KNITTED TEXTILES WITH CONDUCTIVE TRACES OF A HYBRID YARN AND METHODS OF KNITTING THE SAME
A textile made from a single knitted layer having an inert region and a conductive trace region is disclosed. The inert region is knitted using an electrically inert or non-externally conductive yarn and the conductive trace region is knitted from a hybrid yarn containing a non-conductive yarn twisted with a conductive wire, with the conductive wire having an exterior insulating layer. The conductive trace can transmit an electrical data or power signal along the textile via the conductive wire. The insulating layer of the wire can be removed in the conductive trace region to expose the conductive exterior of the wire to enable electrical connections to the conductive trace region. The textile can include a textile electrode knitted from an externally conductive yarn and the conductive trace region can be electrically connected to the electrode to transmit an electrical signal to or from the textile electrode.
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This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/832,098 filed Apr. 10, 2019 and entitled GARMENTS WITH INTEGRATED ELECTRODES AND CONDUCTIVE TRACES; from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/832,101 filed Apr. 10, 2019 and entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MAINTAINING MOISTURE IN A TEXTILE ELECTRODE; and from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/832,104 filed Apr. 10, 2019 and entitled HYBRID YARN FOR WEAVING CONDUCTIVE WIRES INTO FABRIC. The contents of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/832,098, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/832,104, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/832,101 are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference.
The subject matter of this patent application may be related to the subject matter of U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ entitled SYSTEMS FOR MAINTAINING MOISTURE IN A TEXTILE ELECTRODE filed on even date herewith and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ entitled MACHINE-KNITTABLE CONDUCTIVE HYBRID YARNS. Each of these patent applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
GOVERNMENT RIGHTSThis invention was made with Government support under Grant No. N00189-17-C-Z023 awarded by the U.S. Navy. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
FIELDThe disclosure relates to textiles with conductive traces and textile electrodes integrated into a single-layer of fabric.
BACKGROUNDMedical electrodes typically comprise a metallic surface in close contact with the skin, which is fixed on the skin by means of an adhesive, and the impedance between the skin and the metallic surface is reduced by the use of a conductive gel. More recently, garments have been designed that enable medical electrodes to be in contact with the skin while the garment is worn. The electrodes in the garments enable physiological properties of the wearer of the garment to be monitored over long periods of time (e.g., as long as the garment is worn). These physiological properties include measurement of an electrocardiographic signal, which is representative of the heart activity of a user who wears the garment. However, prior art garments with electrodes known to the inventors have been unable to seamlessly integrate an electrode into the fabric itself of the garment, and instead often require the electrode to be separately made and then applied to the garment, or multiple layers of fabric to support the electrode or have traditional wires running through the garment from the electrodes that interfere with the movement and comfort of the garment.
SUMMARYCertain embodiments of the present disclosure provide a garment with integrated textile electrodes and conductive traces knitted into the garment to connect the textile electrodes to a control unit attached to the garment. Various embodiments include a textile, such as a wearable garment, knitted as a single continuous layer from different types of yarn, with a textile electrode formed as a region in the garment knitted with conductive yarn, the textile electrode being configured to receive an electrical signal from the body and transmit that signal along the conductive trace.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a textile made from a single knitted layer having an inert region and a conductive trace region knitted together to form a continuous textile section of the single knitted layer, where the inert region is knitted using an electrically inert yarn and the conductive trace region is knitted from a hybrid yarn containing a non-conductive yarn twisted with a conductive wire, the conductive wire having an exterior layer of an insulating material. The conductive trace region can be configured to transmit an electrical data or power signal along the single knitted layer via the conductive wire from a first location in the continuous textile section to a second location in the continuous textile section. The conductive wire of the conductive trace region between the first and second locations can include one or more continuous lengths of the conductive wire spanning the first and second locations. The conductive trace region can be configured to transmit an electrical data or power signal along the single knitted layer via the conductive wire from a first region of the conductive trace region where the coating has been removed from the conductive wire to a second region of the conductive trace region where the coating has been removed from the conductive wire. The single-layer can define a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, and wherein a yarn of a given region of the single-layer is presented at both the first and second surfaces.
In some examples, the single knitted layer further includes an electrode region knitted using a conductive yarn, the conductive yarn comprising an exposed exterior surface of an electrically conductive material. A portion of a boundary of the electrode region can be knitted together with an adjacent portion of a boundary of the conductive trace region. In some embodiments, the exterior layer of the conductive wire of the conductive trace region adjacent to the electrode region is removed and the conductive wire contacts the conductive yarn such that the conductive trace region is electrically connected with the electrode region. In some embodiments, a second layer of the hybrid yarn is knitted of the conductive trace region of the continuous textile section and over a portion of the electrode region to form a two-layer section of the textile, and the exterior layer of the conductive wire of a portion of the conductive trace region in the two layer section is removed to expose a portion of the conductive wire and the exposed portion of the conductive wire is electrically connected with the electrode region via a conductive material. In some embodiments, the textile includes a section of the hybrid yarn of the conductive trace region extending out of the continuous textile section such that the section of the hybrid yarn can extend across a portion of the electrode region.
The hybrid yarn can include the non-conductive yarn twisted with two separate conductive wires each having an exterior separately coated with the insulating material. The conductive wire of the hybrid yarn can define a continuous length of conductive wire along each length of hybrid yarn of the conductive trace region. In some embodiments, the non-conductive yarn of the hybrid yarn includes at least one of an aramid, meta-aramid, or para-aramid polyamide fiber. The conductive wire of the hybrid yarn can include an exterior surface of a conductive metal and the insulating material comprises a polymer.
The single-layer can be knitted using a single-layer intarsia technique having all regions of the single-layer in the same intarsia layer. In some embodiments, the knitted textile is a garment and the inner surface of the single knit layer defines a skin-facing side of the garment and an outer surface of the single knit layer defines an exterior surface of the garment.
Yet another Embodiment of the present disclosure is a method of knitting a textile including knitting a single-layer of the textile from an electrically inert yarn and a hybrid yarn to form a continuous textile section by knitting the electrically inert yarn into an inert region of the single-layer and knitting the hybrid yarn into a conductive trace region of the single-layer, wherein the hybrid yarn includes a non-conductive yarn twisted with a conductive wire, the conductive wire having an exterior coated with an insulating material. The conductive trace region can be knitted to transmit an electrical data or power signal along the single knitted layer via the conductive wire from a first location in the continuous textile section to a second location in the continuous textile section. The conductive wire of the conductive trace region knitted between the first and second locations can include one or more continuous lengths of the conductive wire spanning the first and second locations.
In some embodiments, the method includes removing the coating of the conductive wire in a first region of the conductive trace region and removing the coating of the conductive wire in a section region of the conductive trace region, where the first and second regions are connected via a continuous section of the conductive trace region and the continuous section of the conductive trace region is configured to transmit an electrical data or power signal along the continuous textile section via the conductive wire from the first region to the second region. Removing the coating of the conductive wire in at least one of the first or second regions can include ablating the hybrid yarn to remove the non-conductive yarn and the coating on the conductive wire.
In some embodiments the method includes knitting the single-layer of the textile with a conductive yarn, the conductive yarn being knit into an electrode region of the continuous textile section, where the conductive yarn includes an exposed exterior surface of an electrically conductive material. A portion of a boundary of the electrode region can be knitted together with an adjacent portion of a boundary of the conductive trace region.
The method can further include removing the exterior layer of the conductive wire of the conductive trace region adjacent to the electrode region such that the conductive wire contacts the conductive yarn and the conductive trace region is electrically connected with the electrode region.
The method can further include knitting a second layer of the hybrid yarn out of the conductive trace region of the continuous textile section and over a portion of the electrode region to form a two-layer section of the textile, removing the exterior layer of the conductive wire of a portion of the conductive trace region in the two layer section to expose a portion of the conductive wire, and electrically connect the exposed portion of the conductive wire with the electrode region via a conductive adhesive. Removing the exterior layer of the conductive wire in the two layer section can include positioning a protective material between the first layer and the second layer and ablating the hybrid yarn in the second layer to remove the non-conductive yarn and the coating on the conductive wire, with the protective material preventing damage to the electrode region.
The method can further include extending a section of the hybrid yarn of the conductive trace region extending out of the continuous textile section such that the section of the hybrid yarn can extend across a portion of the electrode region.
In some embodiments, the single-layer defines a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, and wherein a yarn of a given region of the single-layer is presented at both the first and second surfaces.
In some embodiments, the hybrid yarn comprises the non-conductive yarn twisted with two separate conductive wires each having an exterior separately coated with the insulating material. The conductive wire of the hybrid yarn can define a continuous length of conductive wire along each length of hybrid yarn of the conductive trace region. The non-conductive yarn of the hybrid yarn can include at least one of an aramid, meta-aramid, or para-aramid polyamide fiber. The conductive wire of the hybrid yarn can include an exterior surface of a conductive metal and the insulating material comprises a polymer. The single-layer can be knitted using a single-layer intarsia technique having all regions of the single-layer in the same intarsia layer. In some embodiments, the single-layer is knitted using a single bed of a knitting machine. In some embodiments, each yarn of the single-layer is knit separately. In some embodiments, the textile is a garment and the inner surface of the single knit layer defines a skin-facing side of the garment and an outer surface of the single knit layer defines an exterior surface of the garment.
Other, features, and advantages of the subject matter included herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
This disclosure will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
to
Certain exemplary embodiments will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the devices and methods disclosed herein. One or more examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the devices and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments and that the scope of the present disclosure is defined solely by the claims. The features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.
Example Textiles with Integrated Conductive Traces
The textile electrodes 130 can be arranged to, for example, pick up or sense electrical signals from the user's body, such as those related to heart rate and heart function (e.g., the signals for use in forming an electrocardiogram EKG). In some embodiments, the garment 100 includes four textile electrodes 130, positioned with respect to the user's body in order to provide a high-quality EKG signal. The conductive traces 120 connect the textile electrodes 130 to the electrical device 199 via the conductive wires integrated into the hybrid yarn from which the conductive traces 120 are knitted. The conductive wire of the hybrid yarn can be coated with an insulating polymer, which is able to be removed at the points of contact with the textile electrodes 130 and the electrical device 199.
In some embodiments, the hybrid yarn is constructed from a highly inelastic material, such as meta-aramid or para-aramid (e.g., Kevlar® or Twaron®) or a material with similar material properties to protect the integrated conductive wires from damage or being severed during the knitting process and being damaged or severed during normal wear of the garment 100, such as Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethene (UHMWPE), Polybenzimidazole (PBI), Polyphenylene Benzobisoxazole (PBO), High Strength Polyester, Liquid-Crystal Polymer (LCP), or spider silk. In some embodiments the hybrid yarn is made with a fire retardant and self-extinguishing material, such as para-aramid or material with similar properties according to the ASTM D6413/D6413M Standard Vertical Test Method for Flame Resistance of Textiles to enable the insulating layer and nonconductive yarn to be removed using ablation. The conductive wire can be, for example copper wire or copper-clad stainless-steel sire. Additionally, the textile electrodes 130 may be knitted or otherwise constructed with a conductive wire, such as silver or copper wire or a nonconductive yarn (e.g., nylon, polyester, cotton, or wool) coated with a conductive material such as silver or copper. In some embodiments, the standard material 110, textile electrodes 130, and conductive traces 120 are knitted together into a single-layer garment 100 without seams.
While the embodiments discussed above include textile garments, other applications are readily considered within the scope of the single-layer textiles described herein. For example, vehicle seating with integrated sensors, flexible textile cables with conductive traces to transmit power or data through the textile cable, and straps or harnesses for securing devices or objects to the human body or to any other object.
Example Single-Layer Textile Knitting Techniques
Weaving is believed to be the most popular method of fabric construction used and has been known to mankind for over 3000 years. It involves interlacing yarns as a means to manufacture the fabrics. A woven structure has multiple yarns in warp (vertical) direction and one yarn in weft (horizontal) direction going from selvedge to selvedge (edge to edge). The yarns are interlaced at right angles to make a fabric structure. Woven textiles tend to be more dimensionally stable than knitted fabrics, having vertical threads interlaced with separate horizontal threads. However, interlaced construction techniques do not allow the conductive traces 120 and textile electrodes 130 to be seamlessly integrated into the single-layer garment 100, as shown in
In knitting, and particularly in flatbed weft knitting, it is possible for a yarn to change direction from weft to warp and back again (e.g., horizontal to vertical and back). This means it is possible to knit conductive traces 120 connecting textile electrodes 130 within a single knit textile layer with the shortest traces between two electrodes or between the conductive traces and an attached electrical device 199. Knitting, and specifically flatbed knitting, allows for the design of textile electrical circuits (e.g., conductive traces 120 connecting textile electrodes 130) with the shortest routes for the conductive traces and the placement of the textile electrodes 130 in the textile as needed for function. This is preferable as shorter conductive traces will be more efficient for data and power transfer. It is physically impossible to do the same thing in weaving.
While there are many knitting techniques that could be used to make a textile with the same shapes as the garments shown in
Example Single-Layer Knitted Textile Constructs with Conductive Traces
Examples of Connecting a Hybrid Conductive Yarn to a Textile Electrode
The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be merely exemplary; numerous variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. One skilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantages of the disclosure based on the above-described embodiments. Such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined by any of the appended claims. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated by the appended claims. All publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Claims
1. A textile, comprising:
- a single knitted layer comprising an inert region and a conductive trace region knitted together to form a continuous textile section of the single knitted layer,
- wherein the inert region is knitted using an electrically inert yarn, and
- wherein the conductive trace region is knitted from a hybrid yarn containing a non-conductive yarn twisted with a conductive wire, the conductive wire having an exterior layer of an insulating material.
2. The textile of claim 1,
- wherein the conductive trace region is configured to transmit an electrical data or power signal along the single knitted layer via the conductive wire from a first location in the continuous textile section to a second location in the continuous textile section.
3. The textile of claim 2,
- wherein the conductive wire of the conductive trace region between the first and second locations comprises one or more continuous lengths of the conductive wire spanning the first and second locations.
4. The textile of claim 2,
- wherein the conductive trace region is configured to transmit an electrical data or power signal along the single knitted layer via the conductive wire from a first region of the conductive trace region where the exterior layer has been removed from the conductive wire to a second region of the conductive trace region where the exterior layer has been removed from the conductive wire.
5. The textile of claim 1,
- wherein the single knitted layer further comprises an electrode region knitted using a conductive yarn, the conductive yarn comprising an exposed exterior surface of an electrically conductive material.
6. The textile of claim 5,
- wherein a portion of a boundary of the electrode region is knitted together with an adjacent portion of a boundary of the conductive trace region.
7. The textile of claim 6,
- wherein the exterior layer of the conductive wire of the conductive trace region adjacent to the electrode region is removed and the conductive wire contacts the conductive yarn such that the conductive trace region is electrically connected with the electrode region.
8. The textile of claim 5,
- wherein a second layer of the hybrid yarn is knitted of the conductive trace region of the continuous textile section and over a portion of the electrode region to form a two-layer section of the textile, and
- wherein the exterior layer of the conductive wire of a portion of the conductive trace region in the two layer section is removed to expose a portion of the conductive wire and the exposed portion of the conductive wire is electrically connected with the electrode region via a conductive material.
9. The textile of claim 5, comprising a section of the hybrid yarn of the conductive trace region extending out of the continuous textile section such that the section of the hybrid yarn can extend across a portion of the electrode region.
10. The textile of claim 1,
- wherein the single-layer defines a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, and wherein a yarn of a given region of the single-layer is presented at both the first and second surfaces.
11. The textile of claim 1,
- wherein the hybrid yarn comprises the non-conductive yarn twisted with two separate conductive wires each having an exterior layer of the insulating material.
12. The textile of claim 1,
- wherein the conductive wire of the hybrid yarn defines a continuous length of conductive wire along each length of hybrid yarn of the conductive trace region.
13. The textile of claim 1,
- wherein the non-conductive yarn of the hybrid yarn comprises at least one of an aramid, meta-aramid, or para-aramid polyamide fiber.
14. The textile of claim 1,
- wherein the conductive wire of the hybrid yarn comprises an exterior surface of a conductive metal and the insulating material comprises a polymer.
15. The textile of claim 1, wherein the single-layer is knitted using a single-layer intarsia technique having all regions in the single-layer.
16. The textile of claim 1, wherein the knitted textile is a garment and the inner surface of the single knit layer defines a skin-facing side of the garment and an outer surface of the single knit layer defines an exterior surface of the garment.
17. A method of knitting a textile, the method comprising:
- knitting a single-layer of the textile from an electrically inert yarn and a hybrid yarn to form a continuous textile section by: knitting the electrically inert yarn into an inert region of the single-layer, and knitting the hybrid yarn into a conductive trace region of the single-layer,
- wherein the hybrid yarn comprises a non-conductive yarn twisted with a conductive wire, the conductive wire having an exterior layer of an insulating material.
18. The method of claim 17,
- wherein the conductive trace region is knitted to transmit an electrical data or power signal along the single knitted layer via the conductive wire from a first location in the continuous textile section to a second location in the continuous textile section.
19. The method of claim 18,
- wherein the conductive wire of the conductive trace region knitted between the first and second locations comprises one or more continuous lengths of the conductive wire spanning the first and second locations.
20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
- removing the exterior layer of the conductive wire in a first region of the conductive trace region, and
- removing the exterior layer the conductive wire in a section region of the conductive trace region,
- wherein the first and second regions are connected via a continuous section of the conductive trace region, and
- wherein the continuous section of the conductive trace region is configured to transmit an electrical data or power signal along the continuous textile section via the conductive wire from the first region to the second region.
21. The method of claim 20,
- wherein removing the exterior layer of the conductive wire in at least one of the first or second regions comprises ablating the hybrid yarn to remove the non-conductive yarn and the exterior layer on the conductive wire.
22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
- knitting the single-layer of the textile with a conductive yarn, the conductive yarn being knit into an electrode region of the continuous textile section,
- wherein the conductive yarn comprises an exposed exterior surface of an electrically conductive material.
23. The method of claim 22,
- wherein a portion of a boundary of the electrode region is knitted together with an adjacent portion of a boundary of the conductive trace region.
24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:
- removing the exterior layer of the conductive wire of the conductive trace region adjacent to the electrode region such that the conductive wire contacts the conductive yarn and the conductive trace region is electrically connected with the electrode region.
25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:
- knitting a second layer of the hybrid yarn out of the conductive trace region of the continuous textile section and over a portion of the electrode region to form a two-layer section of the textile,
- removing the exterior layer of the conductive wire of a portion of the conductive trace region in the two layer section is removed to expose a portion of the conductive wire, and
- electrically connecting the exposed portion of the conductive wire with the electrode region via a conductive adhesive.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein removing the exterior layer of the conductive wire in the two layer section comprises:
- positioning a protective material between the first layer and the second layer, and
- ablating the hybrid yarn in the second layer to remove the non-conductive yarn and the exterior layer on the conductive wire, the protective material preventing ablation of the electrode region.
27. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
- extending a section of the hybrid yarn of the conductive trace region extending out of the continuous textile section such that the section of the hybrid yarn can extend across a portion of the electrode region.
28. The method of claim 17,
- wherein the single-layer defines a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, and wherein a yarn of a given region of the single-layer is presented at both the first and second surfaces.
29. The method of claim 17,
- wherein the hybrid yarn comprises the non-conductive yarn twisted with two separate conductive wires each having an exterior layer of the insulating material.
30. The method of claim 17,
- wherein the conductive wire of the hybrid yarn defines a continuous length of conductive wire along each length of hybrid yarn of the conductive trace region.
31. The method of claim 17,
- wherein the non-conductive yarn of the hybrid yarn comprises at least one of an aramid, meta-aramid, or para-aramid polyamide fiber.
32. The method of claim 17,
- wherein the conductive wire of the hybrid yarn comprises an exterior surface of a conductive metal and the insulating material comprises a polymer.
33. The method of claim 17,
- wherein the single-layer is knitted using a single-layer intarsia technique having all regions of the single-layer in the same intarsia layer.
34. The method of claim 33,
- wherein the single-layer is knitted using a single bed of a knitting machine.
35. The method of claim 33,
- wherein each yarn of the single-layer is knit separately.
36. The method of claim 17,
- wherein the textile is a garment and the inner surface of the single knit layer defines a skin-facing side of the garment and an outer surface of the single knit layer defines an exterior surface of the garment.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 10, 2020
Publication Date: Oct 15, 2020
Applicants: Propel, LLC (Pawtucket, RI), Propel, LLC (Pawtucket, RI)
Inventors: Clare King (Providence, RI), Anjali Khemani (Providence, RI), Birgit Leitner (Providence, RI)
Application Number: 16/845,772