Appendage mountable electronic devices conformable to surfaces

• US 10,357,201 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Rogers, John A., Ying, Ming, Bonifas, Andrew, Lu, Nanshu
• Primary Examiner(s): Aychillhum, Andargie M
• Application Number:
  US15/861,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20180303418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 361749
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 19/015 Protective gloves A41D19/0055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/741 Glove like input devices, e.g. "data gloves"
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/05 Surgical care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0261 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0285 Nanoscale sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/029 Humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/12 Manufacturing methods specially adapted for producing sensors for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/227 Sensors with electrical connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/35 for telesurgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 42/10 Surgical gloves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1125 Grasping motions of hands
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/483 by thermal stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4875 : Hydration status, fluid retention of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6806 : Gloves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 : Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 : Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 : characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0456 : Specially adapted for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0476 : Array electrodes (including any electrode arrangement with more than one electrode for at least one of the polarities)
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95 : at chip-level, i.e. with connecting carried out on a plurality of singulated devices, i.e. on diced chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95001 : involving a temporary auxiliary member not forming part of the bonding apparatus, e.g. removable or sacrificial coating, film or substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5388 : for flat cards, e.g. credit cards cards per se G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 : Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0283 : Stretchable printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/11 : Printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/162 : incorporating printed capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 : characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0133 : Elastomeric or compliant polymer elastomeric conductor H05K2201/0314
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/055 : Folded back on itself
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10098 : Components for radio transmission, e.g. radio frequency identification [RFID] tag, printed or non-printed antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 : Sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0014 : Shaping of the substrate, e.g. by moulding
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/303 : Surface mounted components, e.g. affixing before soldering, aligning means, spacing means H05K3/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/02 : Arrangements of circuit components or wiring on supporting structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49124 : On flat or curved insulated base, e.g., printed circuit, etc.

Abstract

Disclosed are appendage mountable electronic systems and related methods for covering and conforming to an appendage surface. A flexible or stretchable substrate has an inner surface for receiving an appendage, including an appendage having a curved surface, and an opposed outer surface that is accessible to external surfaces. A stretchable or flexible electronic device is supported by the substrate inner and/or outer surface, depending on the application of interest. The electronic device in combination with the substrate provides a net bending stiffness to facilitate conformal contact between the inner surface and a surface of the appendage provided within the enclosure. In an aspect, the system is capable of surface flipping without adversely impacting electronic device functionality, such as electronic devices comprising arrays of sensors, actuators, or both sensors and actuators.

Claims

1. An appendage mountable electronic system, said system comprising:

a flexible or stretchable substrate having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the inner surface defines an enclosure capable of receiving an appendage having a curved surface; and

a flexible or stretchable electronic device comprising one or more sensors, actuators or both supported by the inner surface or the outer surface of said flexible or stretchable substrate;

said sensors, actuators or both comprising one or more inorganic semiconductor components, one or more metallic components, or one or more inorganic semiconductor components and one or more metallic components;

wherein at least a portion of said inorganic semiconductor components, metallic components or both has a thickness less than or equal to 500 microns;

wherein said flexible or stretchable substrate and said electronic device provide a net bending stiffness of the system low enough such that the inner surface of the substrate is capable of establishing conformal contact with a surface of said appendage provided within said enclosure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said appendage is a hand, a finger, a finger-tip, a skull, a nose, an ear, a tooth, a foot, a toe, a leg, an arm, a torso, or any portion thereof.

3. The system of claim 1 comprising an instrumented glove for covering a hand or an instrumented finger-tube for covering a finger or finger-tip.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the instrumented glove is a medical glove for surgery.

5. The system of claim 1 comprising a human machine interface system.

6. The system of claim 1 comprising a device for robotic manipulation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said flexible or stretchable substrate and said electronic device provide said net bending stiffness of the system less than or equal to 1×

10⁸ GPa μ

m⁴.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said net bending stiffness of the device is low enough such that said one or more sensors, actuators or both supported by the inner surface of the substrate are capable of establishing conformal contact with said surface of said appendage provided within said enclosure.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said flexible or stretchable substrate and said electronic device provide a net flexural rigidity of the system less than or equal to 1×

10<sup>−

4</sup> Nm.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a flexible substrate and the electronic device is a flexible electronic device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a stretchable substrate and the electronic device is a stretchable electronic device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is characterized by a neutral mechanical plane and wherein at least a portion of the one or more inorganic semiconductor components, or the one or more metallic components or both are positioned proximate to the neutral mechanical plane.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said electronic device comprises comprising 2 to 1000 of said one or more sensors, actuators or both.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said electronic device comprises at least 3 different types of said one or more sensors, actuators or both.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more sensors, actuators or both are provided in an open mesh geometry.

16. The system claim 1, wherein said one or more sensors, actuators or both have a footprint surface area selected from the range of 0.5 cm² to 100 cm².

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said electronic device comprises one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of an electrode, a tactile sensor, a strain gauge, a capacitance sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a motion sensor, a position sensor, a displacement sensor, an acceleration sensor, a force sensor, a chemical sensor, a pH sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, a photodetector, an imaging system and any arrays and combinations thereof.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said electronic device comprises one or more actuators selected from the group consisting of an electrotactile stimulator, an electrode, a heat source, a piezoelectric element, an acoustic element, a source of RF energy, a magnetic actuator, a source of electromagnetic radiation, a laser, a light emitting diode and arrays and any arrays and combinations thereof.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said sensors, actuators or both are supported by said inner surface of said flexible or stretchable substrate and at least a portion of said sensors, actuators or both are supported by said outer surface of said flexible or stretchable substrate.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said flexible or stretchable electronic device comprises a plurality of said electro-tactile stimulators provided in an array and supported by said inner surface of said substrate for electrically stimulating said appendage in the enclosure.