JP2024507095A - Clothing containing electronic panels - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, systems, and methods for flexible electronic panels that can be incorporated into a variety of garments. In an exemplary embodiment, the garment includes multiple panels. In embodiments, the first panel is an integral panel extending from a first attached portion of the garment to a second attached portion of the garment. Additionally, at least a first panel includes at least one conductive trace, and the remaining panels form the remainder of the garment.

Description

FIELD This disclosure generally relates to devices, systems, and methods for wearable electronic devices. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to devices, systems and methods for flexible electronic panels that can be incorporated into a variety of garments.

Background Wearable electronic devices and smart clothing are becoming increasingly popular. Wearable electronic devices such as smartwatches can detect the wearer's pulse rate and oxygen saturation. Smart clothing can detect the wearer's movements to alert the user to potentially dangerous conditions, or make the clothing glow to increase visibility in low light conditions, or be used for advertising or marketing purposes. be able to. Furthermore, the functionality of wearable electronic devices has improved dramatically in recent years, while the price of wearable electronic components has decreased, further increasing the popularity of these items. However, garments are typically made from multiple panels of fabric sewn together. Smart clothing electronics often need to extend from one panel to another, and interconnects between adjacent panels are used to connect electronics where two panels meet. There must be. These electrical connections connecting the two panels can become excessively worn due to the regular bending of the material at the seams of the garment, rendering the electronic panel inoperable. Embodiments disclosed herein solve these problems.

Abstract As mentioned above, wearable electronic devices and smart clothing are becoming increasingly popular. However, smart clothing has manufacturing challenges. Garments typically require multiple panel pieces, with adjacent panel pieces joined by sewing, suturing, bonding, gluing, welding, or joining to form the finished garment. For example, a shirt can be made from at least four panels: a front torso section, a back torso section, and two arm sections. The panels can be sewn together at adjacent edges to form a garment. The present disclosure describes an integrated panel that includes at least one conductive trace that can be used as one of the panel pieces for manufacturing garments. The use of integral panels containing at least one conductive trace allows for garments that do not require crossing electronic connections from one panel to another, thereby producing durable smart garments. As used herein, the terms "integrated panel" and "electronic panel" are equivalent and refer to a panel without a seam across the panel. At least one edge portion of the integral panel may be a seam joining the integral panel to an adjacent panel or joining one edge of the integral panel to itself, such as in the case of a panel surrounding a cuff portion. can have. It is understood that an electronic panel is an integral panel that includes at least one conductive trace.

According to one example, the present disclosure provides a garment that includes a plurality of panels, the first panel extending from a first attached portion of the garment to a second attached portion of the garment. A garment comprising panels, at least a first panel including at least one conductive trace, and the remaining panels forming the remainder of the garment. The garment can be a shirt, long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, pants, shorts, overalls, upper body garment, lower body garment, full body garment, jacket, midlayer, base layer, coveralls, gloves, socks, or hat. Accessory parts of a garment are intended to refer to arm parts or sleeves, leg parts or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the integral panel extends from a distal portion of the first arm portion (i.e., the first attachment portion) to a distal portion of the second arm portion (i.e., the second attachment portion). can do. In other embodiments, the integral panel can extend from a distal portion of the first leg portion to a distal portion of the second leg portion. As used herein, the phrase "distal portion" means any point on the attached portion. For example, if the garment is a long-sleeved shirt and the sleeves extend to each wrist, the integral panel may be placed at any point on the first attached portion, at the wrist, forearm, elbow or bicep of the first arm portion. The second attached portion can extend independently from the wrist, forearm, elbow or upper arm portion of the second attached portion. As is typical with garments, the length of the appendage may vary depending on the design, function, or both design and function of the garment.

According to another example, the present disclosure provides an integral panel that is substantially flat and that can be incorporated into a garment (or article) to form a three-dimensional garment/article piece, the integral panel relates to a monolithic panel that is a conductive panel that includes at least one conductive trace. The clothing can be a shirt, long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, pants, shorts, overalls, coveralls, gloves, socks or a hat. In embodiments, the integral panel is flexible and/or extensible. In embodiments, the integral panel extends from a first point to a second point on the garment. In embodiments, the first point and the second point are on the torso of the garment. In some embodiments, the first point is on the same side of the torso of the garment as the second point. In other embodiments, the first point is on a different side of the torso of the garment than the second point. In some embodiments, the integral panel wraps less than half of the fuselage. In other embodiments, the integral panel wraps over more than half of the fuselage, such as around the entire circumference of the fuselage.

According to yet another example, the present disclosure provides two or more garments, wherein the two or more garments are a base layer, a middle layer, an outer layer, pants, coveralls, overalls, gloves, socks, or a hat. , each of the two or more garments including an integral panel of the above examples, the integral panel of the first garment being in electronic communication with the integral panel of the second garment and/or the subsequent garment; Concerning two or more articles of clothing. The clothing can be a shirt, long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, pants, shorts, overalls, coveralls, gloves, socks and/or a hat.

According to another example, the present disclosure provides an electronic panel that is substantially flat and configured to be incorporated into an article worn by a user, the electronic panel including a transverse direction across a portion of the panel. wherein the electronic panel is bonded to a plurality of fabric panels of the article without any seams extending longitudinally or in combination thereof over a portion of the panel, whereby the electronic panel and A plurality of fabric panels form an article, the electronic panel including at least one conductive trace.

According to another example, the present disclosure provides an electronic panel that is substantially flat and configured to be incorporated into an article worn by a user, the electronic panel including a cross section across a portion of the electronic panel. direction, there are no seams extending longitudinally across a portion of the electronic panel, or a combination thereof, such that the electronic panel extends across at least a joint of the user. The electronic panel is configured to include at least one conductive trace.

In an aspect of any of the foregoing examples, the electronic panel includes a synthetic polymer film compressed in the xy direction, the conductive traces are disposed within the synthetic polymer film, and the electronic panel comprises: an extensible substrate bonded to the synthetic polymer membrane, and the conductive traces are buckled in the z-direction.

In certain embodiments, the article is a long sleeve shirt, and the electronic panel extends across the front or back of the garment from the central portion to the distal portion of the first arm and the distal portion of the second arm. are doing.

In certain other embodiments, the article is a pair of pants, and the electronic panel extends across the front or back of the garment from a central portion to a distal portion of a first leg and a distal portion of a second leg. It extends to

In still other embodiments, the article is a one-piece coverall garment, and the electronic panel extends across the front or back of the garment from a central portion to a distal portion of a first arm and a distal portion of a second arm. further comprising a torso extension extending from a front or rear portion of the one-piece coverall to a torso portion of the one-piece coverall, from a distal portion of the torso extension to at least one of the leg portions of the one-piece garment. It further includes at least one leg extension extending to the distal portion.

In an aspect of any of the above examples, at least a portion of at least one of the distal portions of the electronic panel further includes a transversely elongated portion that circumferentially wraps around a portion of the article. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel may be made of a textile fabric, film, microporous membrane, or other suitable substrate, which may or may not independently have some degree of elasticity. Or a laminate thereof.

In certain embodiments of any of the above examples, the electronic panel includes a microporous membrane having conductive traces absorbed within the pores, on the microporous membrane, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel further includes an electrical connection coupled to at least one conductive trace and configured to releasably couple to one or more electronic components. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel includes electrical connections coupled to at least one conductive trace and configured to permanently couple to one or more electronic components.

In aspects of the above examples, the one or more electronic components include a power source, a power switch, a sensor, an electronic circuit, an antenna, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a remote control, a display device, a touch screen, an audio transmitter, a speaker. , a microphone, a haptic device, a heating element, or a combination thereof.

In embodiments of the above examples, a power source, a power switch, a sensor, an electronic circuit, an antenna, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a remote control, a display device, a touch screen, an audio transmitter, a speaker, a microphone, a haptic device, a heating element or the like. at least two of the combinations are connected to each other by the conductive traces.

In certain aspects of either of the above two examples, a power source, a power switch, a sensor, an electronic circuit, an antenna, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a remote control, a display device, a touch screen, an audio transmitter, a speaker, a microphone, At least one of the haptic device, the heating element or a combination thereof is removable and/or replaceable.

In an embodiment of any of the above examples, the electronic panel is a multilayer electronic panel comprising one or more of textiles, films, combinations or laminates thereof.

In certain embodiments of the above examples, the multilayer electronic panel is a laminate that includes an outer textile layer, an intermediate film layer, and an inner textile layer.

In certain aspects of the above embodiments, the intermediate film layer is a microporous layer and the conductive traces are within said microporous layer.

In an aspect of any of the above examples, the electronic panel further includes a conductive connection configured to transmit electricity or electrical signals from a first panel to a second panel. Additionally or alternatively, at least a portion of the electronic panel further includes a power supply housing. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel is flexible and/or stretchable. Additionally or alternatively, the garment is a shirt and includes a collar housing for housing one or more electronic components.

In certain aspects of the above examples, the one or more electronic components include a power source, a power switch, a sensor, an electronic circuit, an antenna, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a remote control, a display device, a touch screen, an audio transmitter. , a speaker, a microphone, a haptic device, a heating element, or a combination thereof.

According to yet another example, the present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a garment, comprising providing a plurality of panels, wherein a first panel of the plurality of panels includes conductive traces. joining the first panel at a seam to a second panel of the plurality of panels, which is a body panel; joining the remaining panels to the first panel and/or the second panel; forming a garment, wherein the first panel includes any seam extending transversely across a portion of the panel, longitudinally across a portion of the panel, or a combination thereof. There is also no way to do it.

In aspects of the embodiments described above, the first panel portion extends from a first attached portion of the garment to a second attached portion of the garment. Alternatively, the garment is a shirt and the first panel extends across the front or back of the shirt from the central portion to the distal portion of the first arm and the distal portion of the second arm. Alternatively, the garment is pants and the first panel extends across the front or back of the garment from the central portion to the distal portion of the first leg and the distal portion of the second leg. . Alternatively, the garment is a one-piece coverall garment, and the first panel further includes a torso extension portion extending from the front or rear of the one-piece coverall garment to the torso portion of the one-piece coverall garment. and further including at least one leg extension extending from a distal portion of the torso extension to a distal portion of at least one of the leg portions of the one-piece garment.

In any aspect of the above example manufacturing method, joining the first panel to the second panel includes a sewn seam, a glued seam, a welded seam, a bonded seam, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the method of manufacturing the garment further includes forming an integral panel by disposing conductive traces on or within the synthetic polymer membrane.

In aspects of the above embodiments, the electronic panel is a multilayer panel comprising one or more of textiles, films, combinations or laminates thereof. In aspects of the above embodiments, the electronic panel is a multilayer panel that is a laminate including an outer textile layer, an intermediate film layer, and an inner textile layer. In an aspect of the above embodiment, the intermediate film layer is a microporous layer and the conductive traces are within the microporous layer. In an aspect of any of the above embodiments, the method of manufacturing further includes coupling one or more electronic components to the conductive traces.

In aspects of the above examples, the one or more electronic components include a power source, a power switch, a sensor, an electronic circuit, an antenna, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a remote control, a display device, a touch screen, an audio transmitter, a speaker. , a microphone, a haptic device, a heating element, or a combination thereof.

The above examples are exemplary only and should not be construed to limit or otherwise narrow the scope of the inventive concepts otherwise provided by this disclosure. Although multiple examples are disclosed, still other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative examples. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature rather than as restrictive in nature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, and illustrate embodiments and, together with the description, explain the principles of the disclosure. Helpful to explain.

FIG. 1 is an example system of an electronic panel incorporated into clothing that can be worn by a subject, in accordance with at least one embodiment.

2A-B are examples of electronic panels incorporated into clothing, according to at least one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an example of the electronic panel shown in FIGS. 2A-B separated from clothing, in accordance with at least one embodiment.

4A-B are another example of an electronic panel incorporated into clothing, according to at least one embodiment.

5A-B are yet another example of an electronic panel incorporated into clothing, according to at least one embodiment.

6A-C are schematic illustrations of forming a conductive article in which conductive traces are applied to the surface of a synthetic polymer film and buckled, according to at least one embodiment.

FIG. 6D is a schematic illustration of the application of electronic panels to both sides of a garment, according to at least one embodiment.

FIG. 6E is a schematic illustration of an extensible substrate with a synthetic polymer membrane buckled on each side thereof, according to at least one embodiment.

FIG. 6F is a schematic diagram of a synthetic polymer film having conductive traces on both sides and imbibed with conductive traces electrically interconnecting the conductive traces, according to at least one embodiment; is in the buckled configuration.

FIG. 7A is a schematic illustration of a conductive article with conductive traces absorbed and buckled into a synthetic polymer film, according to at least one embodiment.

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of an electrically conductive article having a synthetic polymer membrane buckled on each side of an extensible substrate, according to at least one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating physical components (eg, hardware) of a computing device that may implement aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9A is a simplified diagram of a mobile computing device that can implement aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9B is another simplified block diagram of a mobile computing device that may implement aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is another example of an electronic panel incorporated into clothing, according to at least one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The disclosures of all cited patent and non-patent documents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

As used herein, the terms "embodiments" or "disclosure" are not intended to be limiting, and are not intended to limit the implementation of the embodiments defined in the claims or described herein. Generally applied to any of the forms. These terms are used interchangeably herein.

Unless otherwise disclosed, the terms "a" and "an" as used herein are intended to encompass one or more (i.e., at least one) of the referenced features. .

The features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more readily understood by those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description. It is to be understood that certain features of the disclosure that are, for clarity, described above and below in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single element. Conversely, various features of the disclosure that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any subcombination. Further, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, references to the singular may include the plural (eg, "a" and "an" may refer to more than one).
The use of numerical ranges in various ranges specified in this application is approximate as if both the minimum and maximum value within the stated range were preceded by the word "about", unless otherwise specified. listed as a value. In this way, slight variations in values above and below the stated range can be used to achieve substantially the same results as values within the range. Additionally, the disclosure of these ranges is intended to be a continuous range that includes all values between the minimum and maximum values.

Description of Various Embodiments Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented by any number of methods and apparatus configured to perform the intended functions. Additionally, the accompanying drawings referred to herein are not necessarily drawn to scale and may be exaggerated to illustrate various aspects of the disclosure, in that respect It is also noted that the drawings are not to be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1 is an example system 100 of an electronic panel 102 incorporated into a garment 104 that can be worn by a subject 106, according to one embodiment. As illustrated, the electronic panel 102 can be worn on, but not limited to, shirts (e.g., long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, tank tops, etc.), pants, shorts, overalls, coveralls, leggings, dresses, skirts, underwear, gloves, etc. It can be incorporated into various types of clothing 104, including socks, hats, etc. According to certain embodiments, electronic panel 102 and/or garment 104 may be a textile fabric, film, microporous membrane, or other suitable substrate, which independently has some degree of elasticity. It may be a laminate thereof, or a laminate thereof. Additional details for these examples are provided below.

In some embodiments, electronic panel 102 can be an integral panel that forms garment 104 with panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B''. In these embodiments, the electronic panel 102 is attached to one or more panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B'' at or near the periphery of each panel piece; Forms part of clothing 104. In embodiments, the individual panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B'' forming the garment 104 and the electronic panel 102 can be attached to each other by seams. For example, electronic panel 102 may be joined to individual panel pieces by at least one seam 108', 108'', 108''' extending around at least a portion of the perimeter of electronic panel 102. Attachment methods for forming the seam can include, for example, stitching, bonding, laminating, gluing, gluing, welding, or combinations thereof. The electronic panel 102 can be integral and attached to multiple panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B'' of the garment 104 so that there is no interference between the individual garment panels. No electrical connection required. Conductive traces (e.g., conductive traces 120 described below) may extend along a portion of the length of electronic panel 102 and/or along the entire length of electronic panel 102 . allowing connection of one or more electrical components adjacent to a plurality of sections, e.g. adjacent to a plurality of panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B'' be able to. Additionally or alternatively, conductive traces (e.g., conductive traces 120 described below) extend along a portion of the width of electronic panel 102 and/or along the entire width of electronic panel 102. thereby allowing connection of one or more electrical components adjacent to multiple portions of garment 104, e.g., panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B''. be able to. Accordingly, electronic panel 102 and its functionality may be associated with multiple panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B''. The present disclosure describes the formation of garments from an integral panel and one or more additional panels, which are referred to herein as A', A'' for convenience only. , A''', B' and/or B''. The garment may be manufactured from an integral panel, ie an electronic panel, and at least one additional panel. In some embodiments, the number of additional panels can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more. The exact number of additional panels used to form the garment depends on many factors and can be, for example, a design choice, a functional decision, or a combination of design and function.

In embodiments, the electronic panel 102 does not have any seams and extends between at least one of the panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B'' of the garment 104. and/or electronic panels attached to them. In certain examples, the electronic panel 102 does not have any seams that extend transversely across a portion of the electronic panel 102, ie, extend across a portion of the width of the electronic panel 102. Additionally or alternatively, in certain examples, the electronic panel 102 includes a component that extends longitudinally over a portion of the electronic panel 102, i.e., extends over a portion of the length of the electronic panel 102. There are no seams.

According to certain embodiments, electronic panel 102 is sewn, applied, and/or glued to other panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B''. to form clothing 104. In certain embodiments where garment 104 is a shirt, electronic panel 102 extends from a first attached portion of garment 104 to a second attached portion of garment 104, e.g., from distal portion 110 of a first arm portion to a second attached portion of garment 104. By extending to the distal portion 112 of the bicep, it can be attached to multiple panels A', A'', A'''. In certain examples, the first arm distal portion 110 may be referred to herein as the first arm first distal portion 110, and the second arm distal portion 112 is: May be referred to herein as second arm portion second distal portion 112, and collectively, first arm portion distal portion 110 and second arm portion distal portion 112 may be referred to herein as Sometimes referred to as distal arm portions 110, 112.

Additionally or alternatively, electronic panel 102 can be attached to a torso portion of garment 104, as shown in FIG. In some of these embodiments, electronic panel 102 may extend from a first point 113 on the torso of garment 104 to a second point 115 on the torso of garment 104. In some embodiments, the first point 113 and the second point 115 are on the same side of the torso of the garment 104; in other embodiments, the first point 113 and/or the second point 115 are on the same side of the torso of the garment 104; on different sides of the torso of garment 104. In some embodiments, electronic panel 102 wraps around less than half of the torso of garment 104, and in other embodiments, electronic panel 102 wraps around more than half of the torso of garment 104. In some embodiments, electronic panel 102 wraps around the entire torso of garment 104.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic panel 102 includes a transversely elongated section 110 in one or more arm sections that circumferentially wraps around at least a portion of one or both arm sections of the subject 106. , 112. By including a transversely elongated portion that wraps around at least a portion of the arm portion, the electronic panel 102, in some embodiments, is relatively rigid around one or more arms of the subject 106. A tight fit may be provided, which may facilitate accurate readings by one or more sensors incorporated into the electronic panel 102, as described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the electronic panel 102 is positioned at a distance from one or more distal arm sections that circumferentially wraps around at least a portion of one or both arm sections of the subject 106. Transversely elongated portions 110, 112 may be included. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel 102 may include a transversely elongated portion 110, 112 that circumferentially wraps around a distal portion of one or both arm portions of the subject 106. can. In some embodiments, the transversely elongated portion 110 extends more than half the circumference of the arm portion as shown, and in other embodiments, the transversely elongated portion 112 extends around more than half the arm portion as shown. , extending around less than half of the arm portion as shown.

In certain embodiments where the garment 104 is pants, the electronic panel 102 is attached to multiple panels by extending from a distal portion 116 of the first leg portion to a distal portion 114 of the second leg portion. . In certain examples, the first leg distal portion 116 may be referred to herein as the first leg first distal portion 116 and the second leg distal portion 114 may be referred to as the second distal portion 114 of the second leg portion, and collectively, the distal portion 116 of the first leg portion and the distal portion 114 of the second leg portion are referred to herein as They may be referred to as distal leg portions 116, 114.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic panel 102 includes an elongated section 114 transverse to one or more leg sections that circumferentially wraps around at least a portion of one or both leg sections of the subject 106. , 116. By including a transversely elongated portion that wraps around at least a portion of the leg portions, the electronic panel 102 can, in some embodiments, be relatively tightly wrapped around one or more legs of the subject 106. A suitable fit can be provided, which facilitates accurate readings by one or more sensors incorporated into the electronic panel 102, as described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the electronic panel 102 is positioned at a distance from one or more distal leg sections that circumferentially wraps around at least a portion of one or both leg sections of the subject 106. Transversely elongated portions 114, 116 may be included. Additionally or alternatively, electronic panel 102 may include transversely elongated portions 114, 116 that circumferentially wrap around distal portions of one or both leg portions of subject 106.

Other examples of garments 104 and their incorporation of electronic panels 102 into exemplary garments 104 are described in more detail below.

In at least some embodiments, electronic panel 102 includes a synthetic polymer film 118 and conductive traces 120. According to certain embodiments, conductive trace 120 may include a plurality of conductive traces 120. In certain embodiments, synthetic polymer film 118 and conductive traces 120 can partially or completely span electronic panel 102. Accordingly, the conductive trace 120 may be adjacent to multiple panel pieces (e.g., panel pieces A', A'', A''', B' and/or B'') and may be adjacent to various portions of the garment. Electrical connections can be provided.

According to certain embodiments, the conductive traces 120 can be disposed on the surface of the pores or absorbed into the pores through the thickness of the synthetic polymer membrane 118. The electronic panel 102 is compressed in the plane of the membrane, thereby causing buckling of the synthetic polymer membrane 118 away from or "through the thickness" of the composite polymer membrane 118. Additionally, synthetic polymer membrane 118 can be porous or non-porous. In some embodiments, synthetic polymer membrane 118 is microporous.

Advantageously, electronic panel 102 can maintain conductive performance over a range of stretch, thereby reducing the possibility that flexing of garment 104 will render electronic panel 102 inoperable. For example, the electronic panel 102 may have a negligible change in resistance when stretched to a 50% strain of the original relaxed configuration of the electronic panel 102. "Strain," as defined herein, is intended to refer to the elongation of the synthetic polymer membrane 118 compared to its original relaxed configuration. In some embodiments, electronic panel 102 has a negligible change in resistance when stretched to or even beyond 100% strain. In some embodiments, electronic panel 102 is more stretchable than garment 104 in which electronic panel 102 is incorporated.

According to certain embodiments, the term "conductive trace" as used herein is intended to represent a continuous line or continuous path capable of conducting electrons. In an exemplary embodiment, non-conductive regions are disposed along conductive traces 120 on or within synthetic polymer film 118. In some embodiments, a conductive ink can be used to deposit conductive traces 120 on or within synthetic polymer film 118. The term "conductive ink" as used herein refers to a material that incorporates conductive particles in a carrier liquid (eg, a solvent). In some embodiments, conductive particles include silver, gold, copper or platinum particles. Non-limiting examples of suitable conductive inks include 2108-IPA (Nanogap, Inc., Richmond, CA), UTDAgPA (UT Dots, Inc., Champaign, IL), UTDAg60X (UT Dots, Inc., Champaign, IL). Inc.), PE872 (DuPont, Wilmington, Del.), 125-19FS (Creative Materials, Inc., Ayer, Mass.), and CM036 (Engineered Conductive Materials, Del., Ohio). Non-limiting examples of other conductive materials forming conductive traces 120 include conductive metal particles or nanoparticles (e.g., silver, gold, copper, and platinum), particles or nanoparticles of other conductive materials. (eg, graphite or carbon black), conductive nanotubes, conductive metal flakes, conductive polymers, and combinations thereof. As used herein, the term "nanoparticle" is intended to refer to particles having a size of 1.0 nm to 100 nm in at least one dimension of the conductive particle.

In certain examples, conductive traces are distributed on the outer surface of porous or non-porous synthetic polymer membrane 118 and/or deposited within the pores of porous (or microporous) synthetic polymer membrane 118. sell. Non-limiting examples of suitable synthetic polymer membranes include polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy alkanes (PFA), modified polytetrafluoroethylene polymers, tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) copolymers, polyalkylenes such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyester sulfones (PES), polyesters, as taught in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0032069. poly(p-xylylene) (ePPX), as taught in Sbriglia, U.S. Pat. No. 9,926,416; Porous ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (eETFE) as taught in US Pat. No. 932,429, porous polylactic acid (ePLLA) as taught in Sbriglia et al. ), porous vinylidene fluoride-co-tetrafluoroethylene or trifluoroethylene [VDF-co-(TFE or TrFE)] polymers as taught in Sbriglia U.S. Pat. No. 9,441,088; and copolymers and combinations thereof.

In at least one embodiment, the synthetic polymer membrane 118 is a microporous synthetic polymer membrane 118, such as a microporous fluoropolymer membrane 118 having a node and fibril microstructure, where the nodes are interconnected by fibrils and the nodes are interconnected by fibrils. Pores are voids or spaces located between nodes and fibrils throughout the membrane. Exemplary node and fibril microstructures are described in Gore US Pat. No. 3,953,566.

Microporous membranes 118 described herein have specific surface areas greater than about 4.0 m ² /cm ³ , greater than about 10 m ² /cm ³ , greater than about 50 m ² /cm ³ , and about 75 m ² /cm 3 ³ and less than or equal to 100 m ² /cm ³ . In some embodiments, the specific surface area is about 4.0 m ² /cm ³ to 100 m ² /cm ³ . Specific surface area is defined herein based on skeletal volume rather than envelope volume. Further, the majority of the fibrils within the microporous synthetic polymer membrane 118 are less than about 1.0 μm, or about 0.1 μm to about 1.0 μm, about 0.3 μm to about 1.0 μm, about 0.5 μm to about 1 μm. .0 μm, or about 0.7 μm to about 1.0 μm. Additionally, microporous membrane 118 is thin, having a thickness of less than about 100 μm, less than about 75 μm, less than about 50 μm, less than about 35 μm, less than about 25 μm, less than about 20 μm, less than about 10 μm, less than about 5 μm, or less than about 3 μm. In at least one exemplary embodiment, synthetic polymer membrane 118 is an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane. Gore U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,566; Bowen et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0173978; Bacino et al. U.S. Patent No. 7,306,729; Bacino et al. U.S. Pat. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membranes prepared according to the methods described in US Pat. No. 476,589 or US Pat. No. 5,183,545 to Branca et al. may be used herein.

In certain embodiments, conductive traces 120 may be applied to the outer surface of a synthetic polymer membrane 118 (eg, a non-porous synthetic polymer membrane) to form electronic panel 102. In some embodiments, the conductive traces form a monolithic (eg, continuous) coating on a portion of the outer surface of the synthetic polymer film 118. In at least one embodiment, a stencil with the desired pattern is applied to the surface of the synthetic polymer film. Other forms of forming patterns on the surface of synthetic polymer film 118 known to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. In the exemplary embodiment, the synthetic polymer film 118 is flat (ie, planar) and does not include wrinkles when the conductive material is applied. A conductive material (e.g., conductive ink) is applied over the stencil such that when the stencil is removed, the conductive material remains on the synthetic polymer film 118 in the desired pattern, forming conductive traces 120. Ru. A conductive material can be applied such that conductive traces 120 are disposed on at least a portion of the outer surface of synthetic polymer film 118 to form electronic panel 102.

The term "on" as used herein with respect to conductive trace 120 refers to the fact that the trace is on the surface of synthetic polymer membrane 118 (i.e., conductive within the pores of synthetic polymer membrane 118). or the traces are located substantially on the surface of the synthetic polymeric membrane 118 (i.e., a negligible amount of conductive material is located within the pores of the synthetic polymeric membrane 118). It should be understood that this is intended to indicate that the "On" is also intended to indicate that the conductive trace 120 may be placed directly on the substrate (without intervening elements) or that an intervening element may be present. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the adhesion of conductive traces 120 to the surface of synthetic polymer membrane 118 due to negligible penetration (e.g., microns) of conductive material into the pores of synthetic polymer membrane 118 is expected to be improved.

In another embodiment, a conductive material (e.g., a conductive ink) is applied to the porous or microporous synthetic polymer membrane 118 such that the conductive material is absorbed into the synthetic polymer membrane 118 and Conductive material, and thus conductive traces 120, may be disposed within polymeric film 118 to form electronic panel 102.

"Absorbed" as used herein refers to the introduction of a liquid carrier (such as a conductive ink) into the existing pores or voids of a porous or microporous synthetic polymer membrane 118. It is intended to represent the inclusion and/or deposition of conductive traces 120, particularly where conductive traces 120 are an integral part of synthetic polymeric membrane 118, so that some of the conductive traces 120 within the pores or voids may be exposed. Exclude the filled membrane. Note that any known method of depositing conductive material into pores or voids within a membrane can be used herein. In some embodiments, conductive traces 120 occupy pores that extend through the thickness of porous or microporous synthetic polymer membrane 118.

Accordingly, conductive traces 120 can occupy a majority of the pore volume of porous or microporous synthetic polymer membrane 118. In an exemplary embodiment, the pores include a sufficient amount of conductive material to form conductive traces 120 for electrons to pass through. The conductive material is applied to the synthetic polymer film 118 by known deposition, coating and imbibition methods such as, for example, screen printing, overcoating, pad printing, flexo printing, inkjet printing, digital printing and gravure printing to form a conductive material. Traces can be formed. Synthetic polymer membrane 118 with conductive traces 120 on or in it is referred to herein as electronic panel 102.

To provide stretchability to the electronic panel 102, a synthetic polymer membrane 118 with conductive traces on and/or within the polymer membrane is placed on a stretched substrate (e.g., an elastic textile) and stretched. Buckling of the synthetic polymeric membrane 118 occurs out of the plane of the membrane, or in the "thickness" direction of the synthetic polymeric membrane 118, when the substrate (e.g., an elastic textile) is released and returns to a relaxed, unstretched state. In this way, extensibility can be introduced into the electronic panel 102. In certain examples, electronic panel 102 is attached to a resilient substrate by a discontinuous adhesive. In certain examples, an insulating overcoat is disposed over conductive traces 120 to protect conductive traces 120 from external forces. This planar compression of electronic panel 102 stores length in synthetic polymer membrane 118. Various techniques can be used to introduce stretchability into the electronic panel 102, such as by imparting stretchability to a planar membrane (WO 2016/135188 to Zaggl et al., Zaggl et al. US Patent Publication No. 2016/0167291 to Flouse et al., US Patent Publication No. 5,026,513 to White, US Patent Publication No. 2013/183515 to Jain, US Patent Publication No. 2011/ No. 167547, Worden et al., US Patent Publication No. 4,443,511, Imai, US Patent Publication No. 2009/227165 and Dutta et al., US Patent No. 5,804,011). Mechanical and non-mechanical (eg, thermal) processing techniques can be used.

One approach is to mechanically compress or buckle the electronic panel 102 to create wrinkles or out-of-plane structures within the electronic panel 102. In an exemplary embodiment, compression is performed on a planar printed circuit. "Buckling" or "buckled orientation" as used herein is intended to describe an electronic panel 102 that exhibits out-of-plane structures such as wrinkles, corrugations, or folds. Buckling may be introduced into the electronic panel 102 in one or two directions. "Compressed in the ” direction) or both directions (i.e., the “x” and “y” directions). The electronic panel 102 can be compressed in the "x" and "y" directions sequentially or simultaneously.

In at least one embodiment, compression occurs in one direction (eg, the "x" direction). Compression of the electronic panel 102 in the "x" direction (eg, in the plane of the membrane) may introduce "buckling" or out-of-plane (i.e., "z" direction) structures. Such processes are generally disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0167291 to Zaggl et al., in which a porous film is reversibly deposited on a stretchable substrate in a stretched state. The porous film is applied onto the stretchable substrate in a stretched state such that a good adhesion occurs. The extensible substrate is then relaxed with the porous film applied thereon to obtain a structured or compressed porous film. In an alternative embodiment taught in WO 2016/135188 of Zaggl et al., a porous membrane having a node and fibril structure is formed such that there is little or no introduction of substantial structure in the "z" direction. (i.e., fibril compression within the node and fibril structure).

The “buckling” or out-of-plane structure in the electronic panel 102 can have a height that is at least twice the thickness of the uncompressed electronic panel 102. Further, the height of the out-of-plane (ie, z-direction) structure can range from about 2 μm to about 2000 μm or from about 20 μm to about 1000 μm. Additionally, the structural density in at least one direction is at least 1 buckle per mm, at least 2 buckles per mm, at least 3 buckles per mm, at least 4 buckles per mm, at least 5 buckles per mm, at least 6 buckles per mm, at least 7 buckles per mm. buckles, at least 8 buckles per mm, at least 9 buckles per mm, or at least 10 buckles per mm. In some embodiments, the structural density is from 1 buckle per mm to 10 buckles per mm, from 1 buckle per mm to 7 buckles per mm, from 1 buckle per mm to 5 buckles per mm, or from 1 buckle per mm to 3 buckles per mm. It's a buckle.

In certain embodiments, electronic panel 102 can be a multilayer panel including one or more of textiles, films, combinations thereof, or laminates. For example, the electronic panel 102 may include an outer textile layer (i.e., the layer that faces the outside when the laminate is made into a garment), an intermediate film layer, and an inner textile layer (i.e., the layer that faces the inside when the laminate is made into a garment). and/or body contacting layers). In some of these embodiments, the intermediate film layer can be a microporous layer, where the conductive traces are within the microporous layer. In other embodiments, the electronic panel 102 can be a two-layer laminate that includes an outer film layer (facing the outside) and an inner textile layer (facing the inside and/or body contacting).

In certain examples, one or more electronic components 122 are electrically coupled to conductive traces 120 and then used to provide one or more of the following functions: Capable of: sensing (e.g., sensing one or more parameters associated with object 106 that can be stored as data), collecting data, processing data, storing data, transmitting data to electronic panel 102 and its components. Providing power, providing a user interface (e.g., touch screen, microphone), etc., and/or providing feedback (e.g., sensory, tactile, audio, visual, etc.). Examples of electronic components 122 include, but are not limited to: computing devices, power supplies, power switches, sensors, electronic circuits, antennas, wireless transmitters, wireless receivers, user interfaces, remote controls, display devices, touch screens, audio transmitters, speakers, microphones, tactile devices, heating elements, temperature regulating devices, such as heating and/or cooling devices, accelerometers, strain gauges, biosensors, temperature sensors, ECG sensors, EMG sensor, charger or combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, one or more electronic components 122 may be electrically coupled to each other via conductive traces 120. For example, electronic components 122A disposed on first arm 110 and electronic components 122B disposed on second arm 112 may be electrically and communicatively coupled to each other via conductive traces 120. . Similarly, electronic components 122C disposed on first leg 114 and electronic components 122D disposed on second leg 1146 are in electrical communication with each other via conductive traces 120. Can be combined.

According to certain embodiments, one or more electronic components, such as the electronic component shown at 122, may be removably coupled to an electronic panel, such as the electronic panel shown at 102, via electrical connections 124. . Accordingly, one or more electronic components 122 may be removed and/or replaced if it is desired to upgrade one or more electronic components 122 and/or if one electronic component 122 fails. Can be done. In at least some embodiments, electrical connections 124 can be incorporated into electronic panel 102 and/or features of clothing 104, such as zippers, buttons, snaps, male connectors, female connectors, pockets, or combinations thereof. According to certain embodiments, the term "releasably coupled," as used herein, refers to at least a first electrical connection that can be repeatedly (e.g., multiple times) connected and disconnected. It is intended to represent an electrical and/or informational connection between a component and a second electrical component. The connection can facilitate the transmission of electrical or electrical/data signals between two or more components and may be any known connection. Known connections may include, but are not limited to, USB, mini-USB, USB-C, POGO, MAG-Safe, Ethernet, SATA, Firewire™, serial connectors. The connector may or may not be waterproof.

In at least some embodiments, electronic panel 102 and/or garment 104 can include one or more housings 126 of one or more electronic components 122. In certain examples, the housing 126 is connected to the electronic panel 102 and/or the distal portion of the garment 104 (e.g., one or more of the distal portions 110, 112, 114 and/or 116), as illustrated by the housing 126A. It can be located proximally and/or remotely from the electronic panel 102 and/or the distal portion of the garment 104, as shown by housing 126B. In at least some embodiments, housing 126 can be incorporated into electronic panel 102 and/or a feature of clothing 104, such as a collar.

According to certain embodiments, data (e.g., sensed data) is transferred from electronic panel 102 and/or electronic components 122 to one or more computing devices 128 (e.g., laptop and/or desktop computer 128A and/or mobile device 128B) and from one or more computing devices 128 to electronic panel 102 and/or electronic components 122. In certain embodiments, computing device 128 may process and/or store data sensed and/or collected by electronic panel 102 and/or electronic components 122. Additionally or alternatively, data may be sent to and received from one or more servers 130 via communication links and networks 132, which servers 130 may then send to or receive from the electronic panel 102 and/or the electronic components 122. and/or the collected data may be processed and/or stored.

In certain examples, data sensed and/or collected by electronic panel 102 and processed by electronic panel 102 and/or by computing device 128 and/or by server 130 may be used to determine various biometric parameters of a subject. It can be easily done. For example, in certain embodiments, data collected and/or sensed by the electronic panel can indicate how often subject 106 is moving in a particular manner. Additionally or alternatively, the data collected by electronic panel 102 may determine whether subject 106 is moving in a manner that is likely to cause injury and/or whether subject 106 is operating at a reduced capacity. It can be used to determine whether the system is moving in a manner that indicates that the In certain embodiments, determining whether the subject 106 is moving in a manner that is likely to cause injury and/or whether the subject 106 is moving in a manner that is indicative of operating at a reduced capacity. It can be based on comparing the movement data of subject 106 with movement data from other healthy subjects. Then, if the movement data of subject 106 differs by a threshold from movement data from other healthy subjects, electronic panel 102, computing device 128, and/or server 130 determines that subject 106 is likely to cause injury. It may be determined that the subject 106 is moving in a manner that indicates that the subject 106 is operating at a reduced capacity.

In certain embodiments, how the subject 106 is moving, how often the subject 106 is moving in a particular manner, and/or the frequency of movement and/or the manner of movement caused or caused the injury. A notification may be provided to the subject 106 via a user interface of the electronic panel 102, the computing device 128, and/or the server 130 as to whether or not the host 106 has received a notification.

As another example, the data collected and/or sensed by the electronic panel may include, for example, the temperature of the subject 106, the pulse rate of the subject 106, the blood pressure of the subject 106, the oxygen saturation of the subject 106, other cardiac and One or more biometric parameters may be indicated, such as a respiratory parameter. Similarly, notification regarding any of these parameters may be provided to subject 106 via the user interface of electronic panel 102, computing device 128, and/or server 130.

In certain embodiments, the communication link is a wired link (e.g., a link achieved via a physical connection) and/or, e.g., Bluetooth(TM), IEEE 802.11, Near Field Communication (NFC), It may be or include a wireless communication link such as a short range wireless link such as WiFi, proprietary wireless protocols, etc. The term "communications link" can refer to the ability to communicate some type of information in at least one direction between at least two devices, whether limited to a direct, persistent or otherwise restricted communication channel. should not be understood as such. That is, according to embodiments, the communication link can be a persistent communication link, an intermittent communication link, an ad hoc communication link, etc. The communication link may include direct communication between the electronic panel 102, the electronic components 122, the computing device 128, and/or the server 130; can refer to indirect communications that travel between devices via at least one other device (e.g., repeater, router, hub, etc.). The communication link may facilitate one-way and/or two-way communication between electronic panel 102, electronic components 122, computing device 128, and/or server 130. Transmitting data and/or control signals between electronic panel 102 , electronic components 122 , computing device 128 and/or server 130 functions can be adjusted. In certain embodiments, data may be downloaded periodically or on command from one or more of electronic panel 102, electronic components 122, computing device 128, and/or server 130. In certain examples, the subject may, for example, obtain data sensed and/or collected by the electronic panel 102, electronic components 122, or start, end, and/or change recording and/or treatment. , electronic panel 102 , electronic components 122 , computing device 128 , and/or server 130 .

Further details regarding computing device 128 and server 130 are provided below in FIGS. 9-10B.

2A-B are examples of electronic panels 202 incorporated into clothing 204. FIG. In particular, FIG. 2A shows the back side of the garment 204 including a portion of the electronic panel 202, and FIG. 2B shows the front side of the garment 204 including another portion of the electronic panel 202. Additionally, FIG. 3 is an example of the electronic panel 202 shown in FIGS. 2A-B separated from a garment 204, in accordance with at least one embodiment.

According to certain embodiments, electronic panel 202 may have the same or similar characteristics as electronic panel 102 and/or clothing 204 may have the same or similar properties as clothing 104. For example, according to certain embodiments, the electronic panel 202 and/or the garment 204 may be a textile fabric, film, microporous membrane, or other material that may or may not independently have some degree of elasticity. Other suitable substrates or laminates thereof may be used.

As shown, garment 204 can be a long sleeve shirt and includes multiple panel pieces (eg, panel pieces A', A'', and/or A'''). Similar to electronic panel 102, electronic panel 202 can be an integral panel that forms garment 204 with panel pieces A', A'', A'''. In these embodiments, electronic panel 202 is attached to one or more panel pieces A', A'', A''' at or near the perimeter of each panel piece to form part of garment 204. In embodiments, the individual panel pieces A', A'', A''' forming the garment 204 and the electronic panel 202 can be attached to each other by seams. For example, electronic panel 202 may be joined to individual panel pieces by at least one seam 206 extending around at least a portion of the perimeter of electronic panel 202. The electronic panel 202 can be integral and attached to multiple panel pieces A', A'' and A''' of the garment 204 such that each panel piece A', A'' and/or A'' 'No electrical connections are required to join the associated electronic panel. Conductive traces (e.g., conductive traces 218 described below) may extend along a portion of the length of electronics panel 202 and/or along the entire length of electronics panel 202 . It may be possible to allow connection of one or more electrical components adjacent to the plurality of parts, for example adjacent to panel pieces A', A'' and/or A'''. Additionally or alternatively, conductive traces (e.g., conductive traces 218 described below) extend along a portion of the width of electronic panel 202 and/or along the entire width of electronic panel 202. This may allow connection of one or more electrical components adjacent to the plurality of panel pieces A', A'' and/or A'''. Accordingly, electronic panel 202 and its functionality may be associated with multiple panel pieces A', A'', and/or A'''.

In embodiments, the electronic panel 202 has no seams and no electronic panels extending between and/or attached to the plurality of panel pieces A', A'', and/or A''' of the garment 204. It can be a panel. In certain examples, electronic panel 202 does not have any seams that extend transversely across a portion of electronic panel 202, ie, extend across a portion of the width of electronic panel 202. Additionally or alternatively, in certain examples, electronic panel 202 may include any seam that extends longitudinally across a portion of electronic panel 202, i.e., extends over a portion of the length of electronic panel 202. doesn't exist either.

According to certain embodiments, electronic panel 202 is stitched, applied, and/or adhered to other panel pieces A', A'', A''' to form garment 204. In certain embodiments, the electronic panel 202 is connected from a first attached portion of the garment 204 to a second attached portion of the garment 204, e.g., from the distal portion 208 of the first arm portion to the distal portion 210 of the second arm portion. by extending up to a plurality of panels A', A'' and/or A'''. In certain examples, the first arm portion distal portion 208 may be referred to herein as the first arm portion first distal portion 208, and the second arm portion distal portion 210 is: May be referred to herein as second arm portion second distal portion 210, and collectively, first arm portion distal portion 208 and second arm portion distal portion 210 may be referred to herein as may be referred to as distal arm portions 208, 210.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic panel 202 crosses one or more of the distal arm portions 208, 210, wrapping circumferentially around at least a portion of one or both of the distal arm portions 208, 210. A portion 212 that is elongated in the direction can be included. In certain examples, the transversely elongated portions 212 can form sleeves of the garment 204. By including a transversely elongated portion 212 that wraps around at least a portion of the distal arm portions 208 , 210 , the electronic panel 202 can be configured to fit relatively snugly around one or more arms of the wearer of the garment 204 . A secure fit can be provided to facilitate accurate readings by one or more sensors incorporated into the electronic panel 202. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel 202 is connected to one or more distal arm portions 208, 210 that wrap circumferentially around at least a portion of one or both of the wearer's arm portions of the garment 204. Spaced apart transversely elongated portions 212 can be included. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel 202 includes a transversely elongated portion 212 that circumferentially wraps around portions of the wearer of the garment 204 other than one or both of the wearer's arm portions of the garment 204. can include.

According to certain embodiments, electronic panel 202 extends from rear central portion 214 of garment 204 to first arm distal portion 208 and/or second arm distal portion 210. Because the electronic panel 202 extends from the central portion 214 of the garment 204 to one or more distal arm portions 208, 210, the electronic panel 202 facilitates better movement of the wearer's arms relative to the wearer's torso. can be detected to better indicate whether the user is at risk of injury and/or whether the user's movements will cancel out the injury. Additionally or alternatively, by being located proximal to the central portion 214 of the garment 204, more accurate measurements such as pulse rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body temperature and/or other cardiac and/or respiratory parameters can be obtained. It is possible to obtain biological measurements.

In at least some embodiments, electronic panel 202 includes a synthetic polymer film 216 and conductive traces 218. According to certain embodiments, conductive trace 218 may include a plurality of conductive traces 218. In certain embodiments, synthetic polymer film 216 and conductive traces 218 can partially or completely span electronic panel 202. Accordingly, conductive traces 218 may be adjacent to multiple panel pieces (e.g., electronic panel pieces A', A'' and/or A''') to provide electrical connections to various parts of the garment. be able to.

In certain examples, one or more electronic components 220 are electrically coupled to conductive traces 218 and then used to provide one or more of the following functions: Capable of: sensing (e.g., sensing one or more parameters associated with the wearer of garment 204 that can be stored as data), collecting data, processing data, storing data, transmitting data, electronic panel 202 and its configuration. Supplying power to the element, providing a user interface (eg, touch screen, microphone), and/or providing feedback (eg, sensory, tactile, audio, visual, etc.). Examples of electronic components 220 include, but are not limited to: computing devices, power supplies, power switches (e.g., power switch 220A), sensors (e.g., sensor 220B), electronic circuits, An antenna, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a user interface (eg, user interface 220C), a remote control, a display device, a touch screen, an audio transmitter, a speaker, a microphone, a haptic device, a heating element, a charger, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, one or more electronic components 220 may be electrically coupled to each other via conductive traces 218. For example, even if electronic component 220C is located on the first distal portion 208 of the first arm and electronic component 220B is located on a portion of the second arm, they may may be electrically and communicably coupled to each other via the

According to certain embodiments, one or more electronic components 220 may be removably coupled to electronic panel 202 via electrical connections 222. Accordingly, one or more electronic components 220 may be removed and/or replaced if it is desired to upgrade one or more electronic components 220 and/or if one or more electronic components 220 fail. Can be done. In at least some embodiments, electrical connections 222 can be incorporated into features of electronic panel 202 and/or clothing 204, such as zippers, snaps, male connectors, female connectors, buttons, pockets, or combinations thereof.

In at least some embodiments, electronic panel 202 and/or garment 204 can include one or more housings 224 for housing one or more electronic components 220. In certain examples, housing 224 is disposed proximal to electronic panel 202 and/or distal portions of garment 204 (e.g., one or more of distal portions 208 and/or 210), as illustrated by housing 224A. and/or may be located remotely from the distal portion of the electronic panel 202 and/or the distal portion of the garment 204, as shown in the housing 224B. In at least some embodiments, housing 224 can be incorporated into electronic panel 202 and/or a feature of clothing 204, such as a collar.

According to certain embodiments, data (e.g., sensed data) is transmitted from electronic panel 202 and/or electronic components 220 to one or more computing devices (e.g., laptops) via a communication link (not shown). top and/or desktop computer 128A and/or mobile device 128B) and may also be transmitted from one or more computing devices to electronic panel 202 and/or electronic components 220. In certain embodiments, the computing device may process and/or store data sensed and/or collected by electronic panel 202 and/or electronic components 220. Additionally or alternatively, data can be transmitted to and received from one or more servers (e.g., server 130) via communication links and networks (e.g., network 132), and the data can be transmitted to and received from one or more servers (e.g., server 130) may then process and/or store data sensed and/or collected by electronic panel 202 and/or electronic components 220.

4A-B are another example of an electronic panel 302 incorporated into a garment 304, according to at least one embodiment. According to certain embodiments, electronic panel 302 may have the same or similar characteristics as electronic panel 102 and/or 202, and/or clothing 304 may have the same or similar characteristics as clothing 104 and/or 204. can have characteristics. For example, according to certain embodiments, electronic panel 302 and/or garment 304 may or may not independently have a textile, film, microporous membrane, or some degree of elasticity. It can be any other suitable substrate or laminate thereof.

As shown, garment 304 is a pair of pants and includes a plurality of panel pieces (eg, panel pieces A' and/or A''). Similar to electronic panels 102 and/or 202, electronic panel 302 can be an integral panel that together with panels A', A'' form garment 304. In these embodiments, electronic panel 302 is attached to one or more panel pieces A', A'' at or near the perimeter of each panel piece to form part of garment 304. In embodiments, the individual panel pieces A', A'' forming the garment 304 and the electronic panel 302 can be attached to each other by seams. For example, electronic panel 302 can be joined to individual panel pieces by at least one seam 306 extending around at least a portion of the perimeter of electronic panel 302. The electronic panel 302 can be integral and attached to multiple panel pieces A' and/or A'' of the garment 304 so that the electronic panel associated with each panel piece A' and/or A'' No mating electrical connections are required. Conductive traces (e.g., conductive traces 318 described below) may extend along a portion of the length of electronics panel 302 and/or along the entire length of electronics panel 302 . It may be possible to allow connection of one or more electrical components adjacent to a plurality of parts, for example panel pieces A' and/or A''. Additionally or alternatively, conductive traces (e.g., conductive traces 318 described below) extend along a portion of the width of electronic panel 302 and/or along the entire width of electronic panel 302. This may allow connection of one or more electrical components adjacent to the plurality of panel pieces A' and/or A''. Accordingly, electronic panel 302 and its functionality may be associated adjacent to multiple panel pieces A' and/or A''.

In embodiments, the electronic panel 302 does not have any seams and can be an electronic panel that extends between and/or is attached to the plurality of panel pieces A' and/or A'' of the garment 304. . In certain examples, the electronic panel 302 does not have any seams that extend transversely across a portion of the electronic panel 302, ie, extend across a portion of the width of the electronic panel 302. Additionally or alternatively, in certain examples, electronic panel 302 may include any seam that extends longitudinally across a portion of electronic panel 302, i.e., extends over a portion of the length of electronic panel 302. doesn't exist either.

According to certain embodiments, electronic panel 302 is stitched, applied, and/or adhered to other panel pieces A', A'' to form garment 304. In certain embodiments, electronic panel 302 is attached to multiple panels by extending from a distal portion 308 of a first leg portion to a distal portion 310 of a second leg portion. In certain examples, the first leg distal portion 308 may be referred to herein as the first leg first distal portion 308 and the second leg distal portion 310. may be referred to herein as the second distal portion 310 of the second leg portion, and collectively, the distal portion 308 of the first leg portion and the distal portion of the second leg portion Portion 310 may be referred to herein as distal leg portions 308, 310.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic panel 302 wraps circumferentially around at least a portion of one or both of the distal leg portions 308, 310. and a transversely elongated portion 312A. In certain examples, transversely elongated portion 312A can form a leg cuff of garment 304. By including a transversely elongated portion 312 that wraps around at least a portion of the distal leg portions 308, 310, the electronic panel 302 can be moved around one or more legs of the wearer of the garment 304. The electronic panel 302 can provide a secure fit and facilitate accurate readings by one or more sensors incorporated into the electronic panel 302. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel 302 may be connected to one or more distal leg portions 308, 310 that wrap circumferentially around at least a portion of one or both of the wearer's leg portions of the garment 304. A transversely elongated portion 312B may be included that is spaced apart. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel 302 includes a transversely elongated portion that wraps circumferentially around a portion of the wearer of the garment 304 other than one or both of the leg portions of the wearer of the garment 304. 312.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic panel 302 extends from the rear center section 314' (and/or the front center section 314'') of the garment 304 to the distal section 308 of the first leg and/or the second leg section 308. It extends to the distal portion 310 of the leg. Because the electronic panel 302 extends from the central portion 314 of the garment 304 to one or more distal leg portions 308, the electronic panel 302 can better sense movement of the wearer's legs relative to the wearer's hips. This can provide a better indication of whether the user is likely to be injured and/or whether the user's movements will cancel out the injury. Additionally or alternatively, more accurate physiological parameters can be sensed by positioning proximal to the central portion 314 of the garment 304.

In at least some embodiments, electronic panel 302 includes a synthetic polymer film 316 and conductive traces 318. According to certain embodiments, conductive trace 318 may include a plurality of conductive traces 318. In certain embodiments, synthetic polymer film 316 and conductive traces 318 can partially or completely span electronic panel 302. Accordingly, conductive traces 318 can be adjacent to multiple panel pieces (eg, panel pieces A' and/or A'') and can provide electrical connections to various portions of the garment.

In certain examples, one or more electronic components 320 are electrically coupled to conductive traces 318, which can then be used to provide one or more of the following functions: sensing. (e.g., sensing one or more parameters associated with the wearer of garment 304 that can be stored as data), collecting data, processing data, storing data, transmitting data, powering electronic panel 302 and its components. providing a user interface (e.g., touch screen, microphone), and/or providing feedback (e.g., sensory, tactile, audio, visual, etc.). Examples of electronic components 320 include, but are not limited to: computing devices, power supplies, power switches (e.g., power switch 320A), sensors (e.g., sensors 320B and/or 320C). , electronic circuits, antennas, radio transmitters, radio receivers, user interfaces (e.g., user interface 320D), remote controls, display devices, touch screens, audio transmitters, speakers, microphones, tactile devices, heating elements, chargers, or the like. A combination of. Additionally or alternatively, one or more electronic components 320 can be electrically coupled together via conductive traces 318. For example, even if electronic component 320B is located in the first distal portion 308 of the first leg and electronic component 320C is located in the second leg portion 310, they may be electrically conductive. They may be electrically and communicatively connected to each other via traces 318.

According to certain embodiments, one or more electronic components 320 may be removably coupled to electronic panel 302 via electrical connections 322. Accordingly, one or more electronic components 320 may be removed and/or replaced if it is desired to upgrade one or more electronic components 320 and/or if one or more electronic components 320 fail. be able to. In some embodiments, one or more electronic components 320 are removably coupled to electronic panel 302 via male/female connectors. Additionally or alternatively, electrical connections 322 can be incorporated into electronic panel 302 and/or features of clothing 304, such as zippers, buttons, snaps, male connectors, female connectors, pockets, or combinations thereof. .

In at least some embodiments, electronic panel 302 and/or garment 304 can include one or more housings 324 for one or more electronic components 320. In certain examples, compartment 324 is positioned proximal to electronic panel 302 and/or distal portions of garment 304 (e.g., one or more distal portions 308 and/or 310), as illustrated by housing 324. and/or located remotely from the distal portion of the electronic panel 302 and/or the distal portion of the garment 304. In at least some embodiments, housing 324 may be incorporated into electronic panel 302 and/or a feature of clothing 304, such as a waistband.

According to certain embodiments, data (e.g., sensed data) is transmitted from electronic panel 302 and/or electronic components 320 to one or more computing devices (e.g., laptops) via a communication link (not shown). top and/or desktop computer 128A and/or mobile device 128B) and may also be transmitted from one or more computing devices to electronic panel 302 and/or electronic components 320. In certain embodiments, the computing device may process and/or store data sensed and/or collected by electronic panel 302 and/or electronic components 320. Additionally or alternatively, data can be transmitted to and received from one or more servers (e.g., server 130) via communication links and networks (e.g., network 132), the server , the data sensed and/or collected by electronic panel 302 and/or electronic components 320 may then be processed and/or stored.

5A-B are yet another example of an electronic panel 402 incorporated into a garment 404, according to at least one embodiment. According to certain embodiments, electronic panel 402 may have the same or similar characteristics as electronic panel 102, 202, and/or 302, and/or clothing 404 may have the same or similar characteristics as clothing 104, 204, and/or 304. may have the same or similar properties. For example, according to certain embodiments, the electronic panel 402 and/or the garment 404 may be a textile fabric, film, microporous membrane, or other material that may or may not independently have some degree of elasticity. It can also be any other suitable substrate, or a laminate thereof.

As shown, garment 404 is a one-piece coverall garment and includes multiple panel pieces (eg, panel pieces A', A''). As used herein, one-piece coverall garment refers to a single garment that includes a pant-like portion and an upper portion with or without long sleeves. Similar to electronic panels 102, 202, and/or 302, electronic panel 402 can be an integral panel that forms garment 404 with panels A', A'', for example. In these embodiments, electronic panel 402 is attached to one or more panel pieces, eg, A', A'', at or near the perimeter of each panel piece to form part of garment 404. In embodiments, the individual panel pieces A', A'' forming the garment 404 and the electronic panel 402 can be attached to each other by sewn seams. For example, electronic panel 402 may be joined to individual panel pieces by at least one seam 406 extending around at least a portion of the perimeter of electronic panel 402. The electronic panel 402 can be integral and attached to multiple panel pieces A' and/or A'' of the garment 404, thus combining the electronic panels associated with each panel piece A', A''. No electrical connections are required. Conductive traces (e.g., conductive traces 418 described below) may extend along a portion of the length of electronic panel 402 and/or along the entire length of electronic panel 402 to connect multiple panels. Connection of one or more electrical components adjacent to piece A' and/or A' may be enabled. Additionally or alternatively, conductive traces (e.g., conductive traces 418 described below) extend along a portion of the width of electronic panel 402 and/or along the entire width of electronic panel 402. This may allow connection of one or more electrical components adjacent to the plurality of panel pieces A' and/or A''. Accordingly, the electronic panel 402 and its functionality may be associated adjacent to multiple panel pieces, such as panel pieces A' and/or A'', used to form a garment.

In embodiments, the electronic panel 402 does not have any seams and can be an electronic panel that extends between and/or is attached to the plurality of panel pieces A' and/or A'' of the garment 404. . In certain examples, electronic panel 402 does not have any seams that extend transversely across a portion of electronic panel 402, ie, extend across a portion of the width of electronic panel 402. Additionally or alternatively, in certain examples, electronic panel 402 may include any seam that extends longitudinally across a portion of electronic panel 402, i.e., extends over a portion of the length of electronic panel 402. doesn't exist either.

According to certain embodiments, electronic panel 402 is sewn, applied, and/or adhered to panel pieces A', A'' to form garment 404. In certain embodiments, the electronic panel 402 includes a torso extension portion 408 that can span multiple panels and extends from the front or rear torso portion of the one-piece coverall garment 404 to at least one leg extension portion 411. include. In embodiments, the leg extension 411 extends from a distal portion 409 of the torso extension of the one-piece garment 404 to a distal portion 410 of at least one leg portion.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic panel 402 is transversely elongated with one or more distal leg portions 410 that wraps circumferentially around at least a portion of one or both of the distal leg portions 410. 412A. In certain examples, transversely elongated portions 412A can form leg cuffs of garment 404. By including a transversely elongated portion 412 that wraps around at least a portion of the distal leg portion 410, the electronic panel 402 can be relatively wrapped around one or more legs of the wearer of the garment 404. It can provide a secure fit and facilitate accurate readings by one or more sensors incorporated into electronic panel 402. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel 402 is spaced a distance from one or more distal leg portions 410 that circumferentially wraps around at least a portion of one or both of the wearer's leg portions of the garment 404. It can include transversely elongated portions 412B that are spaced apart. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel 402 is elongated transversely in one or more distal arm portions 413, wrapping circumferentially around at least a portion of one or both of the distal arm portions 413. 412C. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel 402 is transversely wrapped circumferentially around portions of the wearer of the garment 404 other than one or both of the wearer's leg portions and/or arm portions of the garment 404. An elongated portion 412 may be included.

According to certain embodiments, the electronic panel 402 extends from the back center section 414' (and/or the front center section 414'' (not shown)) of the garment 404 to one or more distal leg sections 410 and/or The electronic panel 402 extends from the central portion 414 of the garment 404 to the one or more distal leg portions 410 and/or the one or more distal arm portions 413. The electronic panel 402 can better detect movements of the wearer's legs and/or arms relative to the wearer's torso, thereby determining whether the user is likely to be injured. , and/or whether the user's movements cancel out the injury. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic panel 402 may be placed proximal to the central portion 414 of the garment 404. , more accurate physiological parameters can be detected.

In at least some embodiments, electronic panel 402 includes a synthetic polymer film 416 and conductive traces 418. According to certain embodiments, conductive trace 418 can include a plurality of conductive traces 418. In certain embodiments, synthetic polymer film 416 and conductive traces 418 can partially or completely span electronic panel 402. Accordingly, conductive traces 418 can be adjacent to multiple panel pieces (eg, panel pieces A' and/or A'') and can provide electrical connections to various portions of the garment.

In certain examples, one or more electronic components 420 are electrically coupled to conductive traces 418 and then used to provide one or more of the following functions: Capable of: sensing (e.g., sensing one or more parameters associated with the wearer of garment 404 that can be stored as data), collecting data, processing data, storing data, transmitting data, electronic panel 402 and its configuration. supplying power to the element, providing a user interface (e.g., touch screen, microphone) and/or providing feedback (e.g., sensory, tactile, audio, visual, etc.). Examples of electronic components 420 include, but are not limited to: computing devices, power supplies, power switches (e.g., power switch 420A), sensors (e.g., sensors 420B and/or 420C). , electronic circuits, antennas, radio transmitters, radio receivers, user interfaces (e.g., user interface 420D), remote controls, display devices, touch screens, audio transmitters, speakers, microphones, tactile devices, heating elements, chargers, or the like. A combination of. Additionally or alternatively, one or more electronic components 420 may be electrically coupled to each other via conductive traces 418. For example, even if electronic component 420B is located at first distal portion 410 of the first leg and electronic component 420C is located at first arm portion 413, they are electrically conductive. They may be electrically and communicatively coupled to each other via traces 418.

According to certain embodiments, one or more electronic components 420 may be removably coupled to electronic panel 402 via electrical connections 422. Accordingly, one or more electronic components 420 may be removed and/or replaced if it is desired to upgrade one or more electronic components 420 and/or if one or more electronic components 420 fails. Can be done. In at least some embodiments, electrical connections 422 can be incorporated into features of electronic panel 402 and/or clothing 404, such as zippers, buttons, snaps, male connectors, female connectors, pockets, or combinations thereof. .

In at least some embodiments, electronic panel 402 and/or garment 404 can include one or more housings 424 for one or more electronic components 420. In certain examples, housing 424 is disposed proximal to electronic panel 402 and/or distal portions of garment 404 (e.g., one or more distal portions 410 and/or 413), as illustrated by housing 424. and/or located remotely from the distal portion of the electronic panel 402 and/or the distal portion of the garment 404. In at least some embodiments, housing 424 can be incorporated into electronic panel 402 and/or features of clothing 404, such as a waistband, collar, etc.

According to certain embodiments, data (e.g., sensed data) is transmitted from electronic panel 402 and/or electronic components 420 to one or more computing devices (e.g., laptops) via a communication link (not shown). top and/or desktop computer 128A and/or mobile device 128B) and may also be transmitted from one or more computing devices to electronic panel 402 and/or electronic component 420. In certain embodiments, the computing device can process and/or store data sensed and/or collected by electronic panel 402 and/or electronic components 420. Additionally or alternatively, the data may be transmitted to and received from one server (e.g., server 130) via a communication link and network (e.g., network 132), which server then transmits the electronic panel 402 and Data sensed and/or collected by electronic components 420 may be processed and/or stored.

6A-F, in some embodiments, an electronic panel 600 (e.g., electronic panels 102, 202, 302, 402 and/or or 502) is manufactured. In some embodiments, extensible substrate 610 is first stretched in the direction of arrow 615 (eg, the x direction) prior to application of conductive trace-containing polymer film 650, as shown in FIG. 6B. As used herein, the term "extensible" refers to a material that can be stretched in one or more directions, but when released, the material returns or substantially returns to its original shape. is intended to represent. Furthermore, the extensible substrate 610 has a discontinuous adhesive thereon, such as a thermoplastic adhesive or a thermoset adhesive. The adhesive may be applied in a pattern by a gravure printing machine in the form of adhesive dots 620, as shown in FIG. 6A. The pattern of adhesive on extensible substrate 610 is such that discontinuous adhesion of conductive trace-containing polymer film 650 (or continuous adhesion on conductive trace-containing polymer film 650) causes conductive trace-containing polymer film 650 to It should be understood that there is no limitation as long as it can be compressed in the y-direction and/or buckled in the z-direction. Therefore, other patterns such as a grid or parallel lines are also considered within the scope of the invention, as long as the electronic panel compresses in the x and/or y direction and buckles in the z direction.

In some embodiments, the conductive trace-containing polymer film 650 is discontinuously attached to the stretched substrate 610 in a stretched state by an adhesive, such as a thermoplastic adhesive. The extensible substrate is 1.25 times, 1.5 times, 1.7 times, 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, 5 times its original relaxed length, depending on the elasticity of the extensible substrate. , 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x or 10x (or more). In some embodiments, extensible substrate 610 is stretched until the elastic limit of the substrate is reached.

Once the stretchable substrate 610 is stretched to the desired amount, a conductive trace-containing polymer film 650, including a synthetic polymer film 660 and conductive traces 670, is stretched over the stretched substrate 610, as shown in FIG. 6B. and attached to the stretched substrate 610 via adhesive dots 620 that were previously attached to the stretchable substrate 610. The conductive traces 670 may be oriented away from the elongated substrate 610, as shown in FIG. 6B, or the conductive traces 670 may be oriented toward the elongated substrate. It should be understood that (not shown) may also be performed. The extensible substrate 610 with the conductive trace-containing polymer film 650 thereon can then return to an unstretched (i.e., relaxed) state in the direction of arrow 625, as shown in FIG. 6C, thereby , compressing the conductive trace-containing polymer film 650 in the x-direction and buckling the film in the z-plane to form out-of-plane structures (eg, wrinkles, corrugations, or folds).

The conductive trace-containing polymer film 650 is described in connection with, but not limited to, the methods described in Zaggl et al., EP 3,061,598 A1 and Zaggl et al., US Pat. No. 9,849,629. Out-of-plane features such as wrinkles or creases in the z-direction of synthetic polymer membranes, such as those shown in FIG. In such embodiments, the synthetic polymer film has a buckled orientation. Examples of extensible substrates that may be used include, but are not limited to, extensible textiles or fabrics, extensible nonwoven materials, or extensible membranes. The electronic panel 600 formed in FIG. 6C is constructed by applying conductive traces 670 to the surface of the synthetic polymer film 660, such as by printing conductive traces 670 on the synthetic polymer film 660, and relaxing the conductive traces 670 in the direction of arrow 625. An embodiment is shown in which the configuration is retracted. It can be seen from FIG. 6C that the conductive trace 670 and synthetic polymer film 660 have a buckled orientation and have discontinuous points of attachment to the extensible substrate 610 at adhesive dots 620. This buckling allows the conductive trace-containing polymer film 650 to move with the extensible substrate 610 when stretched in one or more directions without compromising the conductivity of the conductive traces 670. .

In some embodiments, conductive trace-containing polymer films 650, 651, each having a synthetic polymer film 660 and a conductive trace 670, are stretched (i.e., in the direction of arrow 615) as shown in FIG. 6D. can be applied to both sides of the substrate 610 (stretched). In other words, the conductive trace-containing polymer film 650 is disposed on one side of the elongated substrate 610 and the conductive trace-containing polymer film 651 is disposed on the opposite side of the elongated substrate 610. Can be done. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6C, the stretched substrate 610 can return to an unstretched, relaxed state in the direction of arrow 625, thereby causing conductive trace-containing polymer films 650, 651 in the x direction. and buckles the synthetic polymer membrane 660 in the z-plane to form out-of-plane structures (eg, wrinkles, corrugations, or creases), as shown in FIG. 6E. Note that the synthetic polymer film 660 and conductive traces 670 within the conductive trace-containing polymer films 650, 651 may be the same or different from each other.

In some embodiments, conductive trace 670 and conductive trace 671 can be placed on opposite sides of synthetic polymer membrane 660 and form part of electronic panel 600, as shown in FIG. 6F. As shown in FIG. 6G, a conductive trace 670 is disposed on one side of the synthetic polymer membrane 660 and a conductive trace 671 is disposed on the opposite side of the synthetic polymer membrane 660, with a vertical interconnect access (VIA) 675. , conductive traces 670, 671 may be in electrical communication with each other to form a conductive trace-containing polymer film 680. VIA 675 can be formed by forming a through hole in a synthetic polymer membrane and filling the hole with a conductive material. Alternatively, the VIA can be formed by infiltrating the conductive material through the thickness of the porous synthetic polymer membrane without having to first create the through-holes. Note that conductive traces 670, 671 may be the same or different from each other.

In some embodiments, the extensible substrate 610 can be stretched to a 50% strain of the extensible substrate's original relaxed configuration while remaining electrically conductive. In other words, the resistance of the electronic panel remains substantially unchanged when the electronic panel is stretched to 50% strain. That is, the resistance of the electronic panel remains substantially unchanged when the electronic panel is stretched to 50% strain. For example, if an electronic panel is 10 mm, it can be stretched to a length of 15 mm without loss or significant loss of resistance.

In other embodiments, the electronic panel has a negligible change in resistance when stretched to 100% or even more than 100% of the extensible substrate's original relaxed configuration. Corrugation or buckling allows the conductive traces to stretch freely in one or more directions with properties similar to those of a stretchable textile without an electronic panel.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 7A, the conductive traces are absorbed into a synthetic polymer film 710 to form a conductive trace-containing polymer film 750. Note that the structure of electronic panel 700 is the same as shown in FIGS. 6A-6C, except that the conductive traces are absorbed into synthetic polymer membrane 710 and are therefore not shown separately. I want to be It should be appreciated that as a result of the absorption process, some amount of conductive material may remain on the surface or part of the surface of the synthetic polymer film. The conductive trace-containing synthetic polymer membrane 750, including the conductive trace-containing synthetic polymer membrane 710, sits on the extensible substrate 730 when the extensible substrate 730 is in a relaxed (non-stretched) state. It has a bent configuration. Conductive trace-containing polymer film 750 is discontinuously attached to extensible substrate 730 by adhesive dots 720 (eg, thermoplastic or thermoset adhesive dots). Buckling of the synthetic polymer film 710 in the z-plane causes the conductive trace-containing polymer film 750 to stretch with the extensible substrate 730 when stretched in one or more directions without compromising the conductivity of the conductive traces. Can be moved. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 7B, conductive trace-containing polymer films 750, 751, each having conductive traces therein, are each applied to opposite sides of substrate 730 by discrete adhesive dots 720. Buckling of the synthetic polymer films 710, 715 in the Z plane allows the conductive trace-containing polymer films 750, 751 to form extensible groups when stretched in one or more directions without compromising the conductivity of the conductive traces. can move together with the material 730. Note that the synthetic polymer films 710, 715 and the conductive traces therein may be the same or different from each other.

Although not shown in any of the figures, it should be understood that some conductive traces may be disposed on the surface or portion of the synthetic polymer film as a result of the absorption process. In embodiments where the conductive traces are applied via a liquid carrier (eg, conductive ink), heat can be applied to the electronic panel to remove at least a portion of the liquid carrier. The applied temperature can be sufficient to at least partially fuse the conductive traces (eg, metal particles) within the synthetic polymer film to form a continuous network of conductive particles. In other embodiments, such as when the conductive traces are applied to the surface of a synthetic polymer film, heat is applied to the electronic panel to at least partially melt the conductive traces (e.g., metal particles) to coat the synthetic polymer film. A continuous network of conductive particles can be formed on the surface of the membrane. In other embodiments, heat may be used to remove ligands or other processing aids from the conductive particles.

In some embodiments, an insulating overcoat can be applied over the conductive traces to help protect the conductive traces from external elements such as, but not limited to, abrasion. Non-limiting examples of materials used to insulate conductive traces include urethane, acrylic, silicone, styrene isoprene butadiene block copolymer, Viton FKM (synthetic rubber and fluoropolymer elastomer), polyolefin or fluoropolymer. It will be done.

Advantageously, the electrically conductive articles described herein are highly flexible, having a flexibility of less than 0.1 gram force-cm ² /cm as shown by the Kawabata test described below. . Furthermore, the conductive article is highly durable and can withstand multiple cleanings while still maintaining the electrical conductivity of the electronic panel. Additionally, the electrically conductive article is highly extensible, as defined by the elongation vs. resistance test described herein. The electrically conductive article is also highly breathable, having an MVTR of at least 2,000, as demonstrated by the Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR) test described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates a computing device that can be incorporated into and/or communicatively coupled to an electronic panel (e.g., electronic panel 102, 202, 302, 402, and/or 502) described herein. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the physical components (e.g., hardware) of the FIG. The computing device components described below sense and/or process physiological data (e.g., exercise data, pulse rate data, blood pressure data, oxygen saturation data, and/or other cardiac and/or respiratory data). There is a possibility that it can be done. In a basic configuration, computing device 800 may include at least one processing unit 802 and system memory 804. Depending on the configuration and type of computing device, system memory 804 may include, but is not limited to, volatile storage (e.g., random access memory), non-volatile storage (e.g., read-only memory), flash memory, or any combination of such memories. System memory 804 may include an operating system 805 and one or more sensing and processing components 820 .

Operating system 805 may be suitable for controlling operation of computing device 800, for example. Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in combination with graphics libraries, other operating systems, or any other application programs, and are not limited to any particular application or system. This basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 8 by the components within dashed line 808. Computing device 800 may have additional features or functionality. For example, computing device 800 may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable). Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 8 by removable storage device 809 and non-removable storage device 810.

As mentioned above, numerous program modules and data files may be stored in system memory 804. While executing on processing unit 802, program module 806 (e.g., sensing and processing component 820) may perform functions as described herein, such as, but not limited to, those described in FIG. A process including a sensing aspect can be performed.

Additionally, embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in electrical circuits that include discrete electronic elements, packaged or integrated electronic chips that include logic gates, circuits that utilize microprocessors, or single chips that include electronic elements or microprocessors. be able to. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented via a system-on-chip (SOC) in which each or many of the components shown in FIG. 8 may be integrated on a single integrated circuit. Such SOC devices can include one or more processing units, graphics units, communication units, system virtualization units, and various application functions, all of which are mounted on a chip substrate as a single integrated circuit. be integrated (or "burned in"). The functionality described herein with respect to the ability of a client to switch protocols when operating through a SOC is useful for applications that are integrated with other components of computing device 800 on a single integrated circuit (chip). Can operate via native logic. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using other technologies capable of performing logical operations such as AND, OR, and NOT, including, but not limited to, mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. You can also do that. Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented within a general purpose computer or any other circuit or system.

Computing device 800 may also have one or more input devices 812, such as a visual image sensor, an audio sensor, a sound or audio input device, a touch or swipe input device, etc. Output devices 814 such as displays, speakers, etc. may also be included. The above device is an example and other devices may be used. Computing device 800 may include one or more communication connections 816 that enable communication with other computing devices 850 (eg, computing devices 128 and/or 130). Examples of suitable communication connections 816 include, but are not limited to, radio frequency (RF) transmitters, receiver and/or transceiver circuits, universal serial buses (USB), parallel ports and/or serial ports. .

The term computer-readable medium, as used herein, can include computer storage media. Computer storage media can include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media such as computer readable instructions, data structures or program modules implemented in any method or technology for storage of information. System memory 804, removable storage device 809, and non-removable storage device 810 are all examples of computer storage media (eg, memory storage devices). Computer storage media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, optical storage, magnetic storage devices, or any other memory device that can be used to store information. , any other product that can be accessed by computing device 800. Any such computer storage media may be part of computing device 800. Computer storage media do not include carrier waves or other propagated or modulated data signals.

Communication media can be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transmission mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" can describe a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media can include wired media, such as a wired network or direct wired connection, and wireless media, such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless media.

9A and 9B illustrate a mobile computing device 900, such as a mobile phone, smart phone, wearable computer (such as a smart watch), tablet computer, laptop computer, etc., on which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. For example, computing devices 128 and/or 130 may have some or all of the functionality of mobile computing device 900. In certain embodiments, some of the processing and/or storage of physiological signals sensed by electronic panel embodiments may be performed by mobile computing device 900. Additionally or alternatively, mobile computing device 900 transmits data to an embodiment of an electronic panel and/or provides a method for a subject (e.g., subject 106) to interact with an embodiment of an electronic panel. can be provided.

In its basic configuration, mobile computing device 900 is a handheld computer that has both input and output elements. Mobile computing device 900 typically includes a display 905 and one or more input buttons 910 that allow a user to enter information into mobile computing device 900. Display 905 of mobile computing device 900 can also function as an input device (eg, a touch screen display). If included, optional side input element 915 allows for further user input. Side input element 915 can be a rotary switch, button or any other type of manual input element. In alternative aspects, mobile computing device 900 may incorporate more or fewer input elements. For example, in some embodiments, display 905 may not be a touch screen. In yet another alternative embodiment, mobile computing device 900 is a portal phone system, such as a mobile phone. Mobile computing device 900 may also include an optional keypad 935. Optional keypad 935 can be a physical keypad or a "soft" keypad generated on a touch screen display. In various embodiments, the output elements include a display 905 for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI), a visual indicator 920 (eg, a light emitting diode), and/or an audio transducer 925 (eg, a speaker). In some aspects, mobile computing device 900 incorporates a vibration transducer to provide tactile feedback to the user. In yet another aspect, the mobile computing device 900 includes an audio input (e.g., a microphone jack), an audio output (e.g., a headphone jack), and an audio output (e.g., a headphone jack) for transmitting signals to or receiving signals from an external device. Incorporating input and/or output ports, such as video output (eg, an HDMI™ port).

FIG. 9B is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of one aspect of a mobile computing device. That is, mobile computing device 900 may incorporate a system (eg, architecture) 902 to implement certain aspects. In one embodiment, system 902 is implemented as a "smartphone" capable of running one or more applications (e.g., browser, email, calendaring, contact manager, messaging client, game and media client/player). . In some aspects, system 902 is integrated as a computing device, such as an integrated personal digital assistant (PDA) and wireless telephone.

One or more application programs 966 may be loaded into memory 962 and executed on or in conjunction with operating system 964 . Examples of application programs include telephone dialer programs, email programs, personal information management (PIM) programs, word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, Internet browser programs, messaging programs, and the like. System 902 also includes nonvolatile storage 968 within memory 962 . Non-volatile storage area 968 may be used to store persistent information that should not be lost if system 902 is powered down. Application programs 966 may use and store information in non-volatile storage 968, such as emails or other messages used by email applications. A synchronization application (not shown) also resides on system 902 and interacts with a corresponding synchronization application residing on the host computer to synchronize the information stored in non-volatile storage 968 with the corresponding synchronization application stored on the host computer. Programmed to stay in sync with information. As will be appreciated, other devices may be used, including instructions (e.g., language parsers, object detectors, object selectors, and/or motion detectors, etc.) for providing input-based FOA models as described herein. An application may be loaded into memory 962 and executed on mobile computing device 900.

System 902 has a power source 970 that can be implemented as one or more batteries. Power source 970 may further include an external power source, such as an AC adapter or a powered docking cradle, to replenish or recharge the battery.

System 902 may also include a wireless interface layer 972 that performs the function of transmitting and receiving radio frequency communications. Wireless interface layer 972 facilitates wireless connectivity between system 902 and the “outside world” (eg, an electronic panel embodiment) via a communications carrier or service provider. Transmissions to and from air interface layer 972 occur under the control of operating system 964 . In other words, communications received by the wireless interface layer 972 can be communicated to the application program 966 via the operating system 964, and vice versa.

Visual indicator 920 can be used to provide visual notifications, and/or audio interface 974 can generate audible notifications via audio transducer 925 (e.g., audio transducer 925 shown in FIG. 9A). can be used to. In the illustrated embodiment, visual indicator 920 may be a light emitting diode (LED) and audio transducer 925 may be a speaker. These devices are directly connected to the power source 970 so that when activated, they are directed by a notification mechanism even though the processor 960 and other components may shut down to conserve battery power. Can remain on for a period of time. The LED may be programmed to remain lit indefinitely until the user performs an action that indicates the device is powered on. Audio interface 974 is used to provide audible signals to and receive audible signals from the user. For example, in addition to being coupled to audio transducer 925, audio interface 974 may also be coupled to a microphone for receiving audible input, such as to facilitate telephone conversations. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the microphone may also function as an audio sensor to facilitate control of notifications, as described below. System 902 can further include a video interface 976 that enables operation of a peripheral device 930 (eg, an onboard camera) to record still images, video streams, and the like. Audio interface 974, video interface 976, and keyboard 935 may be operated to receive input (eg, verbal or written cues, as described herein).

Mobile computing device 900 implementing system 902 may have additional features or functionality. For example, mobile computing device 900 may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 9B by non-volatile storage area 968.

The data/information generated or captured by the mobile computing device 900 and stored via the system 902 may be stored locally on the mobile computing device 900, as described above, or the data may be stored at the wireless interface layer. 972 or through a wired connection, such as the Internet, between the mobile computing device 900 and a separate computing device associated with the mobile computing device 900, such as a server computer in a distributed computing network. and may be stored on any number of storage media that may be accessed by the device. As will be appreciated, such data/information may be accessed via mobile computing device 900, via wireless interface layer 972, or via a distributed computing network. Similarly, such data/information may be readily transferred between computing devices for storage and use according to well-known data/information transfer and storage means, including email and collaborative data/information sharing systems.

As will be appreciated, FIGS. 9A and 9B are included for the purpose of illustrating the present method and system and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to any particular sequence of steps or particular combination of hardware or software components. It's not what I intend.

FIG. 10 is yet another example of an electronic panel 1202 incorporated into a garment 1204, illustratively shown as a shirt. FIG. 10 shows the back side of garment 1204. In certain embodiments, the electronic panel 1202 can span multiple panels and include a torso extension portion 1208 extending from the front (not shown in FIG. 10) or rear torso portion of the garment 1204. can be included. In aspects, the torso extension portion 1208 extends toward or to the bottom of the garment 1204, such as, for example, the portion of the garment located near the waist of the garment wearer in the illustratively illustrated shirt. ing. According to certain embodiments, one or more electronic components 1220 may be removably coupled to electronic panel 1202 via electrical connections 1222. Accordingly, one or more electronic components 1220 may be removed and/or replaced if it is desirable to upgrade one or more electronic components 1220 and/or if one electronic component 1220 fails. Can be done. In at least some embodiments, electrical connections 1222 can be incorporated into electronic panel 1202 and/or features of clothing 1204, such as zippers, buttons, snaps, male connectors, female connectors, pockets, or combinations thereof.

In at least some embodiments, electronic panel 1202 and/or garment 1204 can include one or more housings 1224 for one or more electronic components 1220 coupled to conductive traces 1218. In a particular example, as shown in FIG. 10, the housing 1224 may be positioned on the torso extension 1208, near the waist of the wearer of the garment, in the illustratively illustrated shirt. In particular examples, one or more electronic components 1220 can be electrically coupled to conductive traces 1218, which can then be used to provide one or more of the following functions: sensing (e.g., sensing one or more parameters associated with the wearer of garment 1204 that can be stored as data), collecting data, processing data, storing data, transmitting data to electronic panel 1202 and its components; Providing power, user interface (e.g., touch screen, microphone) and/or feedback (e.g., sensory, tactile, audio, visual, etc.). FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which one conductive wire 1218 extends from the fuselage extension section 1208 to the first attachment section. It should be appreciated that the conductive wire 1208 can include a single wire or multiple wires extending from the fuselage portion to any other portion of the electrical panel 1202. In some embodiments, multiple wires can be attached to electronic panel 1202 independently of each other. In other embodiments, additional wires may branch from the wire or wire bundle at the junction. Examples of electronic components 1220 include, but are not limited to: computing devices, power supplies, power switches (e.g., power switch 1220A), sensors, electronic circuits, antennas, wireless transmitters, wireless receivers. , a user interface, a remote control, a display device, a touch screen, an audio transmitter, a speaker, a microphone, a tactile device, a heating element, a charger, or a combination thereof. In addition to features related to the torso extension 1208 and the location of the electronic component 1220 and/or one or more housings 1224 on the torso extension 1208 (e.g., near the waist of the wearer of the garment 1204), Garment 1204 and electronic panel 1202 have one or more features the same or similar to other clothing and electronic panels described herein, including those described in connection with FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3, 5A, and 5B. may include a section. Features of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 that are similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3, 5A, and 5B are identified by like reference numerals.

The invention of this application has been described above both generally and with respect to specific embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments are intended to cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (25)

A garment comprising multiple panels,
the first panel is an integral panel extending from a first attached portion of the garment to a second attached portion of the garment;
A garment, wherein at least the first panel includes at least one conductive trace, and the remaining panels form the remainder of the garment. the first panel includes a synthetic polymer membrane compressed in the xy direction, the conductive traces being disposed within the synthetic polymer membrane;
The first panel includes an extensible substrate bonded to the synthetic polymer membrane, and
The garment of claim 1, wherein the conductive traces are buckled in the z-direction. The garment is an upper body garment, and the first panel extends across the front or back of the garment from a central portion to a distal portion of a first arm and a distal portion of a second arm. The clothing according to claim 1 or 2. The garment is a lower body garment, and the first panel extends across the front or back of the garment from a central portion to a distal portion of a first leg and a distal portion of a second leg. The clothing according to claim 1 or 2. The garment is a one-piece coverall garment, and the first panel further includes a torso extension portion extending from a front or rear portion of the one-piece coverall garment to a torso portion of the one-piece coverall garment; 3. The garment of claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one leg extension extending from a distal portion of the extension to a distal portion of at least one of the leg portions of the one-piece garment. at least a portion of at least one of the distal portions of the first panel is a transversely elongated portion that circumferentially wraps around at least a portion of the arm and/or leg portions of the garment. The garment according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: Each of said one or more panels independently comprises a textile fabric, film, microporous membrane, or other suitable substrate that may or may not independently have some degree of elasticity. 7. The garment according to claim 1, wherein the garment is a laminate thereof. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the first panel comprises a microporous membrane having conductive traces absorbed within the pores, on the microporous membrane or a combination thereof. 9. The first panel further comprises an electrical connection coupled to the at least one conductive trace and configured to releasably couple to one or more electronic components. Clothing described in item 1. 10. The garment of claim 9, wherein the garment further includes zippers, buttons, snaps, male connectors, female connectors, pockets, or combinations thereof. The one or more electronic components may include a power source, a power switch, a sensor, an electronic circuit, an antenna, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a remote control, a display device, a touch screen, an audio transmitter, a speaker, a microphone, a haptic device, and a heating device. 10. A garment according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the garment is one or more of the elements or combinations thereof. The power source, the power switch, the sensor, the electronic circuit, the antenna, the wireless transmitter, the wireless receiver, the remote control, the display device, the touch screen, the audio transmitter, the speaker, the microphone, the 12. The garment of claim 11, wherein at least two of the haptic device, the heating element, or a combination thereof are connected to each other by the conductive traces. The power source, the power switch, the sensor, the electronic circuit, the antenna, the wireless transmitter, the wireless receiver, the remote control, the display device, the touch screen, the audio transmitter, the speaker, the microphone, the 13. Garment according to claim 11 or 12, wherein at least one of the haptic device, the heating element or a combination thereof is removable and/or replaceable. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the first panel is a multilayer panel comprising one or more of textiles, films, combinations thereof or laminates. 15. The garment of claim 14, wherein the multilayer panel is a laminate including an outer textile layer, an intermediate film layer, and an inner textile layer. 16. The garment of claim 15, wherein the intermediate film layer is a microporous layer and the conductive traces are within the microporous layer. 17. The garment of any preceding claim, wherein the first panel further comprises a conductive connection configured to transmit electricity or electrical signals from the first panel to a second panel. 18. The garment of any preceding claim, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the distal portions of the first panel further comprises a power supply housing. Garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the integral panel is flexible and/or extensible. A conductive panel that is substantially flat and that can be incorporated into a garment (or article) to form a three-dimensional garment/article piece, the conductive panel comprising at least one conductive trace. Body shape panel. 21. A monolithic panel according to claim 20, wherein the monolithic panel is flexible and/or extensible. A method of manufacturing clothing, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of panels, wherein a first panel of the plurality of panels is an integral panel including conductive traces, and a second panel of the plurality of panels includes the first panel; Join panels with seams,
joining remaining panels to the first panel and/or the second panel to form a garment;
including;
The method wherein the first panel is free of any seams extending transversely across a portion of the panel, longitudinally across a portion of the panel, or a combination thereof. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first panel extends from a first appendage of the garment to a second appendage of the garment. the garment is a shirt, and the first panel extends from a central portion of the front or back of the shirt to a distal portion of a first arm and a distal portion of a second arm; 23. The method according to claim 22. The garment is a pair of pants, and the first panel extends from a central portion across the front or back of the garment to a distal portion of a first leg and a distal portion of a second leg. 23. The method of claim 22.

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