A system for continuously humidifying a textile electrode during its use by a human is disclosed. The electrode can be part of a garment or textile where the textile electrode is positioned against the skin. A reservoir positioned against the electrode and opposite the user's skin can be made from a material with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, such as natural wool or a skincore material. The reservoir receives and retains moisture from the user's skin through the electrode, as well as from a pre-wetting of the exposed user-facing side of the electrode. A seal can surround the reservoir and the electrode, with the seal extending beyond electrode. The seal can be a patch with heat activated adhesive at the edge to flow the textile to form a moisture barrier around the electrode. An electrical contact on the electrode can connect conductive wires from outside the seal to the electrode.

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.

The article (100) comprises a textile body (101), a conductive region (103) and an embossing material (105). The embossing material 105 causes the conductive region (103) to adopt and retain a raised, embossed, profile (107) that projects outwardly from a surface (102) of the textile body (101). The method comprises applying heat and/or pressure to the article (100) to cause the article (100) to adopt the embossed profile (107). The raised, embossed, profile (107) is retained upon release of the applied heat and/or pressure as the embossing material (105) has bonded to the textile body (101) due to the application of heat and/or pressure.

Interlacing equipment may be used to form fabric and to create a gap in the fabric. The fabric may include one or more conductive strands. An insertion tool may be used to align an electrical component with the conductive strands during interlacing operations. A soldering tool may be used to remove insulation from the conductive strands to expose conductive segments on the conductive strands. The soldering tool may be used to solder the conductive segments to the electrical component. The solder connections may be located in grooves in the electrical component. An encapsulation tool may dispense encapsulation material in the grooves to encapsulate the solder connections. After the electrical component is electrically connected to the conductive strands, the insertion tool may position and release the electrical component in the gap. A component retention tool may temporarily be used to retain the electrical component in the gap as interlacing operations continue.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods for producing and using a knitted fabric including one or more integrated sensors. According to one embodiment, a soft touch sensor can comprise a first knitted conductive layer of metallic-coated, plaited yarn and a second knitted conductive layer of metallic-coated, plaited yarn disposed parallel to the first knitted conductive layer. A knitted dielectric layer disposed between the first knitted conductive layer and the second knitted conductive layer. The knitted dielectric layer can be plaited into the first knitted conductive layer and the second knitted conductive layer and can form a spacer between the first knitted conductive layer and the second knitted conductive layer.

It is disclosed a stretchable touchpad (10) of the capacitive type including a stretchable textile fabric (20) having a plurality of conductive elements incorporated therein. The conductive elements are resistive strain gauges (30, 40) which form electrodes to detect a change of capacitance caused by a touch. It is also disclosed a method for operating a stretchable touchpad (10) comprising the steps of measuring continuously a capacitance analog signal provided by a resistive strain gauge (30, 40) of the stretchable touchpad (10); and comparing the measured capacitance signal with a threshold value in order to determine whether or not a touch has taken place, wherein the threshold value is continuously adjusted as a function of the actual measurement of capacitance and as a function of the resistance of said resistive strain gauges (30, 40) which form the capacitor electrodes of said touchpad (10).

The present invention relates to deformable supports that provide a compressive force on a human or animal limb or body and can self-determine that force and monitor it. The invention further relates to garments comprising those supports and an associated system for self-determination, monitoring and communicating the compressive force.

Conductive yarns in a knitted fabric may include insulating cores covered with metal layers that form signal paths. Open circuits may be formed in the yarns by removing metal from the insulating cores at selected locations within the yarns. The fabric may be formed from rows of interlocked loops of the yarn. The open circuits may be located on the loops so that each loop with an open circuit has a first segment of the metal layer that is separated from a second segment of the layer by a portion of the loop from which the metal layer has been removed. Each electrical component may have terminals that span a respective one of the open circuits and that are shorted respectively to the metal of the first and second segments.

Methods of manufacturing a tubular garment using a knitting machine having a first knitting bed and a second knitting bed are disclosed. An embodiment of the method includes knitting a first fabric panel in the first knitting bed and knitting a second fabric panel in the second knitting bed. The first fabric panel and the second fabric panel being joined to define a first tubular portion of the tubular garment. The method includes temporarily transferring the first fabric panel from the first knitting bed to the second knitting bed and knitting a third fabric panel in the first knitting bed. The method includes joining the third fabric panel to the first fabric panel to define a second tubular portion of the tubular garment. The method includes disposing an electrically conductive bus through the second tubular portion for electrical communication with at least one conductive yarn integrated within the tubular garment.

A method for preparing a capacitive stress sensing intelligent fabric. Conductive yarn serves as an electrode of a capacitive sensor, and the conductive yarn is obtained by means of direct preparation, coating, doping, etc.; an insulating elastomer is coated on the conductive yarn as a dielectric material; and the conductive yarn, which has been subjected to insulation processing, is interlaced among common yarns by using interweaving and overlapping structures among fabric yarns. A fabric sensing array is formed by means of a common manufacturing technique, and the method can be widely applied to force monitoring, etc., for intelligent garments, intelligent homes, touch-control screens, electronic skin and three-dimensional fabric composite materials.