Electrically active textile article

• US 20040224138A1
• Filed: 03/19/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brian Farrell, Jeremiah Slade, Justyna Teverovsky, Mara Powell, Patricia Wilson Nguyen
• Original Assignee: Brian Farrell, Jeremiah Slade, Justyna Teverovsky, Mara Powell, Patricia Wilson Nguyen
• Inventors: Slade, Jeremiah, Powell, Mara, Nguyen, Patricia Wilson, Farrell, Brian, Teverovsky, Justyna
• Application Number:
  US10/804,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20040224138A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/209
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/08 characterised by added members at particular parts layer formed of separate pieces of material which are juxtaposed side-by-side B32B3/14, B32B3/18
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/02 characterised by structural features of a fibrous or filamentary layer layer formed of metallic wires B32B15/02; layer formed of natural mineral fibres B32B19/02; layer formed of wood fibres B32B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/04 Interconnection of layers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/038 Textiles used as reinforcing materials for organic insulating substrates H05K1/0366
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/029 Woven fibrous reinforcement or textile textile substrates H05K1/038
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10598 Means for fastening a component, a casing or a heat sink whereby a pressure is exerted on the component towards the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/209 Auto-mechanical connection between a component and a PCB or between two PCBs
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/0285 Using ultrasound, e.g. for cleaning, soldering or wet treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/065 Binding insulating layers without adhesive, e.g. by local heating or welding, before lamination of the whole PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0058 Laminating printed circuit boards onto other substrates, e.g. metallic substrates H05K1/0281 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/386 by the use of an organic polymeric bonding layer, e.g. adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24917 including metal layer

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a fabric article to include electronic circuitry in which a flex circuit is assembled to include conductive traces and pads on a flexible substrate, a fabric article is placed on a rigid surface, and the substrate of the flex circuit is secured to the fabric article. Also disclosed is a fabric article which includes electronic circuitry and an electrically active textile article.

Claims

1. An electrically active textile article comprising:

fabric;

a circuit including traces and pads on a substrate secured to the fabric; and

at least one electronic component populating the circuit.

2. The article of claim 1 in which the substrate is flexible.

3. The article of claim 1 in which the traces and pads are electrically conductive.

4. The article of claim 1 in which the circuit substrate is ultrasonically welded to the fabric.

5. The article of claim 4 in which the circuit substrate is ultrasonically welded to the fabric about the periphery of the substrate.

6. The article of claim 1 in which the circuit substrate includes a perimeter bond area devoid of traces and pads and the perimeter bond area is secured to the fabric.

7. The article of claim 1 in which an adhesive secures the substrate to the fabric.

8. The article of claim 1 in which threads secure the substrate to the fabric.

9. The article of claim 1 further including a protective covering over the circuit.

10. The article of claim 9 in which the protective covering is made of a waterproof material.

11. The article of claim 9 in which the protective covering extends onto the fabric.

12. The article of claim 3 in which the substrate is a thermoplastic material and the conductive traces and pads are metal.

13. The article of claim 1 in which the fabric is selected from the group consisting of woven, knit, non-woven, and braided fabrics.

14. The article of claim 13 in which the fabric is a portion of a wearable article.

15. The article of claim 1 further including stress relief areas which promote flexure of the circuit substrate.

16. The article of claim 15 in which the stress relief areas are cut-outs in the edges of the substrate.

17. The article of claim 15 in which the stress relief areas are cut-outs through the substrate.

18. The article of claim 15 in which the stress relief areas include material added to the substrate.

19. The article of claim 15 in which the stress relief areas are located between electronic components on the circuit.

20. The article of claim 1 in which there are two flex circuits secured to the fabric and electrical interconnections between the two flex circuits.

21. The article of claim 20 in which the two flex circuits are secured to the fabric by at least one zipper including at least two electrically conductive teeth for the electrical interconnections.

22. The article of claim 20 in which the two flex circuits are secured to the fabric by at least one pair of VELCRO®

patches with at least a portion of the patches being an electrically conductive material for the electrical interconnections.

23. The article of claim 20 in which the two flex circuits include conductive solder pads and the fabric includes polyester-coated copper fabric, the conductive solder pads and the polyester coating being melted to form the electrical interconnections.

24. An electrically active textile article comprising:

an article of clothing;

a flex circuit including conductive traces and pads on a flexible substrate secured to the article of clothing;

at least one electronic component populating the flex circuit; and

a protective covering over the flex circuit and the at least one electronic component.

25. An electrically active textile article comprising:

fabric;

a flex circuit including conductive traces and pads on a flexible substrate secured to the fabric, the flex circuit including stress relief areas to promote flexure of the flex circuit on the fabric;

at least one electronic component populating the flex circuit; and

a protective covering over the flex circuit and the at least one electronic component.

26. An electrically active textile article comprising:

fabric;

a flex circuit including conductive traces and pads on a flexible substrate;

at least one electronic component populating the flex circuit; and

a covering secured to the fabric over the flex circuit and the at least one electronic component, wherein the flex circuit is in pressed engagement with the fabric and the covering.