CN107340937B

CN107340937B - Connecting electronic components to an interactive textile

Info

Publication number: CN107340937B
Application number: CN201611191179.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 穆斯塔法·埃姆雷·卡拉戈兹勒; 伊万·波派列夫; 龚南葳; 凯伦·伊丽莎白·罗宾逊; 帕特丽夏·海斯-达尼茨; 梅根·格兰特
Original assignee: Google LLC
Current assignee: Google LLC
Priority date: 2016-05-03
Filing date: 2016-12-21
Publication date: 2020-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2036-12-21
Also published as: GB2574152A; GB2550005B; DE102016014612A1; CN107340937A; GB201912334D0; GB2550005A; GB201620892D0; DE202016007473U1; GB2574152B

Abstract

Connecting electronic components to an interactive textile is disclosed. Techniques and apparatuses for connecting electronic components to an interactive textile are described herein. Loose conductive threads of an interactive textile are collected and organized into bands having a pitch that matches a corresponding pitch of connection points of an electronic component. Next, the non-conductive material of the conductive threads of the ribbon is stripped to expose the conductive threads of the conductive threads. After stripping the non-conductive material from the conductive threads of the ribbon, the connection points of the electronic component are bonded to the conductive threads of the ribbon. The conductive threads proximate to the ribbon are then sealed using a UV curable or thermosetting epoxy, and the electronic components and ribbon are sealed to the interactive textile with a waterproof material (such as a plastic or polymer).

Description

Connecting electronic components to an interactive textile

Background

The interactive textile includes conductive threads woven into the interactive textile to form a capacitive touch sensor configured to detect touch inputs. The interactive textile may process the touch input to generate touch data that may be used to initiate functions at various remote devices wirelessly coupled to the interactive textile. For example, the interactive textile may help the user control volume on a stereo, pause a movie playing on a television, or select a web page on a desktop computer. Due to the flexibility of the fabric, the interactive fabric can be easily integrated within flexible objects, such as clothing, handbags, textile packaging, hats, and the like.

The interactive textile includes a grid or array of conductive threads woven into the interactive textile. Each conductive thread comprises a conductive wire (e.g., copper wire) that is twisted, braided, or wrapped with one or more flexible threads (e.g., polyester or cotton threads). However, it is difficult for manufacturers to attach individual conductive wires to electronic components that may include electronic devices, such as processors, batteries, wireless units, sensors, and the like.

Disclosure of Invention

Techniques and apparatuses for connecting electronic components to an interactive textile are described herein. The present interactive textile may include conductive threads woven into the interactive textile to form capacitive touch sensors configured to detect touch inputs. The conductive threads include a conductive thread (e.g., copper wire) that is twisted, braided, or wrapped with one or more flexible threads (e.g., polyester or cotton threads). To connect an electronic component to the conductive threads of the interactive textile, the loose conductive threads of the interactive textile are collected and organized into strips (ribbon) having a pitch that matches the corresponding pitch (pitch) of the connection points of the electronic component. Next, the non-conductive material of the conductive threads of the ribbon is stripped to expose the conductive threads of the conductive threads. After stripping the non-conductive material from the conductive threads of the ribbon, the connection points of the electronic component are bonded to the conductive threads of the ribbon. The conductive threads proximate to the ribbon are then sealed using a UV curable or thermosetting epoxy, and the electronic components and ribbon are encapsulated to the interactive textile with a water resistant material, such as a plastic or polymer.

This summary is provided to introduce simplified concepts related to connecting electronic components to an interactive textile that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Drawings

Embodiments of techniques and apparatuses for connecting electronic components to an interactive textile are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example environment in which an interactive textile may be embodied.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example system that includes a gesture manager of an interactive textile.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an interactive textile in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example connection system that can be used to connect electronic components to an interactive textile in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Fig. 5 illustrates a system in which the ribbonized assembly of fig. 4 is implemented to arrange loose conductive threads of an interactive textile into a ribbon.

Fig. 6A illustrates an example of a carding tool of a ribbonized assembly, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 6B illustrates an additional example of a carding tool of a ribbonized assembly, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 6C illustrates an example of a heating element of a ribbonized assembly, in accordance with various embodiments.

Fig. 7 illustrates a system in which the stripping assembly of fig. 4 removes non-conductive material from conductive filaments of a ribbon in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 8A illustrates an example of a stripping assembly in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 8B illustrates an additional example of a stripping assembly in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 8C illustrates an additional example of a stripping assembly in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Fig. 9 illustrates a system in which the bonding assembly of fig. 4 is implemented to bond an electronic component to a conductive wire of a ribbon.

Fig. 10 illustrates a system in which the sealing assembly of fig. 4 is implemented to seal an electrically conductive wire in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Fig. 11 illustrates an example of an epoxy tool in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Fig. 12 illustrates a system in which the package assembly of fig. 4 is implemented to package an electronic component bonded to an interactive textile.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example method of connecting an electronic component to an interactive textile.

Fig. 14 illustrates various components of an example computing system that may be implemented as any type of client, server, and/or computing device as described with reference to previous fig. 1-13 to implement connecting electronic components to an interactive textile.

Detailed Description

SUMMARY

To enable the interactive textile to sense multi-touch inputs, a connection process is applied to attach conductive threads arranged in a grid or array to an electronic component, such as a flexible printed circuit board ("PCB"). The attachment process may include a banding process in which loose conductive threads emerging from the textile surface of the interactive textile are collected and organized into pitches matching the corresponding pitches of the connection points of the electronic components using a carding tool. By being configured to properly space the conductive wires so that they correspond to the pitch of the connection points of the electronic component, the carding tool increases the speed and efficiency of the banding process. In one or more embodiments, the pitch of the grooming tool may be mechanically adjustable to enable a manufacturer to adjust the grooming tool to the pitch of the connection points of a particular electronic component. The ribbons are then produced by securing the organized conductive threads using a heat pressed film (e.g., tape, molded polymer silicone, or heat glue). Generating a ribbon in which the conductive wires are arranged in a manner corresponding to the pitch of the connection points of the electronic component allows easy alignment of the connection points of the electronic component with the respective conductive wires of the ribbon.

Each conductive thread includes a non-conductive material (e.g., silk, cotton, polyester, or enamel) and a conductive wire (e.g., copper). The non-conductive material must be removed to enable the conductive wire to be attached to the connection point of the electronic component. Thus, after the ribbon is produced, a peeling process is applied to remove non-conductive material from the conductive filaments of the ribbon so that the conductive wires are exposed. The stripping process can be performed in a variety of different ways, such as by thermally stripping the conductive wire using a heating element (e.g., a hot press knife) that cauterizes or melts the non-conductive material. In this case, the temperature of the heating element may be configured to melt or cauterize the non-conductive material of the conductive filament without melting or cauterizing the conductive wire. When using a hot press knife, the non-conductive material can be peeled off the conductive threads of the ribbon at one time, making the process efficient. As another example, a laser beam may be utilized to ablate the non-conductive material. In this case, the absorption of the laser is low so that the laser beam ablates the non-conductive material without ablating the conductive lines.

Next, a bonding process is applied to bond the exposed conductive wires of the ribbon to connection points of the electronic component. To this end, the conductive wires of the ribbon are aligned with the connection points of the electronic component with soldering, and heat is applied to bond the connection points of the electronic component to the conductive wires of the ribbon. This process is similar to attaching a standard cable, since the conductive wires of the ribbon have the same pitch as the connection points of the electronic component.

In certain embodiments, after bonding the electronic component to the stripped conductive threads of the ribbon, a sealing and encapsulation process may be applied to protect the conductive threads and electronic component from water ingress and corrosion. In the sealing process, the conductive wires adjacent to the ribbon are sealed with a UV curable or thermosetting epoxy resin. The electronic components attached to the conductive threads are then permanently mounted on the interactive textile by encapsulating the electronic components and the ribbons with a water-resistant material, such as plastic or polymer, in an encapsulation process.

Example Environment

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example environment 100 in which an interactive textile may be embedded. Environment 100 includes an interactive textile 102, which is shown as being integrated within various objects 104. The interactive textile 102 is a textile configured to sense multi-touch input. As described herein, fabrics are formed from any type of flexible woven material comprised of a web of natural or synthetic fibers, often referred to as silk or yarns. The fabric may be formed by weaving, knitting, braiding, or pressing the threads together.

In environment 100, objects 104 include "flexible" objects, such as shirts 104-1, hats 104-2, and handbags 104-3. However, it should be noted that interactive textile 102 may be integrated within any type of flexible object made of a textile or similar flexible material, such as clothing, blankets, shower curtains, towels, sheets, or furniture textile covers, to name a few. The interactive textile 102 may be integrated within the flexible object 104 in a variety of different ways, including weaving, sewing, gluing, etc.

In this example, the object 104 further includes "hard" objects, such as a plastic cup 104-4 and a hard smartphone housing 104-5. However, it should be noted that the hard object 104 may comprise any type of "hard" or "rigid" object made of a non-flexible or semi-flexible material (such as plastic, metal, aluminum, etc.). For example, the hard object 104 may also include a plastic chair, a water bottle, a plastic ball, or an automobile part, to name a few. A variety of different manufacturing processes may be used to integrate the interactive textile 102 within the hard object 104. In one or more embodiments, injection molding is used to integrate the interactive textile 102 into the hard object 104.

The interactive textile 102 enables a user to control the object 104 into which the interactive textile 102 is integrated or to control various other computing devices 106 via a network 108. The computing device 106 is illustrated with various non-limiting example devices: server 106-1, smart phone 106-2, laptop computer 106-3, computing glasses 106-4, television 106-5, camera 106-6, tablet computer 106-7, desktop computer 106-8, and smart watch 106-9, but other devices may also be used, such as home automation and control systems, stereo or entertainment systems, home appliances, security systems, netbooks, and e-readers. Note that computing devices 106 may be wearable (e.g., computing glasses and smart watches), non-wearable but mobile (e.g., laptop and tablet computers), or relatively stationary (e.g., desktop computers and servers).

Network 108 includes one or more of many types of wireless or partially wireless communication networks, such as a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), an intranet, the internet, a peer-to-peer network, a point-to-point network, a mesh network, and so forth.

The interactive textile 102 may interact with the computing device 106 by communicating touch data via the network 108. The computing device 106 uses the touch data to control the computing device 106 or an application at the computing device 106. As an example, consider that the interactive textile 102 integrated at the shirt 104-1 may be configured to control the user's smart phone 106-2 in the user's pocket, the user's television 106-5 in the user's home, the smart watch 106-9 on the user's wrist, or various other appliances in the user's house, such as thermostats, lights, music, and so forth. For example, the user may be able to slide the interactive textile 102 incorporated within the user's shirt 104-1 up or down to cause the volume on the television 106-5 to increase or decrease, to cause the temperature controlled by a thermostat in the user's house to increase or decrease, or to turn lights on and off in the user's house. Note that any type of touch, tap, slide, hold, or stroke gesture can be recognized by the interactive textile 102.

In more detail, consider fig. 2, which illustrates an example system 200 that includes a gesture manager of an interactive textile. In the system 200, the interactive textile 102 is integrated in an object 104, which object 104 may be implemented as a flexible object (e.g., a shirt 104-1, hat 104-2, or handbag 104-3) or a hard object (e.g., a plastic cup 104-4 or smartphone housing 104-5).

The interactive textile 102 is configured to sense multi-touch input from a user when one or more fingers of the user's hand touch the interactive textile 102. The interactive textile 102 may also be configured to sense touch input from the user's entire hand, such as when the user's entire hand touches or slides the interactive textile 102. To accomplish this, the interactive textile 102 includes a capacitive touch sensor 202 that is coupled to one or more electronic components 203, such as a flexible circuit board, sensors, heating elements, and the like. In some cases, the electronics assembly 203 may include a fabric controller 204 and a power source 206.

The capacitive touch sensor 202 is configured to sense touch input when an object (such as a user's finger, hand, or conductive stylus) is proximate to or in contact with the capacitive touch sensor 202. Unlike conventional rigid trackpads, the capacitive touch sensor 202 uses conductive threads 208 woven into the interactive textile 102 to sense touch input. Thus, the capacitive touch sensor 202 does not change the flexibility of the interactive textile 102, which enables the interactive textile 102 to be easily integrated within the object 104.

The power source 206 is coupled to the fabric controller 204 to provide power to the fabric controller 204 and may be implemented as a small battery. A textile controller 204 is coupled to the capacitive touch sensor 202. For example, wires from the conductive filament wires 208 may be connected to the fabric controller 204 using a flexible PCB, crimping, gluing with conductive glue, soldering, and the like.

In one or more embodiments, the electronic component 203 may also include one or more output devices, such as a light source (e.g., an LED), a display, or a speaker. In this case, an output device may also be connected to the fabric controller 204 to enable the fabric controller 204 to control its output.

The fabric controller 204 is implemented with circuitry configured to detect the location of touch inputs on the conductive threads 208 and the motion of the touch inputs. When an object, such as a user's finger, touches the capacitive touch sensor 202, the location of the touch can be determined by the controller 204 by detecting a change in capacitance on the grid of conductive threads 208. The fabric controller 204 uses the touch input to generate touch data that can be used to control the computing device 102. For example, touch inputs may be used to determine various gestures, such as single-finger touches (e.g., touch, tap, and hold), multi-finger touches (e.g., two-finger touch, two-finger tap, two-finger hold, and pinch), single-finger and multi-finger swipes (e.g., swipe up, swipe down, swipe left, swipe right), and full-hand interactions (e.g., touching a fabric with a user's full hand, covering a fabric with a user's full hand, pressing a fabric with a user's full hand, touching a palm of a hand, and scrolling, twisting, or rotating a user's hand while touching a fabric). The capacitive touch sensor 202 may be implemented as a self-capacitance sensor or a projected capacitance sensor, which are discussed in more detail below.

The object 104 may also include a network interface 210 for communicating data (such as touch data) to the computing device 106 over a wired, wireless, or optical network. By way of example, and not limitation, network interface 210 may be through a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN) (e.g., Bluetooth)^TM) A Wide Area Network (WAN), an intranet, the internet, a peer-to-peer network, a point-to-point network, a mesh network, etc. (e.g., through network 108 of fig. 1).

In this example, the computing device 106 includes one or more computer processors 212 and a computer-readable storage medium (storage medium) 214. The storage medium 214 includes an application 216 and/or operating system (not shown) embodied as computer-readable instructions executable by the computer processor 212 to provide, in some cases, the functionality described herein. The storage medium 214 also includes a gesture manager 218 (described below).

The computing device 106 may also include a display 220 and a network interface 222 for communicating data over a wired, wireless, or optical network. For example, the network interface 222 may receive touch data sensed by the interactive textile 102 from the network interface 210 of the object 104. By way of example, and not limitation, network interface 222 may be through a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN) (e.g., Bluetooth)^TM) A Wide Area Network (WAN), an intranet, the internet, a peer-to-peer network, a point-to-point network, a mesh network, etc.

The gesture manager 218 is capable of effectively interacting with the application 216 and the interactive textile 102 to activate various functions associated with the computing device 106 and/or the application 216 through touch input (e.g., gestures) received by the interactive textile 102. The gesture manager 218 may be implemented at the computing device 106 local to the object 104 or located remotely from the object 104.

Having discussed the systems in which the interactive textile 102 may be implemented, consider now a more detailed discussion of the interactive textile 102.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example 300 of an interactive textile 102 in accordance with one or more embodiments. In this example, interactive textile 102 includes non-conductive threads 302 that are woven with conductive threads 208 to form interactive textile 102. The non-conductive threads 302 may correspond to any type of non-conductive thread, fiber, or textile, such as cotton, wool, silk, nylon, polyester, and the like.

At 304, an enlarged view of the conductive thread 208 is illustrated. Conductive thread 208 includes conductive thread 306 twisted, braided, or twisted with flexible thread 308. Twisting conductive thread 306 and flexible thread 308 together causes conductive thread 208 to be flexible and resilient, which enables conductive thread 208 to be easily woven with non-conductive thread 302 to form interactive textile 102.

In one or more implementations, the conductive wire 306 is a thin copper wire. However, it should be noted that other materials, such as silver, gold, or other materials coated with a conductive polymer, may also be used to implement the conductive lines 306. The flexible filament 308 may be implemented as any type of flexible filament or fiber, such as cotton, wool, silk, nylon, polyester, and the like.

In one or more embodiments, the conductive thread 208 includes a conductive core including at least one conductive thread 306 (e.g., one or more copper wires) and a cover layer of flexible threads 308 configured to cover the conductive core. In some cases, the conductive wires 306 of the conductive core are insulated. Alternatively, the conductive wires 306 of the conductive core are not insulated.

In one or more embodiments, the conductive core may be implemented using a single, straight conductive line 306. Alternatively, the conductive core may be implemented using conductive thread 306 and one or more flexible threads 308. For example, the conductive core may be formed by twisting one or more flexible threads 308 (e.g., as shown at 304 of fig. 3) with conductive threads 306 (e.g., a silk thread, a polyester thread, or a cotton thread) or by wrapping flexible threads 308 around conductive threads 306.

In one or more embodiments, the conductive core includes flexible threads 308 braided with conductive threads 306. Various different types of flexible threads 308 may be utilized to be braided with conductive thread 306, such as polyester or cotton, in order to form a conductive core. However, in one or more embodiments, a silk yarn is used for the braided construction of the conductive core. The filamentary yarn is twisted slightly, which enables the filamentary yarn to "grab" or hold onto the conductive wire 306. Thus, the use of filamentary yarns increases the speed at which a braided conductive core can be manufactured. In contrast, flexible threads like polyester are smooth and therefore do not "grab" the conductive thread as well as the thread. Thus, smooth wires are more difficult to braid with conductive wires, which may slow the manufacturing process.

An additional benefit of using filamentary yarns to create a braided conductive core is that the yarns are thin and strong, which enables the manufacture of a thin conductive core that will not break during the interactive fabric weaving process. A thin conductive core is beneficial because it enables the manufacturer to create whatever thickness (e.g., thick or thin) it wants for the conductive thread 208 when covering the conductive core with the second layer.

After forming the conductive core, a cover layer is constructed to cover the conductive core. In one or more embodiments, the cover layer is constructed by wrapping flexible threads (e.g., polyester threads, cotton threads, wool yarns, or silk threads) around the conductive core. For example, the cover layer may be formed by winding a polyester filament around the conductive core at about 1900 turns per yard.

In one or more embodiments, the cover layer includes flexible threads braided around the conductive core. The braided cover layer may be formed using the same type of braiding as described above. Any type of flexible filament 308 may be used for the braided cover layer. The thickness of the flexible threads and the number of flexible threads braided around the conductive core may be selected based on the desired thickness of the conductive threads 208. For example, if the conductive threads 208 are intended for denim, a thicker flexible thread (e.g., cotton) and/or a greater number of flexible threads may be used to form the cover layer.

In one or more embodiments, conductive threads 208 are constructed with a "double-braided" structure. In this case, the conductive core is formed by braiding flexible filaments, such as filaments, together with conductive wires (e.g., copper) as described above. The cover layer is then formed by braiding flexible threads (e.g., silk, cotton, or polyester) around the braided conductive core. The double braid structure is strong and therefore does not break when pulled during the braiding process. For example, when a double braided conductive wire is pulled, the braided structure contracts and forces the copper braided core to also contract, also making the overall structure stronger. Further, the double braid structure is soft and looks like normal yarn, as opposed to cable, which is important for aesthetics and feel.

Interactive textile 102 may be inexpensively and efficiently formed using any conventional weaving process (e.g., jacquard or 3D weaving) that involves interlacing sets of longer yarns (referred to as warp yarns) with sets of weft yarns (referred to as weft yarns). Weaving can be accomplished on a frame or machine called a loom (which is many types). Thus, the loom may weave the non-conductive filaments 302 with the conductive filaments 208 to create the interactive textile 102.

In example 300, conductive threads 208 are woven into interactive textile 102 to form a mesh that includes a set of substantially parallel conductive threads 208 and a second set of substantially parallel conductive threads 208 that intersect the first set of conductive threads to form a mesh. In this example, the first set of conductive threads 208 are oriented horizontally and the second set of conductive threads 208 are oriented vertically such that the first set of conductive threads 208 are positioned substantially orthogonal to the second set of conductive threads 208. It should be noted, however, that the conductive threads 208 may be oriented such that the crossing conductive threads 208 are not orthogonal to each other. For example, in some cases, the crossing conductive threads 208 may form a diamond-shaped mesh. Although the conductive threads 208 are illustrated as being spaced apart from one another in fig. 3, it should be noted that the conductive threads 208 may be woven very closely together. For example, in some cases, two or three conductive threads may be tightly woven together in each direction. Further, in some cases, the conductive threads may be oriented in parallel sensing rows that do not cross or traverse each other.

Conductive wires 306 may be insulated to prevent direct contact between crossing conductive threads 208. To this end, the conductive thread 306 may be coated with a material such as glaze or nylon. Alternatively, the interactive textile may be created with three separate textile layers to ensure that the intersecting conductive threads 208 do not make direct contact with each other, rather than insulating the conductive wires 306. The three fabric layers may be combined (e.g., by sewing or gluing the layers together) to form interactive fabric 102. In this example, the first textile layer may include horizontal conductive threads 208 and the second textile layer may include vertical conductive threads 208. A third textile layer that does not include any conductive threads may be positioned between the first and second textile layers to prevent the vertical conductive threads from making direct contact with the horizontal conductive threads 208.

In one or more embodiments, interactive textile 102 includes a top textile layer and a bottom textile layer. The top textile layer includes conductive threads 208 woven into the top textile layer, and the bottom textile layer also includes conductive threads woven into the bottom textile layer. When the top fabric layer is combined with the bottom fabric layer, the conductive threads from each layer form a capacitive touch sensor 202. The top and bottom fabric layers may be combined in a variety of different ways, such as by weaving, sewing, or gluing the layers together to form the interactive textile 102. In one or more embodiments, the top and bottom fabric layers are combined using a jacquard weaving process or any type of 3D weaving process. When the top and bottom fabric layers are combined, the conductive threads of the top layer couple to the conductive threads of the bottom layer to form the capacitive touch sensor 202, as described above.

During operation, the capacitive touch sensor 202 may be configured to determine the location of a touch input on the grid of conductive threads 208 using self-capacitance sensing or projected capacitance sensing.

When configured as a self-capacitance sensor, the fabric controller 204 charges the crossing conductive threads 208 (e.g., horizontal and vertical conductive threads) by applying a control signal (e.g., a sinusoidal signal) to each conductive thread 208. When an object, such as a user's finger, touches the grid of conductive threads 208, the touched conductive threads 208 are grounded, which changes the capacitance (e.g., increases or decreases the capacitance) on the touched conductive threads 208.

The fabric controller 204 uses the change in capacitance to identify the presence of an object. To this end, the fabric controller 204 detects the location of the touch input by detecting which horizontal conductive thread 208 is touched and which vertical conductive thread 208 is touched by detecting a change in capacitance of each respective conductive thread 208. The fabric controller 204 uses the intersection of the crossed conductive threads 208 that are touched to determine the location of the touch input on the capacitive touch sensor 202. For example, the fabric controller 204 may determine the touch data by determining the location of each touch as an X, Y coordinate on the grid of conductive threads 208.

When implemented as self-capacitance sensors, "ghosting" may occur when multi-touch inputs are received. For example, consider a user touching a grid of conductive threads 208 with two fingers. When this occurs, the fabric controller 204 determines the X and Y coordinates for each of the two touches. However, the fabric controller 204 may not be able to determine how to match each X coordinate to its corresponding Y coordinate. For example, if the first touch has coordinates X1, Y1 and the second touch has coordinates X4, Y4, fabric controller 204 may also detect "phantom" coordinates X1, Y4, and X4, Y1.

In one or more embodiments, the fabric controller 204 is configured to detect "areas" of touch input corresponding to two or more touch input points on the grid of conductive threads 208. The conductive threads 208 may be tightly woven together such that when an object touches the grid of conductive threads 208, the capacitance will change for multiple horizontal conductive threads 208 and/or multiple vertical conductive threads 208. For example, a single touch with a single finger may generate the coordinates X1, Y1 and X2, Y1. Accordingly, the fabric controller 204 may be configured to detect a touch input if the capacitance changes for a plurality of horizontal conductive threads 208 and/or a plurality of vertical conductive threads 208. Note that this removes the ghosting effect, as if two spaced-apart single touches were detected, the fabric controller 204 would not detect a touch input.

Alternatively, when implemented as a projected capacitance sensor, the fabric controller 204 charges the set of single conductive threads 208 (e.g., horizontal conductive threads 208) by applying a control signal (e.g., a sinusoidal signal) to the set of single conductive threads 208. The fabric controller 204 then senses a change in capacitance in another set of conductive threads 208 (e.g., vertical capacitive threads 208).

In this embodiment, the vertical conductive thread 208 is not charged and therefore acts as a virtual ground. However, when the horizontal conductive thread 208 is charged, the horizontal conductive thread is capacitively coupled to the vertical conductive thread 208. Thus, when an object, such as a user's finger, touches the grid of conductive threads 208, the capacitance changes (e.g., increases or decreases) on the perpendicular conductive threads. The fabric controller 204 uses the capacitance change on the vertical conductive threads 208 to identify the presence of an object. To do so, the fabric controller 204 detects the location of the touch input by scanning the vertical conductive threads 208 to detect a change in capacitance. The textile controller 204 determines the location of the touch input as the intersection between the vertical conductive thread 208 having the changed capacitance and the horizontal conductive thread 208 on which the control signal is transmitted. For example, the fabric controller 204 may determine the touch data by determining the location of each touch as an X, Y coordinate on the grid of conductive threads 208.

Whether implemented as a self-capacitance sensor or a projected capacitance sensor, the capacitance sensor 208 is configured to communicate touch data to the gesture manager 218 to enable the gesture manager 218 to determine a gesture based on the touch data, which may be used to control the object 104, the computing device 106, or an application 216 at the computing device 106.

The gesture manager 218 may be implemented to recognize a variety of different types of gestures, such as touches, taps, swipes, holds, and overlays on the interactive textile 102. To recognize various different types of gestures, gesture manager 218 is configured to determine a duration of touch, swipe or hold (e.g., one or two seconds), a number of touches, swipes or holds (e.g., a single tap, a double tap, or a triple tap), a number of fingers touched, swiped or held (e.g., a single finger touch or swipe, a two finger touch or swipe, or a three finger touch or swipe), a frequency of touches, and a dynamic direction of touch or swipe (e.g., up, down, left, right). With respect to holding, the gesture manager 218 may also determine the area of the capacitive touch sensor 202 (e.g., top, bottom, left side, right side, or top and bottom) of the interactive textile 102 being held. Thus, the gesture manager 218 may recognize a variety of different types of holds, such as cover, cover and hold, five finger cover and hold, three finger pinch and hold, and so forth.

Connecting electronic components to an interactive textile

To sense multi-touch input, the conductive threads 208 are connected to an electronic component 203, such as a flexible Printed Circuit Board (PCB), during the manufacturing process. In various embodiments, a connection process is utilized to connect the electronic component 203 to the loose conductive threads 208 of the interactive textile 102. For example, consider fig. 4, which illustrates an example connection system 400 that can be used to connect electronic components to an interactive textile in accordance with one or more embodiments.

The connection system 400 is configured to receive the interactive textile 102, which includes conductive threads 208 arranged in a grid or array. As discussed above, each conductive thread 208 includes a conductive wire (e.g., copper wire) that is twisted, braided, or twisted with one or more flexible threads (e.g., polyester or cotton threads). Interactive textile 102 is configured such that some of conductive threads 208 are loose and broken from the textile of interactive textile 102. Generally, the connection system 400 may be implemented to connect the electronic component 203 to the loose conductive threads 208 of the interactive textile 102. The attachment system 400 is illustrated as including a ribbonized assembly 402, a textile release assembly 404, a bonding assembly 406, a sealing assembly 408, and a packaging assembly 410.

The banding component 402 represents a tool or function that arranges the loose conductive threads 208 of the interactive textile 102 into a band at a pitch that matches the pitch of the connection points 412 (e.g., plates or pads) of the electronic component 203. The stripping assembly receives the ribbon of conductive threads and strips the non-conductive material (e.g., silk or polyester) from the conductive threads 208 of the ribbon to expose the conductive threads. Next, the bonding component 406 bonds the connection points 412 of the electronic component 203 to the conductive lines of the ribbon.

After the connection points 412 of the electronic component 203 are attached to the conductive threads 208 of the interactive textile 102, the sealing component 408 seals the conductive threads 208 positioned adjacent to the ribbon to protect the conductive threads 208 from water ingress and corrosion. The packaging assembly 410 then applies a waterproof material (e.g., a film, plastic, or polymer) to the electronic assembly 203, which permanently mounts the electronic assembly 203 to the interactive textile, while also preventing water from being able to corrode the electronic assembly 203.

In one or more embodiments, the connection system 400 further includes a controller 414, which may be embodied in computer-executable instructions, and configured to control the connection system 400 to attach the electronic component 203 to the interactive textile 102. For example, the controller 414 is configured to control a machine connected to the system 400 to automate at least a portion of a program executed by the components 402-410.

Now, consider a more detailed discussion of each of the ribbonized assembly 402, the textile release assembly 404, the bonding assembly 406, the sealing assembly 408, and the packaging assembly 410.

Fig. 5 illustrates a system 500 in which the ribbonized assembly of fig. 4 is implemented to arrange loose conductive threads 208 of the interactive textile 102 into a ribbon. In this example, the banding component 402 receives the interactive textile 102 with loose conductive threads 208 as described above. The loose conductive threads 208 that emerge from the textile surface of the interactive textile 102 are collected using the banding component combing tool 502 and organized into a pitch that matches the pitch of the connection points 412 of the electronic component 203. In one or more embodiments, the pitch of the grooming tool may be mechanically adjustable (e.g., using a dial) to enable the manufacturer to adjust the pitch of the grooming tool 502 to correspond with the pitch of a particular electronic component 203.

For example, carding tool 502 includes a plurality of openings configured to receive loose conductive threads 208 of interactive textile 102. The distance or pitch between each opening is mechanically adjustable to conform the distance between the openings of carding tool 502 to the pitch of the connection points 412 of electronic assembly 203. Thus, each loose conductive thread 208 may be collected and placed within one of the openings of the grooming tool 502, thereby arranging the loose conductive threads 208 to conform to the pitch of the electronic components 203.

Next, a film 504 is placed over the organized conductive threads 208 within the grooming tool 502. The film 504 can be implemented in a variety of different ways, such as a transparent tape, a molded polymer silicone, or a thermal glue, to name a few. After the film 504 is placed over the arranged conductive threads 208, a heating element 506 is applied to the film 504 to create a hardened ribbon 508. Note that the webbing 508 secures the conductive threads 208 of the interactive textile 102 such that the conductive threads 208 are permanently aligned with connection points of the electronic component 203.

In particular, ribbonizing assembly 402, carding tool 502, and heating element 506 may be implemented in a variety of different ways. However, fig. 6A-6C illustrate examples of ribbonized assemblies according to one or more embodiments.

Fig. 6A illustrates an example 600 of a carding tool of a ribbonized assembly, in accordance with various embodiments. In this example, loose conductive threads 208 of interactive textile 102 are collected and placed in each opening of carding tool 502. In some cases, the user places loose conductive threads 208 in each opening of carding tool 502. Alternatively, this process may be at least partially automated such that controller 414 controls the machinery of connection system 400 to cause loose conductive wire 208 to be placed in the opening of grooming tool 502.

Fig. 6B illustrates an additional example of a carding tool of a ribbonized assembly, in accordance with various embodiments. At 602, grooming tool 502 is controlled to open to apply tension to conductive filaments 208 disposed within grooming tool 502. At 604, film 504 is applied to conductive threads 208 disposed within carding tool 502.

Fig. 6C illustrates an example of a heating element of a ribbonized assembly, in accordance with various embodiments. In this example, the heating element 506 is positioned above the film 504 and pressed downward to heat the film 504, creating a stiffening ribbon 508 in which the organized conductive threads 208 are fixed to match the pitch of the connection points 412.

Fig. 7 illustrates a system 700 in which the stripping assembly 404 of fig. 4 is implemented to remove non-conductive material from the conductive threads 208 of the ribbon 508, according to one or more embodiments. In this example, the stripping assembly 404 receives the ribbon 508 generated by the banding assembly 402 as described above. As described throughout, each conductive thread of the ribbon 508 includes a non-conductive material that needs to be removed to enable the conductive thread of the ribbon 508 to be attached to a connection point of the electronic component 203.

The hot blade 702 of the stripping assembly 404 is utilized to strip or remove non-conductive material (e.g., flexible filament 308, such as a silk, polyester, or cotton filament) from the conductive filament 208 of the ribbon 508. Doing so exposes conductive thread 306 of conductive thread 208, as shown at 704.

The hot blade 702 is configured to cauterize or melt the non-conductive material from the conductive filament 208 without cauterizing or melting the conductive wire 306 of the conductive filament 208. To this end, the temperature of the hot blade 702 may be set such that the temperature is hot enough to cauterize or melt the non-conductive material without cauterizing or melting the conductive wire 306.

In particular, the use of the hot blade 702 increases the efficiency of the stripping process because the hot blade can strip the non-conductive material from the conductive threads 208 of the ribbon 508 at one time, making the process efficient. However, alternatively, a heating element other than the hot blade 702 may be used. For example, in one or more embodiments, a laser beam may be utilized to ablate the non-conductive material. In this case, the absorption of the laser is low so that the laser beam ablates the non-conductive material without ablating the conductive lines.

In particular, the stripping assembly 404 can be implemented in a variety of different ways. However, fig. 8A illustrates an example of a stripping assembly in accordance with one or more embodiments. In this example, the stripping assembly 404 is implemented as a "hand tool" that can be at least partially operated by a user. The stripping assembly 404 includes a hot blade 702, which in this example includes an upper blade 802 and a lower blade 804.

FIG. 8B illustrates an additional example of a stripping assembly in accordance with one or more embodiments. In this example, the ribbon 508 is placed on the stripper assembly 404 and aligned by placing the ribbon 508 over tension pins (tension pins) of the stripper assembly that align with the outermost corners of the ribbon 508 and allow the ribbon to be properly centered. Tension may then be applied to the conductive wires of the ribbon by pushing the upper blade back.

FIG. 8C illustrates an additional example of a stripping assembly in accordance with one or more embodiments. In this example, the handle 806 is pulled toward the user to cause the upper blade 802 to rest on the lower blade 804. The blade is then heated to a temperature hot enough to cauterize or melt the non-conductive filament without cauterizing or melting the conductive wire (e.g., a temperature of about 260 degrees celsius). The upper blade 802 is allowed to rest on the lower blade 804 for a predefined period of time (e.g., 12 seconds), which causes the non-conductive wire to cauterize or melt. The blade is then pushed away from the user to peel the non-conductive material from the conductive threads 208 of the ribbon 508 to expose the conductive thread 306.

Fig. 9 illustrates a system 900 in which the bonding assembly of fig. 4 is implemented to bond an electronic component to a conductive wire of a ribbon.

In this example, the bonding component 406 receives the ribbon 508 with the exposed conductive lines 306. The bonding assembly 406 aligns the connection points 412 of the electronic assembly 203 with the stripped conductive leads 306 of the ribbon 508. Next, the bonding component 406 prepares a hot bar 902 with solder 904 and causes each exposed conductive line to bond to a respective connection point of the electronic component by pressing the hot bar 902 with solder 904 against the exposed conductive line 306 and the connection point 412, which is illustrated at 906. In particular, this process is similar to attaching a standard cable, since the collected conductive wires of the ribbon 508 have the same pitch as the connection points 412 of the electronic component 203. Coupling component 406 can be implemented in a variety of different ways. However, in one or more embodiments, the coupling component 406 is implemented as a "hand tool" that can be at least partially manipulated by a user.

Fig. 10 illustrates a system 1000 in which the sealing assembly 408 of fig. 4 is implemented to seal an electrically conductive wire in accordance with one or more embodiments. In this example, the seal assembly 408 receives the electronic assembly 203 with the bonded conductive threads 208. An epoxy tool 1002 is used to apply an epoxy 1004 to each conductive thread 208.

In one or more embodiments, the epoxy tool is implemented with a multi-nozzle injector head that enables epoxy to be applied simultaneously to each conductive thread 208. For example, a multi-headed nozzle having 12 nozzles may be implemented to achieve the application of epoxy to 12 conductive threads 208 at a time. Alternatively, an epoxy tool 1002 with a single nozzle may be implemented, in which case epoxy must be applied individually to each conductive wire.

As an example, consider an example 1100 illustrating an epoxy tool in accordance with one or more embodiments. At 1102, a single-headed nozzle is illustrated, and at 1104, a multi-headed nozzle is illustrated. In particular, the conductive threads 208 at the base of the ribbon 508 are coated with epoxy 1004 such that the ribbon is between the coated epoxy and the electronic component 203. After the epoxy 1004 is applied, the epoxy and conductive threads are cured with UV light or heat by placing the electronic components and attached conductive threads in a curing box 1006. Doing so causes the epoxy to wick into the fibers of the conductive threads 208, which prevents liquid from flowing from the conductive threads 208 to the electronic component 203.

Fig. 12 illustrates a system 1200 in which the package assembly 410 of fig. 4 is implemented to package an electronic assembly 203 bonded to the interactive textile 102. In this example, package assembly 410 receives electronic assembly 203 with bonded conductive wires that have been sealed with epoxy as described above.

During the encapsulation process, the electronic components 203 that are bonded to the conductive wires 306 are permanently mounted on the interactive textile 102. To protect the electronic components 203, a waterproof housing (e.g., plastic or polymer) is bonded to the textile of the interactive textile 102 such that the electronic components 203 are housed within the package.

To this end, the electronic assembly 203 and the ribbon 508 are placed in a mold 1202. Waterproof material 1204 or other waterproof material is applied to mold 1202 (e.g., using a spray gun) such that the waterproof material hardens around electronic component 203 and ribbon 508. The electronic component 203 and the tape 508 are then removed from the mold 1302 and the polymer hardens around the electronic component and the tape to form an encapsulation 1206. In particular, the electronic component 203, the ribbon 508, and the conductive threads near the ribbon 508 are completely encapsulated. Furthermore, since the conductive wires at the base of the ribbon 508 are sealed, water is prevented from being drawn into the seal 1206.

Example method

Fig. 13 illustrates an example method 1300 of connecting an electronic component to an interactive textile. Such methodologies are shown as a collection of blocks that specify operations performed by the respective blocks, but are not necessarily limited to the orders or combinations shown for performing the operations by the respective blocks. The present techniques are not limited to execution by one entity or multiple entities operating on one device.

At 1302, loose conductive threads of an interactive textile are collected and organized into ribbons having a pitch that matches a pitch of connection points of an electronic component. For example, the banding component 402 collects the loose conductive threads 208 of the interactive textile 102 and organizes the loose conductive threads 208 into bands 508, the bands 508 having a pitch that matches the pitch of the connection points 412 of the electronic component 203.

At 1304, the non-conductive material of the conductive threads of the ribbon is peeled away to expose the conductive threads of the conductive threads. For example, the stripping assembly 404 strips the non-conductive material of the conductive threads 208 of the ribbon 508 to expose the conductive thread 306.

At 1306, the connection points of the electronic component are bonded to the exposed conductive lines of the ribbon. For example, the bonding component 406 bonds the connection points 412 of the electronic component 203 to the exposed conductive wires 306 of the ribbon 508.

At 1308, the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon are sealed with epoxy. For example, the sealing assembly 408 seals the conductive threads 208 at the base of the ribbon 508 with an epoxy 1004.

At 1310, the electronic components and the ribbon are encapsulated with a waterproof material. For example, the package assembly 410 encapsulates the electronic assembly 203 and the ribbon 508 with a waterproof material (such as plastic or polymer).

Example computing System

Fig. 14 illustrates various components of an example computing system 1400 that may be implemented as any type of client, server, and/or computing device as described with reference to previous fig. 1-13 to implement connecting electronic components to an interactive textile. In embodiments, the computing system 1400 may be implemented as one or a combination of wired and/or wireless wearable devices, a system on a chip (SoC), and/or as another type of device or portion thereof. Computing system 1400 can also be associated with a user (e.g., a person) and/or an entity that operates the device such that a device describes logical devices that include users, software, firmware, and/or a combination of devices.

Computing system 1400 includes a communication device 1402 that enables wired and/or wireless communication of device data 1404 (e.g., received data, data being received, data scheduled for broadcast, data packets of the data, etc.). Device data 1404 or other device content can include configuration settings of the device, media content stored on the device, and/or information associated with a user of the device. Media content stored on computing system 1400 may include any type of audio, video, and/or image data. Computing system 1400 includes one or more data inputs via which any type of data, media content, and/or inputs can be received, such as human utterances, touch data generated by interactive textile 102, user-selectable inputs (explicit or implicit), messages, music, television media content, recorded video content, and any other type of audio, video, and/or image data received from any content and/or data source.

Computing system 1400 also includes communication interfaces 1408, which can be implemented as any one or more of a serial and/or parallel interface, a wireless interface, any type of network interface, a modem, and as any other type of communication interface. Communication interfaces 1408 provide a connection and/or communication links between computing system 1400 and communication networks that other electronic, computing, and communication devices use to communicate data with computing system 1400.

Computing system 1400 includes one or more processors 1410 (e.g., any of processors, controllers, and the like) that process various computer-executable instructions to control the operation of computing system 1400 and to implement techniques for interactive textiles or that may be embodied therein. Alternatively or in addition, the computing system 1400 may be implemented with any one or combination of hardware, firmware, or fixed logic circuitry that is implemented in connection with processing and control circuits which are generally identified at 1412. Although not shown, computing system 1400 may include a system bus or data transfer system that couples the various components within the device. A system bus can include any one or combination of different bus structures, such as a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a universal serial bus, and/or a processor or local bus that utilizes any of a variety of bus architectures.

Computing system 1400 also includes computer-readable media 1414, such as one or more memory devices that enable persistent and/or non-transitory data storage (i.e., as opposed to mere signal transmission), examples of which include Random Access Memory (RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., any one or more of a read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), and a disk storage device. The disk storage devices may be implemented as any type of magnetic or optical storage device, such as a hard disk drive, a recordable and/or rewriteable Compact Disc (CD), any type of a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), and the like. The computing system 1400 may also include a mass storage media device 1416.

Computer-readable media 1414 provides data storage mechanisms to store the device data 1404, as well as various device applications 1418 and any other types of information and/or data related to operational aspects of computing system 1400. Operating system 1420 can be maintained as a computer application with the computer-readable media 1414, for example, and executed on processors 1410. The device applications 1418 can include a device manager, such as any form of a control application, software application, signal processing and control module, code that is native to a particular device, a hardware abstraction layer for a particular device, and so forth.

The device applications 1418 also include any system components, engines, or managers to enable connecting electronic components to the interactive textile. In this example, the device application 1418 includes a gesture manager 218 and a controller 414.

Conclusion

Although embodiments of connecting electronic components to an interactive textile have been described in language specific to features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the subject of the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as example implementations of connecting electronic components to an interactive textile.

Claims

1. A method for connecting an electronic component to an interactive textile, the method comprising:

collecting loose conductive threads of the interactive textile and weaving the loose conductive threads of the interactive textile into a belt having a pitch matching a corresponding pitch of connection points of the electronic component;

stripping the non-conductive material of the conductive threads of the ribbon to expose the conductive threads of the conductive threads;

bonding the connection points of the electronic component to exposed conductive wires of the ribbon;

sealing the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon with an epoxy; and

the electronic component and the ribbon are encapsulated with a waterproof material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the collecting and organizing comprises: collecting and organizing the loose conductive threads with a grooming tool that includes openings that are spaced based on the corresponding pitch spacing of the connection points.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: forming the ribbon by:

disposing the loose conductive threads within the opening of the grooming tool;

placing a film over the arranged conductive threads within the carding tool; and

applying heat to the film to secure the disposed conductive threads.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said pitch of said carding tool is mechanically adjustable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein stripping the non-conductive material of the conductive threads of the ribbon comprises: applying a heated blade to the conductive threads of the ribbon to melt or burn the non-conductive material from the conductive threads of the ribbon.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a temperature of the hot blade is configured to melt or burn the non-conductive material of the conductive filament without melting or burning the conductive wire of the conductive filament.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein stripping the non-conductive material of the conductive threads of the ribbon comprises: applying a laser beam to the conductive threads of the ribbon to ablate the non-conductive material from the conductive threads of the ribbon.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the absorption of the laser is low to cause a laser beam to ablate the non-conductive material of the conductive thread without ablating the conductive thread of the conductive thread.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein bonding the connection point of the electronic component to an exposed conductive wire of the ribbon further comprises:

aligning the exposed conductive wires of the ribbon with the connection points of the electronic component; and

pressing a hot bar with solder against the exposed conductive wires and the connection points to cause each exposed conductive wire to bond to a respective connection point of the electronic component.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sealing the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon with epoxy comprises:

applying an epoxy to each of the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon; and

the epoxy resin is cured with UV light or heat.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the epoxy is applied simultaneously to each of the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon using a multi-headed nozzle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the epoxy is applied individually to each of the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon using a single-headed nozzle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein encapsulating the electronic component and the ribbon with a waterproof material comprises:

placing the electronic component and the ribbon in a mold;

applying the waterproof material to the mold such that the waterproof material hardens around the electronic component and the band.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the water resistant material comprises a plastic or polymer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic component comprises a flexible circuit board.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive wire comprises a copper wire.

17. A system for connecting an electronic component to an interactive textile, the system comprising:

a ribbonizing assembly comprising a carding tool and a heating element, the ribbonizing assembly configured to: collecting and organizing loose conductive threads of the interactive textile using the carding tool, and pressing the heating element over a film placed over the organized conductive threads in the carding tool to form a ribbon;

a stripping assembly configured to include a hot blade, the stripping assembly configured to: applying a heated blade to the organized conductive threads in the grooming tool to peel non-conductive material from the conductive threads to expose conductive threads of the conductive threads; and

a bonding assembly including a hot bar, the bonding assembly configured to: pressing a solder-prepared hot bar against exposed conductive wires and connection points of the electronic component to cause each exposed conductive wire to bond to a respective connection point of the electronic component.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the grooming tool comprises openings that are spaced based on a corresponding pitch of the connection points.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a seal assembly configured to: applying an epoxy to each of the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon, and curing the epoxy with UV light or heat to seal the conductive threads at the base of the ribbon.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising a packaging assembly configured to: placing the electronic component and the ribbon in a mold, and applying a water-resistant material to the mold such that the water-resistant material hardens around the electronic component and the ribbon and forms an encapsulation.