GB2396252A

GB2396252A - Textile light system

Info

Publication number: GB2396252A
Application number: GB0222690A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steven Leftly; Dianne Jones
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-10-01
Filing date: 2002-10-01
Publication date: 2004-06-16
Also published as: GB0222690D0

Abstract

A textile fabric comprises LEDs 3, for example surface mounted LEDs on a textile substrate 1 which are individually encapsulated. The devices are connected between conductive tracks 2 which may be yams woven in the fabric or tracks printed on the fabric, and may form a matrix- addressable display. An application given is to display images on clothing. The fabric remains flexible and washable.

Description

Textile based LED systems Introduction

This patent relates to the use of light emitting diodes in electronic textile based assemblies. As described the invention allows for textile fabrics to emit light and remain durable to washing and other mechanical action. The invention relates to the mounting of SAID LEDs onto textile substrates and then encapsulating the system to provide durability. The invention has uses as an indicator light for textile electronics systems including wearable electronics or the invention can be used as a textile based durable light emitting textile display for displaying information or images.

Description

The invention involves fixing LEDs onto preformed textile members. Existing LED technology such as surface mount display chip LEDs are suitable as they have a low profile and are very small therefore do not affect the handle of the fabric once attached. The chip LEDs are placed onto a fabric member with at least two electrically conductive textile tracks and fixed with electrically conductive adhesive such silver filled silicone adhesive or silver filled epoxy resin. The two electrically conductive textile tracks have been preformed so as to be dimensionally suitable to make contact with the ends of the SMD chip LED when it is placed on to them. The electrically conductive textile tracks may be a woven, non-woven, knitted, stitched series of electrically conductive fibres or yarns incorporated into the textile structure or a series of electrically conductive tracks printed onto a textile substrate.

Many LEDs may be placed on the textile members to form a row, array or matrix of LEDs. Using electronic matrix drivers (common in LCD or LED display circuits) each LED can be driven separately to display light emitting images or text from the fabric. In this way an LED display can be formed on the fabric surface.

Once all the LEDs are fixed in place on the fabric they are covered with an encapsulant layer to provide durability to textile end-uses. This encapsulant layer may be a textile silicone sealant, or a fabric, or a polymer coating. It is important that the encapsulant layer is flexible so as to maintain the flexible properties of the textile fabric.

The electrically conductive textile tracks may be positioned within the textile so as to conform to a specific width and spacing dimension referred to in the electronics industry as 'pitch'. An example of an industry standard pitch is 1/10inch or 2.54mm. When the conductive tracks within the textile member are fixed at this 'pitch' a standard connector member can be attached to the textile member to provide the LEDs with a driving voltage.

The LEDs may be positioned onto the textile member by hand or using modified 'pick and place' techniques known to those in the electronics assembly industry.

This invention allows for a durable light emitting textile system with the following advantages: *the light system is durable to repeated forces and abrasion *the light system is washable *the light system remains flexible and textile in nature Description of drawings

Figure 1 This drawing shows a textile ribbon member (1) with electrically conductive yarns (2) woven into the member. An LED (3) is positioned to make contact with two of the electrically conductive yarns. A small coating of silicone sealant (4) provides encapsulation over the LED.

Figure 2 This shows a closer view of figure where an electrically conductive adhesive (5) provides a durable electrical contact between the LED (3) electrode edges and the electrically conductive yarns (2) Figure 3 This diagram shows a matrix layout where the two textile members (1) with electrically conductive tracks (2) are positioned at right angles to each other.

In this example the LEDs (3) are fixed at the junction of these electrically conductive tracks with one end of the LED attached to the upper fabric and othe rend of the LED attached to the lower fabric. The contact is made with the lower fabric through a small window (6). In this example each LED can be addressed separately as is common in matrix displays.

Claims

- - Claims

Claims 1. An inherently flexible textile fabric adapted to emit light whilst remaining durable to 5 washing and other mechanical action.

2. A textile fabric according to claim 1, comprising a LED component mounted onto a textile substrate and wherein the system is encapsulated.

10 3. A textile fabric according to claim I or claim 2, wherein the LED is powered through the fabric itself.

4. A garment or upholstery or the like incorporating a textile fabric according to any preceding claim.

5. A textile LED system comprising at least two textile electrode members onto which a LED component is mounted, fixed and encapsulated.

6. A textile LED system according to claim 5, wherein the textile electrode members are 20 electrically conductive textile tracks that have been preformed within a non-conducting textile support structure so they are dimensionally suitable to make contact with the ends of the SMD chip LED when it is placed onto them.

7. A textile LED system according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the nonconducting 25 textile structure is formed by weaving, knitting, non-woven processes, stitchhg, felting or tufting. 8. A textile LED system according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the non-conducting textile structure provides a means of attaching the textile LED device to garment or upholstery 30 fabric by stitching or bonding or similar means.

9. A textile LED system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the electrically conductive textile tracks are formed by weaving, knitting, non-woven processes or stitching of electrically conductive fibres or yarns into or onto the textile structure.

l 10. A textile LED system according to claim 9, wherein the textile tracks are composed wholly or partly of conductive materials such as metals, metal oxides or semi conductive materials such as conductive polymers or carbon.

5 11. A textile LED system according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the electrically conductive tracks are formed by printing or coating conductive tracks onto the surface of a textile substrate.

12. A textile LED system according to claim 11, wherein the printing or coating is done 10 using inks or polymers containing metals, metal oxides, semi-conducting materials such as conducting polymers and carbon.

13 A textile LED system according to any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein the electrically conductive textile tracks are positioned within the textile structure to confirm to a specific 15 width and spacing dimension ("pitch").

14. A textile LED system according to claim 13, wherein the pitch is 1/10 inch (2.54mm).

15. A textile LED system according to claim 14, wherein a standard terminal or connector 20 element is attached to the textile member to provide a means of connecting the LED component to a power source.

16. A textile LED system according to any one of claims 5 to 15, wherein the LEDs are positioned and fixed onto the texture member by hand or using modified "pick and place" 25 techniques. 17. A textile LED system according to any one of claims 5 to 16, wherein the electrical contact between the textile electrode members and the LED component mounted between them is made by the application of an electrically conductive adhesive.

18. A textile LED system according to claim 17, wherein the adhesive is silver or carbon filled silicone or silver or carbon filled epoxy resin.

19. A textile LED system according to any one of claims 5 to 16, wherein the LED 35 component has integral crimp attachments so it can pierce the textile electrode elements.

s 20. A textile LED system according to claim 19, wherein crimp contacts are fixed onto the conductive textile tracks and the LEDs soldered onto the crimp contacts.

5 21. A textile LED system according to any one of claims 5 to 20, wherein multiple LED components are mounted on a series of textile electrode members to form a row, array or matrix of LED components within an area of the fabric or textile structure.

22. A textile LED system according to claim 21, wherein an electronic matrix driver 10 addresses the textile electrode members so each LED component is controlled independently to display light emitting images or text from the fabric.

23. A textile LED system according to any one of claims 5 to 22, wherein the LED components are covered with a layer of transparent encapsulated material.

24. A textile LED system according to claim 23, wherein the encapsulated layer is a textile silicone sealant; or a fabric or a polymer coating.

25. A method of attaching an LED component onto a fabric substrate and addressing the 20 LED electronically using textile materials such as yarns, fibres and fabrics and textile rather than wires.

26. A method of making a textile fabric or a textile LED system according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

27. A garment or upholstery or the like incorporating a textile LED system according to any one of claims 5 to 24.