GB2527294A

GB2527294A - Transforming textile

Info

Publication number: GB2527294A
Application number: GB1410663.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Daniela Paredes Fuentes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-06-16
Filing date: 2014-06-16
Publication date: 2015-12-23
Also published as: GB201410663D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a woven textile that can change appearance such as colour through the sideways movement of the wefts and warps that compose it. Preferably the weft and the warp are composed by two alternating colours in which one of them is hidden under the opposite weaving element (weft or warp). By moving one of them sideways the hidden colour will be exposed and the previous exposed colour will be hidden. The movement may be generated by electronically controlled actuators (see figure 2).

Description

Transforming Textile

Description

The invention relates to a woven textile that change appearance, e.g. colour, through the sideways movement of the elements that compose it. The sideways movement may be automatized and may be controlled digitally. The digital commands can be created by a human or through programed algorithms.

Technological textiles integrating electronic components for visualizing elements controlled digitally. However, currently the textiles are mainly used as the structure that holds the electronic elements. This invention creates a textile that itself is the technological element for visualizing digital data. This is a revolution for the textile industry given that the colour change is important in many areas in which textiles are used.

The weft and the warp are composed by two alternating colours in which one of them will be hidden under the opposite weaving element (weft or warp). By moving one of them sideways the hidden colour will be exposed and the previous exposed colour will be hidden. This applies to any single or multiw&t woven structure. The movement can be absolute to change the colour completely or it can be gradually giving the possibility for creating gradients and creating patterns and images with more variations of colour.

By moving the weft and the warp the patterns in the weave will change creating new ones and even creating images, creating a textile display.

The mechanism for pulling the weft and the warp varies according to the necessity of the weave and the level of resolution and change it is intended. Each line of the weft and the warp can be pulled separately or in groups by an electronically controlled actuator, for example motors, shape memory alloys and polymers, piezzo motors.

The elements can be attached to an actuator on each side or be connected in a loop system utilizing only one actuator.

The resolution of the colour change will also depend on the thickness of the weft and warp and the space between them. This means that the colour change can happen at a small scale or in great scale.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows three views of a piece of woven textile having warp fibres and weft fibres; and Figure 2 shows the textile of Figure 1 but including 2 actuators, one for the warp fibres and the other for the weft fibres.

The Figures show a piece of woven textile having warp fibres that extend vertically and weft fibres that extends horizontally. The warp fibres have alternating bands of white and dark grey while the weft fibres have alternating bands of black and light grey.

The thickness of the bands in the warp fibres is equal to the width of the weft fibres, so the one band can be hidden under the weft fbres while the remaining band is visible.

Likewise the thickness of the bands in the weft fibres is equal to the width of the warp Transforming Textile fibres so the one band can be hidden under the weft fibres while the remaining band is visible.

Since the warp and weft fibres are woven, it is possible to arrange the bands of one colour in the warp fibres to lie wholly underneath the weft fibres, and likewise the bands of one colour in the weft fibres lie wholly underneath the warp fibres so Ihat only Ihe bands of the warp fibres that lie above the weft fibres are visible and only the warp fibres that lie above the weft fibres are visible. This is shown in the top left-hand view in Figure 1 where the white bands of the warp fibre lie over the weft fibres while the dark grey bands are hidden underneath the weft fibres so that only the white bands of the warp fibres are visible. Similarly, only the black bands of the weft fibres lie over the warp fibres while the light grey bands are hidden underneath the warp fibres so that only the black bands are visible. Therefore, the fabric has a chequerboard pattern of black and white.

Both the warp fibres and the weft fibres can be shifted axially along their respective lengths. Thus, when the weft fibres are shifted axially to the right by a distance corresponding to the width of one band, as shown in the upper right-hand fabric of Figure 1, the white bands of the warp fibres remain visible but the black bands of the weft fibre are now hidden underneath the warp fibres and the light grey bands of the wefi fibre are now visible and the fabric has a chequerboard pattern of white and light grey When the warp fibres are shifted one band down (as compared to the black-and-white chequerboard pattern shown in the top left-hand drawing of Figure 1), the white bands of the warp fibres now lie hidden underneath the weft fibres and the dark grey bands of the warp fibres are now visible, giving a chequerboard pattern of black and dark grey A fourth possibility (not shown) is that both the warp fibres and the weft fibres are shifted one band width from the black-and-white chequerboard pattern shown in the top left-hand drawing of Figure 1, and this will have a chequerboard pattern of light grey and dark grey.

Depending on the width of the warp fibres in the weft fibres, the individual chequerboard squares may be visible to the naked eye (if the fibres are broad) or the overall hue of the fabric may be midway between the colours of the chequerboard squares if the fibres are narrow and individual fibres cannot be discerned.

Although the invention has been described in connection with single blocks of colour, it is possible to form different images in a woven fabric by suitably patterning the individual bands of the warp fibres and the weft fibres.

Figure 2 shows the woven fabric of Figure 1 but with actuators attached to the ends of the warp fibres in the weft fibres, allowing the individual warp fibres to pulled together as a set and the individual weft fibres to people together as a set, thereby affecting the above change of appearance of the woven fabric.

Second actuators may be provided at the other ends of the warp and weft fibres to pull the fibres upwards and to the right and thereby return the fibres to their original positions.

Alternatively, instead of a second actuator at the other ends of the warp and weft fibres, it is possible to attach a resilient band to those other ends that is stretched when the actuator moves the fibre; once the pull of the actuator is released the resUient band can return the fibres to their original positions.

Transforming Textile It will be appreciated that it is not necessary for the warp fibres and the weft fibres to be moved by the width of a whole band and the movement of a fraction of a band can produce a novel visual effect.

Claims

Transforming Textile Claims 1. A woven fabric comprising warp fibres and weft fibres, wherein at least some of the warp fibres can be moved axially along their lengths relative to the weft fibres and/or at least some of the weft fibres can be moved axially along their lengths relative to the warp fibres and wherein the appearance of the fibres that can be moved changes along their lengths so that, by moving the fibres axially, the appearance of the fabric can be changed.
2. A woven fabric as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fibres that can be moved are composed of bands of colours or shades.
3. A woven fabric as claimed in claim 2, wherein the widths of the bands allow all of a band to be hidden behind another fibre so that it is not visible but, when the fibre is moved, the all or some of the band becomes visible.
4. A woven fabric as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein both the warp fibres and the weft fibres can be moved axially.
5. A woven fabric as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the movable fibres are moved by actuators, for example motors! shape memory alloys and polymers, piezzo motors.
6. A woven fabric as claimed in any preceding claim 5, wherein groups of movable fibres are connected to a single actuator that can move the fibres of the whole group simultaneously.