FR2818476A1 - PORTABLE ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns an electronic equipment consisting of a plurality of elementary functional components, said portable electronic equipment comprising: at least a clothing article (1) provided with a network of transmission lines integrated in the textile material constituting said clothing article and electrical assembling and/or connecting members produced by notions components; a plurality of functional modules (13) formed by said elementary functional components incorporated in textile supports or clothing accessories, said functional modules (13) being mechanically mounted on the clothing article (1) and electrically connected to said network of lines (11) by said electric assembling and/or connecting members (12). The invention is applicable to uses of electronic attachments when moving about.

Description

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The present invention relates to portable electronic equipment.

 The invention finds a particularly advantageous application in the field of the use of electronic equipment in a mobility situation, that is to say when a person is no longer close to fixed equipment.

 In the remainder of this thesis, electronic equipment will be understood to mean any computer, home automation, multimedia, telecommunications, or other device. For example, personal computers, mobile phones, electronic agendas, etc. will be considered as electronic equipment covered by the invention.

 Currently, electronic equipment, even that described as portable, is a monolithic object in the sense that all of its basic functional components, namely antennas, amplifiers, microphones, speakers, keyboards, screens, batteries, etc., are grouped and assembled. inside a single case. In addition, these are independent devices (stand alone in English) which have the main function only that for which they were designed, without any other associated functionality.

 However, the use of one-piece and one-piece equipment is very restrictive. It assumes that these devices are stored beforehand in a location close to the user and known to him: table, shelf, drawer for fixed devices, or pocket, bag, suitcase, belt for portable devices. In all cases, and more specifically in a situation of mobility, access by the user to the equipment thus arranged is not always easy and requires a sequence of often tedious gestures such as finding the bag where the device is located, opening a pocket in the bag, entering the device and finally its implementation.

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 To this are added other difficulties, in particular the impossibility of placing a screen, taking notes during telephone communication, answering with busy hands, these difficulties being increased when it is a question of disabled people.

 Also, the technical problem to be solved by the object of the present invention is to propose portable electronic equipment which would allow, in a context of mobility, to obtain a better adaptation to individuals, in particular in terms of ergonomics and associated gestures. in use.

 The solution to the technical problem posed consists, according to the present invention, in that an electronic equipment being broken down into a plurality of elementary functional components, said portable electronic equipment comprises: - at least one item of clothing provided, on the one hand, with '' a network of transmission lines integrated into a textile material constituting said item of clothing, and, on the other hand, electrical assembly and / or switching members produced by pieces of haberdashery from the item of clothing, - a plurality of functional modules formed by said elementary functional components incorporated in textile supports or clothing accessories, said functional modules being mechanically attached to the item of clothing and electrically connected to said network of transmission lines by means of said assembly members and / or electrical connection.

 In the context of the invention, a clothing item will either be a garment as such, i.e. for example a jacket, a jacket, a coat, pants, or an accessory, namely a hat, a bonnet , a scarf, a brooch, etc.

 Thus, the invention proposes to abandon the concept of monolithic equipment to replace it with the principle of dispersion of the different

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 functions in an object of everyday life that one regularly carries on oneself, in particular in a situation of mobility.

 The functional modules, integrating technical functionalities in textile supports or clothing accessories, constitute a new type of interfaces which makes it possible to establish a communication and an exchange of energy between modules reported on different supports or accessories, via the network of transmission lines.

 According to a first embodiment, said transmission lines are formed, at least in part, by conductive threads inserted into said textile material constituting the article of clothing. In another embodiment, said transmission lines are formed, at least in part, by infrared optical fibers inserted into said textile material constituting the article of clothing. Finally, according to another embodiment, said transmission lines comprise, at least in part, radio links.

 It should also be noted that the initiation and management of a communication no longer requires searching for or gripping the electronic equipment. It suffices to activate the corresponding functional modules which, advantageously, are directly accessible by means of said haberdashery pieces. More specifically, the invention provides that said assembly and / or electrical connection members include buttons, snaps, staples, sliding closures, textile fasteners, etc.

 The physical links between the different functional modules, ensuring the exchange of information and energy, are therefore carried out through the network of transmission lines. Under these conditions, it is possible to envisage connecting together modules of a very varied nature, so as to group together for example the functions of a mobile telephone and those of a personal computer, thus making portable electronic equipment. according to the invention a multifunctional equipment, unlike known monoblock equipment. Of course, some

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 Resources, such as the power supply, the keyboard or the screen, can be shared between the different functional groups.

 In terms of mobile telecommunications, two types of notification are essentially known: sound signals and vibrators. Two other modes of notifications are proposed since, according to the invention, provision is made, on the one hand, for portable electronic equipment to include heat notification means comprising a voltage source applied to an energy dissipative structure. by Joule effect, and secondly, that it includes means of notification by light signals.

 With regard to current mobile communication systems, miniaturization and the constant search for weight reduction do not allow sufficient operating autonomy. In this context, portable electronic equipment, object of the invention, provides an advantageous solution in that it comprises a plurality of batteries contained in functional modules distributed in the article of clothing. It is thus possible to increase the number of batteries, and therefore the autonomy of supply, without appreciably modifying the perception of the article of clothing.

 On the other hand, an improvement in the portable electronic equipment according to the invention consists in that it comprises solar collectors contained in functional modules connected to at least one battery by means of transmission lines.

 It is known that certain current electronic telecommunications equipment such as mobile telephones can present dangers with regard to the effects on the organism of microwave radiation. This is why the standards in force ensure the safety of users. In this sense, the portable electronic equipment of the invention participates in the prevention of consumers and even makes it possible to anticipate the transition to possible more stringent standards in this field since it is provided, on the one hand, that '' it includes an antenna contained in a functional module kept away from parts of the body sensitive to the radiation of

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 microwave, and, on the other hand, a conductive textile fabric is interposed between said antenna and said sensitive parts of the body.

 The description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be implemented.

 Figure 1 is a front view of portable electronic equipment according to the invention.

 FIG. 2 is a front view of a functional module of the invention carrying an assembly and / or electrical connection member constituted by a sliding closure.

 Figure 3 is a detail view of a sliding closure shaped to establish a multi-point electrical connection.

 Figure 4 is a detail view of a button shaped to operate as a switch.

 Figure 5 is a detail view of a textile fastener shaped to operate as a switch / switch.

 FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an embodiment of heat notification in portable electronic equipment according to the invention.

 FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an exemplary embodiment of notification by light signals according to the invention.

 Figure 8 is a front view of a scarf constituting a portable multi-media electronic equipment.

 FIG. 1 shows portable electronic equipment comprising a clothing item 1, here a jacket, provided, on the one hand, with a network of transmission lines 11 integrated into a textile material constituting said clothing item 1, and, d on the other hand, electrical assembly and / or connection members 12. Of course, other clothing items than a jacket can be envisaged, such as a jacket, coat, raincoat, pants, or even accessories such as a scarf, shown in FIG. 8, a headband, a hat, etc.

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The transmission lines 11 are provided for transmitting information between the functional modules 13. In this case, said lines
11 may consist of conductive threads inserted into the textile material of the clothing item 1. These are, for example, very fine copper threads (diameter less than 0.3 mm) made up of monofilaments, possibly sheathed in cotton, inserted in textiles during weaving. They thus connect the functional modules 13 by means of the assembly and / or connection members 12 which will be described later.

 Alternatively, the transmission lines 11 may be optical fibers conducting the infrared. They are also incorporated in the same way during weaving, and connected to the functional modules by IR transmitters / receivers.

 It is also conceivable that the transmission lines 1 include radio links, such as that known by the name of Bluetooth.

 The lines 11 are also used for the transmission of energy by means of copper wires, the implementation of which is identical to that concerning the transmission of information. This transmission takes place between a battery and one or more functional modules 13.

 The functions of said electronic equipment are broken down into elementary components, which are the subject of integration at the level of the fibers and threads of the material of the clothing article in functional modules 13 incorporated in textile supports or clothing accessories, pin especially. It is thus possible to establish, through the network of transmission lines 11, a communication and an exchange of energy between the functions of the same electronic equipment, and even between functions of different equipment, this in the optics of simply producing portable multi-media electronic equipment.

 As shown in Figure 2, these modules can be a closed pocket 13 of fabric with a unique functionality: a speaker for sound, a screen for displaying messages, etc. The functional module 13 is mechanically attached to the jacket 1 and electrically connected to said

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 network of transmission lines 11 by means of the electrical assembly and / or connection members 12 which, in the example of FIG. 2, is a sliding closure.

connexion capables également de produire des commutations du type arrêt/marche . By borrowing to a large extent the connecting role that certain haberdashery pieces play such as sliding closures, buttons, textile fasteners, etc., and by associating electrically conductive metallic materials therewith, assembly members are obtained and / or of

connection also capable of producing switching of the on / off type.

Before describing them in detail, we can mention various common haberdashery pieces capable of constituting said assembly and / or connection / switching members such as a jacket button which is pressed, a sliding closure which ensures the connection between a battery. and a personal computer or that triggers the reading of messages, a textile tie that ensures contact between two points or connects the weather on the computer screen.

 The actions associated with these organs are respectively buttoning / unbuttoning, raising / lowering the sliding closure, scratching / undocking.

 Other functions can be associated with a particular gesture such as putting on a piece of clothing for switching on the on-board electronic devices, raising a collar to take the telephone line, raising your sleeves; and the backhand movement of a scarf.

 In Figure 3 is shown a sliding closure exercising the function of assembly member and / or connection with switching.

 The manipulation of the closure cursor, namely raising or lowering the cursor, causes contact between the pins constituting the closure. Some of them are metallic and others are insulating. A predefined distribution of these conductive pins during the manufacture of closures makes it possible to provide a multitude of potential connections.

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 The information or energy conductors, woven into the garment, are pinched by the conductive pins, according to the standard manufacturing principle of sliding closures.

 The closure thus formed offers numerous reliable electrical contactors, inexpensive, and simple to handle.

 Figure 4 shows a clothing button equipped to form a connection and switching member. This principle of electric switch consists, in the same way as previously, in connecting conductive wires present in the structure of the garment by metal contactors. The latter are formed by a conductive metallic button which is clipped or sewn onto the conductive wire, and by another metallic element which makes the second part of the contact and which can be: a metallic ring as in FIG. 4, a button pressure, or, more generally, any metal base that can accommodate a button.

 The assembly and connection member in FIG. 5 operates on the same principle as that of the buttons, except that these are replaced by fasteners, of the textile fastener type, made of stainless steel fibers ensuring perfect electrical contact taking into account the density of the fibers, and therefore the contact points, in a fastener.

 It should be emphasized that this attachment principle can be used in the case of a switching operation where one no longer seeks to obtain or not a simple contact, but rather a given connection or another. Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 5, by tilting the removable part of the clip to the left, a first contact is obtained, then another by tilting it to the left.

 Thus, the integration of communication functions in clothing or in their accessories has led to the definition of new interfaces, each comprising a specific function. This new type of support, designated by the term of functional module, is in the form of a textile accessory making it possible to graft an isolated communication function, for example a loudspeaker for sound reproduction, to a textile base which could be any item of clothing.

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We are thus able to establish communication and an exchange of energy with all the other constituent functions of this same base, via specific links.

 Finally, note that the manipulation of a garment or part of a garment can also trigger an electrical impulse producing a functional command. The impulse can be carried out by contactors of various technologies (push button, capacitive system, exploitation of the variation of a resistance, ...), located at strategic places of the garment. So putting on the garment, rolling up your sleeves or even folding a collar can cause powering up of an electronic module, taking the telephone line, etc.

 In the context of the portable electronic equipment of the invention, new notification methods are proposed, which can both translate the reception of information from outside, for example an incoming call for mobile phones, or even support any exchange of information within the communication network formed by the various means of communication integrated into clothing or clothing accessories.

 Heat notification consists in applying an appropriate voltage source to a textile structure that dissipates energy by the Joule effect. This structure can be composed of two types of material, stainless steel or conductive polymers (polyaniline and polypyrrol), used simultaneously or separately.

 The stainless steel structure is made from wires of which the own resistivity is known (7.2. 10-6 ohm. Cm). By playing on their implementation in the form of yarns of twisted short fibers, or in the form of yarns composed of monofilaments, a given resistivity characteristic of the yarn used is obtained. The final resistance R of the textile structure, like that shown in FIG. 6, is obtained by combining these threads in parallel and in series, according to a suitable weaving or knitting mode and weave.

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 The polymeric textile structure is obtained from aniline and pyrrole which are electrically conductive monomers. In the same way as for stainless steel, the resistance of the textile support obtained aimed at dissipating energy in the form of heat will depend on the implementation. These monomers can be deposited on synthetic yarns, for example polyamides, during spinning, or sprayed on pre-established surfaces (fabrics and knits), then polymerized in a suitable chamber.

 The properties of the supporting structure (hairiness, mesh, ...) as well as the quantity of monomer sprayed are determining factors for the final electrical resistance of the textile structure. This heating textile support can be used, for example, in the form of a bracelet or a lining in the collar of a garment.

 The notification by light signals uses a process making it possible to mechanically attack the optical fibers on the surface so that they can diffuse light transversely over their entire length. Likewise, these fibers can only be attacked in certain targeted locations, making it possible to constitute, in association with their already developed weaving method, active light patterns at the heart of the textile.

This is shown in Figure 7.

 The lighting of the fibers is carried out by the insertion of light-emitting diodes at the end of a fiber or a group of fibers and makes it possible to control the light effects (colors, flashing, ...) by means of an electronic module. programmed for this purpose.

 The energy autonomy of all the functional modules of the portable electronic equipment is increased by: - the installation of several batteries distributed in strategic places of the garment or the clothing accessory, which is without disadvantage in the since a few tens of additional grams cannot be perceived by the wearer of the equipment, - the installation of solar collectors allowing the supply of the functional modules and the recharging of the batteries via the network of transmission lines described above.

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 It should be noted that this wired energy transmission network also allows the pooling of the energy necessary for the operation of the functional modules. Energy is stored in a buffer battery, which is similarly connected to solar collectors distributed over textile surfaces belonging to the garment or clothing accessory. The energy is then redistributed intra-vestiment to the different modules. This system tends towards unlimited operating autonomy, and if necessary, can be recharged by a single plug from an external power supply.

 The protection of users against microwave radiation emitted in particular by telecommunication antennas is ensured in portable electronic equipment according to the invention by the integration of said antennas into functional modules of the garment or of a clothing accessory located at distance from body parts sensitive to microwaves, and in particular far from the brain.

 On the other hand, a fabric comprising wires or particles conducting electricity is interposed between the antenna and the carrier, and held by sewing in a textile lining, so as to shield the microwave radiation by reflection. and dispersion of the waves in the tissue. Such a protective material is sold by the company APM under the brand Flectron.

 FIG. 8 shows portable electronic equipment constituted by a scarf intended to allow a user in a situation of mobility to access multimedia telecommunication services. To this end, the scarf of FIG. 8 comprises functional modules performing for example the functions of telephone, microphone, speakers, screen and camera. These modules are connected to a power supply and a microcomputer arranged in a jacket to which the scarf is electrically connected. Of course, the miniaturization of the components developing, it is possible to envisage that the power supply and the microcomputer are integrated into the scarf itself.

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 The data transmission (voice, images, text) is carried out on the mobile phone to GSM, GPRS or UMTS standards.

 The implementation of the scarf of FIG. 8 is carried out according to a specific gesture consisting in raising the neck and throwing back a section of the scarf. This action has the effect of bringing the microphone located in the neck close to the mouth of the user, the ascent of the neck bringing the speakers closer to his ears. The collar can be found either on the jacket or on the scarf.

Claims (16)

 1. Portable electronic equipment, characterized in that an electronic equipment being broken down into a plurality of elementary functional components, said portable electronic equipment comprises: - at least one item of clothing (1) provided, on the one hand, with a network (11) of transmission lines integrated into a textile material constituting said item of clothing, and, on the other hand, organs (12) of assembly and / or electrical connection produced by pieces of haberdashery of the item of clothing ( 1), - a plurality of functional modules (13) formed by said elementary functional components incorporated in textile supports or clothing accessories, said functional modules (13) being mechanically attached to the item of clothing (1) and electrically connected to said network (11) of transmission lines by means of said electrical assembly and / or connection members (12). 2. Portable electronic equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that said transmission lines are formed, at least in part, by conductive son inserted in said textile material constituting the article of clothing (1). 3. Portable electronic equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that said conductive wires are copper monofilaments. 4. Portable electronic equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that said copper monofilaments are sheathed in cotton. 5. Portable electronic equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said transmission lines are constituted, at least in part, by infrared optical fibers inserted into said textile material constituting the article of clothing ( 1). <Desc / Clms Page number 14>  6. Portable electronic equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said transmission lines comprise, at least in part, radio links.  7. Portable electronic equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said members (12) for assembly and / or electrical connection comprise buttons, snaps, staples, sliding closures, fasteners textile attachment type. 8. Portable electronic equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises means of notification by heat comprising a voltage source applied to a dissipative structure of energy by Joule effect. 9. Portable electronic equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that said dissipative structure consists of stainless steel wires. 10. Portable electronic equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that said dissipative structure consists of son of conductive polymers. 11. Portable electronic equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises means of notification by light signals. 12. Portable electronic equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that said means of notification by light signals comprise optical fibers. 13. portable electronic equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of batteries contained in functional modules (13) distributed in the article of clothing (1). 14. Portable electronic equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that it comprises solar collectors contained in functional modules connected to at least one battery by means of transmission lines. <Desc / Clms Page number 15>  15. Portable electronic equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that at least one telecommunication antenna is integrated in a functional module kept away from the parts of the body sensitive to the radiation of microwaves. 16. Portable electronic equipment according to claim 15, characterized in that a conductive textile fabric is interposed between said antenna and said sensitive parts of the body.