Fabric mounting component

Abstract

The invention relates to a fabric mounting component. The fabric may include one or more conductive strands. The insertion tool may insert the electronic component into the fabric during fabric forming. The electronic component may include an electronic device mounted to a substrate and encapsulated by a guard structure. Interconnect structures, such as metal vias or printed circuit layers, may pass through openings in the guard structures, and may be used to couple conductive strands to contact pads on the substrate. The protective structure may be transparent or may include an opening enabling light to be detected by or emitted from an optical device on the substrate. The guard structure may be formed using a molding tool that provides a recess for the guard structure or may be molded around the hollow conductive structure to form a recess. Electronic components mounted to the fabric may be embedded within the printed circuit layer.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application based on the Chinese invention patent application with application date of April 26, 2021, application number 2021104545093, and invention name “Fabric Mounting Components”. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to articles having fabric, and more particularly to articles having fabric and electronic components. Background Art

[0003] It may be desirable to form bags, furniture, clothing, and other items from materials such as fabrics. Fabric items typically do not include electronic components. However, it may be desirable to incorporate electronic components into fabrics to provide enhanced functionality to users of fabric items.

[0004] Incorporating electronic components into fabrics can be challenging. Fabrics are flexible, so it can be difficult to mount structures to the fabric. Electronic components must be coupled to signal paths (e.g., signal paths that carry data signals, power, etc.), but if care is not taken, signal paths can be damaged or components can fall out when the fabric is bent or stretched.

[0005] It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved techniques for incorporating electronic components into articles having fabrics. Summary of the invention

[0006] Interweaving equipment (eg, weaving equipment, knitting equipment, braiding equipment, etc.) may be provided with individually adjustable components. The use of individually adjustable components may allow electronic components to be inserted and / or embedded in a fabric during fabric production or formation.

[0007] The interlacing equipment can generate a gap between the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion during the interlacing operation. The gap can be a space between the fabric portions, or the gap can be a position or location between the fabric portions. The insertion tool can insert the electronic component into the gap, and the electronic component can be electrically coupled to the conductive strands in the gap. If necessary, the interlacing operation can be uninterrupted during the insertion process. After the electronic component is inserted and attached, the interlacing operation can continue and the electronic component can be enclosed in the fabric. In some arrangements, after the electronic component is enclosed in the fabric, the gap between the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion can be maintained in place. In other arrangements, after the electronic component is enclosed in the gap, the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion can be pulled together so that the gap is eliminated. The fabric can have a raised portion where the electronic component is located, or the fabric can not have a raised portion where the electronic component is located (for example, if necessary, the fabric can have a substantially uniform thickness across the position with the electronic component and the position without the electronic component).

[0008] In an illustrative example, the interweaving equipment may include weaving equipment. The weaving equipment may include warp strand positioning equipment for positioning warp strands and weft strand positioning equipment for inserting weft strands between the warp strands to form a fabric. The fabric may include insulating strands and conductive strands. The conductive strands may be coupled to electronic components.

[0009] The electronic components mounted to the fabric may include electronic devices mounted to the substrate and encapsulated by the protective structure. Interconnect structures such as metal vias or printed circuit layers may pass through openings in the protective structure and may be used to couple conductive strands to contact pads on the substrate. The protective structure may be transparent or may include openings that allow light to be detected by or emitted from an optical device on the substrate. The protective structure may be formed using a molding tool that provides a groove for the protective mechanism or may be molded around a hollow conductive structure to form a groove. The electronic components mounted to the fabric may be embedded within the printed circuit layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary fabric article according to an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 is a side view of an exemplary fabric according to an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 3 is a side view of a layer of material that may be incorporated into a fabric article according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing how an interweaving apparatus may be used to create a fabric while an insertion tool is used to insert one or more electronic components into the fabric according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component having an electronic device mounted on an interconnect substrate according to an embodiment.

[0016] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component with a protection structure according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component having a recess for receiving a strand according to an embodiment.

[0018] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component coupled to a conductive strand using an interconnect structure passing through a guard structure in accordance with an embodiment.

[0019] Fig.10 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative interconnect structure such as a metal via according to an embodiment.

[0020] Fig.11 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative interconnect structure formed from one or more printed circuit layers according to an embodiment.

[0021] Fig.12 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component coupled to a conductive strand using an interconnect structure having a recessed surface in accordance with an embodiment.

[0022] Fig.13 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component coupled to conductive strands using an interconnect structure and stacked with additional electronic components in accordance with an embodiment.

[0023] Fig.14 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component coupled to conductive strands using an interconnect structure and stacked with an optical component in accordance with an embodiment.

[0024] Fig.15 , Fig.16 and Fig.17 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component according to an embodiment in which a guard structure is molded to include grooves for receiving conductive strands.

[0025] Fig.18 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component having contact pads with strand retention features according to an embodiment.

[0026] Fig.19 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component coupled to conductive strands by a conductive material such as conductive epoxy in accordance with an embodiment.

[0027] Fig. 20 , Fig.21 and Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component according to an embodiment wherein a guard structure is molded around a hollow structure forming a top-facing recess for receiving a conductive strand.

[0028] Fig.23 , Fig.24 and Fig.25 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component according to an embodiment wherein a guard structure is molded around a hollow structure forming a side-facing recess for receiving a conductive strand.

[0029] Fig.26 , Fig. 27 , Fig.28 and Fig.29is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component according to an embodiment in which an electronic device is embedded within a printed circuit layer and coupled to conductive strands. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Electronic devices, housings, and other items may be formed from fabrics such as woven fabrics. Woven fabrics may include strands of insulating and conductive materials. The conductive strands may form signal paths through the fabric and may be coupled to electronic components such as light emitting diodes and other light emitting devices, integrated circuits, sensors, tactile output devices, and other circuits.

[0031] Interweaving equipment (sometimes referred to as entanglement equipment) may include weaving equipment, knitting equipment, braiding equipment, or any other suitable equipment for interlacing, looping, overlapping or otherwise coupling material strands together to form a strand network (e.g., fabric). Interweaving equipment may be provided with individually adjustable components, such as warp strand positioning equipment (e.g., healds or other warp strand positioning equipment), weft strand positioning equipment, reeds, pulling equipment, warp feeding equipment (e.g., equipment for individually distributing and tensioning warp strands), needle beds, feeders, guide rods, strand handling and component insertion equipment, and other components for forming fabric items. The individual adjustability of these components allows interweaving operations (e.g., weaving operations, knitting operations, braiding operations, and / or other interweaving operations) to be performed without the need for continuous lock-step synchronization of each of these devices, thereby allowing weaving of fabrics with desired properties. As one example, normal reed movement and other weaving operations may be periodically paused and / or may be periodically desynchronized from other components to accommodate a component insertion operation, whereby electronic components (sometimes referred to as nodes or smart nodes) are inserted into the fabric during fabric creation or formation.

[0032] Items (such as Figure 1Item 10 may include fabric and may sometimes be referred to as a fabric item or fabric-based item. Item 10 may be an electronic device or an accessory for an electronic device, such as a laptop computer; a computer monitor containing an embedded computer; a tablet computer; a cellular phone; a media player; or other handheld or portable electronic device; a smaller device, such as a wristwatch device, a pendant device, an earphone or headset device, a device embedded in glasses, or other equipment worn on a user's head; or other wearable or miniature device; a television; a computer display that does not contain an embedded computer; a gaming device; a navigation device; an embedded system, such as a system in which fabric item 10 is installed in a kiosk, a car, an airplane, or other vehicle (e.g., an autonomous or non-autonomous vehicle); other electronic equipment, or a device that implements the functionality of two or more of these devices. If desired, article 10 may be a removable housing for electronic equipment, may be a strap, may be a wristband or headband, may be a removable cover for a device, may be a case or bag having a strap or other structure for receiving and carrying electronic equipment and other items, may be a necklace or armband, may be a wallet, sleeve, pocket, or other structure into which electronic equipment or other items may be inserted, may be part of a chair, sofa, or other seat (e.g., a cushion or other seat structure), may be part of a garment or other wearable item (e.g., a hat, belt, wristband, headband, etc.), or may be any other suitable item incorporating fabric.

[0033] Article 10 may include interwoven strands of material such as monofilaments and yarns that form fabric 12. As used herein, "interwoven" strands of material and "entangled" strands of material may each refer to strands of material that are interwoven, looped, overlapped, or otherwise coupled together (e.g., as part of a network of strands that make up a fabric). Fabric 12 may form all or part of a housing wall or other layer in an electronic device, may form an internal structure in an electronic device, or may form other fabric-based structures. Article 10 may be soft (e.g., article 10 may have a fabric surface that creates a light touch), may have a rigid feel (e.g., a surface of article 10 may be formed of a rigid fabric), may be rough, may be smooth, may have ribs or other patterned textures, and / or may be formed as part of a device having a portion formed of a non-fabric structure of plastic, metal, glass, crystalline material, ceramic, or other material.

[0034] The material strands used to form fabric 12 may be monofilament strands (sometimes referred to as fibers), or may be lines, yarns, or other strands formed by interweaving a plurality of material filaments together. The strands may be formed of polymers, metals, glass, graphite, ceramics, natural materials (such as cotton or bamboo), or other organic and / or inorganic materials, and combinations of these materials. Conductive coatings such as metal coatings may be formed on non-conductive strands (e.g., plastic cores) to make them conductive. Reflective coatings such as metal coatings may be applied to the strands to make them reflective. The strands may also be formed of monofilament metal wires (e.g., bare metal wires), multifilament wires, or combinations of different materials. The strands may be insulating or conductive.

[0035] The strands in the fabric 12 may be conductive along their entire length, or may have conductive portions. The strands may have metal portions that are selectively exposed (e.g., to form connections with other conductive strand portions and / or to form connections with electronic components) by locally removing insulation. The strands may also be formed by selectively adding a conductive layer to a portion of a non-conductive strand. Threads and other multifilament yarns that have been formed from interlaced filaments may contain a mixture of conductive strands and insulating strands (e.g., metal strands or metal-coated strands with or without an outer insulating layer may be used in combination with insulated solid plastic strands or natural strands). In some arrangements (which may sometimes be described herein as an example), the fabric 12 may be a woven fabric, and the strands that make up the fabric 12 may include warp strands and weft strands.

[0036] The conductive strands and the insulated strands may be woven, knitted, or otherwise interwoven to form conductive paths. The conductive paths may be used to form signal paths (e.g., signal buses, power lines for delivering power, etc.), may be used to form a portion of a capacitive touch sensor electrode, a resistive touch sensor electrode, or other input-output device, or may be used to form other patterned conductive structures. The conductive structures in the fabric 12 may be used to deliver electrical current (such as power), digital signals, analog signals, sensor signals, control signals, data, input signals, output signals, or other suitable electrical signals.

[0037] The article 10 may include additional mechanical structures 14, such as polymeric binders for holding strands in the fabric 12 together, support structures (such as frame members), housing structures (eg, electronic device housings), and other mechanical structures.

[0038] To enhance the mechanical robustness and conductivity of the strand-strand connection and / or strand-component connection, additional structures and materials (e.g., solder, crimped metal connections, welds, conductive adhesives (such as anisotropic conductive films and other conductive adhesives), non-conductive adhesives, fasteners, etc.) may be used in the fabric 12. The strand-strand connection may be formed at a location where the strands intersect each other perpendicularly, or may be formed at other strand intersections where a connection is desired. Insulating materials may be inserted between intersecting conductive yarns at locations where strand-strand connections are not desired. The insulating material may be plastic or other dielectrics, and may include insulated strands or conductive strands with insulating coatings or insulated conductive monofilaments, etc. Solder connections may be formed between conductive strands and / or between conductive strands and electronic components by melting the solder so that the solder flows onto the conductive strands. The solder may be heated using an induction soldering head, heated using hot air, heated using a reflow oven, heated using a laser or hot press welder, or melted using other soldering equipment. In some arrangements, the outer dielectric coating (e.g., outer polymer layer) can be melted away in the presence of molten solder, thereby allowing the metal yarns below to be welded together. In other arrangements, the outer dielectric coating can be removed before welding (e.g., using laser ablation equipment or other coating removal equipment).

[0039] Circuit 16 may be included in article 10. Circuit 16 may include electronic components coupled to fabric 12, electronic components housed within a housing formed by fabric 12, electronic components attached to fabric 12 using welding, solder joints, bonding (e.g., conductive adhesive bonding such as anisotropic conductive adhesive bonding or other conductive adhesive bonding), crimp connections, or other electronic bonding and / or mechanical bonding. Circuit 16 may include metal structures for carrying electrical current, electronic components (such as integrated circuits), light emitting diodes, sensors, and other electronic devices. Control circuits in circuit 16 may be used to control the operation of article 10 and / or support communications with article 18 and / or other devices.

[0040] Item 10 may interact with electronic equipment or other additional items 18. Item 18 may be attached to item 10, or item 10 and item 18 may be separate items configured to operate with each other (e.g., when one item is a housing and the other item is a device placed within the housing, etc.). Circuitry 16 may include antennas and other structures for supporting wireless communication with item 18. Item 18 may also interact with item 10 using a wired communication link or other connection that allows information to be exchanged.

[0041] In some cases, article 18 may be an electronic device, such as a cellular phone, computer, or other portable electronic device, and article 10 may form a cover, case, bag, or other structure that receives the electronic device in a pocket, interior cavity, or other portion of article 10. In other cases, article 18 may be a wristwatch device or other electronic device, and article 10 may be a strap or other fabric item attached to article 18 (e.g., article 10 and article 18 may together form a fabric-based item, such as a wristwatch with a strap). In other cases, article 10 may be an electronic device, fabric 12 may be used to form the electronic device, and additional article 18 may include accessories or other devices that interact with article 10. Signal paths formed by conductive yarns and monofilaments may be used to route signals in article 10 and / or article 18.

[0042] The fabric constituting article 10 can be formed by yarn and / or monofilament interwoven using any suitable interweaving equipment. Using a suitable arrangement that can be described as an example in this article sometimes, fabric 12 can be a woven fabric formed using a loom. In the exemplary configuration of this type, fabric can have a plain weave, a basket weave, a satin weave, a twist weave or a variation of these weaves, can be a three-dimensional woven fabric, or can be other suitable fabrics. However, this is only exemplary. If desired, fabric 12 can include knitted fabric, warp knitted fabric, weft knitted fabric, braided fabric, other suitable types of fabrics, and / or any two or more combinations of these types of fabrics.

[0043] Figure 2 A cross-sectional side view of an exemplary woven fabric 12 is shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, fabric 12 may include strands 80. Strands 80 may include warp strands 20 and weft strands 22. If desired, additional strands that are neither warp strands nor weft strands may be incorporated into fabric 12. Figure 2 The examples are for illustration only. Figure 2 In the exemplary configuration of , fabric 12 has a single layer of woven strands 80. If desired, a multi-layer fabric construction may be used for fabric 12.

[0044] Article 10 may include non-woven materials (e.g., structures formed from plastics, metals, glass, ceramics, crystalline materials such as sapphire, etc.). These materials may be formed using molding operations, extrusion, machining, laser processing, and other manufacturing techniques. In some configurations, a portion or all of article 10 may include one or more layers of material such as Figure 3 Layer 24. Layer 24 may include layers of polymers, metals, glass, fabrics, adhesives, crystalline materials, ceramics; substrates on which components have been mounted; patterned layers of material; layers of material containing patterned metal traces, thin film devices (such as transistors); and / or other layers.

[0045] Figure 4 A diagram is shown in FIG. 1 , which shows how electronic components can be inserted into the fabric 12 during its formation. Figure 4 As shown, fabric 12 may be formed from fabric portions, such as fabric portions 12-1 and 12-2. Fabric portions 12-1 and 12-2 may be formed from interwoven strands 80. For example, a first set of strands 80 may be used to form fabric portion 12-1, and a second set of strands 80 may be used to form fabric portion 12-2. Fabric portions 12-1 and 12-2 may be different portions of a single layer of fabric 12, or fabric portion 12-1 may form one or more first layers of fabric 12, and fabric portion 12-2 may form one or more second layers of fabric 12.

[0046] Using interweaving equipment 120, strands 80 may be interwoven to form fabric 12. Interweaving equipment 120 may be a weaving equipment, a knitting equipment, a braiding equipment, or other suitable interweaving equipment. Interweaving equipment 120 may be used to create one or more areas, such as pockets 66 (sometimes referred to as gaps, spaces, cavities, voids, locations, positions, etc.) in fabric 12 for receiving electronic components. Areas in fabric 12 that receive electronic components, such as pockets 66, may be formed by creating spaces or gaps between portions of fabric 12, such as fabric portion 12-1 and fabric portion 12-2. The term "pocket" may be used to refer to a space between fabric portions, and / or may be used to refer to a location or position between fabric portions (e.g., a location between strands of material in fabric 12, with or without an actual gap).

[0047] The electronic components may be inserted into pockets 66 using component insertion equipment (such as insertion tool 54) during the formation of fabric 12. Insertion tool 54 may hold component 26 and may position component 26 in pocket 66 during the interweaving operation (e.g., by moving component 26 toward pocket 66 in direction 140). If desired, component 26 may be electrically and / or mechanically connected to one or more conductive strands 80C in pocket 66. After component 26 is inserted and attached, interweaving equipment 120 may continue the interweaving operation (which may include closing pocket 66, if desired) to continue forming fabric 12.

[0048] In some arrangements, processing steps may be performed after component 26 is inserted into pocket 66, such as aligning component 26 with conductive strand 80C, electrically connecting (e.g., soldering) component 26 to conductive strand 80C, packaging the electrical connection between component 26 and conductive strand 80C, and / or verifying the integrity of the electrical connection between component 26 and conductive strand 80C.

[0049] In some arrangements, the gap between the first fabric portion 12-1 and the second fabric portion 12-2 may remain in place after the electronic components 26 are enclosed in the fabric 12 (e.g., a space may exist between the fabric portions 12-1 and 12-2 after the fabric 12 is formed). In other arrangements, after the electronic components 26 are enclosed in the gap, the first fabric portion 12-1 and the second fabric portion 12-2 may be pulled together so that the gap 66 is eliminated (e.g., after the fabric 12 is formed, the fabric portions 12-1 and 12-2 may contact each other without an intervening gap). The fabric 12 may have raised portions where the electronic components 26 are located, or the fabric 12 may not have raised portions where the electronic components 26 are located (e.g., if desired, the fabric may have a substantially uniform thickness across locations where the electronic components 26 are located and locations where the electronic components 26 are not located).

[0050] Figure 5 A side view of an illustrative electronic component of the type that may be used in article 10 is shown in FIG. Figure 5 Exemplary electronic components 26) may include discrete electronic components (such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors), connectors, batteries, and input-output devices (such as switches, buttons, light-emitting components (such as light-emitting diodes), audio components (such as microphones and speakers), vibrators (such as vibrating piezoelectric actuators), solenoids, electromechanical actuators, motors, and other electromechanical devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEM) devices, pressure sensors, light detectors, proximity sensors (light-based proximity sensors, capacitive proximity sensors, etc.), force sensors (such as piezoelectric force sensors), strain gauges, humidity sensors, temperature sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses, magnetic sensors (such as Hall effect sensors and magnetoresistive sensors such as giant magnetoresistive sensors), touch sensors, and other sensors, components forming a display, touch sensor arrays (such as an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes that form a touch sensor that detects touch events in two dimensions), and other input-output devices, energy storage devices, electronic components forming control circuits (such as non-volatile and volatile memory), microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits, system-on-chip devices, baseband processors, wired and wireless communication circuits, and other integrated circuits).

[0051] An electronic component such as component 26 may be a semiconductor die (e.g., a laser die, a light emitting diode die, an integrated circuit, etc.) or a packaged component (e.g., a semiconductor die or other device packaged in a plastic package, a ceramic package, or other packaging structure). One or more electronic terminals such as contact pads 30 may be formed on a body 28 of component 26. Body 28 (sometimes referred to as device 28, electronic device 28, etc.) may be a semiconductor die (e.g., a laser die, a light emitting diode die, an integrated circuit, etc.), or may be a package for a component (e.g., a plastic package or other dielectric package containing one or more semiconductor dies or other electronic devices). Contacts such as pads 30 for body 28 may be protruding leads, may be flat contacts, may be formed in an array, may be formed on any suitable surface of body 28, or may be any other suitable contact that may be used to form an electrical connection with component 26. For example, pads 30 may be metal solder pads.

[0052] like Figure 6 As shown in the example of , the body 28 can be mounted on a support structure such as a substrate 36. Interposer 36 (sometimes referred to as an interconnect substrate, a printed circuit substrate, etc.) can be a printed circuit, a ceramic carrier, or other substrate. The layers forming interconnect substrate 36 may include one or more flexible printed circuit layers (such as polyimide layers), one or more rigid printed circuit board material layers (such as glass fiber filled epoxy resin (e.g., FR4)) and / or other material layers (e.g., other dielectric materials such as silicone, other elastomeric materials, other flexible polymers, etc.). Interconnect substrate 36 may be larger than body 28 or may have other suitable dimensions. Interconnect substrate 36 may have a planar shape with a thickness of 700 microns, greater than 500 microns, or less than 500 microns, or other suitable thicknesses. The thickness of body 28 may be 500 microns, greater than 300 microns, less than 1000 microns, or other suitable thicknesses. The footprint (area viewed from above) of body 28 and substrate 36 may be 10 microns x 10 microns, 100 microns x 100 microns, 1 mm x 1 mm or more, or 10 mm x 10 mm or less, and may be rectangular, square, or L-shaped, or may have other suitable shapes and sizes.

[0053] The interconnect substrate 36 may include signal paths such as metal traces 38. The metal traces 38 (sometimes referred to as interconnects, signal paths, etc.) may have portions that form contacts such as pads 34, 40. The pads 34, 40 may be formed on an upper surface of the interconnect substrate 36, on a lower surface of the interconnect substrate 36, and / or on a side of the interconnect substrate 36. A conductive material such as conductive material 32 may be used to mount the body 28 to the interconnect substrate 36. The conductive material 32 may be a solder (e.g., a low temperature solder, a high temperature solder, etc.), may be a conductive adhesive (an isotropic conductive adhesive or an anisotropic conductive film), may be formed during soldering, and / or may be other conductive materials used to couple electronic device pads (body pads) such as pads 30 on the body 28 to the interconnect substrate pads 34. The metal traces 38 in the substrate 36 may couple the pads 34 to other pads such as pads 40. If desired, pads 40 may be larger and / or may be more widely spaced than pads 34, thereby facilitating attachment of substrate 36 to conductive yarns and / or other conductive pathways in article 10. Solder, conductive adhesives, or other conductive connections may be used to couple pads 40 to conductive strands, printed circuit traces, or other conductive pathway materials in article 10.

[0054] Figure 7 An example of component 26 including a protective structure, such as protective structure 130 on interconnect substrate 36, is shown. Protective structure 130 may be, for example, a plastic structure that fully or partially encapsulates device 28 and interconnect substrate 36 to provide mechanical robustness, protection from moisture and other environmental contaminants, heat dissipation, and / or electrical insulation. Protective structure 130 may be formed of a molded plastic (e.g., injection molded plastic, insert molded plastic, transfer molded plastic, low pressure molded plastic, two-part molded plastic, etc.) that has been molded or molded over one or more devices 28 and substrate 36 into a desired shape and then attached to substrate 36, may be a layer of encapsulant material (e.g., thermoplastic) that has been melted to encapsulate device 28, may be a layer of polymer (such as polyimide) that has been cut or machined into a desired shape and then attached to substrate 36, or may be formed using other suitable methods. Exemplary materials that may be used to form protective structure 130 include epoxy, polyamide, polyurethane, silicone, thermoplastic, other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials. Guard structure 130 may be formed on one or both sides of substrate 36 (eg, may completely or partially surround substrate 36 ).

[0055] The protective structure 130 may be completely opaque, completely transparent, or may have both opaque and transparent areas. The transparent portions of the protective structure 130 may allow light emitted from one or more devices 28 to be transmitted through the protective structure 130, and / or may allow external light to reach (and be detected by) the one or more devices 28. If desired, one or more openings, recesses, grooves, and / or other features may be formed in the protective structure 130. For example, an opening may be formed in the protective structure 130 to enable light to be detected by and / or emitted from one or more devices 28. The protective structure 130 may include one or more grooves for receiving strands (e.g., conductive or insulating strands) in the fabric 12.

[0056] If desired, protective structure 130 may have different thicknesses. Figure 7 The examples of are merely illustrative, wherein the protective structure 130 has a uniform thickness across the substrate 36. In some arrangements, the protective structure 130 may be an encapsulant material, such as a thermoplastic, that has been melted to create a robust connection between the component 26 and the strands 80 of the fabric 12. For example, the protective structure 130 may surround portions of the strands 80, may fill recesses, grooves, or other features in the component 26 to help interlock the component 26 to the strands 80, and / or may fill gaps in the fabric 12. If desired, the protective structure 130 may include one or more different types of materials (e.g., one or more different thermoplastic materials having different melting temperatures).

[0057] If desired, substrate 36 may be large enough to accommodate multiple electronic devices, each having a corresponding body 28. For example, one or more light emitting diodes, sensors, microprocessors, and / or other electronic devices may be mounted to a common substrate such as a Figure 7 The LEDs may be micro LEDs (e.g., LED semiconductor dies with an area of ​​about 10 microns x 10 microns, greater than 5 microns x 5 microns, less than 100 microns x 100 microns, or other suitable sizes). The LEDs may include LEDs of different colors (e.g., red, green, blue, white, etc.), infrared light, or ultraviolet light. The substrate 36 may include redundant LEDs or other redundant circuits. In the case where multiple electronic devices (each having a corresponding body 28) are mounted on a common substrate, Figure 7 In configurations of the type shown, electronic components 26 may include any suitable combination of electronic devices (e.g., light emitting diodes, sensors, integrated circuits, actuators, energy storage devices, and / or combinations thereof). Figure 5 Other devices of the type described in electronic component 26).

[0058] Figure 6 and Figure 7The example of FIG. 2 is merely illustrative, wherein device 28 is located on only one side of substrate 36. Device 28 may be mounted to both sides of substrate 36 if desired.

[0059] The electronic components 26 may be coupled to a fabric structure, individual strands, a printed circuit (e.g., a rigid printed circuit formed from a glass-filled epoxy or other rigid printed circuit board material, or a flexible printed circuit formed from a polyimide substrate layer or other flexible polymer material sheet), a metal component or a plastic component having signal traces, or other structures in the article 10.

[0060] In some configurations, article 10 may include an electrical connection between component 26 and a conductive path in fabric 12. For example, Figure 8 As shown, component 26 may be coupled to conductive strands 80C of fabric 12. Conductive strands 80C (sometimes referred to as "wires") may be configured to carry electrical signals (e.g., power, digital signals, analog signals, sensor signals, control signals, data signals, input signals, output signals, or other suitable electrical currents) to and / or from component 26. Strands 80C may be warp strands (e.g., Figure 2 The warp strands 20), the weft strands (for example, Figure 2 Component 26 may be coupled to only a single conductive strand 80C, may be coupled to two conductive strands 80C, or may be coupled to two or more conductive strands 80C, if desired. Component 26 may also or alternatively be coupled to insulated strands in fabric 12, if desired. An arrangement in which component 26 is coupled to a pair of conductive strands 80C is sometimes described herein as an illustrative example.

[0061] Component 26 may have contact pads such as pad 40. Conductive material 82 may be used to couple pad 40 to conductive strand 80C. Conductive material 82 may be solder, an anisotropic conductive adhesive, or other conductive material. An arrangement of conductive material 82 formed of solder may sometimes be described herein as an illustrative example. Figure 8 In the example of FIG. 1 , pads 40 are formed on the same surface of substrate 36 on which device 28 is mounted. Conductive material 82 may be used to electrically and mechanically couple component 26 to strands 80C of fabric 12. If desired, pads 40 may also or alternatively be additionally formed on a lower surface of substrate 36 (e.g., a surface opposite to the surface on which device 28 is mounted). Figure 8 The examples are for illustrative purposes only.

[0062] In some configurations, it may be desirable to provide a more robust mechanical connection between component 26 and fabric 12 to ensure that component 26 does not loosen when fabric 12 is bent or stretched. To enhance the robustness of the connection between strand 80C and component 26, component 26 may have one or more recesses for receiving strand 80C. For example, one or more strands 80 may pass through a portion of component 26 to help secure component 26 to fabric 12. Strand 80 may pass through an opening (sometimes referred to as a recess, groove, recess, hole, slot, notch, etc.) of component 26. The opening may be formed in device 28, interconnect substrate 36, protective structure 130, and / or other portions of component 26. Figure 8 An example of conductive strand 80C being received within a groove, such as groove 50 formed in guard structure 130, is shown. However, this is merely illustrative. Groove 50 may alternatively or additionally be formed in other portions of interconnect substrate 36, device 28, and / or component 26, if desired. Figure 8 The location, shape and geometry of the groove 50 are merely illustrative.

[0063] The recess 50 (sometimes referred to as a recess, groove, opening, hole, slot, notch, etc.) in the protective structure 130 can be formed by removing a portion of the protective structure 130 (e.g., using a laser, mechanical saw, mechanical mill, or other equipment), or can be formed by molding (e.g., injection molding, insert molding, etc.) or otherwise forming the protective structure 130 into a shape that includes the recess 50. The recess 50 can have a width between 2 mm and 6 mm, between 0.3 mm and 1.5 mm, between 1 mm and 5 mm, between 3 mm and 8 mm, greater than 3 mm, less than 3 mm, or other suitable width. If desired, the recess 50 can have different depths (e.g., to expose the contact pads 40 located at different surface heights of the interconnect substrate 36).

[0064] exist Figure 8 In the example of FIG. 1 , the grooves 50 expose the conductive pads 40 on the interconnect substrate 36. The strands 80C may each pass through an associated groove 50 in the protective structure 130. Solder or other conductive material 82 may be used to electrically and mechanically couple the strands 80C to the conductive pads 40 in the grooves 50 of the protective cover 130. Because the strands 80C are wedged between portions of the protective cover 130, the strands 80C may be prevented from falling off the substrate 36. In addition to holding the strands 80C in place so that the component 26 remains attached to the fabric 12, the grooves 50 may also serve as physical guides to align the component 26 relative to the fabric 12 during the component insertion and attachment operation. This may be advantageous, for example, when inserting and attaching the component 26 to the fabric 12 without line of sight.

[0065] Each strand 80C can be aligned with an associated pad 40 on component 26. If desired, pad 40 can be formed by an elongated strip of conductive material (e.g., metal) extending from one edge of substrate 36 to an opposite edge of substrate 36. This provides a large area for forming a mechanical and electrical connection between substrate 36 and strand 80C. The elongated shape of pad 40 can allow conductive material 82 to attach a longer portion of strand 80C to pad 40. The connection between pad 40 and strand 80C can, for example, span the width of substrate 36, thereby providing a robust connection between substrate 36 and strand 80C. However, this is merely exemplary. If desired, pad 40, conductive material 82, and exposed conductive portions of strand 80C can span a width that is less than the entire width of component 26.

[0066] Figure 8 The example of is merely illustrative, where strand 80C is welded or otherwise electrically attached to pad 40 in groove 50. If desired, strand 80C can be electrically coupled to pad 40 using an interconnect structure that passes through protective structure 130. This type of example is shown in FIG. Fig. 9 Shown in.

[0067] exist Fig. 9 In the example of FIG. 1 , electronic component 26 includes one or more devices (such as devices 28A, 28B) on interconnect substrate 36. If desired, devices 28A, 28B may be mounted to opposite sides of interconnect substrate 36. Device 28A may be encapsulated by a first protective structure 130A on a first side of substrate 36, and device 28B may be encapsulated by a second protective structure 130B on a second side of substrate 36.

[0068] Devices 28A and 28B may be devices of the same type or devices of different types. If desired, one or both of devices 28A and 28B may be optical devices (e.g., light emitting devices, light sensing devices, etc.). In an arrangement where device 28A and / or device 28B are optical devices, protective structure 130A and / or transparent protective structure 130B may be configured to allow light to reach device 28A and / or device 28B or to be emitted from device 28A and / or device 28B. For example, in an arrangement where device 28B is an optical component, protective structure 130B may have an opening (such as opening 44) through which light reaches device 28B and is sensed by the device and / or light is emitted from device 28B. In an arrangement where device 28A is an optical component, protective structure 130A may be formed of a transparent material that allows light to reach device 28A and be sensed by the device and / or light is emitted from device 28A through the transparent material. However, this is merely exemplary. If desired, devices 28A, 28B may be devices that do not detect or emit light.

[0069] like Fig. 9As shown, component 26 may include one or more interconnect structures (such as interconnect structure 46 for coupling conductive strand 80C to pad 40). Interconnect structure 46 may have a first end formed or coupled to pad 48 and an opposite second end coupled to pad 40 on substrate 36. Conductive strand 80C may be coupled to pad 48 using solder or other conductive material 82. If desired, an encapsulation layer such as encapsulation film 42 (e.g., thermoplastic, epoxy, polyamide, polyurethane, silicone, other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials) may cover the electrical connection between strand 80C and pad 48. With this type of configuration, electrical signals may be transmitted between strand 80C and device 28A and / or device 28B using vertical interconnect structure 46 that passes through protective structure 130A. If desired, one or more vertical interconnect structures may also or alternatively be formed in protective structure 130B. Fig. 9 The examples are for illustrative purposes only.

[0070] In some arrangements, recess 50 may be formed by removing material from protective structure 130A. In other arrangements, it may be desirable to mold protective structure 130A to include recess 50 to eliminate the need for a subsequent recess forming step. With this type of arrangement, interconnect structure 46 may be mounted to pad 40 on substrate 36 (e.g., using a pick-and-place machine or other suitable surface mounting technique) prior to forming protective structure 130A. After interconnect structure 46 has been mounted to pad 40 on substrate 36, protective structure 130A may be molded over substrate 36 and device 28A, exposing pad 48 at the upper surface of interconnect structure 46. After protective structure 130A is molded, solder 82 (e.g., solder paste, pre-applied solder, or preformed solder) may be deposited on pad 48. Conductive strand 80C may be placed on solder 82 (e.g., in conjunction with solder paste). Figure 4 80C and the component 26. During the interleaving operation described above, the conductive strands 80C may be reflowed. As the solder 82 reflows, the conductive strands 80C may sink into the solder 82, thereby forming a robust electrical connection between the strands 80C and the component 26. The encapsulating film 42 may then be deposited or otherwise formed on the protective structure 130A to encapsulate the solder connection between the strands 80C and the pads 48.

[0071] Interconnect structure 46 may include vertical conductive structures such as plated metal vias and / or metal-filled vias, which may be formed from printed circuit layers (e.g., one or more dielectric layers having metal traces or other interconnects), conductive epoxy (e.g., conductive adhesive), and / or any other suitable conductive material.

[0072] For example, Fig.10As shown, interconnect structure 46 may include a conductive via, such as metal via 68. Metal via 68 may include a metal material located in a vertical opening, such as opening 74 in dielectric material 78. Via 68 may be a metal-filled via in which metal 68 fills opening 74, or may be a plated via in which the walls of opening 74 are lined with metal 68.

[0073] Fig.11 An example of interconnect structure 46 being formed of printed circuit layers is shown. For example, interconnect structure 46 may include one or more printed circuit layers 70. Printed circuit layers 70 may include flexible printed circuit layers (such as polyimide layers, rigid printed circuit board materials (such as glass-filled epoxy (e.g., FR4)) layers, and / or other polymer (or other dielectric) layers). Metal traces 72 (e.g., interconnects) formed in printed circuit layers 70 may be disposed between opposing upper and lower surfaces of interconnect substrate 46 (e.g., between the upper and lower surfaces of interconnect substrate 46). Fig. 9 However, Fig.10 and Fig.11 The examples of are merely illustrative. If desired, interconnect structure 46 may include any other suitable type of conductive pathway for transmitting signals between pads 40 on substrate 36 and strands 80C (eg, through guard structure 130A).

[0074] If desired, the upper surface of the interconnecting structure 46 may be provided with recesses to help hold the strands 80C in place on the pad 48. This type of arrangement is Fig.12 As shown in Fig.12 As shown, the upper surface of the interconnect structure 46 (such as the upper surface 168) may include a recess (e.g., a slot, a groove, etc.) for receiving the strand 80C. The upper surface 168 of the interconnect structure 46 may be non-planar (e.g., Fig.12 ), or may be planar but include recessed portions that help hold the conductive strands in place on pad 48.

[0075] If desired, additional components may be stacked on top of the protective structure 130A. Fig.13 As shown, for example, electronic component 26 may include stacked electronic components 26-1, 26-2. Electronic component 26-1 may include devices 28A, 28B mounted to interconnect substrate 36 and covered with protective structures 130A and 130B, respectively. Interconnect structure 46 may be used to transmit signals between conductive strands 80C at the top of protective structure 130A and substrate 36.

[0076] If desired, upper surface 168 of interconnect structure 46 may be recessed relative to surrounding portions of guard structure 130A to reduce the amount that solder connections between strands 80C and pads 48 protrude from the upper surface of guard structure 130A (e.g., to provide a flat or nearly flat surface at the top of guard structure 130A). One or more additional components (such as additional component 26-2) may be mounted to the upper surface of guard structure 130A (e.g., using a pick-and-place machine or other suitable surface mounting technique).

[0077] Additional components 26-2 may include one or more electronic devices 56 on an interconnect substrate such as substrate 62. Devices 56 may include any suitable type of electronic device (e.g., a combination of Figure 5 For example, the electronic component 26-2 may be an energy storage device (e.g., a battery) for storing power that can be provided to the device 28A and / or 28B, may include a wireless charging circuit for receiving wireless power that can be provided to the device 28A and / or 28B (e.g., a coil and a rectifier for receiving wireless power transmitted from a wireless power transmission device having a corresponding wireless power transmission circuit with a coil) and / or may include other circuits associated or unassociated with the operation of the device 28A, 28B.

[0078] Metal traces 64 in substrate 62 may be used to transmit electrical signals between device 56 and electrical pads on the lower surface of substrate 62. An encapsulation structure, such as encapsulant 162, may encapsulate component 26-2. Attachment structures, such as attachment structures 60, may be used to couple component 26-1 to component 26-2. Attachment structures 60 may be a conductive material, such as solder or a conductive adhesive, if desired, and may electrically couple component 26-2 to strand 80C. In other arrangements, component 26-2 may be electrically insulated from strand 80C and coupled to component 26 and / or other conductive structures in article 10.

[0079] Fig.14 An illustrative example is shown in which device 28B is an optical component that receives or transmits light through a lens. Fig.14 As shown, electronic component 26 may include devices 28A and 28B mounted to opposite sides of interconnect substrate 36 and covered with guard structures 130A and 130B, respectively. Conductive strand 80C may be soldered to guard structure 130A and the top of substrate 36. Interconnect structure 46A may be used to transmit signals between conductive strand 80C and substrate 36.

[0080] Device 28B may be an optical component that emits and / or receives light through lens 88. Lens 88 may be mounted to device 28B using support structure 90. A reinforcement structure, such as an annular reinforcement structure 86 (e.g., a grommet or other annular reinforcement structure), may surround lens 88 and may be used to hold fabric 12 in place around lens 88.

[0081] If desired, interconnect structure 46B may pass through protective structure 130B to provide a signal path between substrate 36 and the lower surface of protective structure 130B. For example, additional conductive strands may be soldered to interconnect structure 46B using solder or other conductive material 84. However, this is merely exemplary. If desired, interconnect structure 46B may be coupled to other conductive signal paths in article 10 or may be omitted.

[0082] If desired, the protective structure 130 can be molded using a molding tool that forms a groove in the protective structure, thereby eliminating the need for a subsequent groove forming step. Examples of this type are shown in FIG. Fig.15 , Fig.16 and Fig.17 , which show the component 26 at various stages of manufacture. Fig.15 As shown, guard structure 130 may be molded onto substrate 36. A molding tool used to form guard structure 130 may be configured to form recesses 50 in guard structure 130. Recesses 50 may expose pads 40 when component 26 is removed from the molding tool.

[0083] After forming the protective structure 130 on the substrate 36, the conductive strands 80C and solder 82 (eg, solder paste, pre-applied solder, or preformed solder) may be placed within the recess 50, as shown in FIG. Fig.16 This may include, for example, dispensing solder 82 in groove 50 and inserting tool 54 ( Figure 4 ) Align the conductive strand 80C within the groove 50.

[0084] After the solder 82 and the wire strands 80C are received in the grooves 50, a heating tool may be used to reflow the solder 82, such as Fig.17 During the solder reflow operation, the conductive strand 80C may sink into the conductive material 82. After the solder reflow, an encapsulant dispensing tool may be used to dispense an encapsulant material 116 into the recess 50 to encapsulate the solder connection between the strand 80C and the substrate 36.

[0085] Fig.18An illustrative example of a strand 80C coupled to a pad that is not located in a recess in a protective structure is shown. Substrate 36 may have opposing first and second surfaces. One or more devices, such as device 28, may be mounted to one or both surfaces of substrate 36. Pad 94 may be located on one or both sides of substrate 36. Fig.18 In the example of , the device 28 is located on a first side of the substrate 36 and the pad 94 is located on an opposite second side of the substrate 36. The device 28A may be covered with a protective structure 130A. The strand 80C may be coupled to the pad 94 using solder or other conductive material 82. After the strand 80C is soldered or otherwise electrically coupled to the pad 84, if desired, the protective structure 130B may be molded or otherwise formed over the solder connection between the strand 80C and the pad 94. In order to help secure the strand 80C to the pad 94 during the solder reflow operation, a securing structure (such as a clip 92) may be formed on the pad 94. During the interweaving operation, the insertion tool 54 may be used to align the component 26 with the strand 80C so that the strand 80C is received within the clip 92 on the pad 94 before the solder 82 reflows and forms the protective structure 130B.

[0086] Fig.19 An illustrative example is shown in which a conductive epoxy such as conductive epoxy 96 (e.g., a heat-cured conductive epoxy, an ultraviolet light-cured conductive epoxy, or other suitable conductive epoxy) is used to couple strand 80C to pad 40. Using a conductive epoxy can reduce the surface area required to form an electrical connection between strand 80C and pad 40. Prior to coupling strand 80C to pad 40, protective structure 130 can be molded or otherwise formed on surface 130. Recess 50 can be formed by removing material from protective structure 130 after molding, or recess 50 can be formed by using a molding tool that forms recess 50 in protective structure 130. After forming protective structure 130, insertion tool 54 can be used to align component 26 with strand 80C so that strand 80C is received within recess 50. Conductive epoxy 96 can then be deposited in recess 50 and cured (using, for example, high temperature, ultraviolet light, or other suitable curing methods).

[0087] If desired, the protective structure 130 can be molded around the hollow structure to form a groove in the protective structure, thereby eliminating the need for a subsequent groove forming step. Fig. 20 , Fig.21 and Fig. 22 , which show component 26 at various stages of manufacture.

[0088] like Fig. 20As shown, device 28 may be mounted to interconnect substrate 36. One or more hollow structures, such as hollow conductive structure 98, may be coupled to corresponding pads 40 on substrate 36 (e.g., using solder, conductive adhesive, or other conductive material and / or using other electrical connection means, such as welding, crimping metal connections, etc.).

[0089] The hollow conductive structure 98 may be a metal box or other hollow structure having an interior cavity 102 (eg, a gas-filled cavity). The guard structure 130 may be molded around the hollow conductive structure 98 or otherwise formed over the substrate 36 .

[0090] After forming the protection structure 130 on the substrate 36, the top of the protection structure 130 and the hollow conductive structure 98 may be removed to expose the cavity 102, thereby forming an open groove 50 in the protection structure 130, as shown in FIG. Fig.21 After removing the top of conductive structure 98, conductive structure 98 may have a U-shape having a first surface attached to pad 40 and a first sidewall surface and a second sidewall surface forming a metal lining on recess 50. The sidewall surface of conductive structure 98 may be perpendicular to the surface of substrate 36 on which pad 40 is formed. Guard structure 130 and portions of hollow conductive structure 98 may be removed from the upper portion of component 26 by machining, grinding, cutting, or other suitable techniques.

[0091] After removing the upper portion of the hollow conductive structure 98 to expose the cavity 102, the strand 80C may be inserted into the cavity 102, as shown in FIG. Fig. 22 For example, the insertion tool 54 can be used to align the component 26 with the strands 80C so that the strands 80C are received within the grooves 50 and the cavities 102. Solder (or other conductive material) 82 can be deposited into the cavities 102 and reflowed to form a solder connection between each strand 80C and a corresponding one of the conductive structures 98. This in turn electrically couples the strands 80C to the pads 40 through the conductive structures 98.

[0092] If desired, grooves may be formed along one or more sides of component 26 instead of (or in addition to) forming grooves on the top or bottom surfaces of component 26. Examples of this type are shown in FIG. Fig.23 and Fig.24 , which show component 26 at various stages of manufacture.

[0093] like Fig.23 As shown, device 28 may be mounted to interconnect substrate 36. One or more hollow structures, such as hollow conductive structure 98, may be coupled to corresponding pads 40 on substrate 36 (e.g., using solder, conductive adhesive, or other conductive material and / or using other electrical connection means, such as welding, crimping metal connections, etc.).

[0094] The hollow conductive structure 98 may be a metal box or other hollow structure having an interior cavity 102 (eg, a gas-filled cavity). The guard structure 130 may be molded around the hollow conductive structure 98 or otherwise formed over the substrate 36 .

[0095] After forming the guard structure 130 on the substrate 36, the guard structure 130 and the side portions of the hollow conductive structure 98 may be removed to expose the cavity 102, thereby forming the groove 50 along the side of the guard structure 130, as shown in FIG. Fig.24 After removing the side portions of conductive structure 98, conductive structure 98 may have a U-shape in which the first surface is attached to pad 40 and the first sidewall surface and the second sidewall surface form a metal lining on recess 50. The sidewall surface of conductive structure 98 may be parallel to the surface of substrate 36 on which pad 40 is formed. Guard structure 130 and portions of hollow conductive structure 98 may be removed from the sides of component 26 by machining, grinding, cutting, or other suitable techniques.

[0096] After removing the sides of the hollow conductive structure 98 to expose the cavity 102, the strand 80C may be inserted into the cavity 102, as shown. Fig.24 For example, the insertion tool 54 can be used to align the component 26 with the strands 80C so that the strands 80C are received within the grooves 50 and the cavities 102. Solder (or other conductive material) 82 can be deposited into the cavities 102 and reflowed to form a solder connection between each strand 80C and a corresponding one of the conductive structures 98. This in turn electrically couples the strands 80C to the pads 40 through the conductive structures 98.

[0097] If desired, the conductive structures can be used to form electrical connectors on the component 26. This type of arrangement is Fig.25 As shown in Fig.25 As shown, a plurality of conductive structures 104 can be respectively coupled to pads 40 on substrate 36. Conductive structures 104 can be metal structures separated from each other by gaps 106. Gaps 106 can form a channel for receiving conductive strands. A docking connector with conductive strands can be inserted into channel 106 in direction 108. Conductive strand 80C can be guided within channel 106 toward pad 40.

[0098] If desired, the components 26 may be embedded within the printed circuit layer. This type of arrangement is Fig.26 , Fig. 27 , Fig.28 and Fig.29 , which show component 26 at various stages of manufacture.

[0099] like Fig.26As shown, if desired, one or more devices 28 may be mounted to an upper surface of an interconnect substrate 36-1, which may include metal traces 38-1. Pads 110 may be formed on an opposing lower surface of substrate 36-1.

[0100] After mounting device 28 to substrate 36-1, additional printed circuit layers may be formed around device 28 on substrate 36-1, such as Fig. 27 Additional printed circuit layer 36-2 may include a flexible printed circuit layer (such as a polyimide layer), one or more layers of rigid printed circuit board material (such as a glass-filled epoxy (e.g., FR4)), and / or other material layers (e.g., other dielectric materials such as silicone, other elastomeric materials, other flexible polymers, etc.). Printed circuit layer 36-2 may include traces 38-2.

[0101] After forming printed circuit layer 36-2 around device 28 on the upper surface of substrate 36-1, device 28 may be packaged, such as Fig.28 An encapsulant material 112 (eg, thermoplastic, epoxy, polyamide, polyurethane, silicone, other suitable material, or a combination of any two or more of these materials) may be formed over device 28 and, if desired, may fill gaps between printed circuit layers 36-2.

[0102] Fig.29 It is shown how an additional printed circuit layer 36-3 may be formed on top of printed circuit layer 36-2 and device 28. Printed circuit layer 36-3 may include a flexible printed circuit layer (such as a polyimide layer), one or more layers of rigid printed circuit board material (such as a glass-filled epoxy resin (e.g., FR4)), and / or other material layers (e.g., other dielectric materials such as silicone, other elastomeric materials, other flexible polymers, etc.). Printed circuit layer 36-3 may include traces 38-3. Traces 38-2 in printed circuit layer 38-2 may be used to transmit signals between printed circuit layers 36-3 and 36-1. If desired, additional pads 172 may be formed on the top surface of substrate 36-3. Additional components (e.g., additional components 26) may be mounted to pads 172 if desired.

[0103] Conductive strand 80C may be electrically coupled to pad 110 using solder or other conductive material 82. The solder connection between pad 110 and strand 80C may be encapsulated using encapsulation material 160 (e.g., thermoplastic, epoxy, polyamide, polyurethane, silicone, other suitable material, or a combination of any two or more of these materials). Electrical signals may be transmitted between strand 80C and device 28 via pad 110 and trace 38-1 in substrate 36-1. If desired, electrical signals may be transmitted between strand 80C (and / or device 28) and any additional components mounted to pad 172 via traces 38-2 and 38-3.

[0104] It should be understood that, in conjunction with Figures 1 to 29 Any of the features described may be combined with each other in any suitable combination or manner. For example, Fig.18 The wire clamp 92 can be made of Fig. 9 The interconnection structure is arranged to form; Fig.13 Additional stacked electronic components of the type shown may be used with Fig.17 A molded groove component assembly; Fig.14 The optical components may include the use of Fig. 20 , Fig.21 and Fig. 22 The electrical connections to the strands on one side of the electronic component may be made using a different method or different features than the electrical connections to the strands on the opposite side of the electronic component. Figures 1 to 29 Any suitable combination of the features described may be used to attach component 26 to fabric 12 .

[0105] As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the collection and use of data from specific and legitimate sources. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, the collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to identify a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, online identifiers, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, data or records related to a user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other personal information.

[0106] The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to benefit users. For example, personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that users may be more interested in based on their preferences. Therefore, the use of such personal information data enables users to have greater control over the content delivered. In addition, the present disclosure also anticipates other uses of personal information data that benefit users. For example, health and fitness data can be used according to the user's preferences to provide insights into their overall health, or can be used as positive feedback to individuals who use technology to pursue health goals.

[0107] The present disclosure envisions that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing or otherwise using such personal information data will comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities will be expected to implement and consistently apply privacy practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding the requirements of the industry or government that maintain user privacy. Such information about the use of personal data should be highlighted and easily accessible to users, and should be updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. The user's personal information should be collected only for legal use. In addition, such collection / sharing should only occur after receiving user consent or other legal basis specified in applicable law. In addition, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to defend and safeguard access to such personal information data and ensure that others who have access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and processes. In addition, such entities may subject themselves to third-party assessments to demonstrate that they comply with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adjusted for specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and applied to applicable laws and standards, including considerations that are exclusive to jurisdictions that can be used to impose higher standards. For example, in the United States, collection or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly.

[0108] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware elements and / or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, such as with respect to an advertising delivery service, the technology of the present invention may be configured to allow a user to choose to "opt in" or "opt out" at any time during or after registration for the service to participate in the collection of personal information data. In another example, a user may choose not to provide emotion-related data for a target content delivery service. As another example, a user may choose to limit the length of time that emotion-related data is retained, or to completely block the development of underlying emotional conditions. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application, and then reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0109] In addition, it is an object of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risks can be minimized by limiting data collection and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be facilitated by removing identifiers, controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and / or other methods such as differential privacy, where appropriate.

[0110] Thus, while the present disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may also be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, content may be selected and delivered to a user based on aggregated non-personal information data or an absolute minimum amount of personal information, such as content processed only on the user's device or other non-personal information that may be used for content delivery services.

[0111] According to an embodiment, an article is provided, which includes strands interwoven to form a fabric, and includes conductive strands and electronic components mounted to the fabric, the electronic components including a substrate having contact pads, an electronic device mounted to the substrate, a protective structure that encapsulates the electronic device, and an interconnect structure that passes through the protective structure and electrically couples the conductive strands to the contact pads on the substrate.

[0112] According to another embodiment, the substrate includes a printed circuit layer.

[0113] According to another embodiment, the interconnect structure has a recessed upper surface, and the conductive strands are soldered to the recessed upper surface.

[0114] According to another embodiment, the guard structure is molded around the interconnect structure.

[0115] According to another embodiment, the protective structure comprises a thermoplastic.

[0116] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes an optical device, and the protective structure includes an opening through which light is transmitted.

[0117] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes an optical device and the protective structure includes a transparent plastic.

[0118] According to another embodiment, an electronic device includes an optical device overlying a lens, the electronic component including a grommet surrounding the lens, the grommet securing the fabric relative to the lens.

[0119] According to another embodiment, the interconnect structure is selected from a printed circuit layer and a metal via.

[0120] According to another embodiment, the article includes an additional electronic component stacked with the electronic component, with the guard structure interposed between the electronic component and the additional electronic component.

[0121] According to an embodiment, an electronic component mounted to a fabric having a conductive strand is provided, the electronic component comprising a printed circuit substrate having a surface with a contact pad, an electronic device mounted to the printed circuit substrate, a protective structure encapsulating the electronic device, and a U-shaped metal structure coupled to the contact pad and having a first side wall surface and a second side wall surface covering an opening, the protective structure having an opening, and the conductive strand being located in the opening and electrically coupled to the contact pad via the U-shaped metal structure.

[0122] According to another embodiment, the first sidewall surface and the second sidewall surface are perpendicular to the surface.

[0123] According to another embodiment, the first sidewall surface and the second sidewall surface are parallel to the surface.

[0124] According to another embodiment, the electronic component includes a solder coupling the conductive strand to the U-shaped metal structure.

[0125] According to another embodiment, the protective structure comprises a thermoplastic.

[0126] According to an embodiment, an electronic component mounted to a fabric having conductive strands is provided, the electronic component comprising a first printed circuit layer having opposite first and second surfaces, a contact pad located on the second surface, an electronic device mounted to the first surface, a second printed circuit layer located on the first surface at least partially surrounding the electronic device, and a third printed circuit layer, the conductive strands being electrically coupled to the contact pads, and the third printed circuit layer being located on the second printed circuit layer so that the electronic device is inserted between the third printed circuit layer and the first printed circuit layer.

[0127] According to another embodiment, the electronic component includes an encapsulant material encapsulating an electronic device.

[0128] According to another embodiment, the third printed circuit layer includes opposing third and fourth surfaces, and the third surface is attached to the second printed circuit layer and the fourth surface has additional contact pads.

[0129] According to another embodiment, the electronic device is located in a gap in the second printed circuit layer and the encapsulant material fills the gap.

[0130] According to another embodiment, the electronic component includes solder forming a solder connection between the conductive strands and the contact pads and an encapsulant material encapsulating the solder connection.

[0131] The foregoing is merely illustrative, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the embodiments described. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented independently or in any combination.

Claims

1. An article comprising: a fabric comprising strands of material, wherein the strands of material include conductive strands; as well as An electrical component is mounted to the fabric, wherein the electrical component includes a substrate, contacts on the substrate, an encapsulant, and conductive vias through the encapsulant, wherein the conductive vias electrically couple the conductive strands to the contacts.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the electrical component comprises an electrical device mounted to the substrate, and wherein the encapsulant encapsulates the electrical device.

3. The article of claim 2, wherein the substrate comprises a printed circuit substrate.

4. The article of claim 2, wherein the encapsulant comprises a thermoplastic material.

5. The article of claim 2, further comprising solder electrically coupling the conductive strand to the conductive via.

6. The article of claim 5, wherein the conductive via passes through a recess in the encapsulant, and wherein the solder is at least partially contained within the recess.

7. The article of claim 5, wherein the conductive via has a non-planar surface, the non-planar surface being soldered to the conductive strand.

8. The article of claim 1, further comprising an encapsulation film on the electrical component, wherein the conductive strand is interposed between the conductive via and the encapsulation film.

9. The article of claim 2, wherein the substrate has opposing first and second surfaces, wherein the electrical device is mounted to the first surface, and wherein the electrical component comprises an additional electrical device mounted to the second surface.

10. The article of claim 9, further comprising an additional encapsulant encapsulating the additional electrical device.

11. An article comprising: a knitted fabric comprising strands of material, wherein the strands of material include conductive strands; as well as An electrical component mounted to the knitted fabric, wherein the electrical component includes an electrical device encapsulated by a protective structure, and wherein the protective structure includes a groove and an interconnect passing through the groove, the interconnect electrically coupling the electrical device to the conductive strands.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein the interconnect is selected from the group consisting of: a conductive via and a printed circuit layer.

13. The article of claim 11, further comprising solder located in the recess, the solder electrically coupling the conductive strand to the interconnect.

14. The article of claim 11, wherein the electrical component comprises a printed circuit substrate, the electrical device being mounted to the printed circuit substrate.

15. The article of claim 11, wherein the electrical component comprises a contact pad on the printed circuit substrate, the contact pad being electrically coupled to the interconnect in the recess.

16. An article comprising: a fabric formed from strands of material, wherein the strands of material include first conductive strands and second conductive strands; as well as An electrical component mounted to the fabric, wherein the electrical component includes a printed circuit substrate, first and second contact pads on the printed circuit substrate, first and second grooves overlapping the printed circuit substrate, and first and second interconnect structures respectively accommodated in the first and second grooves, wherein the first interconnect structure electrically couples the first conductive strand to the first contact pad, and the second interconnect structure electrically couples the second conductive strand to the second contact pad.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the fabric comprises a knitted fabric, and wherein the electrical component comprises an electrical device on the printed circuit substrate.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the electrical component comprises a plastic protective structure, and the first and second recesses are formed in the plastic protective structure.

19. The article of claim 18, wherein the electrical device comprises an optical component, and wherein the plastic guard structure is transparent.

20. The article of claim 17, wherein the first and second interconnect structures are selected from the group consisting of: conductive vias and printed circuit layers.

21. An article comprising: a fabric having strands of material, the strands of material including conductive strands; as well as An electrical component mounted to the conductive strand, wherein the electrical component comprises: Printed circuit substrates; an optical device mounted to the printed circuit substrate; and A protective structure at least partially surrounds the optical device, wherein the protective structure has an opening through which light passes.

22. The article of claim 21, wherein the protective structure comprises an encapsulant that at least partially encapsulates the optical device.

23. The article of claim 22, wherein the encapsulant comprises a thermoplastic material.

24. The article of claim 21, wherein the optical device comprises a light emitting device that emits light through the opening.

25. The article of claim 21, wherein the optical device comprises a light sensor that receives light through the opening.

26. The article of claim 25, further comprising a lens overlapping the light sensor.

27. The article of claim 21, wherein the fabric comprises a woven fabric, the strands of material comprise warp threads and weft threads, and the conductive strand is one of the warp threads.

28. The article of claim 21, wherein the fabric comprises a knitted fabric.

29. The article of claim 21, wherein the electrical component has a groove and the conductive strand is at least partially located in the groove.

30. The article of claim 29, wherein the grooves are aligned with contact pads on the printed circuit substrate, and the conductive strands are electrically coupled to the contact pads.

31. The article of claim 30, further comprising a conductive via in the recess, the conductive via electrically coupling the conductive strand to the contact pad.

32. An article comprising: a fabric formed by interlacing strands of material, wherein the interlaced strands include conductive strands; as well as An optical component is electrically coupled to the conductive strands, wherein the optical component is at least partially encapsulated by a transparent encapsulant.

33. The article of claim 32, wherein the optical component comprises a printed circuit substrate having contact pads electrically coupled to the conductive strands.

34. The article of claim 33, wherein the transparent encapsulant has grooves aligned with the contact pads.

35. The article of claim 34, further comprising a conductive via passing through the groove and electrically coupling the contact pad to the conductive strand.

36. The article of claim 32, wherein the optical component comprises a light sensor, the article further comprising a lens overlapping the light sensor.

37. An article comprising: A fabric including conductive strands; as well as An electrical component mounted to the conductive strand, wherein the electrical component comprises: substrate; an optical device mounted to the substrate; and A lens overlying the optical device.

38. The article of claim 37, wherein the substrate comprises a printed circuit substrate having contact pads.

39. The article of claim 38, wherein the electrical component includes a recess aligned with the contact pad, and the conductive strand is at least partially located in the recess.

40. The article of claim 39, wherein the optical device is at least partially encapsulated by an encapsulant, and the recess is located in the encapsulant.

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