Conductive Fabric Structure for Wearable Electronics Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable textile technologies face limitations in flexibility, fault tolerance, and manufacturing complexity due to the need for robust and small electronic devices integrated into fabrics, which restricts device choice and requires redundant components, and lack efficient communication and power distribution between components.
Innovation Solution
A fabric structure with a combination of electrically conducting and non-conducting fibers, where electronic components are connected to conducting fibers, allowing for reduced wiring, flexible design, and fault detection, enabling communication and power distribution through these fibers, and using bridge components for complex connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electronic devices are mounted on substrate woven into fabric before article is made, then devices can be integrated into fabric, but device choice is limited and devices must be small and robust to survive weaving process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by weaving conductive yarns into the fabric substrate before mounting electronic components. The conductive yarns are pre-positioned to form connection paths, allowing components to be mounted later without surviving the weaving process. This enables use of larger, less robust components while maintaining integrated fabric construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the electronic system into separate components that can be independently selected and mounted on the fabric. Rather than integrating devices into the woven substrate itself, the system divides functionality into discrete components connected by conductive yarns, enabling greater device choice and flexibility.
2Ease of manufacture
If generic fabric is created for all applications, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but redundant components are present in many situations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables dynamic configuration of the electronic fabric system by allowing different components to be mounted on standard conductive yarn substrates. The system can be adapted to specific applications by selecting and mounting only the necessary components, eliminating redundancy while maintaining a generic manufacturable base fabric structure.
3Reliability
If components are mounted on conducting fibres with insulating layers, then components can be connected to fibres, but manufacturing process becomes complicated and less tolerant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the insulating layer from the conducting yarns at mounting locations, creating exposed conductive surfaces for component attachment. This extraction approach simplifies the manufacturing process compared to penetrating insulating layers, while maintaining reliable electrical connections between components and conductive yarns.
4Ease of manufacture
If fabric is designed with fixed wiring layout, then manufacturing is simplified, but design flexibility and fault tolerance are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a two-dimensional grid of conductive yarns (warp and weft directions) to create multiple possible connection paths between components. This dimensional approach allows flexible routing of electrical connections while maintaining simple woven fabric construction, and provides alternative paths for fault tolerance.
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
This approach reduces the overall design surface area, allows for 'cut-to-measure' fabric designs, enhances fault tolerance, and simplifies manufacturing, enabling flexible and efficient operation of electronic systems in wearable textiles.
Implementation Method 1
each of the warp and weft comprising a combination of electrically conducting fibres and electrically non-conducting fibres, each electronic component connected to at least one electrically conducting fibre
Data Source
AI summary
A structure comprises a fabric (28) with electronic components (10, 12) mounted thereon. The fabric (28) comprises a warp and weft of fibers (30, 32), each of the warp and weft comprising a combination of electrically conducting fibers (30) and electrically non-conducting fibers (32). The electronic components (10, 12) are connected to at least one electrically conducting fiber (30). The electronic components, in a preferred embodiment comprise a plurality of end of line elements (10) and a corresponding plurality of groups of line elements (12), each group of line elements (12) connected to an end of line element (10).