Roll-to-roll printing process for manufacturing a wireless nanosensor

• US 10,231,623 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2017
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nanowear Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nanowear Inc.
• Inventors: Varadan, Vijay K., Rai, Pratyush, Oh, Se Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Donghai D
• Application Number:
  US15/425,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20170225447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 29830-832, 29846
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0204 Acoustic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0285 Nanoscale sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/12 Manufacturing methods specially adapted for producing sensors for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/30 Input circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/398 Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6802 Sensor mounted on worn items
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/725 using specific filters therefor, e.g. Kalman or adaptive filters A61B5/316 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/00 Printing apparatus or machines of special types or for particular purposes, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/38 for printing on knitted fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/038 Textiles used as reinforcing materials for organic insulating substrates H05K1/0366
• 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 2201/10151 : Sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10166 : Transistor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1545 : Continuous processing, i.e. involving rolls moving a band-like or solid carrier along a continuous production path
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/488 : the channel region comprising a layer of composite material having interpenetrating or embedded materials, e.g. a mixture of donor and acceptor moieties, that form a bulk heterojunction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 : Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

A roll-to-roll printing process for large scale manufacturing of nanosensor systems for sensing pathophysiological signals is disclosed. The roll-to-roll manufacturing process may include three processes to improve the throughput and to reduce the cost in manufacturing: fabrication of textile based nanosensors, printing conductive tracks, and integration of electronics. The wireless nanosensor systems can be used in different monitoring applications. The fabric sheet printed and integrated with the customized components can be used in a variety of different applications. The electronics in the nanosensor systems connect to remote severs through adhoc networks or cloud networks with standard communication protocols or non-standard customized protocols for remote health monitoring.

Claims

1. A roll-to-roll printing process for manufacturing a wireless nanosensor monitoring system, comprising:

continuously unwinding a fabric from a fabric roll;

printing an insulating base layer onto the fabric;

printing a conductive track layer on top of the insulating base layer;

printing an insulating cover layer on top of the conductive track layer;

printing at least one sensor onto the fabric roll or onto another fabric;

connecting the at least one sensor to the conductive track layer;

mounting and bonding electronics onto a surface of the fabric roll;

connecting the electronics to the conductive track layer to form the wireless monitoring system to form a printed fabric; and

continuously winding the printed fabric into a printed fabric roll during all the printing steps, the connecting steps, and mounting step.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor detecting pathophysiological signals from a wearer of the wireless nanosensor monitoring system.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor is printed onto the fabric in an array.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the steps of printing at least one sensor onto the fabric and connecting the at least one sensor to the conductive track layer include:

printing an adhesive onto the fabric at a location along the conductive track layer and depositing vertically aligned nanostructures on the adhesive to provide a sensor connected to the conductive track layer.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the vertically aligned nanostructures include one dimensional and three dimensional structures.

6. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the electronics receive a signal from the at least one sensor.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the signal is transmitted wirelessly to a receiver or a cloud network for remote monitoring.

8. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the electronics process and store the signal.

9. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the electronics are connected via a cable to computing equipment,

the computing equipment being configured and arranged to monitor or analyze the signal,

the signal being transmitted through the electronics via the cable to computing equipment.

10. The method as recited in claim 4,

wherein the vertically standing nanofibers are comprised of polymer nanofibers embedded in a matrix polymer;

wherein the step of depositing the vertically standing nanofibers includes performing an electrostatic and/or pneumatic assisted deposition process using a high strength electrostatic field of 2 kV/cm-10 kV/cm to electrostatically charge the nanofibers and deposit the electrostatically charged nanofibers as vertically standing nanofibers;

wherein the method further includes curing the conductive fabric containing the vertically standing nanofibers, and electroless plating the vertically standing nanofibers, the electroless plating including dissolving a matrix polymer on the nanofiber surface to expose embedded nanostructures on filaments, coating the nanofiber surface with a conductive material, and drying the conductive material to form a conductive film on the nanofibers, and annealing the conductive film coated nanofibers.

11. The method as recited in claim 4,

wherein the vertically standing nanofibers are comprised of polymer nanofibers embedded in a matrix polymer, and wherein the vertically standing nanofibers are coated with a conductive material;

wherein the step of depositing the vertically standing nanofibers includes performing an electrostatic and/or pneumatic assisted deposition process using a high strength electrostatic field of 2 kV/cm-10 kV/cm to electrostatically charge the nanofibers and deposit the electrostatically charged nanofibers as vertically standing nanofibers.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the electronics includes a break out circuit.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the break out circuit being connected to the conductive tracks by using a cold solder.

14. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the break out circuit is a magnetic connector.

15. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the insulating base layer includes an insulating polymer material.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the insulating polymer material is selected from the group consisting of poly vinyl, poly acrylate or polyurethane polymer.

17. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the conductive track layer includes nanoparticles.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein the nanoparticles includes carbon nanotube-polymer dispersed in a binder polymer selected from the group consisting of poly vinyl, poly-acrylate or polyurethane base binders.

19. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein the nanoparticles includes silver nanoparticles.

20. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the insulating cover layer includes electrically insulating polymer.

21. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the electronics being printed using at least one organic semiconductor.

22. The method as recited in claim 21 wherein the at least one organic semiconductor being selected from the group consisting of pentacene, pentacene-carbon nanotube composite, and poly-3hexylthiophene.

23. The method as recited in claim 21 wherein the at least one organic semiconductor is configured as a thin film transistor.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein

the step of providing the fabric from the fabric roll includes unrolling a web of fabric from the fabric roll;

the step of printing the insulating base layer onto the fabric includes printing the insulating base layer onto the web with a first gravure printing head and thereafter drying the web having the insulated base layer with a first dryer located downstream of the first gravure printing head;

the step of printing the conductive track layer on top of the insulating base layer includes printing the conductive layer onto the web with a second gravure printing head located downstream of the first dryer and thereafter drying the web having the insulated base layer and the conductive layer with a second dryer located downstream of the second gravure printing head;

the step of printing the insulating cover layer on top of the conductive track layer includes printing the insulating cover layer onto the web with a third gravure printing head located downstream of the second dryer and thereafter drying the web having the insulated base layer, the conductive layer, and the insulating cover layer with a third dryer located downstream of the third gravure printing head; and

the step of printing at least one sensor onto the fabric or onto another fabric includes printing an adhesive onto the web at a location along the conductive track layer and depositing vertically aligned nanostructures on the adhesive to provide a sensor connected to the conductive track layer.