Systems and methods are provided for detecting liquid in a textile article using one or more flexible sensors integrated in the textile article. The sensor data is forwarded to a computing device via a communication link by an interface element associated with the textile article. The computing device detects a location of liquid in the textile article proximate to the one or more flexible sensors based on a determination that a criterion is met.

A fabric-based item may include fabric formed from intertwined strands of material. The strands of material may include extruded strands. Strand extrusion equipment may have electrically adjustable sources such as one or more sources of different polymers, dyes, particles, wire, and other elements to be incorporated into an extruded strand. The properties of the strands such as strand stiffness, strand diameter, conductivity, magnetic permeability, opacity, color, thermal conductivity, sand strength, may be varied along their lengths. Fabric formed from the strands may have different areas with different properties. Markers may be formed from particles at particular locations along the lengths of the strands, may be optical marker structures formed from circumferential rings of ink or other visible material on the strands, or may be other markers that can be sensed using electrical sensing, magnetic sensing, optical sensing, or other types of sensing when forming fabric from the strands.

Provided is a configuration capable of improving the signal strength of a piezoelectric element using piezoelectric fibers. This braided piezoelectric element comprises a core comprising conductive fibers and a sheath comprising braided piezoelectric fibers so as to cover the core, the braided piezoelectric element further comprising a metal terminal connected and fixed to the core in either of the following states A or B. A) A state where a portion of the metal terminal grasps a fiber portion constituting the end of a braided piezoelectric element and the core and the metal terminal are electrically connected to each other and fixed within 1 mm from where the metal terminal grasps the fiber portion. B) A state where: a portion of the metal terminal has a fork or needle shape; the fork-shaped or needle-shaped portion is electrically connected to the core while in contact with the sheath; and the braided piezoelectric element is secured to the metal terminal by another portion of the metal terminal or a component fixed to the metal terminal within 10 mm from the point of the electrical connection.

Provided is a highly elastic and pliant knitted fabric which affords restorability against repetitive stretching, has characteristic of varying in electrical resistance with state changes between stretched state and unstretched state, and may provide air permeability, moisture permeability, and water absorbability for suitable use as wearable material. A direction in which continuous loops are successively formed in knit structure is defined as course direction or course, loops are formed of conductive yarn, elastic yarn is positioned so as to exhibit tightening force in course direction, and the knitted fabric is designed so that, when in unstretched state, conductive yarn loops arranged adjacent each other in course direction are kept in contact with each other under tightening force of elastic yarn, whereas, in a state of being stretched in course direction, conductive yarn loops move away from each other against tightening force of elastic yarn.

The invention relates to a method for producing a garment (1), and to a garment which is worn on the human body and which is suitable for conducting electrical signals to and/or from the human body. The method comprises the following steps: spreading out a supporting structure (100) which has at least two garment components (110) which are partially coupled by means of at least one partial coupling (120); positioning a prefabricated functional structure (200) or producing a functional structure (200) which has the function of transferring the electrical signals from and/or to the human body in a spatial relationship to the supporting structure (100) in such a way that, when the functional structure (200) crosses a boundary between at least two garment components (110), the functional structure (200) is positioned on the partial coupling (120) between the garment components (110), coupling the supporting structure (100) to the functional structure (200), finishing the garment (1) by means of final coupling of the garment components (110) to each other.

It is disclosed a textile fabric comprising a first set of electrically conductive and externally isolated yarns (22) separated by isolating textile yarns (24); a second set of non-isolated conductive yarns (23); a plurality of textile yarns interlacing the first and the second set of yarns (22, 23), wherein part of the interlacing textile yarns are non-isolated conductive yarns (23) in order to form an electrical grounding grid with the non-isolated conductive yarns (23) of the second set of yarns and part of the interlacing textile yarns are isolating textile yarns (24).

A planar (two-dimensional, XY location) touch sensor may include a knitted structure and supplementary method of sensing detects human touch on a fabric surface. This sensor may be fully knitted and detect the continuous planar location and contact force of human touch along the surface of the structure. The fabric may conform to any arbitrary surface and may be a rectangle for touch pad applications. This sensor may be used for applications that include robotics and human-machine interaction, smart garments and wearables, as well as medical textiles and flexible embedded sensors. This touch sensor may require as few as only two electrode connections from the fabric to sense both planar touch and pressure, which allows it to work in areas with limited space that allow for limited complexity for wiring.

A method for making a textile sensor and a textile sensor can include selecting a combination of variables from the group consisting of yarn variables, stitch variables, and textile variables; and knitting an electrically conductive yarn in the textile sensor in accordance with the selected combination of variables, wherein the combination of variables is selected so as to provide a controlled amount of contact resistance in the textile sensor. The method and textile can further include a capacitive textile-sensor having at least two integrally knit capacitor plate elements and having a configuration adapted for a sensing activity. Resistance in the textile sensor can automatically calibrate to a stable baseline level after the textile sensor is applied to a body.

Systems and methods are provided for detecting liquid in a textile article using one or more flexible sensors integrated in the textile article. The sensor data is forwarded to a computing device via a communication link by an interface element associated with the textile article. The computing device detects a location of liquid in the textile article proximate to the one or more flexible sensors based on a determination that a criterion is met.

Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are directed to articles of clothing that allow for monitoring of different analytes (e.g., electrolytes and molecules) in human sweat during fitness activity, while training, or simply in everyday life. The clothing includes a sensor system completely integrated in textile such that every sensing part is made of textile fibers. The clothing is able to control, collect, analyze, and expel the sweat over time. The textile sensor allows a spontaneous absorption of body sweat directly from the skin, while it is produced, using the hydrophilic natural properties of the textile. Then, once adsorbed, the flux of sweat is controlled and guided through the textile using a gradient of the textile's hydrophilic properties. The sweat guided through the textile is analyzed through an electrochemical sensor woven into the textile. Finally, the sweat is collected in a reservoir and expelled for evaporation.