Connected Textile Heating Assembly for Coordinated Garment Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heating systems in clothing are bulky, require manual adjustment, and lack coordinated temperature regulation across multiple garments, leading to inefficiencies and potential failure of individual systems.
Innovation Solution
An electrical active assembly with interconnected textile supports, sensors, and controlling units that allow cross-regulation of physical effects like heat or humidity across different parts of the body by coordinating the activation of heating elements based on sensed data from temperature or humidity sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional heating systems are used in each garment separately, then each garment can provide independent heating, but the systems are bulky, heavy, and require manual adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heating systems into a unified network where heating elements from different garments communicate through a common control architecture. The central controlling unit coordinates heating across multiple garments, allowing them to function as an integrated system rather than separate bulky units, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The controlling unit is designed to universally manage heating elements across multiple garments rather than being dedicated to a single garment. This multi-functional controller can adjust and coordinate heating in different garments based on sensor data, eliminating the need for separate manual adjustment mechanisms in each garment and reducing overall system weight
2Ease of operation
If multiple garments with independent heating systems are worn, then each garment can be adjusted separately, but the systems cannot coordinate temperature regulation across different body parts
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors in multiple garments that continuously monitor temperature and humidity conditions. This feedback is transmitted to the central controlling unit, which automatically adjusts heating elements across different garments to achieve coordinated temperature regulation. This eliminates the need for manual adjustment while providing adaptive coordination across body parts
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system transitions from static manual adjustment to dynamic automated control. The controlling unit continuously receives sensor data and dynamically adjusts heating parameters across multiple garments in real-time, enabling the system to adapt to changing thermal conditions and coordinate temperature regulation across different body parts without user intervention
3Temperature
If all heating pads are activated to provide heat, then sufficient heating is delivered, but the system consumes excessive energy and lacks range of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system activates heating elements locally based on specific sensor readings from different body regions. Rather than uniformly heating all garments, the controlling unit identifies which areas require heating and activates only those specific heating elements, thereby maintaining sufficient temperature output while significantly reducing overall energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial heating action by activating only the necessary portion of heating elements based on actual thermal needs. The controlling unit assesses sensor data and activates heating elements in a staged manner, providing sufficient heating where needed while avoiding excessive energy consumption from activating all heating pads simultaneously
4Power
If two garments with independent heating systems are worn, then both can provide heating, but adjusting both separately is cumbersome and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control functions for multiple garments into a single central controlling unit. This unified controller manages heating elements across both garments simultaneously, coordinating their operation based on sensor feedback. This combining of control functions maintains the heating power of multiple garments while eliminating the need for separate manual adjustment, thereby improving ease of operation
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 efficient and automated temperature or humidity regulation across multiple garments, ensuring comfort by dynamically adjusting heating based on sensed conditions, and allowing independent operation or interaction between systems.
Implementation Method 1
an first active element adapted for generating said physical effect and for being connected to a power source
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to an electrical active assembly for generating a physical effect such as heat, cold or humidity, and a textile assembly, such as a clothing assembly, including the active assembly, with an application to a system for regulating the temperature or humidity of a user's body. The active assembly comprises a first and second textile supports. A first active element 1 for generating the physical effect, a first sensor 2 for sensing data relative to a physical information, and a first controlling unit 3 connected to the first active element and sensor, are located on the first textile support, such as to allow the activation/deactivation by the first controlling unit of the first active element depending on data sensed by the first sensor. A second active element 4 for generating the physical effect, and a second controlling unit 6 connected to the second active element and sensor, are located on the second textile support, such as to allow the activation/deactivation by the second controlling unit of the second active element depending on data sensed by the first sensor. The first controlling unit is connected to the second active element such as to allow the activation/deactivation by the first controlling unit of the second active element depending on data sensed by the first sensor. The first controlling unit is configured to receive at a first point in time a first instant data from the first sensor, compare it with a predetermined threshold data, activate the second active element when the first instant data is smaller than the threshold data. The first controlling unit is also configured to receive at a second point in time a second instant data from the first sensor, compare it with the predetermined threshold data, activate the first active element when the second instant data is smaller than the threshold data.