TWM623603U - Fabric circuit module - Google Patents

Abstract

A fabric circuit module includes a base cloth, a first insulating film, a second insulating film, and a circuit socket. The base cloth has a through hole. The first insulating film and the second insulating film are respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces of the base cloth and cover a portion of the through hole. The circuit socket has a base and a connecting conductor, in which the base is disposed on a surface of the first insulating film facing away from the base cloth, and the connecting conductor penetrates the base cloth through the through hole.

Description

Fabric circuit module

The present disclosure relates to a circuit module, and more particularly, to a fabric circuit module suitable for smart textiles and having good water resistance.

With the development of science and technology, all kinds of functional textiles are constantly coming out. For example, many electronic devices are designed to use cloth as the main body, so as to be combined with the cloth to become electronic textiles, and the development of electronic textiles in the market is promising.

Most of the electronic devices combined with fabrics use passive methods such as water-blocking tape, internal glue, and shell curing. However, these passive methods are often unable to effectively block water, resulting in easy connection between electronic devices and fabrics. The occurrence of short circuit, rust, open circuit, etc. will seriously affect the service life of electronic textiles. Therefore, how to provide an electronic textile with good water resistance is an active research topic for those in the art.

The present disclosure provides a fabric circuit module, which can have good water resistance and is suitable for smart textiles such as temperature control, light-emitting display, touch control, induction detection, and electrical stimulation.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a fabric circuit module includes a base fabric, a first insulating film, a second insulating film, and a circuit socket. The base fabric has through holes. The first insulating film and the second insulating film are respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces of the base fabric, and the first insulating film and the second insulating film cover part of the through holes. The circuit socket has a base and a connecting conductor, wherein the base is disposed on the surface of the first insulating film facing away from the base fabric, and the connecting conductor penetrates through the base fabric through a through hole.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first insulating film and the second insulating film are combined with each other in the through hole to form a water blocking layer, and the water blocking layer separates the base fabric and the connection conductors from each other.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connection conductor penetrates the water blocking layer.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fabric circuit module further includes functional conductors, which are disposed on the surface of the second insulating film facing away from the base fabric, and are electrically connected to the connecting conductors.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the functional conductors include fabric cables, printed cables, and metal wires.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, functional conductors include fabric electrodes, printed electrodes, and metal electrodes.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the functional conductor includes a light-emitting element, an electrothermal element, a touch-sensitive element, a sensing element, an electrical stimulation element, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fabric circuit module further includes a third insulating film, disposed on the surface of the functional conductor facing away from the second insulating film, and covering the through hole and part of the functional conductor.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first insulating film, the second insulating film and the third insulating film are combined with each other in the through hole to form a water blocking layer.

According to other embodiments of the present disclosure, a fabric circuit module includes a base fabric, a first insulating film, a second insulating film, a circuit socket, a functional conductor, and a third insulating film. The base fabric has through holes. The first insulating film and the second insulating film are respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces of the base fabric, and the first insulating film and the second insulating film cover part of the through holes. The circuit socket has a base and a connecting conductor, the base is disposed on the surface of the first insulating film facing away from the base fabric, and the connecting conductor penetrates through the base fabric through a through hole. The functional conductor is disposed on the surface of the second insulating film facing away from the base fabric, and is electrically connected to the connecting conductor, wherein the functional conductor includes a fabric cable, a printed cable, a metal wire, a fabric electrode, a printed electrode, a metal electrode, and a light-emitting element , an electric heating element, a touch element, a sensing element, an electrical stimulation element or a combination thereof. The third insulating film is disposed on the surface of the functional conductor facing away from the second insulating film, and the third insulating film covers the through hole and part of the functional conductor, wherein the first insulating film, the second insulating film and the third insulating film are The through holes are combined with each other to form a water blocking layer, and the connecting conductors penetrate through the water blocking layer.

According to the above embodiments of the present disclosure, since the base fabric of the fabric circuit module has through holes for the circuit sockets to pass through, and the first insulating film and the second insulating film cover part of the through holes and separate the circuit sockets from the base fabric, Therefore, the fabric circuit module can have good water resistance, so as to maintain good electrical function and have a long service life.

Several embodiments of the present disclosure will be disclosed in the following drawings, and for the sake of clarity, many practical details will be described together in the following description. It should be understood, however, that these practical details should not be used to limit the present disclosure. That is to say, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, these practical details are unnecessary, and therefore should not be used to limit the present disclosure. In addition, for the purpose of simplifying the drawings, some well-known structures and elements will be shown in a simple and schematic manner in the drawings. In addition, for the convenience of the reader, the size of each element in the drawings is not drawn according to the actual scale.

The present disclosure provides a fabric circuit module, which is applicable to smart textiles and includes a base fabric, an insulating film and a circuit socket. By arranging through holes in the base fabric, allowing the circuit sockets to penetrate the base fabric through the through holes, and then separating the base fabric and the circuit sockets from each other through an insulating film, the fabric circuit module can be ensured to have good water resistance, so that the fabric The circuit module maintains good electrical function and prolongs the service life of the fabric circuit module.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 at the same time, wherein FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded schematic diagram of the fabric circuit module 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 illustrates a line segment along the fabric circuit module 100 of FIG. 1 Schematic cross-section taken at a-a'. The fabric circuit module 100 includes a base fabric 110 , a first insulating film 120 , a second insulating film 130 and a circuit socket 140 . The base fabric 110 has through holes O. The first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 are respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces (eg, the first surface 111 and the second surface 113 ) of the base fabric 110 and cover part of the through holes O. The circuit socket 140 has a base 142 and a connecting conductor 144 , wherein the base 142 is disposed on the surface 121 of the first insulating film 120 facing away from the base fabric 110 , and the connecting conductor 144 penetrates the base fabric 110 through the through hole O. In some embodiments, when the fabric circuit module 100 is applied to wearable smart textiles (eg, applied to wearable apparel such as vests, jackets, pants, hats, etc.), the fabric circuit module 100 is configured with the first insulating film 120 The side facing away from the wearer's body, and the side of the fabric circuit module 100 with the second insulating film 130 facing the wearer's body, that is, the base 142 of the circuit socket 140 is disposed on the wearable smart The surface of the smart textile can electrically connect the wearable smart textile with the wearer's body.

In some embodiments, the type of the base fabric 110 may include knitted fabric, woven fabric, leather or a combination thereof, and the base fabric 110 may have an appropriate thickness H1 so as to have multiple applications. In some embodiments, the base fabric 110 may have a plurality of through holes O to configure a plurality of circuit sockets 140 . That is, multiple circuit sockets 140 can share the same base fabric 110 to form multiple fabric circuit modules 100 . In addition, the shape and arrangement of the through holes O of the base fabric 110 can be adjusted according to actual needs. For example, the through holes O may have a circular, oval, triangular, rectangular, polygonal or any combination of the above regular or irregular shapes, and the through holes O may have an array, staggered, radial arrangement or other arrangements . In some embodiments, the area ratio occupied by the through holes O on the base fabric 110 can be adjusted to ensure that the base fabric 110 has proper stiffness or flexibility.

The first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 are respectively disposed on the first surface 111 and the second surface 113 of the base fabric 110 and cover part of the through holes O. In other words, the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 respectively have the first through hole O1 and the second through hole O2 , and the area occupied by the first through hole O1 and the second through hole O2 is smaller than that of the through hole O. The occupied area enables the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 to cover part of the through hole O. In some embodiments, the respective materials of the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 may include silicone, rubber, polyvinyl chloride, thermoplastic polyimide, or a combination thereof. The disposition of the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 can effectively prevent moisture from invading into the fabric circuit module 100 , and by disposing the first through holes in the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 respectively O1 and the second through hole O2 can further save the usage of materials, thereby reducing the production cost.

In some embodiments, the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 can be combined with each other in the through hole O to form the water blocking layer B, so that the inner edge S1 of the base fabric 110 is covered by the water blocking layer B and is connected to the water blocking layer B. The circuit sockets 140 are separated from each other to avoid the occurrence of short circuit, corrosion, open circuit, etc., of the circuit socket 140 caused by the fiber capillary phenomenon of the base fabric 110, so as to ensure that the fabric circuit module 100 has good electrical properties, and prolong the fabric circuit module. 100 lifetime. In some embodiments, each of the first through hole O1 and the second through hole O2 may have the same shape as the through hole O, so that the inner edge S2 of the water blocking layer B is conformal to the inner edge S1 of the base fabric 110 , thereby The wrapping property of the water blocking layer B on the base fabric 110 is enhanced. In some embodiments, the water blocking layer B formed by the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 may have an appropriate thickness H2, so as to achieve a good water vapor barrier effect. On the other hand, when the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 are formed by hot pressing, the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 can be integrated with each other. That is, the water blocking layer B formed by the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 does not have a substantially existing interface.

The circuit socket 140 has a base 142 and connecting conductors 144 . The base 142 is disposed on the surface 121 of the first insulating film 120 and is configured to support the connecting conductors 144 and other electronic components (eg, functional conductors, whose specific structures will be described later) that may be connected to the connecting conductors 144 . In some embodiments, the contact area between the base 142 and the first insulating film 120 may account for 5% to 100% of the area of the top surface 143 of the base 142 , so as to improve the configuration of the circuit socket 140 on the fabric circuit module 100 . stability. In some embodiments, the material of the base 142 may include plastic, metal, rubber, glass or a combination thereof, and when the material of the base 142 is rubber, the base 142 and the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 And the base fabrics 110 can be further combined with each other through the stitches, so as to strengthen the overall structural strength of the fabric circuit module 100 . On the other hand, one end of the connecting conductor 144 is embedded and fixed in the base 142 , and the other end is exposed by the base 142 to connect with other electronic components. In some embodiments, the material of the connection conductors 144 may include conductive polymers, metals, conductive carbon, combinations thereof, or other suitable conductive materials. In some embodiments, the number of the connecting conductors 144 may be multiple, and the multiple connecting conductors 144 may be arranged at intervals along the inner edge S2 of the water blocking layer B to improve the symmetry of the overall structure, thereby improving the circuit socket 140 Structural stability of the fabric circuit module 100. In addition, as mentioned above, since the water blocking layer B can completely coat the inner edge S1 of the base cloth 110, the water blocking layer B can space the base cloth 110 and the connecting conductors 144 apart from each other, thereby ensuring that the circuit socket 140 is protected from Affected by the fiber capillarity of the base fabric 110 to maintain a good electrical function. In a preferred embodiment, the connecting conductors 144 may be further spaced apart from the water blocking layer B. That is, the connection conductor 144 does not contact the water blocking layer B. As shown in FIG.

Please refer to FIG. 3A , which shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a fabric circuit module 100 a according to other embodiments, the cross-sectional position of which is the same as the cross-sectional position of the line segment a-a'. At least one difference between the fabric circuit module 100a of FIG. 3A and the fabric circuit module 100 of FIG. 2 is that the first insulating film 120 of the fabric circuit module 100a does not have the first through hole O1 and the second insulating film 130 The aforementioned second through hole O2 is not provided, and the connecting conductor 144 further penetrates the water blocking layer B formed by the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 . From another angle, the water blocking layer B of the fabric circuit module 100a has holes H with positions and numbers corresponding to the positions and numbers of the connecting conductors 144 , and the size of the holes H is designed to just allow the connecting conductors 144 to pass through. That is to say, the water blocking layer B formed by the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 closely surrounds the connecting conductor 144, so that the fabric circuit module 100a can better achieve water resistance compared with the fabric circuit module 100. Air barrier effect.

Please refer to FIG. 3B , which shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the fabric circuit module 100b according to other embodiments, the cross-sectional position of which is the same as the cross-sectional position of the line segment a-a'. At least one difference between the fabric circuit module 100b of FIG. 3B and the fabric circuit module 100 of FIG. 2 is that the fabric circuit module 100b may further include functional conductors 150 . In some embodiments, the functional conductors 150 may be disposed on the surface 131 of the second insulating film 130 facing away from the base fabric 110 and electrically connected to the connecting conductors 144 . In the embodiment of FIG. 3B, the functional conductor 150 may be, for example, a light emitting element (eg, a light emitting diode) configured to convert electrical signals, an electrothermal element, a touch element, an electrical stimulation element, a sensing element, or a combination thereof .

Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 at the same time, wherein FIG. 4 shows an exploded schematic diagram of the fabric circuit module 200 according to other embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIG. 5 shows the line along the fabric circuit module 200 of FIG. 4 Schematic diagram of the cross-section taken in segment b-b'. At least one difference between the fabric circuit module 200 of FIG. 4 and the fabric circuit module 100b of FIG. 3B is that the functional conductors 150 in the fabric circuit module 200 are cables or electrodes configured to transmit electrical signals. In the embodiment in which the functional conductor 150 is a flexible cable, the functional conductor 150 may be, for example, a fabric flexible cable, a printed flexible cable (eg, printed with conductive resin or paint), and a metal wire. In the embodiment in which the functional conductor 150 is an electrode, the functional conductor 150 may be, for example, a fabric electrode, a printed electrode (eg, printed from a conductive resin or paint), and a metal electrode. In the embodiment in which the functional conductor 150 is a cable or an electrode, the functional conductor 150 can be further connected to other electronic components, and can extend on the surface of the base fabric 110 to form an electrical circuit. In addition, the functional conductors 150 can also be combined with the base fabric 110 through stitches, so as to improve the structural stability of the fabric circuit module 200 .

Another difference between the fabric circuit module 200 of FIG. 4 and the fabric circuit module 100b of FIG. 3B is that the fabric circuit module 200 may further include a third insulating film 160 , and the third insulating film 160 may be configured for functional The conductors 150 face away from the surface 151 of the second insulating film 130 and cover the entire through hole O and part of the functional conductors 150 , so as to protect the functional conductors 150 such as cables or electrodes from moisture intrusion. In some embodiments, part of the third insulating film 160 may be disposed in the through hole O of the base fabric 110 to further adhere to the top surface 143 of the base 142 of the circuit socket 140 , so that the inner surface of the functional conductor 150 The edge S3 and the portion of the connecting conductor 144 protruding from the base 142 can be covered by the water blocking layer B and the third insulating film 160 together, so as to improve the water resistance of the fabric circuit module 200 .

Please refer to FIG. 6 , which shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the fabric circuit module 200 a according to other embodiments, the cross-sectional position of which is the same as the cross-sectional position of the line segment bb′. At least one difference between the fabric circuit module 200a of FIG. 6 and the fabric circuit module 200 of FIG. 5 is that the first insulating film 120 of the fabric circuit module 100a does not have the first through hole O1, and the second insulating film 130 does not have the first through hole O1. The second through hole O2, and the first insulating film 120, the second insulating film 130, and the third insulating film 160 may be combined with each other in the through hole O to form the water blocking layer B. In other words, part of the water blocking layer B is formed by combining the first insulating film 120 and the second insulating film 130 , and part of the water blocking layer B is formed by combining the first insulating film 120 and the third insulating film 160 with the second insulating film 160 . The insulating film 130 is formed sandwiching therebetween. The fabric circuit module 200a shown in FIG. 6 may have the same advantages in structure as the aforementioned fabric circuit modules 100a and 200. For details, please refer to the above-mentioned related descriptions, which will not be repeated here.

To sum up, since the fabric circuit module of the present disclosure includes a base fabric with through holes, the first and second insulating films that cover part of the through holes together, and the circuit sockets penetrating through the base fabric through the through holes, the fabric circuit The module can have good water resistance, so as to maintain good electrical function and have a long service life. In addition, the fabric circuit module of the present disclosure may further include various types of functional conductors according to actual requirements, so as to satisfy the multiple applications of the fabric circuit module. In addition, by combining the first and second insulating films and the optional third insulating film with each other, various forms of water-blocking layers can be formed in the fabric circuit module, so as to more effectively block the intrusion of water vapor into the fabric in the circuit module.

Although the present disclosure has been disclosed as above in embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Anyone skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure protects The scope shall be determined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100, 100a, 100b, 200, 200a: Fabric circuit modules

110: base cloth

111: First surface

113: Second Surface

120: first insulating film

121: Surface

130: Second insulating film

131: Surface

140: circuit socket

142: Pedestal

143: top surface

144: Connecting conductors

150: Functional conductor

151: Surface

160: Third insulating film

O: through hole

O1: first through hole

O2: second through hole

H: hole

H1,H2: Thickness

S1~S3: inner edge

B: Water blocking layer

a-a', b-b': line segment

In order to make the above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the accompanying drawings are described as follows: FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of a fabric circuit module according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fabric circuit module of Fig. 1 taken along the line segment a-a'; FIG. 3A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a fabric circuit module according to other embodiments, the cross-sectional position of which is the same as the cross-sectional position of the line segment a-a'; FIG. 3B shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a fabric circuit module according to other embodiments, the cross-sectional position of which is the same as the cross-sectional position of the line segment a-a'; FIG. 4 is an exploded schematic diagram of a fabric circuit module according to other embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fabric circuit module of FIG. 4 taken along the line segment bb'; and FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fabric circuit module according to other embodiments, and its cross-sectional position is the same as the cross-sectional position of the line segment bb'.

100: Fabric circuit module

110: base cloth

111: First surface

113: Second Surface

120: first insulating film

130: Second insulating film

140: circuit socket

142: Pedestal

144: Connecting conductors

O: through hole

O1: first through hole

O2: second through hole

a-a': line segment

Claims (10)

A fabric circuit module, comprising: base cloth, with through holes; a first insulating film and a second insulating film, respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces of the base fabric, wherein the first insulating film and the second insulating film cover a portion of the through hole; and The circuit socket has a base and a connecting conductor, the base is disposed on the surface of the first insulating film facing away from the base fabric, and the connecting conductor penetrates the base fabric through the through hole. The fabric circuit module of claim 1, wherein the first insulating film and the second insulating film are combined with each other in the through hole to form a water blocking layer, and the water blocking layer binds the base The cloth and the connecting conductors are spaced apart from each other. The fabric circuit module of claim 2, wherein the connecting conductor penetrates the water blocking layer. The fabric circuit module according to claim 1, further comprising a functional conductor, which is disposed on the surface of the second insulating film facing away from the base fabric, and is electrically connected to the connecting conductor. The fabric circuit module according to claim 4, wherein the functional conductors include fabric cables, printed cables and metal wires. The fabric circuit module of claim 4, wherein the functional conductors include fabric electrodes, printed electrodes and metal electrodes. The fabric circuit module according to claim 4, wherein the functional conductors comprise light-emitting elements, electric heating elements, touch-controlling elements, sensing elements, electrical stimulation elements or combinations thereof. The fabric circuit module of claim 4, further comprising a third insulating film disposed on a surface of the functional conductor facing away from the second insulating film, and the third insulating film covering the through holes and part of the functional conductor. The fabric circuit module of claim 8, wherein the first insulating film, the second insulating film and the third insulating film are combined with each other in the through hole to form a water blocking layer. A fabric circuit module, comprising: base cloth, with through holes; a first insulating film and a second insulating film, respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces of the base fabric, wherein the first insulating film and the second insulating film cover part of the through hole; a circuit socket, having a base and a connecting conductor, the base is disposed on the surface of the first insulating film facing away from the base cloth, and the connecting conductor penetrates the base cloth through the through hole; A functional conductor is disposed on the surface of the second insulating film facing away from the base fabric, and is electrically connected to the connecting conductor, the functional conductor includes a fabric cable, a printed cable, a metal wire, a fabric electrode, Printed electrodes, metal electrodes, light-emitting elements, electric heating elements, touch elements, sensing elements, electrical stimulation elements, or combinations thereof; and A third insulating film is disposed on the surface of the functional conductor facing away from the second insulating film, the third insulating film covers the through hole and part of the functional conductor, wherein the first insulating film , the second insulating film and the third insulating film are combined with each other in the through hole to form a water blocking layer, and the connecting conductor penetrates the water blocking layer.

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