This disclosure provides a stretchable conductor structure, a garment with a stretchable conductor structure, and a method for producing a stretchable conductor structure. The conductive structure includes a set of conductive wires and a stretchable laminate. The set of conductive wires, each including a protective surface, the set of conductive wires patterned in a mesh structure to accommodate a manipulation while providing electrical conductivity across the set of conductive wires. The stretchable laminate encapsulates the mesh structure, the stretchable laminate can return the mesh structure of the set of conductive wires to an original state after the manipulation.

An occupant or object sensing system in a vehicle includes electrical circuits for capacitive sensing and corresponding circuits shielding the sensing system from interference. A sensing circuit and a shielding circuit may be printed by screen printing with conductive ink on opposite sides of a non-conductive substrate. The substrate is a plastic film or other fabric that has an elastic memory structure that is resilient to stretching. The conductive inks used to print circuits onto the substrate have a similar resilience to stretching such that the substrate and the circuits thereon can be subject to deforming forces without breaking the printed circuits. The substrate may be covered with a carbon polymer layer to provide alternative conductive paths that enable fast recovery for conduction in the presence of any break in the printed conductive traces on the substrate.

Light reflection from a metal mesh touch sensor is reduced or prevented by encasing the metal lines with a passivation coating and including non-reflective nanoparticles in the patterning photoresist. The photoresist is mixed with catalytic nanoparticles wherein the nanoparticles are formed to minimize light reflection. The nanoparticles may be carbon coated metallic particles, or uncoated palladium nanoparticles. Also, a standoff photoresist layer may be included between the substrate and the photoresist composition to prevent reflection from the edges of the metallic lines.

A conductive component includes a first electrode pattern made of metal thin wires, and includes a plurality of first conductive patterns that extend in a first direction alternating with first non-conductive patterns. Each first conductive pattern includes break parts in portions other than intersection parts of the thin metal wires. The conductive component further includes a second electrode pattern made of thin metal wires, and includes a plurality of second conductive patterns that extend in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and alternating with second non-conductive patterns. Each second conductive pattern includes break parts in portions other than intersection parts of thin metal wires.

A pattern forming method capable of easily removing a discontinuous portion in a pattern while keeping resistance of the pattern low. A pattern forming method including at least a printing step of printing a pattern intermediate containing a conductive material on a base material 1, and a plating step of subjecting the pattern intermediate to an electroplating treatment, in which the pattern intermediate printed in the printing step has a plating target portion that is energized in the plating step and a discontinuous portion that is discontinuously formed from the plating target portion and is not energized in the plating step, and in the plating step, by performing an electric field plating treatment using a plating solution containing at least two or more types of metal salts containing different types of metals and a complexing agent, the discontinuous portion of the pattern intermediate is removed to form a pattern constituted by the plating target portion covered with a plating film.

A conductive component includes a first electrode pattern made of metal thin wires, and includes a plurality of first conductive patterns that extend in a first direction alternating with first non-conductive patterns. Each first conductive pattern includes break parts in portions other than intersection parts of the thin metal wires. The conductive component further includes a second electrode pattern made of thin metal wires, and includes a plurality of second conductive patterns that extend in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and alternating with second non-conductive patterns. Each second conductive pattern includes break parts in portions other than intersection parts of thin metal wires.

An apparatus for fabricating an electrode structure includes a high voltage unit, a plating material part facing the high voltage unit, and a transfer roll to which a negative voltage is applied. The high voltage unit includes a high voltage roll, and an insulating sheath configured to cover a surface of the high voltage roll. The high voltage roll is applied with a voltage of about 1 kV to about 100 kV, the plating material part is applied with a positive voltage, and the high voltage unit and the transfer roll rotate.

A mechanical subtractive method of manufacturing a flexible circuitry layer may include mechanically removing at least a portion of a conductive mesh, wherein, following the mechanical removal, a remaining portion of the conductive mesh forms at least a portion of a circuitry trace comprising an electrode; forming an electrical connection between the electrode and a terminal of an interfacing component, wherein the interfacing component comprises a connector; and encasing at least a portion of the circuit trace with an insulative layer.

A luminous fiber may include a flexible printed circuit board extending in a length direction of the fiber, at least one electrically conductive trace being formed on the flexible printed circuit board, at least one light emitting component being arranged on the flexible printed circuit board and being electrically connected to the trace, and a lateral strengthening structure for strengthening the luminous fiber in lateral direction perpendicular to the length direction. The lateral strengthening structure may include two frame bars, which are formed on the flexible printed circuit board and which extend in the length direction of the fiber. The lateral strengthening structure may include several lateral support elements, which are formed on the flexible printed circuit board between the frame bars and which are coupled to the frame bars.

A printed wiring line formed on a substrate connects two different points on the substrate which are connectable by another printed wiring line with a shape of a straight-line segment and has a shape corresponding to at least one of: 1) a shape with no linear part parallel to the straight-line segment; 2) a shape with line segments connected in series, each line segment having a shape with no linear part parallel to the straight-line segment; 3) a shape having a part parallel to the straight-line segment and a part not parallel to the straight-line segment, length of the part parallel to the straight-line segment being not more than length of the straight-line segment; and 4) a shape in which line segments are connected in series, each line segment having a shape having a part parallel to the straight-line segment and a part not parallel to the straight-line segment.