CONDUCTIVE YARN/SEWING THREAD CAPABLE OF DATA/SIGNAL TRANSMISSION HAVING AN EXTERIOR CONDUCTIVE WIRE, AND SMART FABRIC, AND GARMENT MADE THEREFROM

Abstract

A conductive composite yarn/sewing thread comprising: a) a core formed of at least a first strand of a conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and b) at least one inner cover wrapped around the core in a first direction at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete coverage of the core by the inner cover; c) at least one outer cover wrapped around the at least one inner cover, wherein the outer cover is wrapped in a second direction opposite to a direction of a cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped, at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete cover of the cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped; wherein one of the inner cover or the outer cover contains a second strand of conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and is configured such that a distance between said second strand and said at least first strand is substantially constant; and d) optionally, a lubricant, and a stretch conductive composite yarn, comprising: a core formed from an elastic yarn, and at least one cover layer wrapped helically around the core, wherein the at least one cover layer comprises a natural or synthetic yarn having contained therein a bare conductive metallic strand of 40 or higher gauge; a conductive composite sewing thread therefrom, and use of the yarn/sewing thread in production of a variety of items, including, but not limited to, smart fabrics or smart garments having electrical segments, patterns, or grids therein

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 62/617,708, filed Jan. 16, 2018, pending, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/277,397, filed Sep. 27, 2016, entitled “CONDUCTIVE YARN/SEWING THREAD, SMART FABRIC, AND GARMENT MADE THEREFROM”, and to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/563,970, filed Sep. 27, 2017, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to the area of conductive yarns and conductive sewing threads that can transmit signal or data, optionally having reduced or eliminated crosstalk, which have an exposed exterior conductive wire and a core conductive wire, with the exterior and core conductive wires being maintained at a substantially constant distance between one another, along with products made therefrom, particularly in the area of making smart fabrics and smart garments using the conductive yarn/sewing thread.

Discussion of the Background

A demand has developed for smart fabrics and smart garments, having conductive capabilities through the use of conductive yarns used in making of the fabric/garment, thus permitting the operation of electrical sensors, detectors and/or metering devices to measure and track various aspects of the wearer's well-being. Such smart fabrics and garments are particularly sought for use in military and sporting applications. In military uses, such smart fabrics are used to track the wearer's biometric readings, as well as for satellite tracking of individuals in the operational theater.

Unfortunately, previous efforts in providing such conductive yarn have met with limited success. This is particularly the case where the conductive yarn is intended as a sewing thread. Sewing thread, because of the nature of its use, must be able to withstand the stresses created thereon by the many repeated bends and jerks occurring during the conventional sewing operation. Therefore it must be able to endure these bends and stresses without breaking. Since most attempts to make conductive yarn involve the use of a metallic strand as part of the yarn, and metallic strands have a tendency to succumb to such repeated bends and stresses by breaking, conductive sewing threads have been even more difficult to provide, since breaking of the conductive metallic strand results in a break in the conductivity.

There still exists a need for a conductive yarn, and particularly for a conductive sewing thread that, in addition to functioning as a yarn or sewing thread, will withstand the bends and stresses of use, particularly in sewing, while maintaining sufficiently high conductivity to provide the conductive benefits intended. In such a case the sewing thread must maintain its integrity through the sewing process.

A further issue arises when one attempts to use the conductive yarn or sewing thread to transmit signals or data, such as in smart fabrics having biometric sensors reporting data into a storage unit within the smart fabric itself or externally to the smart fabric. This becomes particularly of interest when one of the biometric factors being measured is perspiration. Such measurement is typically obtained by measuring conductivity between two separate conductive wires being worn, such that as the wearer perspires, the moisture results in an increase in conductivity between the conductive wires. However, accurate measurements have been difficult to obtain, since the garments having such conductive yarns are being worn by a subject that is active and moving, resulting in the yarns from which measurements are being taken being mobile relative to one another, thus causing fluctuations in the conductivity as the perspiration starts to get measured. Accordingly, there is a need for such conductive yarns or sewing threads in which the measurement of conductivity between two conductive wires can be performed in an accurate and consistent manner, thus permitting accurate biometric measurement via those yarns.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a conductive composite yarn, and particularly a conductive composite sewing thread that enables the production of conductive patterns in a fabric.

A further object of the present invention is to provide the conductive composite yarn or sewing thread having at least two conductive wires therein which are maintained at a substantially consistent distance from one another during use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a smart fabric made using the conductive composite yarn/sewing thread of the present invention.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a garment made using the smart fabric of the present invention.

These and other objects of the present invention have been satisfied, either individually or in combination, by the discovery of a conductive composite yarn/sewing thread comprising:

a) a core formed of at least one strand of a conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and

b) at least one inner cover wrapped around the core in a first direction at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete coverage of the core by the inner cover;

c) at least one outer cover wrapped around the at least one inner cover, wherein the outer cover is wrapped in a second direction opposite to a direction of a cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped, at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete cover of the cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped; wherein the outer cover contains a strand of bare conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and the outer cover is configured such that a distance between said second strand and said at least first strand is substantially constant; and

d) optionally, a lubricant;

and its use in the production of fabrics and garments having conductive segments, patterns and/or grids therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a conductive composite yarn/sewing thread comprising a core formed of at least one strand of a conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and at least one inner cover, preferably of natural or synthetic fiber, wrapped around the core in a first direction at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete coverage of the core by the inner cover; at least one outer cover, preferably of synthetic or natural fiber, wrapped around the at least one inner cover, wherein the outer cover is wrapped in a second direction opposite to a direction of a cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped, at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete cover of the cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped; wherein one of the inner cover and the outer cover contains a strand of bare conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and is configured such that a distance between said second strand and said at least first strand is substantially constant; and

d) optionally, a lubricant;

and its use in the production of fabrics and garments having conductive segments, patterns and/or grids therein. The conductive composite yarn is particularly suitable for use as a sewing thread.

The term “fiber” as used herein refers to a fundamental component used in the assembly of yarns and fabrics. Generally, a fiber is a component which has a length dimension which is much greater than its diameter or width. This term includes ribbon, strip, staple, and other forms of chopped, cut or discontinuous fiber and the like having a regular or irregular cross section. “Fiber” also includes a plurality of any one of the above or a combination of the above.

As used herein, the term “high performance fiber” means that class of synthetic or natural non-glass fibers having high values of tenacity greater than 10 g/denier, such that they lend themselves for applications where high abrasion and/or cut resistance is important. Typically, high performance fibers have a very high degree of molecular orientation and crystallinity in the final fiber structure.

The term “filament” as used herein refers to a fiber of indefinite or extreme length such as found naturally in silk. This term also refers to manufactured fibers produced by, among other things, extrusion processes. Individual filaments making up a fiber may have any one of a variety of cross sections to include round, serrated or crenular, bean-shaped or others.

Within the context of the present invention, unless otherwise denoted, the terms “polyester” and “nylon” are used generically and include any of the conventional members of the polyester and nylon families of fibers, respectively. Nylon is preferably nylon-6,6. Polyester is preferably polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate.

The term “yarn” as used herein refers to a continuous strand of textile fibers, filaments or material in a form suitable for knitting, weaving, or otherwise intertwining to form a textile fabric. Yarn can occur in a variety of forms to include a spun yarn consisting of staple fibers usually bound together by twist; a multi filament yarn consisting of many continuous filaments or strands; or a mono filament yarn which consist of a single strand.

The term “air interlacing” as used herein refers to subjecting multiple strands of yarn to an air jet to combine the strands and thus form a single, intermittently commingled strand. This treatment is sometimes referred to as “air tacking.” This term is not used to refer to the process of “intermingling” or “entangling” which is understood in the art to refer to a method of air compacting a multifilament yarn to facilitate its further processing, particularly in weaving processes. A yarn strand that has been intermingled typically is not combined with another yarn. Rather, the individual multifilament strands are entangled with each other within the confines of the single strand. This air compacting is used as a substitute for yarn sizing and as a means to provide improved pick resistance. This term also does not refer to well known air texturizing performed to increase the bulk of single yarn or multiple yarn strands. Methods of air interlacing in composite yarns and suitable apparatus therefore are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,349,531; 6,341,483; and 6,212,914, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The term “composite yarn” refers to a yarn prepared from two or more yarns, which can be the same or different. Composite yarn can occur in a variety of forms wherein the two or more yarns are in differing orientations relative to one another. The two or more yarns can, for example, be parallel, wrapped one around the other(s), twisted together, or combinations of any or all of these, as well as other orientations, depending on the properties of the composite yarn desired. Examples of such composite yarns are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,777,789; 5,177,948; 5,628,172; 5,845,476; 6,351,932; 6,363,703 and 6,367,290, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Within the context of the present invention, the term “substantially constant” when referring to the distance between the conductive strand in the core of the yarn and the exposed outer conductive strand in the inner cover or outer cover means that the distance between the two strands varies less than about 10%, preferably less than about 5%, more preferably less than about 1% throughout the length of the conductive composite yarn of the present invention.

Within the context of the present invention, the term “bare conductive metallic strand” or “bare” when referring to the conductive metallic strand, is intended to mean that the metallic strand has no coating or covering on its surface that would impede conductivity interaction between the strand and another conductive metallic strand.

In the present invention conductive composite yarn, the core comprises at least a first bare conductive metallic strand. The conductive metallic strand can be made of any conductive metal, and preferably is of stainless steel or copper. Preferably, in order to provide sufficient flexibility of the metallic core, the metallic conductive strands should be of 40 or higher gauge metal, more preferably 42 or higher gauge, most preferably 44 or higher gauge. In some embodiments, the core comprises at least 2 metallic strands, which are most preferably insulated one from the other with either a polyamide or polyurethane sheath (the metallic strands having such polymeric sheaths are commercially available) on all except one of the metallic strands forming the core (i.e. at least one of the conductive metallic strands in the core must remain a bare conductive metallic strand). For uses above 150° C., the polyamide covered metallic strand is preferred. When a stainless steel wire is used in the core, the stainless steel wire is preferably of 0.5-4 mil in diameter, more preferably from 1-2 mil in diameter, most preferably 1.6 mil in diameter (0.0016 in). The core can optionally comprise other types of yarn, depending on the intended use. In certain embodiments, the core further comprises fiberglass to improve cut resistance, or can include high performance yarns, such as ultra-high molecular weight polyolefin (such as SPECTRA or DYNEEMA), or aramid yarns. When fiberglass is contained, the fiberglass can be of any weight/rating, including but not limited to those in the following Table 1:

TABLE 1
Standard Fiberglass Sizes
Fiberglass Approximate
Size       Denier
G-450      99.21
D-225      198.0
G-150      297.6
G-75       595.27
G-50       892.90
G-37       1206.62

The core may be of any desired denier, depending on the unit weight of yarn/sewing thread desired. Preferably, the core has a denier of from 50 to 1500, more preferably from 200 to 900.

The inner and outer cover yarns can be any type of yarn, including both natural and synthetic fibers, and are preferably a synthetic fiber including, but not limited to, polyester, nylon, rayon, cotton, acrylics, etc. In certain embodiments, it may be desirable for the inner cover yarn to be a high performance yarn or high tenacity yarn. Suitable high tenacity yarns include any of the high tenacity yarns having the very low or non-existent elongation, preferably at least one member selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, aramids, and ceramic fibers, most preferably fiberglass. Since this inner cover is helically applied, when subject to the bending stresses generated in the sewing operation, the helical configuration will allow some elongation of the inner cover (even in cases where the yarn used to prepare the inner cover has little to no elongation properties itself) to prevent damage or breakage, particularly in a preferred fiberglass embodiment. The inner cover is wrapped in one direction (S or Z) around the core at a rate of turns per inch sufficient to provide coverage of the core, and varies depending on the denier and diameter of the core, as well as the denier of the yarn making up the inner cover. Preferably, the inner cover is wrapped at a rate of from 4 to 15 tpi, more preferably from 6 to 12 tpi. The inner cover yarn may have any desired denier, again depending on the desired size of the final product yarn. Preferably, the inner cover has a denier from 50 to 1500, most preferably from 100 to 1000.

The outer cover may be made of any desired fiber, including both natural and synthetic fibers, and is preferably a synthetic fiber including, but not limited to, polyester or nylon. Like the inner cover, the outer cover may be any desired denier, depending on the final size of the resulting yarn product and is preferably from 50 to 1500 denier, most preferably from 100 to 1000 denier. The outer cover is then wrapped in a direction opposite of the inner cover (S vs. Z) at a rate sufficient to provide complete coverage of the inner cover, preferably from 4 to 15 tpi, more preferably from 6 to 12 tpi, again depending upon the composite denier of the core/inner cover combination and the denier of the yarn making up the outer cover. The outer cover preferably protects the core and inner cover.

More importantly, one of the inner cover or the outer cover contains a second bare conductive strand of metallic wire, preferably of 40 or higher gauge, more preferably 42 or higher gauge, most preferably 44 or higher gauge. By including this second conductive strand in the inner cover or the outer cover, the distance between this second conductive strand and the first conductive strand in the core is maintained in a substantially constant distance. This permits the conductivity between the two metallic strands to be measured more accurately, and provide a significantly improved accuracy in measurement of perspiration by the wearer of a garment including the conductive yarn of the invention.

In one embodiment, the yarn may have only a single cover over the core. In that embodiment, the single cover will contain the second conductive strand of metallic wire.

In a fire resistant embodiment of the present invention, the fire resistant sewing thread described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,445, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, can be used, with the metallic strands of the present invention added to the core. In such preferred embodiments, if the sewn product is present in a fire, the inner cover will remain intact and maintain the fabric sections together, even though the core may melt.

The resulting composite yarn can have any desired composite denier, and preferably has a measured composite denier of from 300 to 2000, more preferably from 500 to 1500, most preferably from 1000 to 1400. While this is the measured composite denier, the resulting yarn has a size comparable to a typical composite denier of a non-metallic containing composite yarn of 150 to 1000, more preferably from 350 to 750, most preferably from 500 to 600. The reason for the much higher measured composite denier is the higher density (and thus higher weight per unit volume) of the metallic strands in the core.

Once the composite yarn is formed, it can be subjected to a finishing operation in which optionally, at least one lubricant is applied. This can be applied in any conventional manner, including but not limited to spraying on the fiber, application by kiss-roll, or dipping the yarn into a bath containing the bonding agent or lubricant, either neat or as a solution in a suitable organic or aqueous solvent. The preferred lubricant is a silicone with paraffin added. Additional lubricants which have been found to be satisfactory are RAYOLAN 1813, Boehme FILATEX, or KL 400 (Kelmar). When the composite yarn is a composite sewing thread, the composite yarn is lubricated so that the sewing thread can withstand the heat of the needle as it repeatedly slides through the needle eye during the sewing operation.

In a further embodiment, a stretch conductive yarn can be prepared having a core of an elastic yarn (and containing NO conductive metallic strand), such as SPANDEX or similar elastic yarn, around which is wrapped at least one cover yarn (such as the natural or synthetic yarns in the inner and outer covers above), in which is contained a bare conductive metallic strand of 40 or higher gauge, more preferably 42 or higher gauge, most preferably 44 or higher gauge. The elastic yarn of the core may be any desired denier, preferably from 40 to 250 denier, more preferably from 50 to 100 denier. By wrapping the cover layer around the elastic core, the coiled nature of the conductive metallic strand permits stretching of the entire yarn along with relaxation to the original length, via the elastic core and coiled wrap with metallic strand.

The present invention encompasses various embodiments of conductive yarns/sewing threads, including but not limited to:

• • Conductive yarns/sewing threads which are particularly useful for transmission of electrical signals and data, particularly the accurate measurement of biometric signals via conductivity between the first conductive metallic strand in the core and second conductive metallic strand in the inner or outer cover layer;
  • Conductive yarns/sewing threads that can be soldered without requiring stripping of the insulation layer, and still making durable and cohesive connections;
  • Conductive yarns/sewing threads of the present invention can be sewn into various types of garments to prepare “smart garments” which permit transmission of data signals from various sensors either on the garment or on the wearer, to permit tracking and monitoring of a variety of parameters, including biological/health parameters of the wearer (such as perspiration), geospatial position of the wearer, etc; the resulting smart garment can be used to monitor personnel location and condition in the field if desired, and permit transmission of other desired parameters either to remote locations or to localized data storage on the wearer for later analysis;
  • Conductive yarns/sewing threads of the present invention can be used to retrofit body armor with conductive smart yarns into impact sensors, or can be incorporated along with a Bluetooth transmitter, such that critical information can be transmitted instantly if the wearer is incapacitated and down;
  • Conductive yarns/sewing threads of the present invention can actually perform as sensors in smart fabrics, permitting transmission of data signals for any desired parameters, including vital stats for the wearer, GPS location data, current positional condition (prone or standing), etc. thus enabling a wide variety of smart fabric capabilities;
  • Magnetic conductive yarns/sewing threads, in which an additional magnetic metallic strand (such as a strand of nickel wire having low conductivity but high magnetization properties) is included within the core; and
  • Antimicrobial conductive yarns/sewing threads, in which the conductive yarns/sewing threads of the present invention are made antimicrobial through treatment with an antimicrobial composition, such as that set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 7,939,686, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

For purposes of illustration only, several examples are set forth below:

EXAMPLE 1

Core: one 44 ga copper wire

Inner cover: 70 denier polyester (PET) having contained therein one 44 ga copper wire

Outer cover: 70 denier polyester (PET)

EXAMPLE 2

Core: one 44 ga copper wire

Inner cover: 100 denier polyester (PET)

Outer cover: 100 denier polyester (PET) having contained therein one 40 ga copper wire

EXAMPLE 3

Core: one 40 ga copper wire

Inner cover: 250 denier polyester (PET) having contained therein one 42 ga copper wire

Outer cover: 250 denier polyester (PET)

EXAMPLE 4

Core: two 44 ga copper wires, with one having a polyurethane coating

Inner cover: 70 denier Nylon (nylon 6,6)

Outer cover: 70 denier polyester (PET) having contained therein one 44 ga copper wire

EXAMPLE 5

Core: one 44 ga copper wire, 100 denier SPECTRA in parallel

Inner cover: 70 denier polyester (PET)

Outer cover: 70 denier polyester (PET) having contained therein one 42 ga copper wire

EXAMPLE 6

Core: SPANDEX 70 denier

Inner cover: 70 denier polyester (PET) having contained therein one 44 ga copper wire

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a conductive composite sewing thread, having a first metallic strand in the core, preferably from 44 gauge bare copper wire, and having at least one cover wrap layer of nylon or polyester having contained therein a second metallic strand, preferably made from 44 gauge bare copper wire, wherein the first metallic strand and second metallic strand are configured such that the distance between the two are maintained in a substantially constant distance. The first and second strand can act as electrodes such that the system can be used to sew in conductive patterns into a fabric or garment, permitting the connection of various biometric measuring devices, or other electrical connections providing signal and data transmission capability, and the accurate measurement of conductivity between the first and second metallic strands.

The conductive sewing thread of the present invention can be used to turn any desired fabric or garment into a “smart fabric” or “smart garment”. In the context of the present invention, the terms “smart fabric” and “smart garment” are meant to indicate that a conductive pattern or grid, or at least conductive segments, have been sewn into the fabric or garment, thus permitting the attachment of electrical leads to the conductive segments/pattern/grid, and enabling the use of the garment to be used for a variety of monitoring or tracking purposes common to such garments. A primary difference with such fabrics or garments made using the present invention is that custom patterns or grids can be readily applied to the garment using a standard sewing machine, without worrying about the yarn crossing itself and causing a short circuit or other electrical fault to occur.

The following are preferred embodiments of the present invention:

• Embodiment 1. A conductive composite yarn/sewing thread comprising:

a) a core formed of at least a first strand of a conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and

b) at least one inner cover wrapped around the core in a first direction at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete coverage of the core by the inner cover;

c) at least one outer cover wrapped around the at least one inner cover, wherein the outer cover is wrapped in a second direction opposite to a direction of a cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped, at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete cover of the cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped; wherein one of the inner cover or the outer cover contains a second strand of bare conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and is configured such that a distance between said second strand and said at least first strand is substantially constant; and

d) optionally, a lubricant.

• Embodiment 2. The conductive composite yarn of Embodiment 1, wherein said at least first strand comprises two or more strands of an electrically conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, wherein all but one of the two or more strands is coated with an insulating cover or polymer.
• Embodiment 3. The conductive composite yarn of Embodiment 1 or 2, wherein said electrically conductive metal of said at least first strand, said second strand, or both, is copper.
• Embodiment 4. The conductive composite yarn of one of Embodiments 1 to 3, wherein said at least first strand, said second strand, or both, are 42 gauge copper wires.
• Embodiment 5. The conductive composite yarn of one of Embodiments 1 to 3, wherein said at least first strand, said second strand, or both, are 44 gauge copper wires.
• Embodiment 6. The conductive composite yarn of one of Embodiments 1 to 3, wherein said core comprises two 40 or higher gauge copper wires, wherein one of the two strands is coated with an insulating cover or polymer.
• Embodiment 7. The conductive composite yarn of Embodiment 6, wherein the two copper wires are each of 44 gauge.
• Embodiment 8. The conductive composite yarn of one of Embodiments 1 to 7, wherein said core further comprises a stainless steel wire having a diameter of 1-2 mil, which is also coated with an insulating cover or polymer.
• Embodiment 9. The conductive composite yarn of one of Embodiments 1 to 8, wherein said outer cover is formed of at least one strand of a yarn selected from the group consisting of nylon and polyester yarns.
• Embodiment 10. The conductive composite yarn according to one of Embodiments 1 to 9, wherein said core further comprises fiberglass having a denier of from 100 to 300.
• Embodiment 11. The conductive composite yarn according to one of Embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the conductive composite yarn is a conductive composite sewing thread.
• Embodiment 12. The conductive composite yarn according to one of Embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the yarn has a composite denier of from 400 to 700.
• Embodiment 13. The conductive composite yarn according to one of Embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the yarn has a composite denier of from 500 to 600.
• Embodiment 14. The conductive composite yarn according to one of Embodiments 1 to 13, wherein the lubricant is a composition comprising silicone and paraffin.
• Embodiment 15. A stretch conductive composite yarn, comprising:

a core formed from an elastic yarn, and

at least one cover layer wrapped helically around the core, wherein the at least one cover layer comprises a natural or synthetic yarn having contained therein a bare conductive metallic strand of 40 or higher gauge.

• Embodiment 16. A fabric having a conductive segment, pattern or grid, comprising:

a knit or woven fabric, and

a segment, pattern or grid formed on the fabric by sewing the conductive composite yarn of one of Embodiments 1 to 15 into the fabric to form the segment, pattern or grid.

• Embodiment 17. A garment having a conductive segment, pattern or grid, formed from the fabric of Embodiment 16.
• Embodiment 18. The garment of Embodiment 17, further comprising one or more sensors capable of transmitting data signals through the conductive composite yarn, wherein the one or more sensors are electrically connected to one or more ends of the conductive composite yarn.
• Embodiment 19. A garment having a conductive segment, pattern or grid, comprising:

a garment comprising a fabric, and

a segment, pattern or grid formed on the garment by sewing the conductive composite yarn of one of Embodiments 1 to 15 into the fabric to form the segment, pattern or grid.

• Embodiment 20. The garment of Embodiment 19, further comprising one or more sensors capable of transmitting data signals through the conductive composite yarn, wherein the one or more sensors are electrically connected to one or more ends of the conductive composite yarn.

While certain preferred embodiments have been described in detail here and above, it is apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, as stated here and above, the conductive composite yarn/sewing thread may include multiple strands in the core, multiple strands in the inner cover, and/or multiple strands in the outer cover.

Claims

1. A conductive composite yarn/sewing thread comprising:

a) a core formed of at least a first strand of a conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and

b) at least one inner cover wrapped around the core in a first direction at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete coverage of the core by the inner cover;

c) at least one outer cover wrapped around the at least one inner cover, wherein the outer cover is wrapped in a second direction opposite to a direction of a cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped, at a rate sufficient to provide substantially complete cover of the cover layer on which the outer cover is directly wrapped; wherein one of the inner cover or the outer cover contains a second strand of bare conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, and is configured such that a distance between said second strand and said at least first strand is substantially constant; and

d) optionally, a lubricant.

2. The conductive composite yarn of claim 1, wherein said at least first strand comprises two or more strands of an electrically conductive metal of 40 or higher gauge, wherein all but one of the two or more strands is coated with an insulating cover or polymer.

3. The conductive composite yarn of claim 1, wherein said electrically conductive metal of said at least first strand, said second strand, or both, is copper.

4. The conductive composite yarn of claim 3, wherein said at least first strand, said second strand, or both, are 42 gauge copper wires.

5. The conductive composite yarn of claim 3, wherein said at least first strand, said second strand, or both, are 44 gauge copper wires.

6. The conductive composite yarn of claim 3, wherein said core comprises two 40 or higher gauge copper wires, wherein one of the two strands is coated with an insulating cover or polymer.

7. The conductive composite yarn of claim 6, wherein the two copper wires are each of 44 gauge.

8. The conductive composite yarn of claim 7, wherein said core further comprises a stainless steel wire having a diameter of 1-2 mil, which is also coated with an insulating cover or polymer.

9. The conductive composite yarn of claim 1, wherein said outer cover is formed of at least one strand of a yarn selected from the group consisting of nylon and polyester yarns.

10. The conductive composite yarn according to claim 1, wherein said core further comprises fiberglass having a denier of from 100 to 300.

11. The conductive composite yarn according to claim 1, wherein the conductive composite yarn is a conductive composite sewing thread.

12. The conductive composite yarn according to claim 1, wherein the yarn has a composite denier of from 400 to 700.

13. The conductive composite yarn according to claim 1, wherein the yarn has a composite denier of from 500 to 600.

14. The conductive composite yarn according to claim 1, wherein the lubricant is a composition comprising silicone and paraffin.

15. A stretch conductive composite yarn, comprising:

a core formed from an elastic yarn, and

at least one cover layer wrapped helically around the core, wherein the at least one cover layer comprises a natural or synthetic yarn having contained therein a bare conductive metallic strand of 40 or higher gauge.

16. A fabric having a conductive segment, pattern or grid, comprising:

a knit or woven fabric, and

a segment, pattern or grid formed on the fabric by sewing the conductive composite yarn of claim 1 into the fabric to form the segment, pattern or grid.

17. A garment having a conductive segment, pattern or grid, formed from the fabric of claim 16.

18. The garment of claim 17, further comprising one or more sensors capable of transmitting data signals through the conductive composite yarn, wherein the one or more sensors are electrically connected to one or more ends of the conductive composite yarn.

19. A garment having a conductive segment, pattern or grid, comprising:

a garment comprising a fabric, and

a segment, pattern or grid formed on the garment by sewing the conductive composite yarn of claim 1 into the fabric to form the segment, pattern or grid.

20. The garment of claim 19, further comprising one or more sensors capable of transmitting data signals through the conductive composite yarn, wherein the one or more sensors are electrically connected to one or more ends of the conductive composite yarn.

21. A fabric having a conductive segment, pattern or grid, comprising:

a knit or woven fabric, and

a segment, pattern or grid formed on the fabric by sewing the conductive composite yarn of claim 15 into the fabric to form the segment, pattern or grid.

22. A garment having a conductive segment, pattern or grid, formed from the fabric of claim 21.

23. The garment of claim 22, further comprising one or more sensors capable of transmitting data signals through the conductive composite yarn, wherein the one or more sensors are electrically connected to one or more ends of the conductive composite yarn.

24. A garment having a conductive segment, pattern or grid, comprising:

a garment comprising a fabric, and

a segment, pattern or grid formed on the garment by sewing the conductive composite yarn of claim 15 into the fabric to form the segment, pattern or grid.

25. The garment of claim 24, further comprising one or more sensors capable of transmitting data signals through the conductive composite yarn, wherein the one or more sensors are electrically connected to one or more ends of the conductive composite yarn.