KR101683639B1 - Breathable electronics - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a breathable electronic apparatus, and a breathable electronic apparatus (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an electronic apparatus (110); A vent portion (120) including at least one of a vent hole passing through at least a part of the electronic device and a channel drawn into the surface of the electronic device; And a hydrophobic coating layer 130 provided on at least a part of the inner surface of the vent hole or at least a part of the surface of the channel.

Description

{BREATHABLE ELECTRONICS}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus, and more particularly, to an electronic apparatus having breathability.

In the case of a wearable electronic device such as a smart-watch worn by a user on the wrist, comfort and comfort when the wearable electronic device is worn by a user are very important factors. If the heat generated when the electronic device is used and the heat generated by the user's body are combined, sweat or moisture will be generated on the wearable portion of the electronic device, which may cause inconvenience to the user. In addition, if a good ventilation environment is not provided in the wearable electronic device, there is a problem that the electronic device is overheated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a breathable electronic device having a ventilation structure that prevents moisture from being generated in an electronic device and allows generated moisture to be smoothly discharged to the outside of the electronic device.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a breathable electronic apparatus capable of inducing smooth discharge of moisture by forming a surface energy difference in a ventilation hole or channel of an electronic apparatus.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems. Other technical subjects not mentioned will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description below.

The breathable electronic device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: an electronic device; A vent portion including at least one of a vent hole penetrating at least a part of the electronic device and a channel recessed on a surface of the electronic device; And a hydrophobic coating layer provided on at least a part of the inner surface of the vent hole or at least a part of the surface of the channel.

The hydrophobic coating layer may comprise a hydrophobic surface that induces venting of moisture through the vent or the channel.

The ventilation hole may be formed to penetrate from the lower surface of the electronic device toward the upper surface.

The lower surface side end portion and the upper surface side end portion of the vent hole may be provided with a moisture discharge portion having a structure extending toward the outside of the electronic device to induce smooth discharge of moisture.

Wherein the air-permeable electronic device further includes a cavity portion inside the electronic device, the cavity portion being formed through the side surface of the electronic device, and the ventilation hole may be formed to penetrate from the lower surface of the electronic device toward the cavity portion have.

The channel may have a tiled structure.

The hydrophobic coating layer may include a hydrophobic surface formed on an inner surface of one side of the vent hole, and the air-permeable electronic device may further include a hydrophilic surface formed on the other side inner surface of the vent hole.

Wherein the hydrophobic surface is formed at a lower surface side end of the vent hole and the hydrophilic surface is formed at an upper surface side end of the vent hole and the breathable electronic device is configured to apply moisture to the hydrophobic surface in accordance with a difference in surface energy between the hydrophobic surface and the hydrophilic surface. And can be discharged to the outside of the electronic apparatus.

Wherein the breathable electronic device comprises: a first channel structure formed on a lower surface of the electronic device; And a second channel structure formed on an upper surface of the electronic device, wherein the first channel structure is coated with a hydrophobic surface, and the second channel structure is coated with a hydrophilic surface.

The first channel structure and the second channel structure may extend to a corner side of the electronic device so that moisture can escape to the outside through a side surface of the electronic device.

Wherein the ventilation part comprises: a channel formed on a lower surface of the electronic device; And a groove formed in a lower portion of the electronic device, wherein the inner surface of the groove is water-repellent.

The electronic device is made of a flexible material and can be provided as a wearable device that can be worn by a user.

The electronic device may have a porous structure or a network structure.

The electronic apparatus includes a body portion and an electronic element provided inside the body portion. The vent hole has a first vent hole passing through the body portion, a second vent hole penetrating the electronic element and connected to the first vent hole, Holes.

The peripheral portion of the second ventilation hole may be packaged as a waterproof material so as to prevent moisture penetration into the electronic device.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a breathable electronic device having a ventilation structure that prevents moisture from being generated in an electronic device and causes generated moisture to be smoothly discharged to the outside of the electronic device.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a surface energy difference can be formed in the ventilation hole or channel of the electronic device, and moisture can be guided to be smoothly discharged to the outside of the electronic device.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above. Unless stated, the effects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view showing a breathable electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A to 2D are a perspective view of the breathable electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of the breathable electronic device, a cross-sectional view of the breathable electronic device, and an enlarged view of FIG.
3A and 3B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing a breathable electronic apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4A to 4D are a perspective view of the breathable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of the breathable electronic device, a cross-sectional view of the breathable electronic device, and an enlarged view of FIG.
5A to 5C are perspective views of a breathable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention, respectively, and FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views of a breathable electronic device.
6A and 6B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a breathable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7A and 7B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a breathable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8A and 8B are perspective views of the breathable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from above and below, respectively.

Other advantages and features of the present invention and methods for accomplishing the same will be apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Although not defined, all terms (including technical or scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly accepted by the generic art in the prior art to which this invention belongs. A general description of known configurations may be omitted so as not to obscure the gist of the present invention. In the drawings of the present invention, the same reference numerals are used as many as possible for the same or corresponding configurations. To facilitate understanding of the present invention, some configurations in the figures may be shown somewhat exaggerated or reduced.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises", "having", or "having" are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, Steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof, whether or not explicitly described or implied by the accompanying claims.

The present invention relates to a breathable electronic device for preventing the generation of sweat and moisture which may be caused by contact between a user's body skin and a wearable electronic device and for allowing generated sweat and moisture to be smoothly discharged to the outside of the electronic device. ). The present invention provides a breathable electronic apparatus that can effectively discharge sweat and moisture by applying a ventilation structure such as a vent hole and a channel to an electronic apparatus and is suitable for a heat generating environment.

The breathable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention forms a ventilation hole or a channel on the surface of the user's skin to allow moisture to be discharged to the outside of the device through the top surface or the side surface of the electronic device , And a hydrophobic surface is formed in the vent holes or channels to induce the discharge of moisture to the outside of the apparatus.

Such a ventilation structure may consist of nano- or micro-sized vent holes and channels / passageways to prevent moisture and moisture from contacting the device and the user's body. The ventilation holes and the channels / passages may have different hydrophilic or water repellent surface energy characteristics depending on the position, so that the smooth discharge of moisture and moisture can be induced by the difference in surface energy.

In one embodiment, the breathable electronic device has a structure in which a hydrophobic surface is formed on one side of the ventilation hole and a hydrophilic surface is formed on the other side of the ventilation hole to smoothly discharge moisture to the outside of the electronic device according to a difference in surface energy between the hydrophobic surface and the hydrophilic surface can do. Hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and super-hydrophilic and super-hydrophobic properties on the surfaces of the through holes or channels to enable efficient movement of water and heat do.

1 is a view showing a breathable electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the breathable electronic device 100 according to the present embodiment may be provided as a wearable device that can be worn by a user. The breathable electronic device 100 may be, for example, a device such as a smart-watch made of a flexible material.

FIGS. 2A to 2D are a perspective view of a part of the breathable electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of the breathable electronic device 100, A "of FIG.

2A to 2D, the breathable electronic device 100 according to the present embodiment includes an electronic device 110, a vent portion 120, and a hydrophobic coating layer 130. As shown in FIG. The electronic device 110 may be provided as a wearable device such as a smart watch or smart glasses.

The body of the electronic device 110 may be flexible such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane, or the like. ) Material, a gel, or the like.

In one embodiment, the vent 120 may include a plurality of vent holes 121 through the electronic device 110. The ventilation hole 121 may be formed to penetrate vertically from the lower surface 111 of the electronic device 110 toward the upper surface 112.

The ventilation holes 121 may be formed to have a diameter of several hundreds nm to several hundreds of micrometers or more depending on the application environment. The cross-sectional shape of the vent hole 121 may be provided not only in a circular shape, but also in a polygonal shape such as an ellipse or a square, or in various other shapes.

The lower surface 111 of the electronic device 110 may be a surface of the wearer's body, for example, a surface contacting the wrist. The top surface 112 of the electronic device 110 may be a surface that is not in contact with the user's body, for example, a surface opposite the user's wrist.

The end portion on the side of the lower surface 111 of the vent hole 121 and the end portion on the upper surface 112 side are provided with moisture discharge portions 121a and 121b having a structure extending toward the outside of the electronic device 110 to induce smooth discharge of moisture, . ≪ / RTI >

The hydrophobic coating layer 130 may be formed on the inner surface of the vent hole 121, the lower surface 111 and the upper surface 112 of the electronic device 110. The hydrophobic coating layer 130 can induce the discharge of the moisture through the vent hole 121 to the outside of the electronic device 110. [ The coating material used as the hydrophobic coating layer 130 may be selected from a variety of materials such as silane, wax, and various lubricants depending on the target surface energy.

In the present specification, hydrophobic or water repellent means that the contact angle with the droplet is 90 degrees or more, super-hydrophobic or super water repellent means that the contact angle with the droplet is 150 degrees or more, and hydrophilic means that the contact angle with the droplet is less than 90 degrees , And the superhydrophilic property may mean that the contact angle with the droplet is less than 30 °.

As described above, the arrangement structure of the hydrophobic ventilation holes passing through the upper and lower parts of the device is formed so that the air and the water droplets that are in contact with the moisture can be easily discharged to the upper part exposed to the air in the lower part in contact with the body.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective, cross-sectional views, respectively, showing a portion of a breathable electronic device 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the electronic device 110 includes a body 110a and an electronic device 110b provided inside the body 110a. The electronic device 110b may include at least one semiconductor circuit chip.

The vent hole 121 may include a first vent hole 121a penetrating the body portion 110a and a second vent hole 1212 penetrating the electronic element 110b and connected to the first vent hole 1211 have. The electronic element 110b can be packaged with the waterproofing material 110c at the periphery of the second ventilation hole 1212 so as to prevent moisture from penetrating into the electronic element 110b.

3A and 3B, a ventilation hole 121 is formed in accordance with the design of the body 110a and the electronic element 110b, and a semiconductor circuit is suitably formed to prevent moisture contamination of the electronic element 110b It is possible to form the wearable electronic device with a breathable structure without affecting the circuit of the electronic device 110b.

4A to 4D are a perspective view of a part of the breathable electronic device 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of the breathable electronic device 100, a cross-sectional view schematically showing a part of the breathable electronic device 100, 4c in an enlarged scale.

In one embodiment, the hydrophobic coating layer 130 may include a hydrophobic surface 131 formed on one inner surface of the vent hole 121. The breathable electronic device 100 may include a hydrophilic surface 132 formed on the inner surface of the other side of the vent hole 121. The hydrophilic surface 132 may have a relatively high hydrophilicity (relatively low hydrophobicity) than the hydrophobic surface 131.

The hydrophobic surface 131 is formed on the inner surface of the lower surface 111 side of the vent hole 121 and the lower surface 111 of the electronic device 110 and the hydrophilic surface 132 is formed on the upper surface of the vent hole 121 112 and the upper surface 112 of the electronic device 110. [ The breathable electronic device 100 may discharge moisture to the outside of the electronic device 110 in accordance with the difference in surface energy between the hydrophobic surface 131 and the hydrophilic surface 132. [ That is, a surface energy difference is formed along the longitudinal direction of the vent holes 121 to smooth the movement of moisture from the lower part to the upper part of the device.

In the illustrated example, a hydrophobic surface is formed on the lower part of the device, and a hydrophilic surface is formed on the upper part of the device. However, another example is a super-hydrophobic surface formed on the lower part of the device, Or by forming a difference in surface energy (inclination) in such a manner as to form a difference between the surface energy and the surface tension.

In one embodiment, the hydrophobic, super hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and superhydrophilic surfaces may be formed by vapor deposition, thermal vapor deposition, spray coating, or the like on a desired surface of the through hole with a material having various surface energies such as fluorosilane and wax It can be formed by various methods.

The hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity of the surface of each part can vary depending on the change in roughness through the nano- and microstructure of the surface and the surface energy of the material or additional coating material. In an embodiment of the present invention, the surface roughness can be controlled by various surface patterns of several tens of nanometers to several tens of micrometers.

The nano or microstructure of the vent holes or channels can be made by applying various etching and deposition methods such as deep reactive ion etch and focussed ion beam milling, Can be duplicated in a manner such as soft lithography, roll-to-roll imprinting, or the like, so that it can be easily made large.

5A to 5C are a perspective view of the breathable electronic device 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention, a perspective view of the breathable electronic device 100, and a cross-sectional view of the breathable electronic device 100, respectively. 5A to 5C, the ventilating electronic device 100 may further include the vent 122 in addition to the vent 121.

The channel 122 may be formed by being recessed on the surface of the electronic device 110. For effective water repellency, the channel 122 may be formed to have a tiled structure on the top surface 112 and the bottom surface 111 of the electronic device 110. [ The bottom surface of the channel 122 may be made of a hydrophobic surface.

In one embodiment, the width of the channel 122 may be determined between several hundreds of nanometers to several hundreds of micrometers depending on the application environment. In one embodiment, the spacing between the channels 122 may be determined from several micrometers to several millimeters depending on the application environment. In one embodiment, the shape of the channel arrangement may be controlled by a mesh type channel, a diagonal arrangement, a random arrangement, or the like depending on the characteristics and applications of the apparatus to which the apparatus is applied.

In one embodiment, the breathable electronic device 100 includes a first channel structure 122a formed on the lower surface 111 of the electronic device 110 and a second channel structure 122b formed on the upper surface 112 of the electronic device 110. [ Channel structure 122b. In one embodiment, the first channel structure 122a is coated with a super-hydrophobic surface, the second channel structure 122b is coated with a super-hydrophilic surface, and the vent holes 121 are coated with a hydrophobic surface ≪ / RTI >

The first channel structure 122a and the second channel structure 122b extend toward the edge of the electronic device 110 so that water can be directly discharged to the outside through the side surface of the electronic device 110 as well as the ventilation hole 121. [ . According to this embodiment, due to the action of the ventilation hole 121 and the channel 122, cohesion of water in the lower portion and evaporation in the upper portion can be smoothly performed.

6A and 6B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of the breathable electronic device 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6A and 6B, the vent portion 120 may be formed of grooves 123 formed in the bottom portion of the electronic device 110. Referring to FIGS. The inner surface of the groove portion 123 can be water repellent surface-treated.

6A and 6B, the grooves 123 may be formed in the vertex portions of the gratings constituting the channel 122 formed on the lower surface 111 of the electronic device 110. In this case, For smooth discharge of moisture, the bottom of the gratings may be coated with a superhydrophobic surface, and the edges between the gratings may be coated with a hydrophobic surface.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to form a groove in the lower layer portion and apply a channel having a large area without causing deformation on the upper layer portion of the element, so that moisture can be smoothly discharged from the lower layer portion to the outside. In the groove portion 123, a small number of water repellent or water repellent surface treatment may be performed to prevent the coagulated water from penetrating into the inside.

7A and 7B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of the breathable electronic device 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. 7A and 7B, the breathable electronic device 100 may include a cavity 113, which is an empty space provided inside the electronic device 110 for water repellency.

In one embodiment, the cavity 113 is formed to penetrate the side of the electronic device 110. The ventilation hole 121 may be formed to penetrate from the lower surface 111 of the electronic device 110 to the cavity 113 inside the electronic device 110. The moisture introduced into the cavity 113 from the lower surface 111 of the electronic device 110 may be discharged through the side surface of the electronic device 110.

Since this embodiment has a structure in which a breathable body is separately formed on the lower surface of the element, as opposed to a direct water passage to the element in the above-described embodiments, the ventilating body 1104 and the element 1102 are formed, So that the device can be fabricated in such a manner that the device can be manufactured.

8A and 8B are perspective views of the breathable electronic device 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above and below, respectively. 8A and 8B, the electronic device 110 may have a porous structure or a network structure. Since the electronic device 110 of this embodiment has a stretchable property, it is suitable for being applied to a wearable electronic device.

The material applied to the device can be composed of various elastic materials such as gel, polymer and the like, and the elasticity can be maximized through the porous structure and the mesh structure. Further, the super-water-repellent or hydrophobic surface can be selectively formed in the upper and lower layers of the stretchable element to enhance the breathability.

The breathable structure of the breathable electronic device according to the present embodiment can be effectively applied to various fields such as wearable electronics, various electronic devices in which heat generation is a problem, and displays.

It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention, and it is to be understood that various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. It is to be understood that the technical scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the claims and the technical scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the literary description of the claims, To the invention of the invention.

100: Breathable electronic devices
110: Electronic device
110a:
110b: electronic element
110c: Waterproofing material
111: Lower surface
112: upper surface
120:
121: vent hole
121a and 121b:
122: channel
122a: first channel structure
122b: second channel structure

Claims (15)

Electronics;
A vent portion including a vent hole penetrating at least a part of the electronic device; And
A hydrophobic coating layer provided on an inner surface of the vent hole;
A plurality of first channels formed on the lower surface of the electronic device in a tiled arrangement at regular intervals; And
And a plurality of second channels formed on a top surface of the electronic device in a tiled arrangement at regular intervals,
Wherein the hydrophobic coating layer is formed on the inner surface of the lower end side of the vent hole and a surface having a surface energy higher than that of the hydrophobic coating layer is formed on the inner surface of the upper end side of the vent hole, A surface energy difference is formed along the longitudinal direction of the vent hole,
Wherein the top surface of the electronic device is a hydrophilic surface, the bottom surface of the electronic device is a hydrophobic surface, the plurality of first channels is a super-hydrophobic surface, and the plurality of second channels are super-hydrophilic surfaces. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the hydrophobic coating layer comprises a hydrophobic surface for inducing the discharge of moisture through the vent hole. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the ventilation hole is formed to penetrate from the lower surface to the upper surface of the electronic device. The method of claim 3,
And a moisture discharging portion having a structure that expands toward the outside of the electronic device to induce smooth discharge of moisture is provided to the lower surface side end portion and the upper surface side end portion of the vent hole. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a cavity inside the electronic device,
Wherein the cavity portion is formed through a side surface of the electronic device,
Wherein the ventilation hole is formed to penetrate from the lower surface of the electronic device toward the cavity. delete delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The air-
Further comprising a groove formed by being recessed in a lower portion of the electronic device,
And the inner surface of the groove portion is water repellent surface-treated. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the electronic device is made of a flexible material and provided as a wearable device that can be worn by a user. The method according to claim 1,
The electronic device has a porous structure or a net structure. The method according to claim 1,
The electronic device includes a body part and an electronic device provided inside the body part,
Wherein the vent hole has a first vent hole penetrating the body portion, and a second vent hole penetrating the electronic element and connected to the first vent hole. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the peripheral portion of the second ventilation hole is packaged with a waterproof material so that moisture penetration into the electronic device is prevented.

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