Electrical Components and Circuits Constructed as Textiles

• US 20080233822A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Textiles Limited
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Textiles Limited
• Inventors: Swallow, Stanley Shigezo, Peta-Thompson, Asha
• Granted Patent: US 8,298,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 442/185
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0088 Fabrics having an electronic function
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/00 Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/283 synthetic polymer-based, e.g. polyamide or polyester fibres cellulose-based artificial fibres D03D15/225
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2101/20 Metallic fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2201/02 Cotton
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2211/02 Wool
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2211/04 Silk
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2331/02 polyamides D10B2331/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2331/04 polyesters, e.g. polyethylene terephthalate [PET]
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/16 antistatic; conductive
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/02431 with electronic components, e.g. sensors or switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/0085 Layered switches integrated into garment, clothes or textile
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/01 Woven wire screen
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0281 Conductive fibers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/029 Woven fibrous reinforcement or textile textile substrates H05K1/038
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/10 in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/30 Woven fabric [i.e., woven strand or strip material]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3033 Including a strip or ribbon
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3382 Including a free metal or alloy constituent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/339 Metal or metal-coated strand

Abstract

Electrical components are formed in a fabric during the weaving process by a series of crossing conductors in the warp and weft fibres of the fabric. Some of the crossing points provide permanent Separation of the crossing conductors, others permanent connection of the crossing conductors and others connection upon the application of pressure to the fabric. The structure provides the possibility of forming a greater range of components and more reliable component characteristics than heretofore possible.

Claims

1. A fabric having a woven construction including in its woven construction a first elongated electrical conductor and a second elongated electrical conductor, said first elongated electrical conductor being crossed by said second elongated electrical conductor at a crossover point, said conductors being permanently biased apart at the crossover point.

2. A fabric according to claim 1, having a plurality of spaced first conductors and/or a plurality of spaced second conductors thereby forming a plurality of said crossover points.

3. A fabric as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductors comprise electrically conductive filaments or fibres.

4. A fabric as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fabric includes a warp and a weft and wherein the warp includes at least one said first electrical conductor and the weft includes at least one said second electrical conductor.

5. A fabric as claimed in claim 1, including insulating fibres or filaments which bias the first and second electrical conductors apart at a crossover point.

6. A fabric as claimed in claim 5, wherein the woven construction includes yarn and warp and/or weft floats over or under more than one yarn to effect the biasing apart of first and second electrical conductors at a crossover point.

7. A fabric as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first and/or second electrical conductor is subject to a warp and/or weft float over or under more than one yarn.

8. A fabric as claimed in claim 6, including a warp and a weft and insulating warp fibres neighbouring an electrical conductor in the warp, wherein the neighbouring insulating warp fibres to an electrical conductor in the warp are subject to a warp float over or under more than one weft yarn.

9. A fabric as claimed in claim 6, including a warp and a weft and insulating weft fibres neighbouring an electrical conductor in the weft, wherein the neighbouring insulating weft fibres to an electrical conductor in the weft are subject to a weft float over or under more than one warp yarn.

10. A fabric as claimed in claim 7 including a warp and a neighbouring electrical conductor and insulating fibre in the warp, which employs during the weaving thereof separate shafts for an electrical conductor in the warp and the insulating fibres in the warp that are neighbouring to said electrical conductor.

12. A fabric as claimed in claim 6, including at least one instance of a crossover point at which the first and second electrical conductors are permanently biased apart and at least one instance of a crossover point at which the corresponding first and second electrical conductors are permanently physically connected together.

13. A fabric as claimed in claim 12, wherein the one or more crossover points at which the corresponding first and second electrical conductors are permanently physically connected together are effected by means of a plain weave structure local to that crossover point.

14. A fabric as claimed in claim 12, including one or more permanently connected crossover points and one or more permanently biased apart crossover points in order to bring into being at least one conductive path within the fabric that is composed of two or more contiguous segments of two or more electrical conductors.

15. A fabric as claimed in claim 14, wherein the two or more contiguous segments are of two or more electrical conductors that exhibit differing linear resistivities.

16. A fabric as claimed in claim 14, wherein the contiguous segments of electrical conductors have a length and/or number and/or arrangement and/or linear resistivity chosen so as to constitute one or more resultant conductive paths that conform to a required geometry and/or a required electrical characteristic and/or a required value of electrical property.

17. A fabric as claimed in claim 16, wherein the electrical property is selected from the group consisting of electrical resistance, capacitance, inductance, impedance and reactance.

18. A fabric as claimed in claim 16, wherein the electrical characteristic is a heterogeneous distribution of resistance along the resultant conductive path and/or across the fabric.

20. A fabric as claimed in claim 18, wherein the fabric provides an electrical heating element that exhibits a heterogeneous distribution of heated power dissipation along the resultant conductive path and/or across the fabric.

11. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

21-24. -24. (canceled)

25. An electrical circuit or structure within a textile including a plurality of one or more of conductive, resistive and insulative elements which are pressure actuated into contact, which are permanently unconnected and/or which are fully conductive.

26. A fabric comprising cross-over weave structures providing two or more mutually separated bus bars to be incorporated into the fabric during the weaving process.