Substrate

Abstract

A substrate that can be applied to a user's body part having a region of temporally-controlled elasticity that transitions between a first state and a second state when activated, wherein the first state is more relaxed than the second state, and the substrate can at least partially revert from the second state to the first state over an extended time period resulting from the temporally-controlled elasticity of the substrate, and wherein the substrate can apply a treatment/mechanical force to the body part, as the substrate transitions from the second state to the first state.

Claims

1. A woven substrate that can be applied to a user's body part comprising: a plurality of woven threads that form the woven substrate, the woven substrate including a region of temporally-controlled elasticity that varies over time and transitions between a first state and a second state when activated, wherein the first state is more relaxed than the second state, and the region of the woven substrate can at least partially revert from the second state to the first state over an extended time period resulting from the temporally-controlled elasticity of the region of the woven substrate, and wherein the region of the woven substrate is configured to apply a treatment/mechanical force to the body part as the region of the woven substrate transitions from the second state to the first state, and wherein the treatment/mechanical force is a function of the temporally controlled elasticity of the region of the woven substrate, and wherein the temporally controlled elasticity is provided by a weave pattern of the woven threads and/or elasticity of the woven threads that varies along lengths and/or within cross-sections of the woven threads.

2. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a plurality of connectors for attaching the substrate to a body part, tissue, or another substrate to reduce relative movement of the substrate to the body part tissue, or another substrate.

3. The substrate according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of connectors are projections which provide a grip that has a predetermined detachment load and/or direction to hold the substrate and to minimize damage to the body part.

4. The substrate according to claim 2, wherein the connectors are hollow to deliver biologic and/or pharmaceutical agents and/or establish conduits between the connector and a body part.

5. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein internal energy of the substrate in the first state is less than internal energy of the substrate in the second state.

6. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the force applied to the body part by the substrate varies as the substrate reverts from the second state to the first state.

7. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein different regions of the substrate possess different temporally-controlled elasticity.

8. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate moves from the second state to the first state via any one of elongation or shortening of the substrate, or relaxation or stiffening of the substrate.

9. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate possesses spatially-controlled elasticity, whereby different regions of the substrate have different elasticity.

10. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is woven using at least two threads having different elasticity.

11. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes at least one thread possessing elasticity that varies along the length of the thread.

12. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes at least one thread possessing elasticity that varies within the cross-section of the thread.

13. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is woven using threads arranged in different directions such that the threads move frictionally relative to one another causing the transition from the fast state to the second state to occur over an extended lime period.

14. The substrate according claim 1, wherein the connectors are oriented in more than one direction to provide a multi-directional grip onto the body part to reduce the likelihood of the substrate detaching from the body part when subjected to a force.

15. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises sub-weave bands in biaxial weave structure.

16. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is anisotropic.

17. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a biaxial braided sleeve whose circumference constricts with an increase in length of the sleeve.

18. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a degradable material.

19. A sleeve for fitting over a body part comprising: a plurality of woven threads that form a woven substrate, the woven substrate including at least one region of temporally-controlled elasticity that varies over time, wherein the region of the woven substrate is transitionable between a first state and a second state by movement of the body part covered by the sleeve over an extended time period resulting from the temporally-controlled elasticity of the region of the woven substrate, and wherein the region of the woven substrate is configured to apply a treatment/mechanical force to the body part, as the region of the woven substrate transitions from the second state to the first state, and wherein the treatment/mechanical force is a function of the temporally controlled elasticity of the region of the woven substrate, and wherein the temporally controlled elasticity is provided by a weave pattern of the woven threads and/or elasticity of the woven threads that varies along lengths and/or within cross-sections of the woven threads.

20. The sleeve according to claim 19, wherein the sleeve comprises multiple layers of the substrate, wherein each substrate has different temporally-controlled elasticity.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) A preferred embodiment of the present invention is hereinafter described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1A illustrates a substrate for supporting an arm/shoulder according to one form of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 1B illustrates a substrate for supporting a leg/foot according to another form of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 1C illustrates a substrate for supporting an arm/shoulder according to another form of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 2A illustrates circumferential constriction of the substrate of FIGS. 1A-C when the substrate is extended.

(6) FIG. 2B illustrates circumferential expansion of the substrate of FIGS. 1A-C when the extension force on the substrate ceases.

(7) FIG. 3A illustrates circumferential expansion of the substrate of FIGS. 1A-C when the substrate is extended.

(8) FIG. 3B illustrates circumferential constriction of the substrate of FIGS. 1A-C when the extension force on the substrate ceases.

(9) FIG. 4 illustrates the different pressure gradient profiles of a substrate of FIGS. 1A-C.

(10) FIG. 5 illustrates various connectors of the substrate of FIGS. 1A-C for attaching to a body part.

(11) FIG. 6 is a schematic illustrating the steps for operating the substrate of FIG. 1A or 1C.

(12) FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate the different anisotropic fibres used for forming a substrate according to the present invention.

(13) FIG. 8A illustrates a 2-D weave for forming a substrate according to the present invention.

(14) FIG. 8B illustrates a 3-D weave for forming a substrate according to the present invention.

(15) FIG. 9 illustrates interwoven 2-D bands according to the present invention.

(16) FIGS. 10A-C illustrates the steps for forming a textile according to the present invention using a thread having varying elasticity along its length.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(17) One form of the substrate as defined by the invention is marked as 10 in FIG. 1A.

(18) The substrate 10 is in the form of a biaxial braided sleeve having a fingerless glove portion 12, and a collar portion 14. The substrate 16 has temporally-controlled elasticity. Another form of the biaxial braided sleeve is shown in FIG. 1C.

(19) The substrate 16 is assembled by recursive weaving involving computer-controlled weaving of anisotropic threads (or fibres) that vary in composition along their length. These threads are, in turn, formed by computer-controlled spinning of fibrils to form the anisotropic threads.

(20) Threads that possess elasticity that varies along the length of the thread (FIG. 7A), elasticity that varies within the cross-section of the thread (FIG. 7B), and/or threads possessing different elasticity may be used to assemble the substrate.

(21) FIG. 10A illustrates an anisotropic thread formed by spinning fibrils together. The shading gradient on the thread denote the varying elasticity along the length of the thread.

(22) Weaving algorithms, using spatial and temporal patterns of (in-)elasticity, are used to harnesses a body part's, such as an arm's, natural movements for the substrate to create dynamic pressure.

(23) During the weaving process, the anisotropic threads are oriented relative to each other to align or contact specific regions of one thread to another thread. The behavior of the substrate in response to a force is provided by the specific arrangement of the threads relative to each other.

(24) The threads may form a 2-D weave/band wherein parallel threads (32 and 34 of FIG. 8A) are woven together using a thread (36 of FIG. 8A) that runs transversely to threads 32 and 34. FIG. 10B illustrates a substrate formed by weaving at least two threads of FIG. 10A. The threads may form a 3-D weave/band wherein the threads 32-36 are woven in a high viscosity medium to form a coated weave/band. Weaving in the medium makes it possible to use hydrodynamic shuttling (injection and ejection through a liquid) as well as to use the medium itself as a constituent of the composite weave, for example, after the fibre weaving is complete, the medium itself can be solidified (e.g. through a chemical process or application of external energy) around the weave, providing a higher order composite structure with expanded mechanical and biophysical properties. The medium can also be manipulated to exhibit properties that vary spatially and temporally, for example, through anisotropic curing and/or polymerisation.

(25) Higher order weaves may also be formed, such as for example, interweaving the 2-D bands to form a complex architecture whereby the bands can slide between/on each other. The open weave textile in FIGS. 9C1 and 9C2 allows air flow to the arm and illustrates the movement of the 2-D bands relative to each other.

(26) Another higher order weave is illustrated in FIG. 10C. The shading on the textile in FIG. 10C illustrates its varying spatial and temporal properties.

(27) The threads in the woven substrate are arranged in different directions such that the fibres slide frictionally relative to one another when transitioning from the first state to the second state over a time period. During the transition, the friction between the threads and the different elasticity of the threads restricts the relative movement of the fibres. This imparts various stretching and compressive properties to the substrate.

(28) The substrate may also be in the form of a compression stocking as illustrated in FIG. 1B.

(29) The use of threads having varying composition along their length also imparts spatially-controlled elasticity to substrate 16, whereby different regions of the substrate have different temporally-controlled elasticity. The fibrils and, consequently, the threads have different elasticity, stiffness, thinning and swelling properties.

(30) The substrate 16 transitions between a first state and a second state when activated by applying a force to the substrate. The transition is achieved by the substrate storing and converting the potential energy obtained from the force to mechanical pressure and/or kinetic energy over time.

(31) Stretching the substrate 16 causes a corresponding transversal reaction on the substrate. For example, applying an axial force (i.e. stretching the substrate length-wise) to the substrate of FIG. 1A would cause a circumferential contraction.

(32) In order to control the behaviour of the substrate in response to a force applied to the substrate, a multi-layered substrate is provided, with each layer having a different stiffness. For example, the multi-layered substrate may have increasing or decreasing stiffness in the radial direction.

(33) In FIGS. 2A and 2B, a length-wise (i.e. axial) stretch of the substrate 100 causes a circumferential contraction of the substrate, while releasing the stretching force causes a circumferential expansion of the substrate.

(34) Alternatively, in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a length-wise (i.e. axial) stretch of the substrate 200 causes a circumferential expansion of the substrate, while a release of the stretch causes a circumferential contraction of the substrate.

(35) Referring to FIG. 1A, in the second state, the substrate supports and exerts a pressure on the body part. As the substrate transitions from the second state to the first state, the substrate generates a dynamic pressure gradient, in the form of peristaltic movements, to the arm (see arrows on FIG. 1A). This may be used to improve blood circulation within the arm or simply used to apply pressure to the arm. The pressure on the arm is substantially reduced or removed when the substrate is in the first state.

(36) The pressure gradient during the transition from the second state to the first state may be any one or a combination of constant, increasing or decreasing gradients (see FIG. 4 for representation profiles).

(37) As such, the substrate allows targeted harnessing or transfer of displacements of the arm to induce a change in the substrate structure.

(38) In another form of the invention, the substrate includes a plurality of connectors for providing a non-permanent grip onto a body part (see FIG. 5). The connectors include, among others, carbon nanotubes 22, hollow hairs 24 or titanium hooklets 26.

(39) The plurality of connectors provides multiple non-permanent attachment points for connecting the substrate to a surface of a body part.

(40) Movement of the body part may result in excessive force being exerted on the attachment points. In order to prevent these forces from damaging the body part, some connectors detach from the body part when a predetermined force magnitude and/or direction is exceeded during the movement. Conversely, some connectors may attach or re-attach to the body part below the predetermined force magnitude and/or opposite to the predetermined direction. Suitably, some connectors attach or re-attach to the body part during movement of the body part.

(41) This provides a more constant gripping force between the substrate and the body part compared to fixed connectors such as sutures or clamps.

(42) Advantageously, when the connector is an internal fixation or an external support device, the connectors effectively protect surrounding body parts up to and beyond the failure load or strain. This is because the process of detachment absorbs energy. In this respect, typically, a body part is damaged when it detaches from permanent connectors (through energy absorption that causes tearing). However, in the present invention, the energy is dissipated during the detachment process which allows the body part to be reconnected to the substrate without damage.

(43) In use, the substrate 10 is worn over an arm of the user and the collar portion 14 secured to the neck of the user via closure 28, in the form of a hook and loop fastener. This places the substrate 10 in the first state (FIG. 6A).

(44) In order to move the substrate 10 into the second state, the user folds back the fingerless gloves 12 to expose the activating cuff 30 and tightens the neck portion using closure 28 (FIG. 6B). The arm of the user is then extended and the activating cuff is stretched to allow the user to re-engage the fingerless glove 12 (FIG. 6C). This action causes a circumferential contraction of the substrate 10 around the arm.

(45) Over time, as the substrate transitions from the second state to the first state, a dynamic pressure gradient, in the form of peristaltic movements, are transmitted to the arm (FIG. 6D). Once the substrate returns to the first state, the steps are repeated to return the substrate to the second state and maintain pressure on the arm.

(46) Accordingly, there is provided a substrate that can be applied to and maintain pressure on a body part, and reduce damage to the body part.