Method of making an electronically active textile article

• US 9,009,955 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2010
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Government of the United States of America, Infoscitex
• Original Assignee: Infoscitex
• Inventors: Slade, Jeremiah, Houde, Andrew, Wilson, Patricia
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, MINH N
• Application Number:
  US12/804,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20120030935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 298/54, 29835-836, 298/25, 298/29, 29831-832, 295/921, 298/62, 438/800, 438/51, 290/5, 224/31, 156/73.1, 156 92- 93, 156/272.8, 156/250, 174/74.R, 174/75.C, 174/84.R, 174/78, 428196-198, 439 98-100, 442205-208, 442/181
• US Class Current: 29/829
• 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: H01R 12/61 connecting to flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49124 On flat or curved insulated base, e.g., printed circuit, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/322 Warp differs from weft

Abstract

A method of making articles from electrically active textiles. First and second fabric pieces include conductors therein. A seam is established between the first and second fabric pieces. A determination is made, at the seam, based on one or more predetermined factors, which conductors of the first fabric piece intersect or overlap with which conductors of the second fabric piece. At the seam, an electrical and mechanical connection is formed between select conductors of the first fabric piece and select conductors of the second fabric piece.

Claims

1. A method of making an electrically active article, the method comprising:

wrapping one or more insulated wires about a fiber including a polymeric material to render said fiber a conductor;

weaving a plurality of said conductors into a fabric;

cutting said fabric into pieces according to a pattern;

assembling said pieces together via seams to form a garment or article; and

electrically connecting at least select conductors at a seam by;

laying the seam on a platen,

applying an ultrasonic horn to at least a portion of the seam,

applying pressure to the ultrasonic horn,

energizing the ultrasonic horn to bare wires and to melt the polymeric material,

deenergizing the ultrasonic horn, and

allowing the polymeric material to cool encapsulating the wires.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said fibers include a blend of synthetic and natural fibers.

3. The method of claim 1 in which all the fibers of said fabric are conductors.

4. The method of claim 1 further including determining mathematically, at the seam, based on one or more predetermined factors, which conductors of a first fabric piece overlap with which conductors of a second fabric piece.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the predetermined factors include the seam type, the distance between conductors in each fabric piece, and/or any twist between the first and second fabric pieces at the seam.

6. The method of claim 4 in which the overlap conductors at the seam form Moiré

fringe lines and the predetermined factors further include the distance between the fringe lines and/or the angle at which they extend.

7. The method of claim 1 further including forming electrical and mechanical connections between select warp and weft conductors within a single fabric piece.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the electrically active article includes locations designated for connector placement that are prepared by welding a patch comprised of foil and fabric over a designated conductor thereby forming an electromechanical connection with the electrically active textile article.

9. The method of claim 8 in which forming an electrical and mechanical connection includes, for fabrics with insufficient polymeric content, adding a polymeric patch that covers the foil patch.

10. The method of claim 1 in which forming an electrical and mechanical connection includes, for fabrics without any polymeric content, adding a polymeric patch.