Conformal electronic device

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a conformal electronic device includes securing an electrically-conductive fiber to a fabric or substrate using an assistant thread.

1 . A method for manufacturing a conformal electronic device, comprising:
 providing an electrically-conductive fiber in proximity to a first surface of a substrate; and   sewing an assistant thread through the first surface, around the electrically conductive-fiber, and back through the first surface to secure the electrically-conductive fiber to the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a silicon-based polymer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the silicon-based polymer is a polysiloxane or a polysilsesquioxane. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the polysiloxane is polydimethylsiloxane. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the substrate further comprises a ceramic material dispersed in the silicon-based polymer. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the ceramic material comprises a titanate. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the titanate is a rare earth titanate. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive fiber comprises one or more electrically-conductive threads; and wherein each of said one or more electrically-conductive threads comprises a core and a conductive shell. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the conductive shell comprises a conductive material selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes and metals. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, and nickel. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the core comprises an aramid fiber or an oxazole. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sewing is performed in a predetermined pattern using a digitized sewing machine. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is pre-stretched prior to sewing. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conformal electronic device further comprises a fabric layer between the substrate and the electrically-conductive fiber. 
     
     
         15 . A method for manufacturing a conformal electronic device, comprising:
 providing an electrically-conductive fiber in proximity to a first surface of a fabric; and   sewing an assistant thread through the first surface, around the electrically conductive-fiber, and back through the first surface to secure the electrically-conductive fiber to the fabric to form an embroidered fabric.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 securing the embroidered fabric to a substrate.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the substrate comprises a silicon-based polymer matrix and a ceramic material dispersed within the silicon-based polymer matrix. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the electrically-conductive fiber comprises one or more electrically-conductive threads; and wherein each of the one or more electrically-conductive threads comprises a core and an electrically-conductive shell. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the electrically-conductive shell comprises a conductive material selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes and metals. 
     
     
         20 . A method for manufacturing a conformal electronic device, comprising:
 providing a predetermined digital pattern to a sewing machine; and   embroidering the pattern onto a first surface of a substrate with an electrically-conductive fiber using an assistant thread from the sewing machine;   wherein the embroidering is performed by
 (a) providing a portion of the electrically-conductive fiber in proximity to a pattern section of the first surface of the substrate; 
 (b) sewing the assistant thread from a second surface of the substrate through the first surface, around the portion of the electrically-conductive fiber, and back through the first surface to secure the portion of the electrically-conductive fiber to the pattern section of the substrate; and 
 (c) repeating elements (a) and (b) for different portions of the electrically-conductive fiber and different pattern sections of the first surface of the substrate until the pattern is complete.