A fabric for arc-protective garments includes first yarns and second yarns different from the first yarns. The first yarns include first modacrylic fibers, and the first modacrylic fibers contain an infrared absorber in an amount of 2.5 wt % or more with respect to a total weight of the first modacrylic fibers. The weight of the infrared absorber per unit area in the fabric for arc-protective garments is 0.05 oz/yd.sup.2 or more. An arc-protective garment includes the fabric for arc-protective garments.

A woven fabric with a photovoltaic power generation portion performs photovoltaic power generation by light, such as, e.g., solar light, and has flexibility. The woven fabric is composed of warp yarns and weft yarns. The woven fabric includes at least one functional yarn with a photovoltaic power generation portion as a weft yarn. The functional yarn with a photovoltaic power generation portion includes a photovoltaic power generation portion, a positive electrode conductive wire material connected to a positive electrode of the photovoltaic power generation portion, and a negative electrode conductive wire material connected to a negative electrode of the photovoltaic power generation portion. At least two warp yarns are conductive yarns. One of the conductive yarn is in electric contact with the positive electrode conductive wire material. The other warp yarn is in electric contact with the negative electrode conductive wire material.

A surface piece of crossing threads (12, 14) comprising plastic filaments, which as a woven fabric web (10) is equipped with two mutually opposing surfaces and with openings (16) formed therein. The fabric web comprises a metallisation applied on one side as a surface layer and between 15 and 80%, in particular between 20 and 70% of the fabric web is configured in the form of network intermediate spaces (16).

An integrated energy harvesting and storage device (IEHSD) includes a solar cell (SC) including an active layer between an optically transparent top electrode and a bottom electrode, and an energy storage device (SD) secured below the solar cell including a separator between a first electrode and a second electrode. The bottom electrode and the first or second electrode are electrically common with one another and are within a distance of ≤300 μm from one another.

A fabric comprising a plurality of photovoltaic filaments includes a conductive bus structure woven into the selvage edge of the fabric, providing a robust and flexible electrical connection from the positive and negative electrode leads of the photovoltaic filaments. The bus structure may be formed in segments which can include any combination of series and parallel configurations to accommodate loads requiring specified voltage and current.

An item may include circuitry, a battery that powers the circuitry, and one or more photovoltaic cells that are used to recharge the battery. The photovoltaic cell may be a thin-film photovoltaic cell with a flexible substrate. The flexible substrate may be formed from fabric, leather, polymer, or other soft materials. In arrangements where the substrate is formed from fabric with conductive strands, the photovoltaic cell may include a first electrical terminal coupled to a first conductive strand and a second electrical terminal coupled to a second conductive strand. The first and second conductive strands may be coupled to control circuitry. The control circuitry may route the electricity from the photovoltaic cell to a battery or other circuitry. Items such as cases, covers, bands, headphones, interiors, and other items may have flexible or soft surfaces that can form substrates for photovoltaic films.

A sensor yarn (10) having a thread core (11) around which first and second conductors (12, 13) are helically wound. The two conductors (12, 13) are electrically insulated from each other and from the thread core (11). The two conductors (12, 13) form a capacitive component (15) together with the thread core (11). In one embodiment, the sensor yarn (10a) has a capacitance (Cl) per unit of length that changes in the direction of extent (E) of the sensor yarn. This can be accomplished by a change in the winding geometry of the first or second conductors (12, 13) or by a change of the relative permittivity (E) of the sensor yarn (10). In another embodiment, the sensor yarn (10b) has photosensitive material (30) and a length change is effected by an incident to the light (L). As a result of a length change or other deformation of the sensor yarn (10a, 10b), the total capacitance (CG) of the sensor yarn (10a, 10b) changes, which can be determined by means of an evaluating unit (17).

A surface piece of crossing threads (12, 14) comprising plastic filaments, which as a woven fabric web (10) is equipped with two mutually opposing surfaces and with openings (16) formed therein. The fabric web comprises a metallisation applied on one side as a surface layer and between 15 and 80%, in particular between 20 and 70% of the fabric web is configured in the form of network intermediate spaces (16).

A surface piece of crossing threads (12, 14) comprising plastic filaments, which as a woven fabric web (10) is equipped with two mutually opposing surfaces and with openings (16) formed therein. The fabric web comprises a metallization applied on one side as a surface layer and between 15 and 80%, in particular between 20 and 70% of the fabric web is configured in the form of network intermediate spaces (16).

A fabric comprising a plurality of photovoltaic filaments includes a conductive bus structure woven into the selvage edge of the fabric, providing a robust and flexible electrical connection from the positive and negative electrode leads of the photovoltaic filaments. The bus structure may be formed in segments which can include any combination of series and parallel configurations to accommodate loads requiring specified voltage and current.