portions into the resin layer, and the conductive fibers are formed in the resin layer so as to have such a density as causing an in-plane isotropic electric conductivity of an electrode region of the sheet material in which the conductive fibers are formed. This raised electrode can be obtained by an electrostatic spraying method.