TEXTILE ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING

• US 20130160183A1
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Clothing Plus Holding Oy
• Original Assignee: Clothing Plus Holding Oy
• Inventors: Reho, Akseli, Jaakkola, Heikki, Perko, Antti
• Application Number:
  US13/336,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20130160183A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 2/69
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1281 with incorporated means for medical monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0084 Arrangement of flocked decoration on shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0283 Stretchable printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/16 incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistor, capacitor, inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0162 Silicon containing polymer, e.g. silicone
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09063 Holes or slots in insulating substrate not used for electrical connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09263 Meander
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0058 Laminating printed circuit boards onto other substrates, e.g. metallic substrates H05K1/0281 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

A textile arrangement that includes at least one flexible circuit board integrated with a textile and a fixedly-integrated electronic component in the flexible circuit board. The flexible circuit board includes a flexible and/or tensile substrate, which is configured to bend and/or stretch at least in one direction. In addition, the flexible circuit board includes at least one electrically-conducting trace, at least one end of the trace being coupled with the component. The electrically-conducting trace is configured to bend and/or stretch with the flexible and/or tensile substrate of the circuit board at least in said one direction, when the circuit board is bent and/or stretched.

Claims

1. A textile comprising arrangement comprising at least one fixedly-integrated electronic component, comprising:

at least one flexible circuit board integrated with a textile, and wherein the flexible circuit board comprises;

flexible and/or tensile substrate configured to bend and/or stretch at least in one direction,

at least one fixedly-integrated electronic component, and

at least one electrically-conducting trace, at least one end of said trace being coupled with said fixedly-integrated component, and wherein said electrically-conducting trace is configured to bend and/or stretch with said flexible and/or tensile substrate of the circuit board at least in said one direction.

2. The textile arrangement of claim 1, wherein said electrically-conducting trace is configured to bend and/or stretch by implementing it from the stretching material, like silicone, doped by electrically-conducting particles, such as silver or carbon particles, and/or by corrugating it at least in said one direction.

3. The textile arrangement of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit board comprises cut or corrugated portions where the flexible circuit board is configured to bend and/or change its shape when applying shear stress to said circuit board structure.

4. The textile arrangement of claim 1, wherein said textile arrangement or flexible circuit board further comprises an electrically-conducting means for detachably attaching an electronic component, such as a power source, data-processing unit, or communication unit, said electrically-conducting means being coupled with the electrically-conducting trace of said circuit board.

5. The textile arrangement of claim 1, wherein said electrically-conducting trace and/or fixedly integrated electronic component when being a passive component, such as an antenna or sensor, is implemented by subtractive and/or additive methods, such as etching, printing, screen printing, silk screen printing, dispensing or casting electrically-conducting media on/in the surface of the circuit board.

6. The textile arrangement of claim 1, wherein a portion of said electrically-conducting trace is configured to form at least part of said fixedly integrated electronic component, when being a passive component, such as an antenna or sensor.

7. The textile arrangement of claim 6, wherein properties of the portion of said trace forming at least part of said fixedly-integrated electronic component differs from the corresponding properties of either portion of said trace, such as width, thickness, conductivity or shape.

8. The textile arrangement of claim 1, wherein said circuit board comprises reinforcement portions configured to support the area of said fixedly integrated electronic component of the flexible circuit board.

9. The textile arrangement of claim 1, wherein said circuit board is integrated with the textile by gluing, sewing, laminating or welding.

10. A garment, comprising or made of a textile arrangement of any of claim 1, wherein said garment is one of the following:

cap, such as an electroencephalograph (EEG) cap, shirt, trousers, sock, wristband, strap, belt, shoes, headscarf, wrap, glove, tie, outdoor clothing, mid-layer clothing or underclothing, comprising an electronic component, such as a sensor.

11. A method for manufacturing a textile arrangement or a garment, comprising:

integrating at least one flexible circuit board with the textile by gluing, sewing, laminating or welding, wherein said circuit board comprises flexible and/or tensile substrate configured to bend and/or stretch at least in one direction,

providing the circuit board with at least one fixedly integrated electronic component, and

providing the circuit board with at least one electrically-conducting trace, coupling at least one end of said trace with said component, and configuring said electrically-conducting trace to bend and/or stretch with said flexible and/or tensile substrate of the circuit board at least in said one direction.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of implementing said electrically-conducting trace from the stretching material, like silicone, doped by electrically-conducting particles, such as silver or carbon particles, and/or corrugated said trace at least in said one direction.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of providing the flexible circuit board by cut or corrugated portions so that the flexible circuit board bends or changes its shape when applying shear stress to said circuit board structure in the area of said cut or corrugated portions.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of implementing said electrically-conducting trace and/or fixedly-integrated electronic component when being a passive component, such as an antenna or sensor, by subtractive and/or additive methods, involving etching, printing, screen printing, silk-screen printing, dispensing or casting, electrically-conducting media on or into a surface of the circuit board.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of configuring a portion of said electrically-conducting trace to form at least part of said fixedly integrated electronic component, when being a passive component, such as an antenna or sensor.