A knitted article, a method of knitting a knitted article, and a wearable article including a knitted article

Abstract

The invention relates to a wearable article that may detect biosignals using sensors. The knitted fabric comprises of warp chains 906 made of non-electrically conductive yarn and courses of weft loop

Description

[0001] The present invention is directed towards a knitted article, a method of knitting a knitted article and a wearable article incorporating the knitted article. An electronics module can be attached to the wearable article in the form of a garment, and a user electronic device communicatively coupled to the electronics module. More particularly, the wearable article comprises a biosignal measuring apparatus for sensing biosignals from a wearer of the wearable article, and which incorporates a sensor assembly and the electronics module. The sensor assembly and the electronics module are communicatively coupled by a conductive pathway. The knitted article of the present invention can be the conductive pathway. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wearable articles, such as garments, incorporating sensors are wearable electronics used to measure and collect information from a wearer. It is advantageous to measure biosignals of the wearer during exercise, or other scenarios.

[0003] It is known to provide a garment, or other wearable article, to which an electronic device (i.e. an electronics module, and / or related components) is attached in a prominent position, such as on the chest or between the shoulder blades. Advantageously, the electronic device is a detachable device. The electronic device is configured to process the incoming signals, and the output from the processing is stored and / or displayed to a user in a suitable way

[0004] A sensor senses a biosignal such as electrocardiogram (ECG) signals and the biosignals are coupled to the electronic device, via an interface.

[0005] The sensors may be coupled to the interface by means of conductors which are connected to terminals provided on the interface to enable coupling of the signals from the sensor to the interface.

[0006] Electronics modules for wearable articles such as garments are known to communicate with mobile devices over wireless communication protocols such as Bluetooth ® and Bluetooth ® Low Energy. These electronics modules are typically removably attached to the wearable article, interface with internal electronics of the wearable article, and comprise a Bluetooth ® antenna for communicating with the mobile device.

[0007] The electronic device includes drive and sensing electronics comprising components and associated circuitry, to provide the required functionality.

[0008] The drive and sensing electronics include a power source to power the electronic device and the associated components of the drive and sensing circuitry.

[0009] The present disclosure relates to fabric articles. The terms fabric and textile are used interchangeably and are not intended to convey different meanings. The fabric articles are knitted from yarns. The wearable article may be constructed from a woven or a non-woven material. The wearable article / garment may be constructed from natural fibres, synthetic fibres, or a natural fibre blended with one or more other materials which can be natural or synthetic. The yarn may be cotton. The cotton may be blended with polyester and / or viscose and / or polyamide according to the application. Silk may also be used as the natural fibre. Cellulose, wool, hemp and jute are also natural fibres that may be used in the wearable article / garment. Polyester, polycotton, nylon and viscose are synthetic fibres that may be used in the wearable article / garment.

[0010] In the context of wearable articles incorporating sensors, the wearable article may be a tight-fitting garment. Beneficially, a tight-fitting garment helps ensure that the sensor devices of the garment are held in contact with or in the proximity of a skin surface of the wearer. The garment may be a compression garment. The garment may be an athletic garment such as an elastomeric athletic garment.

[0011] The fabric articles according to the present disclosure comprise knitted fabric. This contrasts with other fabric constructions such as woven fabrics. Woven and knitted fabrics differ in the way yarns are interwoven or knotted together. A woven fabric is created by interweaving pre-tensioned lengths of yarn horizontally in between threads running vertically. These vertical, or warp threads, wrap themselves around the horizontal, or weft thread, after every course, and are themselves pre-tensioned.

[0012] During the manufacture of a woven fabric, all of the yarns running in every direction must be pulled tight at all times. If the yarns are not tight during knitting, the needles will snag on slacker yarns and break, causing mechanical damage.

[0013] Moreover, woven fabrics incorporating electrically conductive yarn ("conductive yarn") are potentially subjected to a change of resistance when stretched apart because, when stretching a woven fabric, the yarns and thus the conductive particles in the yarn will be stretched further apart. This property is undesirable for sensing operations such as for fabricbased sensing electrodes.

[0014] The present disclosure is directed towards knitted fabrics. Weft knitted fabrics can be knit from a single yarn, but in aspects of the present disclosure multiple yarns are used so as to provide different regions of the fabric with different properties. In weft knitted fabrics, a weft thread is pulled through already formed loops of the same thread and, unlike warp knitting, is not required to be held taut or under stress from a warp thread. This construction allows for stitches (loops) in the fabric article to deform and alter their shape under stress without stretching the yarn itself. This helps maintain a constant level of electrical resistance.

[0015] Warp knitted fabrics are another form of knitted article and can be considered a hybrid between woven and knitted. They are formed using loops, but each column of loops is made from its own thread. Warp knitted threads may allow for more stretch than a woven fabric but are generally not as stretchy as weft knitted fabrics.

[0016] As mentioned above, in the context of wearable articles incorporating sensors, the wearable article may be a tight-fitting garment and the fabric will be stretched when worn. If the wearable article incudes conductive pathways coupled to the sensors, these will also stretch when the wearable article is being worn. This can lead to distortion of the detected biosignal as the resistivity or resistance of the conductive pathway changes. This can make processing of the received biosignal more complex and inconsistencies and in accuracies in the resulting insights and data can reduce the integrity of the data. BRIEF SUMMARY

[0017] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a knitted article for a wearable article, the knitted article comprising a plurality of warp chains formed of loops of yarn and a plurality of courses of a weft yarn attached to each of the plurality of warp chains by a loop formed around the weft yarn.

[0018] The warp chains may be formed of non-electrically conductive yarn. The non-electrically conductive yarn may be an elastomeric yarn. This means that the knitted article is able to stretch. The weft yarn may be an electrically conductive yarn.

[0019] The knitted article may be a conductive pathway arranged for coupling to a sensor of the wearable article.

[0020] The plurality of courses of weft yarn may comprises a single continuous yarn arranged in a curved path extending back-and-forth across the plurality of warp chains in a waved configuration. Each of the plurality of courses may be substantially parallel to each other.

[0021] Each course of the plurality of courses of weft yarn may be formed from a separate yarn.

[0022] The plurality of warp chains may comprise a group of equidistantly spaced warp chains. Alternatively, the plurality of warp chains may comprise a group of non-equidistantly spaced warp chains.

[0023] This has the advantage that stretching of the conductive yarn is reduced even whilst the conductive pathway is stretched. This leads to a reduction to distortions in, and degradation of, the biosignals as they are transmitted down the communication pathway from the sensors. The change in the resistivity and / or resistance of the conductive pathway is relatively linear with respect to changes in length of the conductive pathway as a result of being stretched when the garment is worn.

[0024] The resistance of the knitted article can change by between 1 ohm and 10 ohm per centimetre of longitudinal stretch, and more specifically by between 4 ohm and 6 ohm per centimetre of longitudinal stretch.

[0025] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a wearable article incorporating a knitted article of the first aspect of the invention.

[0026] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of knitted knitted article, the method including the steps of forming a plurality of warp chains comprising loops of yarn; forming a plurality of courses of a weft yarn; and attaching each course of the weft yarn to each of the plurality of warp chains by forming a loop in the warp chain around the weft yarn.

[0027] The plurality of courses of weft yarn may formed from a single continuous yarn arranged in a curved path extending back-and-forth across the plurality of warp chains in a waved configuration.

[0028] Each course of the plurality of courses of weft yarn may be formed from a separate yarn.

[0029] The plurality of warp chains may be formed as a group of equidistantly spaced warp chains. Alternatively, the plurality of warp chains may comprise a group of non-equidistantly spaced warp chains.

[0030] The warp chains may be formed of non-electrically conductive yarn. The weft yarn may be an electrically conductive yarn.

[0031] The knitted article may knitted to form a conductive pathway, knitted integrally with the wearable article, and arranged for coupling to a sensor of the wearable article. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Examples of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram for an example system according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram for an example electronics module according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a detailed schematic diagram of the electronics components of an example electronics module according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram for an example analogue to digital converter used in the example electronics module of Figures 4 and 5 according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0037] FIG. 5 shows a detailed schematic diagram of a user electronics device according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0038] FIG. 6A is a schematic plan view of a portion of a garment showing sensing units;

[0039] FIG. 6B is a schematic side cross section of the portion of the garment of FIG. 6A;

[0040] FIG. 7 illustrates components of a warp knitting machine for forming knitted articles that can be used as part of the garment of FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B;

[0041] FIG. 8 illustrates the steps performed by the knitting machine of FIG. 7 to form loops in the method of forming a knitted article of the present invention;

[0042] FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of part of a warp knitting machine used to create a knitted article in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates the arrangement of needles of the knitting machine of FIG. 7.

[0043] FIG. 10 illustrates the forming of a knitted article using the method in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0045] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings but are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0046] It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0047] ‘‘Wearable article” as referred to throughout the present disclosure may refer to any form of device interface which may be worn by a user such as a smart watch, necklace, garment, bracelet, or glasses. The wearable article may be a textile article. The wearable article may be a garment. The garment may refer to an item of clothing or apparel. The garment may be a top. The top may be a shirt, t-shirt, blouse, sweater, jacket / coat, or vest. The garment may be a dress, garment brassiere, shorts, pants, arm or leg sleeve, vest, jacket / coat, glove, armband, underwear, headband, hat / cap, collar, wristband, stocking, sock, or shoe, athletic clothing, personal protective equipment, including hard hats, swimwear, wetsuit or dry suit.

[0048] The term “wearer” includes a user who is wearing, or otherwise holding, the wearable article.

[0049] The type of wearable garment may dictate the type of biosignals to be detected. For example, a hat or cap may be used to detect electroencephalogram or magnetoencephalogram signals.

[0050] The wearable article has sensing units (not shown in FIG. 1) provided on an inside surface which are held in close proximity to a skin surface of a wearer 116 wearing the wearable article. This enables the sensing units to measure biosignals for the wearer wearing the garment.

[0051] The sensing units may be arranged to measure one or more biosignals of a wearer wearing the garment.

[0052] “Biosignal” as referred to throughout the present disclosure may refer to signals from living beings that can be continually measured or monitored. Biosignals may be electrical or non-electrical signals. Signal variations can be time variant or spatially variant.

[0053] Sensing components may be used for measuring one or a combination of bioelectrical, bioimpedance, biochemical, biomechanical, bioacoustics, biooptical or biothermal signals of the wearer 600. The bioelectrical measurements include electrocardiograms (ECG), electrogastrograms (EGG), electroencephalograms (EEG), and electromyography (EMG). The bioimpedance measurements include plethysmography (e.g., for respiration), body composition (e.g., hydration, fat, etc.), and electroimpedance tomography (EIT). The biomagnetic measurements include magnetoneurograms (MNG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetogastrogram (MGG), magnetocardiogram (MCG). The biochemical measurements include glucose / lactose measurements which may be performed using chemical analysis of the wearer 600’s sweat. The biomechanical measurements include blood pressure. The bioacoustics measurements include phonocardiograms (PCG). The biooptical measurements include orthopantomogram (OPG). The biothermal measurements include skin temperature and core body temperature measurements.

[0054] Referring to Figures 1 to 7, there is shown an example system 104 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The system 104 comprises an electronics module 110, a wearable article in the form of a garment 106, and a user electronic device 102. The garment 106 is worn by a user who in this embodiment is the wearer 116 of the garment 106.

[0055] The electronics module 110 is arranged to couple with the sensing units incorporated into the garment 106 to obtain signals from the sensors. The sensing units will be described in further detail with regards to FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B below.

[0056] The electronics module 110 and the wearable article and including the sensing units comprise a wearable assembly 500.

[0057] The sensing units comprise one or more sensors with associated conductors and other components and circuitry. For example, in the embodiment described herein, the sensing units comprise sensor 218 and sensor 220 and the first conductive pathway 222, the first termination point 226, the second conductive pathway 224 and second termination point 228 as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

[0058] The electronics module 110 is further arranged to wirelessly communicate data to the user electronic device 102. Various protocols enable wireless communication between the electronics module HOand the user electronic device 102. Example communication protocols include Bluetooth ®, Bluetooth ® Low Energy, and near-field communication (NFC).

[0059] The garment 106 has an electronics module holder in the form of a pocket 112. The pocket 112 is sized to receive the electronics module 110. When disposed in the pocket 112, the electronics module 110 is arranged to receive sensor data from the sensing units. The electronics module 110 is therefore removable from the garment 200.

[0060] The present disclosure is not limited to electronics module holders in the form pockets.

[0061] The electronics module 110 may be configured to be releasably mechanically coupled to the garment 106. The mechanical coupling of the electronics module 110 to the garment 106 may be provided by a mechanical interface such as a clip, a plug and socket arrangement, etc. The mechanical coupling or mechanical interface may be configured to maintain the electronics module 110 in a particular orientation with respect to the garment 200 when the electronics module 100 is coupled to the garment 106. This may be beneficial in ensuring that the electronics module 110 is securely held in place with respect to the garment 106 and / or that any electronic coupling of the electronics module 110 and the garment 106 (or a component of the garment 200) can be optimized. The mechanical coupling may be maintained using friction or using a positively engaging mechanism, for example.

[0062] Beneficially, the removable electronics module 110 may contain all the components required for data transmission and processing such that the garment 200 only comprises the sensing units e.g. the sensors 218, 220 and first conductive pathways 222, 224. In this way, manufacture of the garment 106 may be simplified. In addition, it may be easier to clean a garment 200 which has fewer electronic components attached thereto or incorporated therein. Furthermore, the removable electronics module 100 may be easier to maintain and / or troubleshoot than embedded electronics. The electronics module 100 may comprise flexible electronics such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC).

[0063] The electronics module 110 may be configured to be electrically coupled to the garment 106.

[0064] The electronics module 110 is arranged to wirelessly communicate data to the user electronic device 102. Various protocols enable communication between the electronics module 310 and the user electronic device 102. Example communication protocols include Bluetooth ®, Bluetooth ® Low Energy, and near-field communication (NFC).

[0065] Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a schematic diagram of an example of the electronics module 110.

[0066] The electronics module 110 comprises an interface 202, a controller 204, a power source 206, and one or more communication devices which, in the exemplar embodiment comprises a first antenna 208, a second antenna 210and a wireless communicator 212. The electronics module 110 also includes an input unit such as a proximity sensor or a motion sensor, for example in the form of an inertial measurement unit 322.

[0067] The electronics module 110 also includes additional peripheral devices that are used to perform specific functions as will be described in further detail herein.

[0068] The interface 202 is arranged to communicatively couple with the sensing unit of the garment 106. As discussed above, the sensing unit comprises - in this example - the two sensors 218, 220 coupled to respective first and second electrically first conductive pathways 222, 224, each with respective first termination point 226 and second termination point 228. The interface 202 receives signals from the sensors 218, 220. The controller 204 is communicatively coupled to the interface 202and is arranged to receive the signals from the interface 202 for further processing.

[0069] The interface 202 of the embodiment described herein comprises a first contact 230 and a second contact 232 which are arranged to be communicatively coupled to the first termination point 226 and second termination point 228, and the respective first and second electrically first conductive pathways 222, 224. The coupling between the termination points 226, 227 and the respective first and second contacts 230, 232 may be conductive or a wireless (e.g., inductive) communication coupling.

[0070] In this example the sensor 218 and sensor 220 are used to measure electropotential signals such as electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, although they could be configured to measure other biosignal types as also discussed above.

[0071] In this embodiment, the sensor 218 and sensor 220 are configured for so-called dry connection to the wearer’s skin to measure ECG signals.

[0072] The first sensor 218 and the second sensor 220 are provided on the garment 106, made from a fabric and, in particular, are provided so that they extend from a second fabric surface 236 so that the sensors make contact with the skin of the wearer 116 when the garment 106 is being worn.

[0073] The first second conductive pathway 224 and the second first conductive pathway 222 extend from the respective sensor through the fabric and along a first fabric surfaces 234. The sensor 218 and sensor 220 terminate at the respective first termination point 226 and second termination point 228 provided on the second fabric surface 236.

[0074] The first fabric layer 604 has a first aperture 608 and a second aperture 610 coincident with respective sensor 218 and sensors 220

[0075] The first termination point 226 and second termination point 228 can the coupe to the respective first contact 230 and second contact 232 of the electronics module 110 when the electronics modules 110 is coupled to the garment 106

[0076] The power source 206 may comprise one or a plurality of power sources. The power source 206 may be a battery. The battery may be a rechargeable battery. The battery may be a rechargeable battery adapted to be charged wirelessly such as by inductive charging. The power source 206 may comprise an energy harvesting device. The energy harvesting device may be configured to generate electric power signals in response to kinetic events such as kinetic events performed by the wearer 116 of the garment 106 . The kinetic event could include walking, running, exercising or respiration of the wearer 116. The energy harvesting material may comprise a piezoelectric material which generates electricity in response to mechanical deformation of the converter. The energy harvesting device may harvest energy from body heat of the wearer 600 of the garment. The energy harvesting device may be a thermoelectric energy harvesting device. The power source 206 may be a super capacitor, or an energy cell.

[0077] The first antenna 208 is arranged to communicatively couple with the user electronic device 102 using a first communication protocol. The user electronic device 102 is powered to induce a magnetic field in an antenna of the user electronic device 102. When the user electronic device 102 is placed in the magnetic field of the first antenna 208, the user electronic device 102 induces current in the first antenna 208. This induced current is used to retrieve the information from a memory of the electronics module 110 and transmit the same back to the user electronic device 102. The controller 204 is arranged to energize the first antenna 208 to transmit information.

[0078] In an example operation, the user electronic device 102 is brought into proximity with the electronics module 110. In response to this, the electronics module 100 is configured to energize the first antenna 208 to transmit information to the user electronic device 102 over the first wireless communication protocol. Beneficially, this means that the act of the user electronic device 102 approaching the electronics module 110 energizes the first antenna 107 to transmit the information to the user electronic device 102.

[0079] The information may comprise a unique identifier for the electronics module 110. The unique identifier for the electronics module 100 may be an address for the electronics module 100 such as a MAC address or Bluetooth ® address.

[0080] The information may comprise authentication information used to facilitate the pairing between the electronics module 110 and the user electronic device 102 over the second wireless communication protocol. This means that the transmitted information is used as part of an out of band (OOB) pairing process.

[0081] The information may comprise application information which may be used by the user electronic device 102 to start an application on the user electronic device 102 or configure an application running on the user electronic device 102. The application may be started on the user electronic device 102 automatically (e.g. without wearer 116 input). Alternatively, the application information may cause the user electronic device 102 to prompt the wearer 116 to start the application on the user electronic device. The information may comprise a uniform resource identifier such as a uniform resource location to be accessed by the user electronic device, or text to be displayed on the user electronic device for example. It will be appreciated that the same electronics module 110 can transmit any of the above example information either alone or in combination. The electronics module 100 may transmit different types of information depending on the current operational state of the electronics module 100 and based on information it receives from other devices such as the user electronic device 102.

[0082] The second antenna 210 is arranged to communicatively couple with the user electronic device 300 over a second wireless communication protocol. The second wireless communication protocol may be a Bluetooth ® protocol, Bluetooth ® 5 or a Bluetooth ® Low Energy protocol but is not limited to any particular communication protocol. In the present embodiment, the second antenna 210 is integrated into controller 204. The second antenna 210enables communication between the user electronic device 102 and the controller 204 for configuration and set up of the controller 204and the peripheral devices as may be required. Configuration of the controller 204and peripheral devices utilises the Bluetooth ® protocol.

[0083] Other wireless communication protocols can also be used, such as used for communication over: a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless metro area network (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), Bluetooth ® Low Energy, Bluetooth ® Mesh, Thread, Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, Ant, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), a cellular communication network, or any other electromagnetic RF communication protocol. The cellular communication network may be a fourth generation (4G) LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), LTE Cat-Mi, LTE Cat-M2, NB-IoT, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), and / or any other present or future developed cellular wireless network.

[0084] A more detailed block diagram of the electronics components of electronics module 100 and garment are shown in Figure 3.

[0085] The electronics module 110 includes configured a clock unit in the form of a real time clock 216 coupled to the controller 204 and, for example, to be used for data logging, clock building, time stamping, timers, and alarms. As an example, the real time clock 216 is driven by a low frequency clock source or crystal operated at 32.768 Hz.

[0086] The electronics module 110 also includes a location device 306 such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) device which is arranged to provide location and position data for applications as required. In particular, the location device 306provides geographical location data at least to a nation state level. Any device suitable for providing location, navigation or for tracking the position could be utilised. The GNSS device may include Global Positioning System (GPS), BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and the Galileo system devices.

[0087] The power source 206 in this example is a lithium polymer battery. The battery is rechargeable and charged via a USB-C input 314 of the electronics module 110. Of course, the present disclosure is not limited to recharging via USB and instead other forms of charging such as inductive of far field wireless charging are within the scope of the present disclosure. Additional battery management functionality is provided in terms of a charge controller 328, battery monitor 326 and regulator 324. These components may be provided through use of a dedicated power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0088] The USB-C input 314is also coupled to the controller 204 to enable direct communication between the controller 204 and an external device if required.

[0089] The controller 204 is communicatively connected to a battery monitor 326 so that that the controller 204 may obtain information about the state of charge of the power source 206.

[0090] The controller 204 has an internal memory 330 and is also communicatively connected to an external memory 320 which in this example is a NAND Flash memory. The external memory 320 is used to for the storage of data when no wireless connection is available between the electronics module 110 and a user electronic device 102. The external memory 320 may have a storage capacity of at least 1GB and preferably at least 2 GB.

[0091] The electronics module 110 also comprises a temperature sensor 316 and a light emitting diode 304 for conveying status information. The electronics module 110 also comprises conventional electronics components including a power-on-reset generator 312, a development connector 310, the real time clock 216 and a PROG header 308.

[0092] Additionally, the electronics module 110 may comprise a haptic feedback unit 302 for providing a haptic (vibrational) feedback to the wearer 116.

[0093] The wireless communicator 159 may provide wireless communication capabilities for the garment 200 and enables the garment to communicate via one or more wireless communication protocols to a remote server 114. Wireless communications may include : a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless metro area network (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), Bluetooth ® Low Energy, Bluetooth ® Mesh, Bluetooth ® 5, Thread, Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, Ant, a near field communication (NFC), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), a cellular communication network, or any other electromagnetic RF communication protocol. The cellular communication network may be a fourth generation (4G) LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), LTE Cat-Mi, LTE Cat-M2, NB-IoT, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), and / or any other present or future developed cellular wireless network.

[0094] The wireless communicator 212 may be an alternative, or in addition to, the first antenna 208 and the second antenna 210.

[0095] The electronics module 110 may additionally comprise a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) that enables the garment to access services provided by a mobile network operator (MNO) or virtual mobile network operator (VMNO). The UICC may include at least a read-only memory (ROM) configured to store an MNO or VMNO profile that the garment can utilize to register and interact with an MNO or VMNO. The UICC may be in the form of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. The electronics module 100 may have a receiving section arranged to receive the SIM card. In other examples, the UICC is embedded directly into a controller of the electronics module 100. That is, the UICC may be an electronic / embedded UICC (eUICC). A eUICC is beneficial as it removes the need to store a number of MNO profiles, i.e. electronic Subscriber Identity Modules (eSIMs). Moreover, eSIMs can be remotely provisioned to garments. The electronics module 110 may comprise a secure element that represents an 35 embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC).

[0096] The controller 204 is connected to the interface 202 101 via an ADC (analog-to-digital converter) front end 214 and an electrostatic discharge protection circuit 318.

[0097] Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of the component circuitry for the ADC front end 214.

[0098] In the example described herein, the ADC front end 214 is an integrated circuit (IC) chip which converts the raw analogue biosignal received from the sensor 218 and sensor 220 into a digital signal for further processing by the controller 204. ADC IC chips are known, and any suitable one can be utilised to provide this functionality. ADC IC chips for ECG applications include, for example, the MAX30003 chip produced by Maxim Integrated Products Inc.

[0099] The ADC front end 214 includes an ADC input 402 and an ADC output 404.

[0100] Raw biosignals from the sensor 218 and sensor 220 are input to the ADC front end 214, where received signals are processed in an ECG channel 406 and subject to appropriate filtering through high pass and low pass filters for static discharge and interference reduction as well as for reducing bandwidth prior to conversion to digital signals. The reduction in bandwidth is important to remove or reduce motion artefacts that give rise to noise in the signal due to movement of the sensors 218 and sensor 220.

[0101] The output digital signals may be decimated to reduce the sampling rate prior to being passed to a serial programmable interface of the ADC front end 214.

[0102] ADC front end IC chips suitable for ECG applications may be configured to determine information from the input biosignals such as heart rate and the QRS complex and including the R-R interval of the QRS complex. Support circuitry 408 provides base voltages for the ECG channel 406.

[0103] The determining of the QRS complex can be implemented for example using the known Pan Tomkins algorithm as described in Pan, Jiapu; Tompkins, Willis J. (March 1985). "A Real-Time QRS Detection Algorithm". IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. BME-32 (3): 230-236.

[0104] Signals are output to the controller 204 via the serial peripheral interface 410.

[0105] The controller 204 can also be configured to apply digital signal processing (DSP) to the digital signal from the ADC front end 214.

[0106] The DSP may include noise filtering additional to that carried out in the ADC front end 214 and may also include additional processing to determine further information about the signal from the ADC front end 214.

[0107] The controller 204 is configured to send the biosignals to the user electronic device 102 using either of the first antenna 208, second antenna 210, or wireless communicator 212.

[0108] In some examples, an input unit - such as the inertial measurement unit 322 - is arranged to detect a displacement of the electronics module 110. These displacements of the electronics module 110 may be caused by the object being tapped against the electronics module 110 or by the wearer 116 of the electronics module 110 being in motion, for example walking or running, or simply getting up from a recumbent position.

[0109] In the exemplar embodiment described herein, motion detection is provided by the inertial measurement unit 322 which may comprise an accelerometer and optionally one or both of a gyroscope and a magnetometer. A gyroscope / magnetometer is not required in all examples, and instead only an accelerometer may be provided, or a gyroscope / magnetometer may be present but put into a low power state.

[0110] The input unit could be an AI system, machine or engine.

[0111] The inertial measurement unit 322 can therefore be used to detect can detect orientation and gestures with event-detection interrupts enabling motion tracking and contextual awareness. It has recognition of free-fall events, tap and double-tap sensing, activity or inactivity, stationary / motion detection, and wakeup events in addition to 6D orientation. A single tap, for example, can be used enable toggling through various modes or waking the electronics module 110 from a low power mode.

[0112] Known examples of inertial measurement units 322 that can be used for this application include the ST LSM6DSOX manufactured by STMicroelectronics. This example is a system-in-package inertial measurement unit (IMU) featuring a 3D digital accelerometer and a 3D digital gyroscope.

[0113] Another example of a known IMU suitable for this application is the LSM6DSO also be STMicroelectronics.

[0114] The inertial measurement unit 322 can include machine learning functionality, for example as provided in the ST LSM6DSOX. The machine learning functionality is implemented in a machine learning core (MLC). The machine earning processing capability uses decision-tree logic. The MLC is an embedded feature of the inertial measurement unit 322 and comprises a set of configurable parameters and decision trees. As is understood in the art, decision tree is a mathematical tool composed of a series of configurable nodes. Each node is characterized by an “if-then-else” condition, where an input signal (represented by statistical parameters calculated from the sensor data) is evaluated against a threshold.

[0115] Decision trees are stored and generate results in the dedicated output registers. The results of the decision tree can be read from the application processor at any time. Furthermore, there is the possibility to generate an interrupt for every change in the result in the decision tree, which is beneficial in maintaining low-power consumption.

[0116] Decision trees can be generated using a known machine learning tool such as Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis software (Weka) developed by the University of Waikato or using MATLAB® or Python™.

[0117] In an example operation, the wearer 116 has positioned the electronics module 110 within the pocket 112 (Figure 1) of the garment 106 and is wearing the garment 106. The wearer 116 taps their hand or user electronic device 102 e.g. mobile phone, against the pocket 112 and this tap event is detected by the input unit of the electronics module 110, which in this exemplar embodiment is the inertial measurement unit 322. The inertial measurement unit 322 sends a signal to the controller 204 to wake-up the controller 204 from the low power mode.

[0118] A processor of the inertial measurement unit 322 may perform processing tasks to classify different types of detected motion. The processor of the inertial measurement unit 322 may use the machine-learning functions so as to perform this classification. Performing the processing operations on the inertial measurement unit 322 rather than the controller 204 is beneficial as it reduces power consumption and leaves the controller 204 free to perform other tasks. In addition, it allows for motion events to be detected even when the controller 103 is operating in a low power mode.

[0119] The inertial measurement unit 322 may be configured to detect when the electronics module 110 has been stationary but then begins to move, for example when left on a surface but then attached to the garment 106. The inertial measurement unit 322 may be configured to detect that the wearer 116 of the garment 106, with the electronics module 110 attached, is resting, or is moving, for example during exercise. The inertial measurement unit 322 may be configured to establish the level of activity, for example, whether the wearer 116 is walking or running.

[0120] The inertial measurement unit 322 communicates with the controller 204 over a serial protocol such as the Serial Peripheral, Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C), Controller Area Network (CAN), and Recommended Standard 232 (RS-232). Other serial protocols are within the scope of the present disclosure. The inertial measurement unit 322 is also able to send interrupt signals to the controller 204 when required so as to transition the controller 204 from a low power model to a normal power mode when a motion event is detected, for example, or vice versa. The interrupt signals may be transmitted via one or more dedicated interrupt pins.

[0121] The user electronic device 102 in the example of Figure 5 is in the form of a mobile phone or tablet and comprises a controller 506, a memory 510, a wireless communicator 512, a display 504, a user input unit 508, a capturing device in the form of a camera 502 and an inertial measurement unit 514. The controller 506 provides overall control to the user electronic device 102.

[0122] The user input unit 508 receives inputs from the user such as a user credential.

[0123] The memory 510 stores information for the user electronic device 102.

[0124] The display 504 is arranged to display a user interface for applications operable on the user electronic device 102.

[0125] The inertial measurement unit 514 provides motion and / or orientation detection and may comprise an accelerometer and optionally one or both of a gyroscope and a magnetometer.

[0126] The user electronic device 102 may also include a biometric sensor. The biometric sensor may be used to identify a user or users of device based on unique physiological features. The biometric sensor may be: a fingerprint sensor used to capture an image of a user's fingerprint; an iris scanner or a retina scanner configured to capture an image of a user's iris or retina; an ECG module used to measure the user’s ECG; or the camera 502 of the user electronic device 102 arranged to capture the face of the user. The biometric sensor may be an internal module of the user electronic device 102. The biometric module may be an external (stand-alone) device which may be coupled to the user electronic device by a wired or wireless link.

[0127] The controller 506 is configured to launch an application which is configured to display insights derived from the biosignal data processed by the ADC front end 214 of the electronics module 110, input to electronics module controller 204, and then transmitted from the electronics module 110. The transmitted data is received by the wireless communicator 512 of the user electronic device 102 and input to the controller 506.

[0128] Insights include, but are not limited to, heart rate, respiration rate, core temperature but can also include identification data for the wearer 116 using the wearable assembly 108.

[0129] The display 504 is also configured to display an ECG signal trace part of the user interface. To display a signal trace may require raw ECG data from the electronics module 110.

[0130] The display 504 may be a presence-sensitive display and therefore may comprise the user input unit 508. The presence-sensitive display may include a display component and a presence-sensitive input component. The presence sensitive display may be a touch-screen display arranged as part of the user interface.

[0131] User electronic devices in accordance with the present invention are not limited to mobile phones or tablets and may take the form of any electronic device which may be used by a user to perform the methods according to aspects of the present invention. The user electronic device 300 may be a electronics module such as a smartphone, tablet personal computer (PC), mobile phone, smart phone, video telephone, laptop PC, netbook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile medical device, camera or wearable device. The user electronic device 102 may include a head-mounted device such as an Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality or Mixed Reality head-mounted device. The user electronic device 102 may be desktop PC, workstations, television apparatus or a projector, e.g. arranged to project a display onto a surface.

[0132] In use, the electronics module 110 is configured to receive raw biosignal data from the sensor 218 and sensor 220 which are coupled to the controller 204 via the interface 202 and the ADC front end 214 for further processing and transmission to the user electronic device 102 as described above. The data transmitted to the user electronics user electronic device 102 includes raw or processed biosignal data such as ECG data, heart rate, respiration data, core temperature, IMU data and other insights as determined, and as required.

[0133] The controller 506 of the user electronics user electronic device 102 is also operable to launch an application which is configured to receive, process and display data, such as raw or processed biosignal data, from the electronics module 110. A user, such as the wearer 116, is able to configure the application, using user inputs, to receive, process and display the received data in accordance with these user inputs.

[0134] The user electronic device 102 is arranged to receive the transmitted data from the electronics module 110 via the wireless communicator 512 and which are coupled to the controller 506, and then to process and display the data in accordance with the user configuration.

[0135] The controller 506 of the user electronics user electronic device 102 is operable to display information to a user on the display 504 as part of the user interface. Information displayed can be an ECG trace as well using raw data points transmitted from the electronics module 110. Other insights and data can be displayed on the display 504 as required. Examples might be a heart rate in beats per minute, core temperature data and respiration rate.

[0136] As mentioned above, the inertial measurement unit 322 of the electronics module 110 can be configured to use decision tree logic to determine the activity level of the wearer of the electronics module 100 and to provide an output to the controller 204. The inertial measurement unit 322 can also be configured to determine additional motion data in relation to the electronics module 110.

[0137] The location of the wearer can be established using the location device 161 which, as described above, is operable to provide location data to the controller 103.

[0138] FIG. 6A is a schematic representation of the arrangement of sensing units 602 provided on the garment 106. In particular the arrangement of the first sensor 218, second sensor 220, first termination point 226, second termination point 228, first conductive pathway 222, and second conductive pathway 224 are illustrated.

[0139] The garment is made from a fabric and has a first fabric surface 234 and a second fabric surfaces 236. The second fabric surface 236 is arranged to be against the skin of a wearer 116 of the garment 106, when the garment 106 is being worn. The first fabric surface 234 faces outwards and away from the skin of the wearer 116.

[0140] The first termination point 226 and the second termination point 228 are provided on a second fabric surface 236 of the garment 106, whilst the sensor 218 and sensor 220 are provided on the first fabric surface 234. As already described, the first sensor 218 and the first second termination point 228 are connected by the first conductive pathway 222 and the second sensors 218 and second termination point 228 are connected by the second conductive pathways 224.

[0141] In an example embodiment, the garment 106 can be made from two layers of fabric: a first fabric layer 604 and a second fabric layer 606. Sandwiched between the two layers are the first second conductive pathway 224 and the second first conductive pathway 222.

[0142] The first fabric layer 604 has a first aperture 608 and a second aperture 610 coincident with respective sensor 218 and sensors 220 so that the sensors can have contact with the skin of the wearer 116 when the garment 106 is being worn.

[0143] The second fabric layer 606 has a third aperture 612 and a fourth aperture 614 coincident with the respective first termination point 226 and second termination point 228 so that the first termination point 226 and second termination point 228 can connect to the respective first contacts 230 and second contact 232 of the electronics module 110 when the electronics modules 110 is coupled to the garment 106.

[0144] In one example, the sensor 218, sensors 220, first conductive pathway 222, second conductive pathway 224, first second termination point 228 and second termination point 228 can be made from a layer of conductive polymer. In another embodiment, the the sensor 218, sensors 220, first conductive pathway 222, second conductive pathway 224, first second termination point 228 and second termination point 228 can be formed by knitting using conductive yarn integral with the fabric of the garment. In another embodiment, combination of conductive polymers and knitted conductive yarn can be used. As described above, other woven and non-woven techniques are materials can be used.

[0145] In an embodiment of the invention, the first conductive pathway 222 and the second conductive pathway 224 are warp knitted articles that can be incorporated into a body of a wearable article such as the garment 106.

[0146] In one example embodiment, the first conductive pathway 222 and second conductive pathway 224 are made using a narrow fabric warp knitting machine, sometimes referred to as a crochet warp knitting machine.

[0147] In warp knitting machines the needles are provided on straight bars with yarn for the warp being supplied via guides. FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of some of the components of a crochet warp knitting machine 712. Crochet warp knitting machines are a form of Raschel knitting machine and are known to persons skilled in the art. As such, operation of these will only be described briefly in this description. Crochet warp knitting machines machines include a needle 702 supported on a needle bar 706. The needle 702 is a bearded needle in this embodiment although other types of needle such as a latch needle or compound needle could be used. Each needle 702 has an opposing respective guide 704. Yarn 708 is formed into loops 710 to form warp chains 802 that form a length of narrow fabric.

[0148] The needle bar 706 and guide 704 are arranged for reciprocating movement for the needles 702 and for a shogging or side-to-side motion for the guides 704. Both are controlled by a motor (not shown). Each needle 702 forms a warp chain 802 of loops 710, whilst a shuttle 902 (not shown in FIG. 7) provides a weft yarn 1002 which joins the warp chain 802 as will be described in more detail below.

[0149] FIG. 8 illustrate the knitting cycle of the warp knitting machine 712 of FIG. 7.

[0150] At step 8A the needle 702 is in a first position with a loop 710 of yarn 708 around the hook 804 of the needle 702 and the yarn 708 running from the guide 704 (not shown in FIG. 8). Previous loops form part of a warp chain 802.

[0151] At step 8B the needle 702 begins to move from the first position in the direction of the arrow in step 8A and translates horizontally to a second position.

[0152] In step 8C, the guide shogs so as to translate horizontally in front of the needle 702 at the hook side for one needle space. This causes the yarn 708 to hook around the hook 804 - see step 8D. At this point the needle 702 begins to move back to the initial first position as indicated by the arrow in step 8D. This movement causes the newly-wrapped yarn 708 to be caught in the hook 804 and the previous loop 710 to slip over the hook 804 and form part of the warp chain 802.

[0153] At step 8F, the needle 702 is back at the initial position with a loop of the warp chain 802 formed and the knitting cycle can start again.

[0154] FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of the warp knitting machine 712 used to create a knitted article in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and referred to in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

[0155] The warp knitting machine 712 comprises a bed of needles 702 with a rank of opposing guides 704. In the present embodiment, a group of seven (7) needles 702 with corresponding guides 704 is used to knit the knitted article and in particular to knit a conductive pathway.

[0156] Five (5) warp chains are formed in the group of needles 702 using yarn 708 with a first pair of warp chains 906 on the first and second needles 702, the third needle 702 is empty, a single warp chain 906 is formed using the fourth needle 702 with a second pair of warp chains 906 formed using the sixth and seventh needles 702 with the fifth needle 702 also being empty. The warp chains 906 are formed from a non-conductive yarn. Any non-conductive yarn may be used. The yarn may be formed from natural or synthetic fibres or may be blend of natural and synthetic fibres. An example non-conductive yarn is a composite fabric elastomeric yarn. In particular, a composite fabric elastomeric yarn comprising 81% nylon and 19% elastane. Of course, other non-conductive yarns may be used as desired by the skilled person.

[0157] Weft courses 1004 are formed from the weft yarn 1002. The weft courses 1004 are formed using the shuttle 902 which carries an electrically conductive yarn 904. The shuttle 902 traverses back and forwards in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the warp chains 906.

[0158] Step 9B shows a first traverse and the step 9B shows a second traverse following on from the first traverse to form a respective first and second weft courses 1004. For each traverse, each needle 702 forms a single loop 710 around the electrically conductive yarn 904, so as to retain the electrically conductive yarn 904 in place and attached to the warp chains 906.

[0159] The electrically conductive yarn 904 may be any form of yarn that is electrically conductive. The electrically conductive yarn 904 may be formed from a conductive metal such as copper, silver or stainless-steel. The electrically conductive yarn 904 may comprise a non-conductive or less conductive base yarn which is coated or embedded with conductive material such as carbon, copper or silver. The electrically conductive yarns 904 may be a stainless-steel yarn such as those manufactured by TIBTECH Innovations. The electrically conductive yarn 904 may comprise silver bonded to a nylon core such as the conductive yarn sold as Circuitex (RTM) by Noble Biomaterials Limited.

[0160] FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of the formation of a part of the first conductive pathway 222 or the second conductive pathway 224 formed from electrically conductive yarn 904. Both are knitted in the same way.

[0161] FIG. 10 shows a portion of a conductive pathway 222, 224 in which eleven (11) traverses of the shuttle 902 have been made to form a plurality of weft courses 1004 formed using the electrically conductive weft yarn 1002.

[0162] As such, the weft yarn 1002 is arranged in a curved path extending back-and-forth across the group of needles 702 in a waved configuration to form the weft courses 1004.

[0163] With a conductive pathway formed in this way, it is found that stretching of the conductive yarn is reduced even whilst the conductive pathway is stretched when incorporated in a garment that stretches when worn. This leads to a reduction to distortions in, and degradation of, the biosignals as they are transmitted down the communication pathway from the sensors. The change in the resistivity and / or resistance of the conductive pathway is relatively linear with respect to changes in length of the conductive pathway as a result of being stretched when the garment is worn, which enables corrections to be applied to provide more accurate data from the biosignals. Experiments suggest that the resistance decreases as the conductive pathway is stretched in the longitudinal direction (as indicated by the doubleheaded arrow 1006 of FIG. 10), with a measured change in resistance of about 5 Ohms per centimetre of longitudinal stretch. However, a skilled person would understand that other values of change in resistance per unit length of stretch can vary depending upon characteristics of the conductive yarn and the structure of the knitted article.

[0164] In an alternative, rather than having a single shuttle and one strand of electrically conductive yarn, multiple shuttles with multiple strands of electrically conductive yarn can be used to form the weft yarn 1002.

[0165] Whilst the example embodiments described above are implemented on specific components of the system 10, it will be understood that other combinations are possible. For example, steps implemented on the wearable assembly 108, user electronic device 102 or remote server 114 could equally be carried out on another of the wearable assembly 108, user electronic device 102 or remote server 114.

[0166] In some embodiments, the described elements may be configured to reside on a tangible, persistent, addressable storage medium and may be configured to execute on one or more processors. These functional elements may in some embodiments include, by way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

[0167] Although the example embodiments have been described with reference to the components, modules and units discussed herein, such functional elements may be combined into fewer elements or separated into additional elements. Various combinations of optional features have been described herein, and it will be appreciated that described features may be combined in any suitable combination. In particular, the features of any one example embodiment may be combined with features of any other embodiment, as appropriate, except where such combinations are mutually exclusive. Throughout this specification, the term “comprising” or “comprises” means including the component(s) specified but not to the exclusion of the presence of others.

[0168] All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and / or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and / or steps are mutually exclusive.

[0169] Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

[0170] The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. A knitted article for a wearable article, the knitted article comprising a plurality of warp chains formed of loops of yarn and a plurality of courses of a weft yarn attached to each of the plurality of warp chains by a loop formed around the weft yarn.

2. A knitted article according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of courses of weft yarn comprises a single continuous yarn arranged in a path extending back-and-forth across the plurality of warp chains in a waved configuration.

3. A knitted article according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each course of the plurality of courses of weft yarn is formed from a separate yarn.

4. A knitted article according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the plurality of warp chains comprise a group of equidistantly spaced warp chains.

5. A knitted article according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the plurality of warp chains comprise a group of non-equidistantly spaced warp chains.

6. A knitted article according any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the weft yarn is an electrically conducting yarn and the warp chains are formed from non-electrically conducting yarn.

7. A knitted article according any one of claims 1 to 6, forms a conductive pathway arranged for coupling to a sensor of the wearable article.

8. A wearable article including a knitted article according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method of knitted knitted article, the method including the steps of: forming a plurality of warp chains comprising loops of yarn; forming a plurality of courses of a weft yarn; andattaching each course of the weft yarn to each of the plurality of warp chains by forming a loop in the warp chain around the weft yarn.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the plurality of courses of weft yarn are formed from a single continuous yarn arranged in a curved path extending back-and-forth across the plurality of warp chains in a waved configuration.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein each course of the plurality of courses of weft yarn is formed from a separate yarn.

12. The method of any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the warp chains are formed as a group of equidistantly spaced warp chains.

13. The method of any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the warp chains are formed as a group of non-equidistantly spaced warp chains.

14. The method of any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the warp chains are knitted of non-electrically conductive yarn.

15. The method of any one of claims 9 to 14, comprising knitting with a an electrically conductive weft yarn.

16. The method of any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein the knitted article is knitted to form a conductive pathway, knitted integrally with the wearable article, and arranged for coupling to a sensor of the wearable article.IntellectualPropertyOfficeApplication GB2404275.6Search report under Section 17 of the Patents Act 1977Date search completed: 04 September 2025Claims searched: 1-16International classificationSubclass and subgroup Valid from D02G3 / 44 01 / 01 / 2006 D04B21 / 14 01 / 01 / 2006Field of searchWorldwide search of patent documents classified in the following areas of the IPC:D03D, D04BDatabases used in the preparation of this search report:SEARCH-PATENTDocuments considered to be relevantPatent literatureCategory Relevant claims Document of relevance X 1-16 US 2007 / 0089800 A1 (SHARMA), See whole document, especially fig. 2e paragraph 19927Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.gov.uk / ipoX 1-16 US 2005 / 0081913 A1 (EBBESEN et al.), See whole document, especially fig. 1d and paragraphs 73-74 X 1-6, 8-15 GB 0482795 A (ALEXANDER CHARLES HARRIS), See whole document, especially fig. 2 and page 6, lines 36-74 X 1-6, 8-15 KR 1020120023161 A (PARK SANG GU), See whole document, especially figs. 1 &3 and paragraph 14Non-patent literatureCategory Relevant claims Document of relevanceCategoriesLetter or DescriptionsymbolX Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step.Y Document indicating lack of inventive step, if combined with anotherdocument of the same category.& Member of the same patent family. A Document indicating technological background. P Document published on or after the priority date but before the fling date of the present application.Letter or symbol Description E Earlier application published on or after the filing date of the present application.

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