Fabric interconnect

• US 7,476,104 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Marmaropoulos, George, Vu, Giang, Jack Kyriakos, Mama
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke; Renee
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSUKERMAN, LARISA Z
• Application Number:
  US10/560,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20070093134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 439/37, 439/45, 439/669, 439/668, 439/675
• US Class Current: 439/37
• 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: A41D 27/205 Pockets adapted to receive a mobile phone or other electronic equipment
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/16 synthetic threads
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/0085 Layered switches integrated into garment, clothes or textile
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/00 Coupling devices specially adapted for supporting apparatus and having one part acting as a holder providing support and electrical connection via a counterpart which is structurally associated with the apparatus, e.g. lamp holders; Separate parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/58 characterised by the form or material of the contacting members H01R4/01 takes precedence

Abstract

There is provided a fabric interconnect comprising a portion of a garment manufactured to contain a seamless tube-like elastic chamber to enable insertion of an electronic device having a conductive portion, wherein the chamber has a first inner surface that is substantially electrically conductive and a second inner surface that is substantially electrically non-conductive, and at least one fabric electrode coupled to the first inner surface. The electronic enclosure includes an outer casing having at least one conductive area. The electronic enclosure can be aligned in the chamber to a conducting and non-conducting position, by forcing the conducting area of the electronic enclosure to be in contact with the (conductive) first inner surface of the fabric interconnect, thereby turning the electronic device “on” and “off”. For example, by rotating the electronic device within the chamber or by pushing or pulling the electronic device to a predetermined position.

Claims

1. A fabric interconnect for connecting a garment and at least one electronics enclosure having at lease one conductive area on an outer surface, the fabric interconnect comprising:

one or more chambers for accommodating at least one electronics enclosure, at least one chamber having at least one substantially electrically conductive surface portion connected to one or more fabric electrodes in the garment and at least one substantially electrically non-conductive surface portion,

wherein at least one chamber is at least substantially seamlessly manufactured so that at least one conductive area of the electronics enclosure and at least one conductive surface portion of the chamber accommodating the electronics enclosure can selectively make electrical contact to form an electrical interconnection between one or more fabric electrodes of the garment and the electronics of the electronics enclosure, wherein the electronics enclosure is positioned relative to the chamber via a force applied to the electronics enclosure and/or the chamber, and wherein the force applied to the electronics enclosure is a rotating force.

2. The fabric interconnect of claim 1, wherein at least one electronics enclosure is configured to be rotated within at least one accommodating chamber so as to bring a conductive area of the electronics enclosure and at least one conductive surface portion into electrical contact and thereby form an electrical interconnection between the electronics enclosure and one or more fabric electrodes of the garment.

3. The fabric interconnect of claim 1, wherein the conductive and non-conductive surface portions are flexible.

4. The fabric interconnect of claim 1, wherein the conductive and non-conductive surface portions are elastic.

5. The fabric interconnect of claim 1, wherein the chamber has a tube-like shape.

6. A fabric interconnect for connecting a garment and one or more electronics enclosures, the fabric interconnect comprising:

two or more substantially electrically conductive surface portions connected to one or more fabric electrodes in a garment, the conductive surface portions being separated from one another by at least one non-conductive surface portion disposed therebetween,

wherein the two or more conductive surfaces and at least one non-conductive surface are manufactured so as to form one or more chambers suitable for accommodating at least one electronics enclosure, the electronics enclosure having at least one conductive interface, and

wherein the two or more conductive surfaces electrically cooperate with the at least one conductive interface so that ene two or more different functions may be accomplished depending on the relative position of the at least one conductive interface with respect to the conductive surfaces.

7. The fabric interconnect of claim 6, wherein the electronics enclosure is operatively associated with a monitor for monitoring biological conditions.

8. An electronics enclosure for use with a fabric interconnect in a garment, the electronics enclosure comprising:

a casing with one or more substantially electrically conductive interfaces; and

electronics operatively connected to at least one conductive interface,

wherein the electronics enclosure is configured to be removably inserted into a substantially seamless chamber of the fabric interconnect so that at least one conductive interface electrically cooperates with two or more conductive portions of the chamber to form an interconnection between one or more fabric electrodes of the garment and the electronics of the electronics enclosure, wherein two or more functionalities correspond to a position of the electronics enclosure relative to the two or more conductive portions of a chamber accommodating the electronics enclosure.

9. The electronics enclosure of claim 8, wherein the electronics enclosure has at least one indicator for indicating one or more electronics enclosure functionalities.

10. The electronics enclosure of claim 9, wherein one indicator is in the form of a display.

11. The electronics enclosure of claim 8, wherein the conductive interface includes a number of electrically conductive areas with a number electrically non-conductive areas adjacent thereto that separate the plurality of electrically conductive areas.

12. The electronics enclosure of claim 11, wherein the two or more conductive portions of the chamber are connected to the one or more fabric electrodes, the conductive portions being spaced apart from one another with at least one non-conductive portion located therebetween.