WOVEN INTERCONNECTION STRUCTURE

• US 3,631,298 A
• Filed: 10/24/1969
• Issued: 12/28/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Contel Federal Systems Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: John S. Davis
• Inventors: Davis, John S.
• Application Number:
  US04/869,029
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• US Class Current: 361/809
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0088 Fabrics having an electronic function
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 11/00 Double or multi-ply fabrics not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/16 antistatic; conductive
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0283 Stretchable printed circuits
• 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 7/103 co-operating by sliding, e.g. DIP carriers

Abstract

A structure for providing circuit interconnections by means of a woven fabric. Special elements and techniques are employed to establish the individual wire-to-terminal or wire-to-wire connections within the structure and also those required for the attachment to external circuit modules. These external circuit modules have perpendicularly depending output terminals and are connected to the woven structure by providing corresponding float wire patterns for each module, the float wires being cut and bent to form aligned mating terminals for receiving the module terminals. In a particular embodiment connection to the external components is accomplished by providing the float wires as hollow tubular members within which the module terminals are respectively inserted.

Claims

1. A woven circuit configuration including a plurality of circuit modules having perpendicularly depending terminals comprising:

first and second pluralities of electrical conducting filaments interwoven in a fabric with a plurality of insulating fibers, the insulating fibers being situated so as to separate and insulate each filament from the rest;

means selectively establishing connections between selected pairs of filaments, one each from said first and second pluralities; and

means connecting particular ones of said filaments to respective ones of the perpendicularly depending circuit module terminals by providing a float pattern of selected filaments in the vicinity of each module having locations corresponding to the terminals thereof, each of the filaments of a float pattern having severed and bent free ends extending at a substantial angle to said fabric and aligned with the perpendicularly depending terminals of the respective associated circuit module connected thereto, each of the aligned terminals and filaments engaging the other in a mating relationship, at least some of the filaments of said first plurality comprising small hollow conducting tubes, the free ends of which receive the respective terminals of a circuit module connected thereto.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein selected ones of said filaments of the first plurality are extended along a portion of said fabric without being interwoven therewith.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further including at least a pair of conductors of substantially greater diameter than the diameter of the filaments of said first and second pluralities interwoven with filaments of one plurality along corresponding sides of the fabric so as to provide a supporting frame therefor and for carrying current to and from the woven circuit structure.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the filaments of at least one of said pluralities are woven in said fabric in multiple planar layers.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein the filaments of said second plurality are selectively connected to selected filaments of different ones of said multiple planar layers.

6. A woven circuit configuration including a plurality of circuit components having perpendicularly depending leads comprising:

a first layer of conducting filaments interwoven with a plurality of insulating fibers in a fabric such that the conducting filaments are electrically isolated from each other;

at least a second layer of conducting filaments also interwoven with said insulating fibers suCh that said last-mentioned conducting filaments are also electrically isolated from each other, the last-mentioned filaments extending in a direction such as to cross the filaments of said first layer;

means including loops in selected ones of said second layer filaments establishing electrical connection with selected ones of the first layer filaments being crossed; and

means establishing connections between selected ones of said filaments and said circuit components including predetermined loop patterns of said selected filaments which are cut and bent and extend at a substantial angle relative to said fabric and mate with respective ones of the perpendicularly depending leads of said components, the filaments mating with the component leads comprising hollow tubular members open at the ends thereof and receiving said component leads therein.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 further including a third layer of conducting filaments interwoven with the insulating fibers in said fabric so as to be electrically isolated from each other and extending generally parallel to the filaments of said first layer.

8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 7 further including means selectively establishing connections between filaments of said third and second layers at points of crossing thereof.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein the first and third layers are adjacent to a surface of the fabric and the filaments of the second layer extend between the first and third layers except at the crossing points where connections are made.

10. A woven circuit configuration including a plurality of circuit components having perpendicularly depending leads comprising:

a first layer of conducting filaments interwoven with a plurality of insulating fibers in a fabric such that the conducting filaments are electrically isolated from each other;

at least a second layer of conducting filaments also interwoven with said insulating fibers such that said last-mentioned conducting filaments are also electrically isolated from each other, the last-mentioned filaments extending in a direction such as to cross the filaments of said first layer;

means including loops in selected ones of said second layer filaments establishing electrical connections with selected ones of the first layer filaments being crossed; and

means establishing connections between selected ones of said filaments and said circuit components including predetermined loop patterns of said selected filaments which are cut and bent and extend at a substantial angle relative to said fabric and mate with respective ones of the perpendicularly depending leads of said components;

said configuration further including means electrically and mechanically joining severed filaments comprising a member mating with the respective severed ends of the filaments, said severed filaments comprising hollow tubes and said member comprising a pin extending into the ends of a pair of tubes.

11. A woven circuit configuration including a plurality of circuit modules having depending terminals comprising:

first and second pluralities of electrical conducting filaments interwoven in a fabric with a plurality of insulating fibers, the insulating fibers being situated so as to separate and insulate each filament from the rest;

means selectively establishing connections between selected pairs of filaments, one each from said first and second pluralities; and

means connecting particular ones of said filaments to respective ones of the depending circuit module terminals by providing a float pattern of selected filaments in the vicinity of each module having locations corresponding to the terminals thereof, each of the filaments of a float pattern being severed with the free ends thereof in alignment with the depending terminals of the respective associated circuit module and connected thereto, each of the aligned terminals and filaments engaging the other in a mating relationship, at least Some of the filaments of said first plurality comprising small hollow conducting tubes, the free ends of which receive respective terminals of a circuit module connected thereto.