WO2017091153A1

WO2017091153A1 - Interconnection arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2017091153A1
Application number: PCT/SG2016/050579
Authority: WO
Inventors: Raweendra KUMARA; Ranjith DAYANANDA; Kosalasiri JAYASUNDARA; Chammika PERERA; Ranil VITHARANA; Vivek RAMCHANDANI
Original assignee: Mas Innovation (Private) Limited; MATTEUCCI, Gianfranco
Priority date: 2015-11-26
Filing date: 2016-11-24
Publication date: 2017-06-01
Also published as: GB201520882D0

Abstract

Described herein are conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangements, wherein a conductive thread is conductively attached to an electrical contact on a printed circuit board by locating a conductive portion of the conductive thread in a conductive connection member hole on the printed circuit board and effecting an electrical connection by way of a conductive connection member that holds the conductive portion in place and is in conductive contact with said electrical interconnection. There is also provided processes to make said conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangements.

Description

Interconnection Arrangement

Field of Invention The current invention relates to an electrically conductive interconnection arrangement for conductive yarns with improved properties.

Background In wearable technology applications, a common need is to connect fabric-incorporated printed circuit boards to conductive yarns that are laid on or are incorporated into a fabric.

Previous attempts to provide useable electrical interconnections in wearable technology include the use of bonding tapes and/or silicone polymers for encapsulating the interconnection and attaching it to the fabric by using the encapsulating material to accomplish this. However, this arrangement suffers from problems associated with mechanical fatigue of the parts and the potential ingress of water into the electrical interconnection, whether from sweat or during washing. Another method of interconnection that has been used is to attach the conductive wires to the circuit board through a hole within the circuit board such that the conductive wires and the circuit board are connected along with a fabric layer. This method suffers from a lack of insulation and results in water leakage onto the connection. It may also suffer from issues related to the strength of the connection.

Alternative types of interconnection mechanisms have also been used, but they all suffer from similar issues with respect to the connection strength that is achieved, and in being able to encapsulate the interconnection such that it is protected from mechanical or environmental harm, whether while in use or during washing.

Summary of Invention

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement comprising:

a printed circuit board comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, one or more conductive connection member holes that extend from the top surface to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, where each hole has at least one sidewall, and one or more electrical contacts on the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the printed circuit board; one or more conductive yams comprising an uninsulated terminal section; and one or more conductive connection members, wherein

at least part of the terminal section of at least one of the one or more conductive yarns extends into or extends through at least one of the one or more conductive connection member holes and is held in place against at least one sidewall of said hole by one of the one or more conductive connection members in the at least one of the one or more conductive connection member holes, such that the conductive connection member provides a conductive connection between the at least one of the one or more conductive yarns and at least one of the one or more electrical contacts.

In embodiments of the invention:

(a) the printed circuit board may be flexible;

(b) the printed circuit board, the conductive connection member and at least each uninsulated terminal section of the one or more conductive yarns may be partly or, more particularly, fully encapsulated by at least one electrically insulating material. For example, the at least one electrically insulating material may be a high-stretch and/or high modulus material (e.g. a material that has a stretch range of from 0% to 200%; and/or the material may be selected from one or more of the group consisting of a silicone polymer and a polyurethane-type polymer);

(c) the conductive yarn further comprises an insulated section (e.g. the insulated section may extend beyond the interconnect arrangement and/or at least part of the insulated section may be encapsulated by the electrically insulating material);

(d) the interconnection arrangement may further comprise electronic components as part of the printed circuit board;

(e) the interconnection arrangement may further comprise at least one conductive trace conductively coupling two or more conductive yarn sets, where a conductive yarn set is formed by all of the one or more conductive yarns in an individual conductive connection member hole, by way of the respective electrical contacts, and conductive connection members (e.g. there may be from two to one hundred conductive yarn sets, such as from two to fifty or from two to thirty-five conductive yarn sets);

(f) the one or more conductive connection members may be selected from one or more of the group consisting of a screw, a self-locking clip, a nut and bolt or, more particularly, a rivet

(g) the arrangement may further comprise a fabric that has a larger footprint than a footprint of the printed circuit board, but has a smaller footprint than the electrically insulating material, where the fabric is positioned above the top surface of the printed circuit board, or positioned below the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, and where the fabric may be partly or, more particularly full encapsulated within the electrically insulating material, or may be bonded to an outer surface of the electrically insulating material, optionally wherein the printed circuit board is rigid.

In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a process to provide a conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a printed circuit board comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, one or more conductive connection member holes that extend from the top surface to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, where each hole has at least one sidewall, and one or more electrical contacts on the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the printed circuit board;

(b) placing at least one conductive yarn comprising an uninsulated terminal section onto the top or bottom surface of the printed circuit board, such that the terminal section is disposed across one of the one or more conductive connection member holes;

(c) drawing at least part of the uninsulated terminal section of the at least one conductive yarn into or through the conductive connection member hole, such that at least part of the terminal section extends into or extends through the conductive connection member hole;

(d) inserting a conductive connection member into the conductive connection member hole and fixing the conductive connection member in place, thereby securely holding the at least part of the terminal section against the at least one sidewall in the conductive connection member hole and providing an electrical connection between the uninsulated terminal section and at least one of the one or more electrical contacts, wherein the terminal section is uninsulated or insulated, and when the terminal section is insulated step (c) further comprises the step of removing the terminal section from its insulation to provide an uninsulated terminal section. In certain embodiments of the invention, the one or more conductive connection members may be selected from one or more of the group consisting of a screw, a self-locking clip, a nut and bolt or, more particularly, a rivet.

In embodiments of the invention, the drawing step may be accomplished by using a device comprising at least one moveable member positioned above or below at least one of the one or more conductive connection member holes where an uninsulated terminal section of a conductive thread is disposed, where the moveable member is inserted into and out of the conductive connection member hole, thereby drawing at least part of the uninsulated terminal section into or through the conductive connection member hole. For example, the moveable member may be a hook that is inserted into the conductive connection member hole on a side opposite to where the uninsulated terminal section of a conductive thread is disposed, catches the terminal section and disposes at least part of the terminal section into or through the conductive connection member hole when the hook is withdrawn in the opposite direction to its insertion. In additional or alternative embodiments, when the terminal section is an insulated terminal section, the moveable member may be adapted to cut through the insulation to provide an uninsulated terminal section.

When used herein, "hook" is to be defined a relating to a moveable member that may be a hooked member, a needle member or an operative equivalent thereof.

In a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a process to provide a conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement comprising the steps of:

one or more conductive yarns comprising an uninsulated terminal section; and one or more conductive connection members, wherein

at least part of the terminal section of at least one of the one or more conductive yarns extends into or extends through at least one of the one or more conductive connection member holes and is held in place against at least one sidewall of said hole by one of the one or more conductive connection members in the at least one of the one or more conductive connection member holes, such that the conductive connection member provides a conductive connection between the at least one of the one or more conductive yarns and at least one of the one or more electrical contacts; and

(b) partially or, more particularly, fully encapsulating the printed circuit board, the conductive connection member and at least each uninsulated terminal section of the one or more conductive connection members and the terminal section of the one or more conductive yarns using at least one electrically insulating material. It will be appreciated that this process may use a conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement as prepared in the second aspect of the invention and embodiments thereof. In embodiments of the invention, the one or more conductive connection members may be selected from one or more of the group consisting of a screw, a self-locking clip, a nut and bolt or, more particularly, a rivet. In additional or alternative embodiments, the at least one electrically insulating material may be selected from one or more of the group consisting of a silicone polymer and a polyurethane-type polymer. The at least one electrically insulating material may be applied by spraying, casting, moulding, forming, screen printing or stencil printing.

In further embodiments of the invention, the process may further comprise attaching a fabric that has a larger footprint than a footprint of the printed circuit board, but has a smaller footprint than the electrically insulating material, where the fabric may be positioned above the top surface of the printed circuit board, or positioned below the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, and where the fabric may be partly or, more particularly full encapsulated within the electrically insulating material, or is bonded to an outer surface of the electrically insulating material, optionally wherein the printed circuit board is rigid.

It will be appreciated that the printed circuit board provided in step (a) may be prepared in accordance with the second aspect of the invention or by any combination of its embodiments.

In embodiments of the second and third aspects of the invention, the process may further comprise attaching the conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement to a fabric, optionally wherein the fabric may be in the form of a garment, or may be subsequently processed into a garment.

Drawings

Example embodiments of the invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the invention may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In the drawing figures provided, dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "between" two elements, it can be the only element between the two elements, or one or more intervening elements may also be present. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Figure 1 A depicts a plan view of an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 B depicts a cross-section taken along line A-A' of the embodiment depicted in Figure 1A.

Figure 2 depicts a plan view of a further embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 depicts a plan view of a further embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 depicts a cross-section of a further embodiment of the invention.

Figures 5A-5G depict processes that may be used to make embodiments of the current invention.

Figures 6A-6G depict further processes that may be used to make embodiments of the current invention.

Description The current invention relates to a surprisingly simple arrangement that overcomes the problems associated with previous methods of forming an interconnection suitable for use in a garment comprising wearable technology. In particular problems associated with the durability of the interconnection during normal wear and washing, and in maintaining the interconnection even after being subjected to extreme forces (e.g. the forces generated on the interconnection following the snagging of a garment fitted with the interconnect on a fence while running at full speed). In addition, the product and processes described herein may provide cost savings and may also improve the feel of the garment to the wearer (e.g. due to the use of thinner materials and/or materials that allow better breathability). The invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the invention are shown. While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

In the following description, where the detailed description of known functions or configurations related to the invention makes the subject matter of the invention unclear, the detailed description has been omitted. Further, like reference numerals are used to identify like elements throughout different drawings. For clarity and convenience of description, the size or shape of elements shown in the drawings may not be illustrated to scale. Figures 1A and 1 B depicts a conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement according to the current invention (100). The interconnection arrangement comprises a printed circuit board (110; PCB) having a top surface (1 11 ) and a bottom surface (112). The printed circuit board (110) has a rivet hole (135) that extends from the top surface (11 1 ) to the bottom surface (112) of the printed circuit board (1 10), and so represents a through-hole in the PCB. An uninsulated terminal section of a conductive yarn (120) is threaded through the rivet hole (135) and is held in place by a conductive rivet (130) that also occupies the rivet hole (135), such that a conductive connection is achieved between the uninsulated terminal section of the conductive yarn and the rivet in the rivet hole - this is best seen in Figure 1 B. As depicted, an electrical contact (140) is present on the top surface (1 11 ) of the PCB at a site adjacent to the rivet hole (135), such that a conductive connection is established between the electrical contact (140) and the rivet (130). The electrical contact 140 may further comprise electrical traces (150) that are connected to electronic components (160). Further, as shown in Figure 1 B, the rivet (130) securely holds the conductive yarn (120) against the sidewall (1 13) of the rivet hole (135). Without wishing to be bound by theory, this arrangement may increase the mechanical strength of the electrical contact in the electrical interconnect and thereby results in better performance and durability in a wearable device using said interconnect. A printed circuit board (PCB) is a device that mechanically supports and electrically connects electronic components using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. PCBs can be single sided (one copper layer), double sided (two copper layers) or multi-layer (outer and inner layers). Multi-layer PCBs allow for much higher component density. In the current invention, any suitable PCB may be used, provided that it can accommodate a through-hole suitable for the insertion of a rivet. In embodiments of the invention that may be mentioned herein, the PCB may be a flexible PCB. It will be appreciated that the arrangement of the conductive yarn, rivet and electrical contact can be established on the top and/or the bottom surface of a PCB. For example, the conductive yarn may be on the top surface, while the electrical contact may be located on the bottom surface, or vice versa. As noted, in certain embodiments, an electrical contact may be provided on both the top and bottom surfaces of the PCB.

Any suitable conductive yarn may be used in the current invention, provided that there is provided an uninsulated terminal section. In certain embodiments, the entire conductive yarn may be uninsulated, while in other embodiments, the majority of the conductive yarn may be protected by an insulating material. It will be appreciated that the terminal section of the conductive yarn may be provided with an insulating material that is removed from the terminal section of the conductive yarn to provide an uninsulated conductive yarn. This is discussed in more detail in Figure 6.

When used herein, the term "yarn" is intended to take its ordinary meaning in the art (long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in one or more of the production of textiles, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and, more particularly sewing), though it is expanded herein to also cover the use of single filaments of a material, such as a metallic filament. Thus, the uninsulated conductive yarn may be a thin metal wire (e.g. a metal filament suitable for use in one or more of the production of textiles, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and, more particularly sewing), a metal yarn (i.e. interlocking metal fibers), a yarn or filament made from a conductive polymer, and a conductive composite yarn.

A number of different kinds of conductive composite yarns exist. A first type of conductive composite yarn comprises a normal non-conductive yarn's fibres as a core material that is impregnated with at least one conductive material, such as a metal or a non-metallic conductive material, which latter material may be provided in part in a polymer matrix. A second type of conductive composite yarn comprises a normal non-conductive yarn's fibres as a core material that is then wound together with one or more filaments/fibres of a metal and/or a non-metallic conductive material. A third type of conductive composite yarn comprises a non-metallic conductive material, such as carbon nanotubes or graphene along with a polymeric material, wherein the non-metallic conductive material may be distributed homogeneously throughout the polymeric material to provide a conductive yarn, or the non- metallic conductive material is aligned to form a yarn, with a polymer dispersed within the spaces created in said yarn (e.g. a continuous superaligned carbon nanotube yarn as a conductive framework with polyvinyl alcohol inserted into the intertube spaces of the framework, as described in Liu et al. ACS Nano, 2010, 4 (10), pp 5827-5834).

Metals that may be mentioned in aspects and embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to, iron, copper, silver, gold, aluminium, brass, titanium, and platinum and alloys thereof. For example, a metal alloy that may be mentioned herein is stainless steel.

It will be appreciate that when more than one conductive yarn is used in embodiments of the invention, they may be made of the same material or of different materials. For example, silver coated yarns, stainless steel coated yarns, copper wires, and silver wires may all be used in conjunction in certain embodiments of the invention. The insulating material for the conductive yarn mentioned herein may be any suitable insulating material. For example, the insulating material may be one or more of a varnish, a latex, a silicone polymer, an epoxy resin, a polymeric fluorocarbon, a thermoplastic elastomer, and a polyurethane. Particular insulating materials that may be mentioned herein include a synthetic or natural rubber, a thermoplastic polyurethane or combinations thereof. Other materials that may be mentioned herein include a silicone polymer.

While the depicted embodiment uses a rivet, it will be appreciated that any suitable conductive connection member may be used. Examples of suitable conductive connection members include, but are not limited to a screw, a self-locking clip, a nut and bolt, as well as a rivet. "Rivet hole" accordingly equates to "conductive connection member hole".

Any rivet suitable for use with a PCB may be used in the current invention, provided that the rivet is made in whole or part from an electrically conductive material, such that it can act as an electrical conduit as described herein. The rivet may be selected from one or more of the group containing a solid/round head rivet, a semi-tubular rivet, a blind rivet, an Oscar rivet, a drive rivet, a flush rivet, a friction-lock rivet, and a self-pierce rivet. A suitable material for the rivet includes any metal or combination thereof. Any suitable screws, self-locking clips, and nuts and bolts may be used to replace the rivet in the depicted embodiment of Figure 1.

The function of the rivet (130; i.e. the conductive connection member) in the current invention is to provide a stable conductive connection between the uninsulated terminal section of the conductive yarn (120) and the electrical contact (140). In addition, the rivet should function to provide a very robust mechanical connection so as to hold the yarn in place (in combination with the sidewall (113) of the rivet hole (135)), even when subjected to atypical mechanical forces that may be experienced by part of a garment in use or upon washing (e.g. the mechanical force that may be applied to the interconnect when a garment comprising said garment is snagged while the wearer is running quickly). It will be appreciated that the total number of rivet holes (conductive connection member holes) is only limited by the size of the printed circuit board and the desired function provided by the interconnection device. Further, it will be appreciated that not all rivet holes may be used to accommodate an electrical connection. Such holes may or may not accommodate a rivet. While the number of rivet holes is essentially unlimited, the total number of rivet holes that may be mentioned in embodiments of the invention described herein may be from 1 to 100 rivet holes, such as from 1 to 20 rivet holes. Particular embodiments may disclose 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 rivet holes. While Figure 1 B depicts an arrangement where part of the uninsulated terminal section of a conductive yarn (120) is threaded entirely through the rivet hole ( 35), it will be appreciated that other arrangements are specifically contemplated by the current application. For example, the uninsulated terminal section of the conductive yarn may only be partly threaded into the rivet hole instead, provided that there is sufficient contact between the rivet, the conductive yarn and the sidewall of the rivet hole to establish and maintain both a mechanical and electrical connection as described hereinbefore. Further, while Figure 1 depicts an arrangement where a single conductive yarn is attached to a single rivet hole, it will be appreciated that multiple yarns and/or rivet holes may be provided. As depicted in Figure 2, the interconnection device (200) may contain an equal number of conductive yarns (220) to rivet holes (235; not shown) and rivets (230), and may also have an electrical contact (240) that in is contact with one of the rivets (230) and/or that is in electrical contact with more than one of the rivets (245). Alternatively, as shown in Figure 3, a rivet (330) may be connected to more than one conductive yarn (328) and/or be connected to a single conductive yarn (320) as depicted hereinbefore.

Further, it is possible for all of the conductive wires to feed into a single conductive connection member. For example, a silver coated yarn, a stainless steel coated yarn, a copper wire, and a silver wire may all be conductively connected to a single nut and bolt placed in a conductive connection member hole.

Figure 4 depicts a cross-section of a more complex embodiment of the product described hereinbefore. As depicted this embodiment, the conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement (500) contains a PCB (510) having a top surface (51 1 ) and a bottom surface (512) that has two rivet holes (535, 536) spaced apart from one another. Each of the rivet holes contains an uninsulated terminal section of a conductive yarn (520, 521 ) threaded through it and a rivet (530, 531 ). The rivets (530, 531 ) hold the uninsulated terminal sections (520, 521 ) within the rivet holes (535, 536) and provide a conductive contact with said uninsulated terminal sections (this is achieved by holding the respective conductive yarns against the sidewall of the respective holes). The rivets (530, 531 ) are, respectively, also in conductive contact with an electrical contact (540, 541 ) adjacent to the respective rivet hole (535, 536). As depicted, an electrical connection can be established between the two conductive threads by way of the rivet/rivet holes and electrical contacts, which are conductively connected by the conductive trace (550) and/or electronic components (560). It will be appreciated that the arrangement of Figure 4 may be generally applicable herein and results in a conductive communication between two or more separated conductive yarn sets by at least one conductive connection trace 550 in combination with the individual rivets (530, 531 ), and electrical contacts (540, 541 ).

A "conductive yarn set" when used herein refers to one or more conductive yarns in a single conductive connection member hole (i.e. a rivet hole), so "two conductive yarn sets" refers to two sets of conductive yarns in separate conductive connection member holes. That is a first conductive yarn set in a first conductive connection member hole and a second conductive yarn set in a second conductive connection member hole. It will be appreciated that any technically feasible number of conductive yarn sets may be used in the interconnection. For example, there may be from two to one hundred conductive yarn sets, such as from two to fifty or from two to thirty-five conductive yarn sets, each set having a corresponding conductive connection member hole (i.e. forty conductive yarn sets results in forty conductive connection member holes). Each conductive yarn may comprise a number of separate conductive yarns, a bundle of conductive yarns or combination thereof being placed into a conductive connection member hole. Functionally, it will be appreciated that the number of conductive yarns that may be placed into a conductive connection member hole will be limited by the need to insert the conductive connection member into the hole and thereafter mechanically hold the conductive yarns against the sidewall of the hole.

It will also be appreciated that there may be any suitable number of conductive traces. For example, when there are fifty conductive yarn sets, there may be from one to forty-nine conductive traces or anything in between. When there is one conductive trace and fifty conductive yarn sets, the conductive trace may be used to conductively connect from two to all fifty of the conductive yarn sets together by way of the respective electrical contacts and conductive connection members (rivets). It will be appreciated that any suitable number of conductive traces may be present to provide redundant conductive connections between the conductive yarn sets and/or to provide a network of conductive connections. As depicted in Figure 4, the printed circuit board (510), the rivets (530, 531) and at least each uninsulated terminal section (520, 521) of the one or more conductive yarns are fully encapsulated by at least one electrically insulating material (570). While the embodiment shows the situation where the components of the interconnection arrangement are fully encapsulated, it will be appreciated that partial encapsulation of the interconnection arrangement is also contemplated. For example, at least part of the printed circuit board (510), and at least one of rivets (530, 531 ) and the associated uninsulated terminal section (520, 521 ) of the one or more conductive yarns are fully encapsulated by the electrically insulating material (570), while the remainder of the printed circuit board (510), and at least one of rivets (530, 531 ) and the associated uninsulated terminal section (520, 521) of the one or more conductive yarns are wholly unencapsulated by the insulating material. Alternatively, only part of the printed circuit board may be unencapsulated.

Any suitable electrically insulating material may be used for the encapsulation, and may be selected from the group describe hereinbefore. A preferred material that may be mentioned herein is a high-stretch and/or high modulus material (e.g. a material having a stretch range of from 0% to 200%). For example, the electrically insulating material may be a silicone polymer and/or a polyurethane-type polymer.

As depicted in Figure 4, the conductive yarn may further comprise an insulated section (525, 526) that can extend beyond the interconnection arrangement. As depicted, part of the insulated section of the conductive yarn may be encapsulated within the electrically insulating material used for the encapsulation of the interconnection arrangement (500), though the remainder is not encapsulated and may connect to a further electrical component (e.g. a sensor, transmitter, power harvester, RFID unit, another part of the electronic circuit, actuator such as a TENS therapy device, vibrator board, illuminating piece, display etc.), or to a power source.

As shown in Figure 4, the encapsulated device (500) may be attached to a fabric substrate (580). The fabric substrate may be a section of a main body of material used to make a garment, such that the interconnection arrangement is directly bonded to the fabric used to make the garment. Alternatively, the fabric substrate may relate to an additional layer of material that is separate to a main body of material used to make a garment, such that the fabric substrate (580) may sit within or between the encapsulate (570) and the main body of fabric used to make a garment.

In certain embodiments of the invention when the fabric substrate may relate to an additional layer of material that is separate to a main body of material used to make a garment, the fabric may have a larger footprint than a footprint of the printed circuit board, but has a smaller footprint than the electrically insulating material. Further, the fabric may be positioned above the top surface of the printed circuit board, or positioned below the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, and the fabric may be partly or, more particularly full encapsulated within the electrically insulating material, or is bonded to an outer surface of the electrically insulating material. It will be appreciated that such embodiments may be particularly suitable when the printed circuit board is rigid. This is because this fabric component may help to increase the reliability of the connection by making a smooth transition from the rigid printed circuit board to the stretchable flexible fabric of the garment.

Some processes that may be used to make the products as described hereinbefore are set out below. It will be appreciated that the processes described herein may be adapted or changed in any suitable way to make the embodiments that fall within the scope of the claims set out herein.

As depicted in Figures 5A-F, an interconnect of the current invention may be prepared according to the following processing steps:

(a) Fig. 5A: providing a printed circuit board (610) comprising a top surface (611 ) and a bottom surface (612), one or more rivet holes (635, 636) that extend from the top surface (611 ) to the bottom surface (612) of the printed circuit board, where each hole has at least one sidewall (637, 638), and one or more electrical contacts (640) on the top surface (611 ) and/or the bottom surface (612) of the printed circuit board;

(b) Fig. 5A: placing at least one conductive yarn (625) comprising an uninsulated terminal section (620, 621 ) onto the top or bottom surface of the printed circuit board (610), such that the terminal section (620, 621 ) is disposed across one of the one or more rivet holes (635, 636 respectively);

(c) Figs. 5B and 5C: drawing at least part of the uninsulated terminal section (620, 621 ) of the at least one conductive yarn into or through the rivet hole (635, 636), such that at least part of the terminal section extends into or extends through the rivet hole; and

(d) Figs. 5D to 5F: inserting a rivet (630, 631 ) into the rivet hole (635, 636) and fixing the rivet in place, thereby securely holding the at least part of the terminal section against the sidewall (637, 638) in the rivet hole and providing an electrical connection between the uninsulated terminal section and at least one of the one or more electrical contacts (640, 641 ). As noted hereinbefore, while a rivet is used in the example embodiment above, any suitable conductive connection member may be used. Suitable alternative conductive connection members include, but are not limited to a screw, a self-locking clip, and a nut and bolt.

The drawing step may be accomplished by using a device comprising at least one moveable member (690) positioned above or below at least one of the one or more rivet holes (635, 636) where an uninsulated terminal section of a conductive thread is disposed, where the moveable member is inserted into and out of the rivet hole, thereby drawing at least part of the uninsulated terminal section into or through the rivet hole. This is best illustrated in Figures 5A to 5C, where the moveable member (690) is a hook (this may be a needle or an operative equivalent of a hook or needle) that is inserted into the rivet hole (635, 636) on a side opposite to where the uninsulated terminal section of a conductive thread is disposed (Fig. 5A), the hook catches the terminal section when it is inserted (Fig. 5B) and disposes at least part of the terminal section into or through the rivet hole, when the hook is subsequently withdrawn in the opposite direction to its insertion (Fig. 5C ).

The resulting product may be used as-is, or may be used in subsequent processes. It will be appreciated that these additional processes may occur in the same production line or may be conducted separately (e.g. a first manufacturer makes the interconnection connection and provides it to a second manufacturer for further processing into a down-stream product). Thus, as depicted in Figures 5F-G there is provided a process to provide a conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a printed circuit board (610) comprising a top surface (611) and a bottom surface (612), one or more rivet holes (635) that extend from the top surface to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, where each hole has at least one sidewall, and one or more electrical contacts (640) on the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the printed circuit board;

one or more conductive yarns (625) comprising an uninsulated terminal section

(620); and

one or more conductive rivets (630), wherein

at least part of the terminal section (620) of at least one of the one or more conductive yarns extends into or extends through at least one of the one or more rivet holes and is held in place against at least one sidewall of said hole (637, 638) by one of the one or more rivets in the at least one of the one or more rivet holes, such that the rivet provides a conductive connection between the at least one of the one or more conductive yarns and at least one of the one or more electrical contacts; and

(b) encapsulating the printed circuit board, the rivet and at least each uninsulated terminal section of the one or more conductive rivets and the terminal section of the one or more conductive yarns using at least one electrically insulating material (670).

The electrically insulating material may be any suitable electrically insulating material. Examples of suitable electrically insulating materials include, but are not limited to silicone polymer and a polyurethane-type polymer, or blends thereof. The process of applying the electrically insulating material may involve spraying, casting, moulding, forming, screen printing or stencil printing the electrically insulating material onto the device of step (a). Additionally or alternatively, the insulating material may come in a form of a bonding sheet with or without glue layers from top and/or bottom sides such that the PCB, yarn and interconnection can be bonded using a heat press or adhesive bonding. Also this bonding sheet may make the bond between the fabric and interconnection / PCB / conductive yarns.

An alternative process is provided in Figures 6A-6G. Figure 6A is essentially identical to Figure 5A, in that a printed circuit board (610) is provided that comprising a top surface (611 ) and a bottom surface (612), one or more rivet holes (635, 636) that extend from the top surface (611 ) to the bottom surface (612) of the printed circuit board and one or more electrical contacts (not depicted) on the top surface (611 ) and/or the bottom surface (612) of the printed circuit board, with an insulated terminal section (622) placed on top of the printed circuit board (610), such that the terminal section (622) is disposed across the conductive connection member hole (635) and is then locked in place by locking pads (623), as shown in Figure 6B.

Figure 6B further depicts the use of a moveable member (690; e.g. a hooked needle) that pierces the insulation to enable the conductive yarn to be removed from the insulation material. Figure 6C shows the subsequent step of drawing the uninsulated terminal section (620) of the conductive yarn into the conductive connection member hole (635). Figures 6D- 6G show the process of attaching a rivet (630) using a rivet holder (633) and then using a rivet needle (634) to deform the rivet so that it is held firmly within the conductive connection member hole (635) and then releasing the locking mechanisms to provide the interconnected product. In this manner, it is possible to use a fully insulated conductive thread in the process. It will be appreciated that further downstream processes in keeping with those depicted in Figure 5G may be applied.

The conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangements described above (unencapsulated or encapsulated) may subsequently be attached to a fabric substrate. The fabric substrate may be a section of a main body of material used to make a garment, such that the interconnection arrangement is directly bonded to the fabric used to make a garment. Alternatively, the fabric substrate may relate to an additional layer of material that is separate to a main body of material used to make a garment, such that the fabric substrate may be intended to sit within or between the encapsulate and the main body of fabric used to make a garment. For example, the processes describe hereinbefore may involve attaching a fabric that has a larger footprint than a footprint of the printed circuit board, but has a smaller footprint than the electrically insulating material,

where the fabric is positioned above the top surface of the printed circuit board, or positioned below the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, and

where the fabric is partly or, more particularly full encapsulated within the electrically insulating material, or is bonded to an outer surface of the electrically insulating material, optionally wherein the printed circuit board is rigid.

It will be appreciated that the products mentioned herein may be used immediately in the manufacture of a garment, or may be stored as an intermediate and then fitted to a garment at a later date and in a separate processing step.

Claims

1. A conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement comprising:

a printed circuit board comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, one or more conductive connection member holes that extend from the top surface to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, where each hole has at least one sidewall, and one or more electrical contacts on the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the printed circuit board; one or more conductive yarns comprising an uninsulated terminal section; and one or more conductive connection members, wherein

2. The arrangement according to Claim 1 , wherein the one or more conductive connection members is selected from one or more of the group consisting of a screw, a self- locking clip, a nut and bolt or, more particularly, a rivet.

3. The arrangement according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the printed circuit board is flexible.

4. The arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the printed circuit board, the one or more conductive connection members, the one or more conductive connection member holes and at least each uninsulated terminal section of the one or more conductive yarns are partly or, more particularly, fully encapsulated by at least one electrically insulating material.

5. The arrangement according to Claim 4, wherein the at least one electrically insulating material is a high-stretch and/or high modulus material, optionally wherein a stretch range of the material is from 0% to 200%.

6. The arrangement according to Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein the at least one electrically insulating material is selected from one or more of the group consisting of a silicone polymer and a polyurethane-type polymer.

7. The arrangement according to any one of Claims 4 to 6, wherein the arrangement further comprises a fabric that has a larger footprint than a footprint of the printed circuit board, but has a smaller footprint than the electrically insulating material,

8. The arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conductive yarn further comprises an insulated section.

9. The arrangement according to Claim 8, wherein the insulated section extends beyond the interconnect arrangement.

10. The arrangement according to Claim 8 or Claim 9, as dependent upon any one of Claims 4 to 8, wherein at least part of the insulated section is encapsulated by the electrically insulating material.

11. The arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the interconnection arrangement further comprises electronic components as part of the printed circuit board.

12. The arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one conductive trace conductively coupling two or more conductive yarn sets, where a conductive yarn set is formed by all of the one or more conductive yarns in an individual conductive connection member hole, by way of the respective electrical contacts, and conductive connection members.

13. A process to provide a conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a printed circuit board comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, one or more conductive connection member holes that extend from the top surface to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, where each hole has at least one sidewall, and one or more electrical contacts on the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the printed circuit board; (b) placing at least one conductive yarn comprising a terminal section onto the top or bottom surface of the printed circuit board, such that the terminal section is disposed across one of the one or more conductive connection member holes;

(c) drawing at least part of the terminal section of the at least one conductive yarn into or through the conductive connection member hole, such that at least part of an uninsulated terminal section extends into or extends through the conductive connection member hole;

(d) inserting a conductive connection member into the conductive connection member hole and fixing the conductive connection member in place, thereby securely holding the at least part of the terminal section against the at least one sidewall in the conductive connection member hole and providing an electrical connection between the uninsulated terminal section and at least one of the one or more electrical contacts, wherein the terminal section of step (b) is uninsulated or insulated, and when the terminal section is insulated step (c) further comprises the step of removing the terminal section from its insulation to provide an uninsulated terminal section.

14. The process according to Claim 13, wherein the one or more conductive connection members is selected from one or more of the group consisting of a screw, a self-locking clip, a nut and bolt or, more particularly, a rivet.

15. The process according to Claim 13 or Claim 14, wherein the drawing step is accomplished by using a device comprising at least one moveable member positioned above or below at least one of the one or more conductive connection member holes where an terminal section of a conductive thread is disposed, where the moveable member is inserted into and out of the conductive connection member hole, thereby drawing at least part of the terminal section into or through the conductive connection member hole.

16. The process according to Claim 15, wherein the moveable member is a hook that is inserted into the conductive connection member hole on a side opposite to where the uninsulated terminal section of a conductive thread is disposed, catches the terminal section and disposes at least part of the terminal section into or through the conductive connection member hole when the hook is withdrawn in the opposite direction to its insertion.

17. The process according to Claim 15 or Claim 16, wherein when the terminal section is an insulated terminal section, the moveable member is adapted to cut through the insulation to provide an uninsulated terminal section.

18. A process to provide a conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement comprising the steps of:

(b) partially or, more particularly, fully encapsulating the printed circuit board, the conductive connection member and at least each uninsulated terminal section of the one or more conductive connection members and the terminal section of the one or more conductive yarns using at least one electrically insulating material.

19. The process according to Claim 18, wherein the one or more conductive connection members is selected from one or more of the group consisting of a screw, a self-locking clip, a nut and bolt or, more particularly, a rivet.

20. The process according to Claim 18 or Claim 19, wherein the printed circuit board provided in step (a) is prepared in accordance with one or more of Claims 15 to 19.

21. The process according to any one of Claims 18 to 20, wherein the at least one electrically insulating material is selected from one or more of the group consisting of a silicone polymer and a polyurethane-type polymer.

22. The process according to any one of Claims 18 to 21 , wherein the at least one electrically insulating material is applied by spraying, casting, moulding, forming, screen printing or stencil printing.

23. The process according to any one of Claims 18 to 22, wherein the process further comprises attaching a fabric that has a larger footprint than a footprint of the printed circuit board, but has a smaller footprint than the electrically insulating material,

24. The process of any one of Claims 18 to 13, wherein the process further comprises attaching the conductive yarn electrical interconnection arrangement to a fabric, optionally wherein the fabric is in the form of a garment, or is subsequently processed into a garment.