Warp Knit Fabric with Embedded Electrical Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Incorporating electrical components into fabric items is challenging due to the flexibility of fabric, which can cause signal paths to be damaged or components to become dislodged when bent or stretched.
Innovation Solution
The use of individually adjustable knitting and braiding equipment allows for the insertion of electrical components into fabric during its formation, with conductive strands being integrated between outer layers and held in place by spacer strands, and braiding equipment accommodating component insertion by adjusting braiding speed and angle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If electrical components are mounted to fabric after fabrication, then the fabric can be formed first, but the components may become dislodged when the fabric is bent or stretched
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming pockets and mounting electrical components to conductive strands during the fabric fabrication process itself, rather than after. The pockets are created as integral features of the fabric structure, and components are secured to strands before the fabric is completed, ensuring they are locked in place during subsequent bending or stretching operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by placing electrical components inside pockets that are formed within the fabric structure. The pockets are created by the interlacing of strands, forming nested cavities that house the components. This nested arrangement protects components while maintaining fabric flexibility.
2Reliability
If electrical components are inserted into fabric during formation, then component attachment is improved, but the knitting and braiding equipment must be individually adjustable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the knitting and braiding equipment individually adjustable during operation. The equipment can change parameters such as needle position, strand tension, and braiding angle dynamically to accommodate the insertion of electrical components at specific locations within the fabric structure.
3Reliability
If conductive strands are integrated between outer layers, then signal paths are protected, but the fabric structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses intermediary elements such as pockets and spacer strands that mediate between the conductive signal-carrying strands and the outer fabric layers. These intermediaries protect the conductive strands from damage while maintaining the necessary electrical connections, and they are integrated into the fabric structure through the knitting or braiding process.
Data Source
AI summary
Knitting equipment may be used to form warp knit fabric. The warp knit fabric may be a spacer fabric having a spacer strand that travels back and forth between outer warp knit layers. The spacer fabric may include a pocket for receiving an electrical component. The electrical component may be mounted to an inlaid conductive strand that floats between the outer warp knit layers and that is held in place by the spacer strand. The pocket may be one of multiple pockets in the spacer fabric that are separated from one another by the spacer strand. Braiding equipment may include carriers that braid strands around an electrical component while a tool holds the electrical component in place. A ring may be used to isolate the braiding angle from the carriers to accommodate component insertion. The electrical component may be mounted to an inlaid conductive strand in the braid.