KNIT EMI SHIELD AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION THEREOF

• US 20150366112A1
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal-Mogul Powertrain, LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Federal-Mogul Powertrain Incorporated (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 9,963,808 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/14 Other fabrics or articles characterised primarily by the use of particular thread materials
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/12 characterised by thread material
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/14 Fabrics characterised by the incorporation by knitting, in one or more thread, fleece, or fabric layers, of reinforcing, binding, or decorative threads; Fabrics incorporating small auxiliary elements, e.g. for decorative purposes pile fabrics D04B21/02; non-woven fabrics in general D04H
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/16 antistatic; conductive
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/02411 with a single array of unbent yarn, e.g. unidirectional reinforcement fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/009 comprising electro-conductive fibres, e.g. metal fibres, carbon fibres, metallised textile fibres, electro-conductive mesh, woven, non-woven mat, fleece, cross-linked

Abstract

An electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield assembly and method of construction is provided. The assembly includes a body having a wall of warp knit nonmetallic yarn having opposite sides extending generally parallel with one another between opposite ends and a plurality of weft inserted metal wires. The wire is inserted to provide discrete bundles each arranged in side-by-side relation with one another and extending beyond the opposite sides of the wall to provide a plurality of exposed free ends. The nonmetallic yarn is looped about the wires, thereby fixing the wire relative to the nonmetallic yarn and to other wires in an optimal EMI shielding position. Metal brackets adapted for ready attachment to a source of electrical ground are attached to the exposed free ends. The individual bundles of wires extend parallel to one another, with a gap having a predetermined width extending between the adjacent bundles.

Claims

1. An EMI shield assembly, comprising;

a knit wall of nonmetallic yarn having opposite sides extending lengthwise between opposite ends,

at least one wire fixed to said wall by a plurality of loops of said nonmetallic yarn, and

said at least one wire extending beyond each of said opposite sides for operable connection to a source of ground.

2. The EMI shield assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said wire includes a plurality of said wires forming a plurality of discrete bundles of said wires and each of said bundles extends generally parallel with one another, said bundles being spaced laterally from one another.

4. The EMI shield assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said at least one wire is stranded.

5. The EMI shield assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said at least one wire is braided.

6. The EMI shield assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said at least one wire is insulated.

7. The EMI shield assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said wire includes a plurality of free ends and at least one bend extending lengthwise between said free ends and disposed between said loops of said nonmetallic yarn.

8. The EMI shield assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said wall is formed by more than one type of knit pattern.

9. The EMI shield assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said wall includes a plurality of edge stitches of said nonmetallic yarn adjacent said opposite sides of said wall.

10. The EMI shield assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said wire includes a plurality of free ends and said assembly further includes conductive brackets operably attached to each of said free ends.

3. The EMI shield assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein a gap having a predetermined width W extends between adjacent said bundles, said gap being maintained by said loops fixing said bundles against relative movement with said wall.

11. A method of constructing an EMI shield assembly comprising the steps of:

laying-in at least one wire into a wall having opposite sides extending generally parallel with one another lengthwise between opposite ends while knitting one or more nonmetallic yarns with one another to form a body including the wall,

forming knit loops of the nonmetallic yarn about the wire and capturing the wire in a predetermined position with the loops, wherein the wire is fixed relative to the nonmetallic yarn and relative to other wires.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of laying-in at least one wire into a wall having opposite sides extending generally parallel with one another lengthwise between opposite ends while knitting one or more nonmetallic yarns with one another to form a body including the wall is further defined laying-in at least one wire into the wall along a weft direction while warp knitting of one or more nonmetallic yarns.

13. The method of claim 11 further including providing a plurality of exposed free ends of the wire extending beyond the opposite sides of the wall.

14. The method of claim 13 further including connecting the free ends to at least one conductive bracket.

15. The method of claim 13 further defining providing a plurality of exposed free ends of the wires as cutting the wall of the nonmetallic yarn at the opposite sides to expose the free ends of the wire.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the wire is a plurality of wires and the method further includes forming at least one discrete bundle of the wires.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one wire is stranded.

18. The method of claim 11 further including forming edge stitches with the nonmetallic yarns to finish the opposite sides of the body of the wall.

19. The method of claim 11 further including bending a portion of the wire and capturing the bent portion between the loops of the nonmetallic yarn of the wall.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of laying-in at least one wire into the wall is further defined as creating a gap extending between adjacent wires and maintaining the gap between the wires in their predetermined positions.