Concealed Heated Vest Control With Haptic Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrically heated articles of apparel require visible and accessible control devices with LED lights, leading to bulky installations, compromised waterproofing, and limited aesthetic appeal, with inconvenient and potentially damaging external wiring and charging cables.
Innovation Solution
A concealed control module with a push-button switch and haptic feedback device, allowing for non-visual communication through vibrations, eliminating the need for external mounting and maintaining waterproofing, with all wiring and heating circuits enclosed within the apparel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If control devices with LED lights are mounted on the outer surface for visual access, then user interaction is improved, but the article becomes bulky and aesthetically compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the visual display function (LED lights) from the control device and replaces it with a haptic feedback mechanism. The control device is mounted on the inner surface of the article, removing external visual elements while maintaining user interaction capability through tactile feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the optical feedback system (LED lights) with a mechanical/haptic feedback system. A vibratory motor or actuator provides tactile feedback to the user, substituting visual signals with mechanical vibrations that can be felt through the article material.
2Ease of operation
If control devices are mounted externally for easy access, then ease of operation is improved, but waterproofing and wind protection are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional mounting approach by placing the control device on the inner surface of the article rather than the outer surface. This reversal allows the control device to be protected by the article's outer shell while maintaining accessibility through the inner surface opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device is nested within the article structure, with the outer shell providing protection against environmental factors. The control device is positioned in a recess or pocket on the inner surface, creating a nested configuration where the article itself protects the control components.
3Ease of operation
If wiring is extended externally for charging and control, then accessibility is improved, but the wiring becomes vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The wiring is nested within the article's internal structure rather than extending externally. The charging port and control connections are routed through the article's fabric and layers, protecting the wiring from external damage while maintaining accessibility through designated openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The wiring is encased in flexible protective conduits or channels formed within the article's fabric layers. These flexible protective structures allow the wiring to move with the article while providing mechanical protection against damage from bending, stretching, or external forces.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables a compact, waterproof, and aesthetically pleasing design with secure, convenient, and damage-resistant operation of electrically heated apparel, providing haptic feedback for user interaction without compromising the outer fabric's integrity.
Implementation Method 1
an haptic feedback device to generate vibration communication signals to a wearer's body by the sense of touch
Implementation Method 2
heating wire circuits secured at predetermined locations in the upper body enclosing shell
Data Source
AI summary
An electrically heatable article of apparel, in the form of a vest is equipped with a discrete and concealed control module which is provided with a finger actuating switch positioned for easy access by the fingers of a wearer person. The control module switch transmits communication signals in the form of time retention presses on the finger actuation switch button to cause the programed control circuit of the module to perform stored programmed functions. An haptic feedback device is mounted on a printed circuit board of the control module to generate vibration communication signals to a wearer person's body by the sense of touch. The printed circuit board also acts as a vibration transmitting medium to the finger actuating switch to permit a user person to feel the vibration times of the retention presses through its finger. The control module is mounted in an accessible concealed and discrete area of the vest providing easy access to the finger actuating switch by the fingers of a wearer person and is not visible to the eye.