Laser conformal manufacturing method of flexible sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11833760-B2
Application number	US-202318109529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2023
Priority date	Sep 22, 2021
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

A laser conformal manufacturing method of a flexible sensor comprises: obtaining morphology data of a curved surface, and constructing a Standard Triangle Language (STL) model of the curved surface; introducing into a 3D modeling software, and combining the curved surface with a clamper holder; manufacturing to obtain the clamper with the curved surface; coating material to be manufactured on a 3D curved surface of the clamper with the curved surface; positioning to a processing platform of a laser device; constructing a model of a pattern to be manufactured by laser based on the STL model of the curved surface, and constructing an STL model or a dwg model of the pattern to be manufactured; introducing into the laser device, turning on the laser device, and running a 3D dynamic focus system; repeating the steps 4-8, and stripping the flexible sensor from the 3D curved surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser conformal manufacturing method of a three dimensional (3D) surface of a flexible sensor, comprising:
step 1: scanning a curved surface to be attached to the flexible sensor with a 3D scanner to obtain morphology data of the curved surface to be attached to the flexible sensor, and constructing a Standard Triangle Language (STL) model of the curved surface to be attached to the flexible sensor;
step 2: introducing the STL model of the curved surface to be attached to the flexible sensor in the step 1 into a 3D modeling software, and combining the curved surface to be attached to the flexible sensor with a clamper holder to establish an STL model of a clamper with the curved surface;
step 3: manufacturing the STL model of the clamper with the curved surface in the step 2 by a rapid molding technology to obtain the clamper with the curved surface;
step 4: coating material to be manufactured on a section to be manufactured of a 3D curved surface of the clamper with the curved surface in the step 3;
step 5: positioning the clamper with the curved surface coated with the material to be manufactured in the step 4 to a processing platform of a laser device;
step 6: constructing a model of a pattern to be manufactured by laser using a 3D modeling software or a computer-aided design (CAD) software based on the STL model of the curved surface to be attached to the flexible sensor in the step 1, and constructing an STL model or a dwg model of the pattern to be manufactured;
step 7: introducing the STL model or the dwg model of the pattern in the step 6 into the laser device, and setting parameters;
step 8: turning on the laser device, running a 3D dynamic focus system on the laser device, and causing the laser device to create a portion of at least one of a flexible substrate layer or a flexible functional material layer according to the STL model or the dwg model of the pattern;
step 9: repeating the steps 4-8 to complete a manufacturing of the flexible substrate layer and the flexible functional material layer of the flexible sensor according to a structural design of the flexible sensor; and
step 10: stripping the flexible sensor from the 3D curved surface after the flexible substrate layer and the flexible functional material layer of the flexible sensor are complete.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the combining the curved surface to the clamper holder to establish the STL model of the clamper with the curved surface in the step 2 comprises placing the 3D curved surface above the clamper holder, enabling the section to be manufactured of the 3D curved surface to face upward, and constructing a connection structure to enable the 3D curved surface and the clamper holder to define an integral structure.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the rapid molding technology in the step 3 is a 3D printing (3DP) technology, a fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology, a stereo lithography appearance (SLA) technology, a selective laser sintering (SLS) technology, a digital light processing (DLP) technology, or an ultraviolet (UV) molding technology.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the material to be manufactured in the step 4 is a nanomaterial or a composite material and functions as the flexible substrate layer and the flexible functional material layer of the flexible sensor, and
a coating method for coating the material to be manufactured is an immersion coating method, a brush coating method, or a spray coating method.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein a number of layers of the flexible functional material layer is more than 1.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein:
the nanomaterial is a carbon-based material, a quantum dot material, transition metal carbide/nitride (MXene), a perovskite material, fullerene, metal-organic framework (MOF), or a metal nanomaterial, and
the composite material comprises polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), silicone rubber, or polycarbonate (PC).

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the clamper with the curved surface in the step 5 has an orientation-labeling point.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the STL model or the dwg model of the pattern to be manufactured in the step 6 is a 3D surface pattern or a 3D stereo pattern, and
a curvature of the pattern to be manufactured is consistent with the 3D curved surface to achieve laser conformal manufacturing of the pattern to be manufactured.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laser device in the step 7 comprises a laser, a 3D dynamic focus vibration mirror, and a beam expander.

10. The method according to claim 9 , comprising wherein:
adjusting a focal length of the 3D dynamic focus vibration mirror according to a distance from an object surface to be manufactured to the 3D dynamic focus vibration mirror, thereby controlling focuses of the 3D dynamic focus vibration mirror to all fall on the object surface to be manufactured to achieve focus positive manufacturing in different paths by changing the focal length of the 3D dynamic focus vibration mirror.

Assignees

• Univ Xiamen

Inventors

• Zhou Wei
• Chen Rui
• Zhu Xinning
• Luo Tao
• Ling Weisong
• Xiao Chiqian

Classifications

• B29C64/386 Primary

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B23K26/046

  Automatically focusing the laser beam · CPC title

• B23K26/359

  by providing a line or line pattern, e.g. a dotted break initiation line · CPC title

• B23K37/0417

  for spherical work · CPC title

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title