Undulating Electrical Conductors for Flexible Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical conductors are prone to damage or degradation due to shear and strain forces in high-stress environments, such as wearable electronics, where they are subjected to repeated bending and stretching, leading to potential breakage or performance degradation.
Innovation Solution
The design of elongated conductors with varying widths and radii of curvature, where thicker sections have a smaller radius of curvature and thinner sections have a larger radius, allowing for increased robustness and flexibility without discontinuities in conductivity, and often integrated with flexible substrates that can stretch up to 1.5 times their original dimension without tearing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electrical conductors are used in high-stress environments, then they can carry electrical information, but they are prone to breakage or damage due to shear and strain forces
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor features varying width along its length, with wider sections at locations subject to higher stress and narrower sections elsewhere. This non-uniform cross-sectional design concentrates structural reinforcement where needed most, allowing the conductor to withstand shear and strain forces while maintaining flexibility and electrical conductivity throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor's physical parameters (width, cross-sectional area) are varied along its length to optimize performance. By changing the geometric parameters in response to stress distribution, the conductor achieves enhanced durability in high-stress regions without compromising overall flexibility or electrical function.
2Strength
If the conductor is made thicker to increase robustness, then it can withstand more stress, but it reduces flexibility and increases susceptibility to damage during bending
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than making the entire conductor uniformly thick, the design applies increased thickness only at specific locations where structural support is needed. The varying width profile provides local reinforcement while preserving flexibility in other sections, allowing the conductor to bend and stretch without compromising overall strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor is effectively segmented into regions of different widths, with wider segments providing structural support and narrower segments providing flexibility. This segmentation allows different portions of the conductor to perform different functions - some regions resist stress while others accommodate deformation.
Data Source
AI summary
Electrical conductors are disclosed. More particularly, undulating electrical conductors are disclosed. Certain disclosed electrical conductors may be suitable to be disposed on flexible or stretchable substrates.