Knitted sensor

• US 7,377,133 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wearable Technologies Ltd. (Blackline Safety Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Peratech Limited
• Inventors: Crispin, Phillipe Georges, Burkitt, John, Walkington, Stuart Mark, Sandbach, David Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): WORRELL JR, LARRY D
• Application Number:
  US10/592,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20070141939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 662/02, 661/69.R, 661/70
• US Class Current: 66/170
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/0085 Layered switches integrated into garment, clothes or textile
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/01 Woven wire screen
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 3/141 Cushion or mat switches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/102 Woven scrim
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/40 Knit fabric [i.e., knit strand or strip material]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/425 Including strand which is of specific structural definition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/45 Knit fabric is characterized by a particular or differential knit pattern other than open knit fabric or a fabric in which the strand denier is specified

Abstract

A sensor having a three layer construction comprising a first knitted conductive textile plane, a second conductive textile plane and an intermediate separating plane penetrable by the first knitted conductive textile plane to allow the first conductive textile plane and the second conductive textile plane to make electrical contact under a mechanical interaction. The intermediate separating plane defines structural endpoints from which the first knitted conductive textile plane deforms towards the second conductive textile plane under a mechanical interaction. The first knitted conductive textile plane has conductive yarn knitted to form a repeating pattern of stitches each comprising a stitch looping portion SLP having a looping portion footprint LPF. Within the sensor, there is at least one of a plurality of described dimensional relationships between stitches of the first knitted conductive textile plane and structural endpoints of the intermediate separating plane.

Claims

1. A sensor comprising:

a first knitted conductive textile plane,

a second conductive textile plane, and

an intermediate separating plane penetrable by the first knitted conductive textile plane to allow the first conductive textile plane and the second conductive textile plane to make electrical contact under a mechanical interaction;

the intermediate separating plane defines the structural perimeter of each of a plurality of apertures from which the first knitted conductive textile plane deforms towards the second conductive textile plane under a mechanical interaction;

wherein;

the first knitted conductive textile plane has conductive yam knitted to form a repeating pattern of stitches each comprising a stitch looping portion SLIP having a looping portion footprint LPF,

the separating plane defines apertures A having an aperture footprint AF,

at least one looping portion footprint LPF is wholly containable within at least one aperture footprint AF; and

said intermediate separating plane is provided in the form of a textile structure and said intermediate separating plane and said first knitted conductive textile layer are machined together to form a textile structure incorporating a predetermined loop-aperture alignment pattern.

2. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein:

the first knitted conductive textile plane has conductive yarn knitted to form a repeating pattern of stitches comprising a wale pitch dimension WPD occurring in a first direction and a course pitch dimension CPD occurring in a second direction,

the separating plane has apertures having a first aperture dimension FAD measured in said first direction and a second aperture dimension SAD measured in said second direction, and

at least one of said wale pitch dimension WPD and said course pitch dimension CPD is smaller than at least one of said first aperture dimension FAD and/or second aperture dimension SAD.

3. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein said first knitted conductive textile plane said second conductive textile plane, and said intermediate separating plane are each provided in the form of a separate layer.

4. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined loop-aperture alignment pattern incorporates loop-aperture alignment of a plurality of loops to an aperture.

5. A sensor according to claim 3, wherein said intermediate separating plane is provided in the form of a plastic mesh.

6. A sensor according to claim 3, wherein said intermediate separating plane is provided in the form of a compressible mesh.

7. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is provided with a force concentration device comprising one of:

a key position contact portion and a stylus.

8. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein said first knitted

conductive textile plane includes at least one of:

elastic yarn, textured yarn and multililament yarn.