Core Technology Area: Wearable Flexible Printed Circuit Board, its manufacturing method, and wearable smart devices utilizing it.
Main Topic:
Pangding focuses on a new type of wearable flexible printed circuit board, with its core innovation being the use of a fiber mesh made from accumulated fibers as the substrate, on which conductive circuit patterns are formed. This structure endows the circuit board with excellent flexibility, resilience, waterproofness, and breathability, making it particularly suitable for future wearable smart devices, such as smart clothing.
Key Ideas/Facts and Important Quotes:
New Substrate: Fiber Mesh
Pangding’s core lies in using a fiber mesh made from accumulated fibers as the substrate for the printed circuit board, rather than the traditional polyimide film.
These fibers are obtained through electrospinning a spinning solution of mixed polymer materials and solvents, with diameters typically less than 3μm.
Quote: “The aforementioned wearable flexible printed circuit board is characterized by comprising: a substrate formed by a fiber mesh, said fiber mesh being formed from fibers of polymer material with a diameter of less than 3μm; and a conductive circuit pattern formed on said substrate.” (Abstract, Claim 1)
Quote: “Pangding involves wearable flexible printed circuit boards… The aforementioned wearable flexible printed circuit board forms a conductive circuit pattern on a fiber mesh substrate, which has flexibility, resilience, waterproofness, and breathability, making it suitable for future devices.” (Abstract)
Excellent Physical Properties: Flexibility, Resilience, Waterproofness, and Breathability
Compared to traditional polyimide film substrates, the fiber mesh substrate exhibits significantly superior bending characteristics and possesses resilience that polyimide film lacks (i.e., it can return to its original flat state even after being folded or wrinkled).
The nanofibers obtained through electrospinning and the fine pores in the fiber mesh (with porosity reaching 40%-80%) allow the substrate to permit gas passage while blocking liquid, thus achieving waterproofness and breathability.
Quote: “The fiber mesh is formed from polymer fibers, thus exhibiting significantly superior bending characteristics compared to the polyimide film used in ordinary flexible printed circuit boards, and possesses resilience that polyimide film does not have, allowing it to return to its original flat state even after being folded or wrinkled.” (Specification [0061])
Quote: “Preferably, the porosity of Pangding’s fiber mesh is 40% to 80%.” (Specification [0068])
Quote: “In particular, the fiber diameter of the fiber mesh can be reduced to below 3μm through electrospinning, resulting in fine pore sizes in the fiber mesh, thus allowing the fiber mesh to have waterproofness and breathability that permits gas passage while preventing liquid passage…” (Specification [0068])
Formation of Conductive Circuit Patterns
Conductive circuit patterns are formed on the fiber mesh substrate, which can be achieved by printing conductive pastes (such as Ag paste or Cu paste).
The conductive paste can fill the fibers and pores of the fiber mesh or be formed only on the fibers.
Quote: “And the conductive circuit pattern is formed on the substrate.” (Abstract, Claim 1)
Quote: “The conductive circuit pattern is formed by printing conductive paste on the fiber mesh.” (Claim 8)
Quote: “The conductive circuit pattern is formed by filling the conductive paste into the fibers and pores of the fiber mesh.” (Claim 3)
Quote: “The conductive circuit pattern is formed on the fibers of the fiber mesh.” (Claim 4)
Structural Characteristics of the Fiber Mesh
The fiber mesh can have a single-layer structure or a three-layer structure consisting of an upper layer, a middle layer, and a lower layer.
In the three-layer structure, the fiber diameter of the middle layer can be finer than that of the upper and lower layers, or the middle layer can be a non-porous mesh to prevent the conductive paste from penetrating vertically.
The fibers can be in a crumpled or linear shape, and the shape of the fibers can be controlled by adjusting the humidity during electrospinning and the polymer concentration of the spinning solution.
Quote: “The fiber mesh has a three-layer structure consisting of an upper layer, a middle layer, and a lower layer, where the fibers in the middle layer are finer compared to those in the upper and lower layers, or the middle layer is a non-porous mesh.” (Claim 1)
Quote: “In Pangding, a fiber mesh with actual crumpled fibers can be used to maximize the flexibility of the wearable flexible printed circuit board.” (Specification [0100])
Applications of Wearable Smart Devices
Pangding’s wearable flexible printed circuit board can be used to construct wearable smart devices.
These smart devices can include various electronic components, such as sensor units (biosensors, environmental sensing sensors), near-field communication modules, antenna patterns, control units, and heating patterns.
Electronic components can be directly mounted on the wearable flexible printed circuit board.
Wearable smart devices can be embedded between the inner and outer layers of clothing or layered on the inner side of the lining.
Quote: “A wearable smart device, characterized by comprising: a wearable flexible printed circuit board, on which a conductive circuit pattern is formed on a porous substrate with flexibility, breathability, and waterproofness; and at least one electronic component mounted on the wearable flexible printed circuit board…” (Claim 11)
Quote: “The wearable smart device can be embedded between the lining and the outer layer or layered on the inner side of the lining.” (Claim 17)
Manufacturing Method
The manufacturing method mainly includes: accumulating fibers to form a fiber mesh substrate through electrospinning; printing conductive paste on the substrate to form circuit patterns; curing the conductive paste.
Quote: “A manufacturing method for a wearable flexible printed circuit board, characterized by comprising: a step of forming a substrate made of a fiber mesh with multiple pores by accumulating fibers obtained through electrospinning a spinning solution of mixed polymers and solvents; a step of forming circuit patterns by printing conductive paste on the substrate; and a step of curing the printed conductive paste.” (Specification [0032])
Potential Applications:
Smart clothing (healthcare clothing, entertainment clothing, environmental sensing clothing, military special-purpose clothing)
Medical drug patches
Various future devices requiring wearable, flexible, breathable, and waterproof characteristics.
Conclusion:
Pangding has proposed a new type of wearable flexible printed circuit board based on a fiber mesh substrate, prepared through electrospinning technology to achieve specific structural and physical characteristics, overcoming the shortcomings of traditional flexible circuit boards in terms of resilience, breathability, and waterproofness. This innovative substrate makes the circuit board highly flexible, capable of recovering after being folded or wrinkled, and waterproof and breathable, providing an ideal platform for various wearable smart devices, especially smart clothing, and can directly integrate multiple electronic components and functional patterns. This technology has significant industrial application potential and represents an important direction for the future development of flexible electronics and wearable technology.
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