Methods of making stretchable and flexible electronics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10263320-B2
Application number	US-201615211005-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2016
Priority date	Jul 17, 2015
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A method of making a stretchable and flexible electronic device includes the steps of creating a computer aided design using a computer modeling software system of the electronic device; digitizing the computer aided design and importing the design into a computer memory of a sewing machine capable of performing embroidery; using the sewing machine and a conductive thread to embroider the design on to a fabric substrate to create the electronic device, whereby the electronic device comprises at least a portion of conductive threads; removing the fabric substrate from the electronic device using heat; coating the electronic device with a polymer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making a stretchable and flexible antenna comprising:
sewing a design onto a fabric substrate with a conductive thread to create the flexible antenna on the fabric substrate;
adhering the fabric substrate with the antenna onto a surface of an adhesive;
removing the fabric substrate while the antenna is adhered to the adhesive;
coating the antenna with a polymer while the antenna is adhered to the adhesive; and
removing the polymer coated antenna from the adhesive.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a computer aided design (CAD) of the antenna;
digitizing the CAD of the antenna; and
sewing the design onto the fabric substrate based on the digitized CAD of the antenna to create the antenna on the fabric substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive thread comprises from about 7 to about 664 individual conductive filaments to form a thread, wherein the thread comprises a diameter of about 0.10 (mm) to about 0.5 mm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a melting point of the fabric substrate is lower than a melting point of the conductive thread.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is stretchable and comprises polydimethylsiloxane and a ceramic material.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive thread is made from filaments comprising a core and a conductive lining layer.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the core comprises one of a copper and a polymer, and wherein the conductive lining layer comprises a conductive metal substance.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is one of a multi-band and a broadband antenna.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is configured to have an operating frequency band from about 700 Megahertz to about 5.9 Gigahertz.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises a polyurethane polymer.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive comprises one of a copper tape and a green tape.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises pouring a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mixture onto the antenna while the antenna is adhered to the adhesive.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the pouring comprises forming a layer of the PDMS mixture of about 1 (mm) to about 2 mm around the antenna while the layer is adhered to the adhesive.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising curing the poured PDMS mixture, wherein the removing comprises removing the PDMS coated antenna from the adhesive in response to curing.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer coated antenna is configured to retain an antenna shape while being bent or stretched.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is stretchable and comprises polydimethylsiloxane and rare earth titanate.

Assignees

• Ohio State Innovation Foundation

Inventors

• Kourti Asimina
• Volakis John L
• Lee Robert

Classifications

• B32B5/24

  one layer being a fibrous or filamentary layer · CPC title

• Y10T29/49016

  Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making · CPC title

• H01L51/0012

  Electricity · mapped topic

• C08F255/00

  Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to polymers of hydrocarbons as defined in group C08F10/00 · CPC title

• H04B1/3827

  Portable transceivers · CPC title