WO2023277841A2

WO2023277841A2 - A self-cleaning conductive fabric system

Info

Publication number: WO2023277841A2
Application number: PCT/TR2022/050492
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ayhan YETGIN
Original assignee: T.C. Marmara Universitesi
Priority date: 2021-07-02
Filing date: 2022-05-26
Publication date: 2023-01-05
Also published as: WO2023277841A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a self-cleaning conductive fabric system used in the textile industry, which comprises at least one fabric (1) with integrated conductive material and a battery (2) that can be connected to the conductive fabric (1) to operate the system. The invention particularly relates to a method of cleaning conductive fabric developed for the operation of said system.

Description

A SELF-CLEANING CONDUCTIVE FABRIC SYSTEM

Technical Field

The invention relates to a self-cleaning conductive fabric system comprising at least one fabric with integrated conductive material used in the textile sector and a battery that can be connected to the conductive fabric to operate the system.

The invention particularly relates to a method of cleaning conductive fabric developed for the operation of said system in the technical textile sector.

State of the Art

Recently, with the development of electronics and internet technologies, textiles have faced a new situation. Now clothes are expected to have additional functions as well as comfort features. For example, the idea of generating energy on its own, which is very desirable in electronics, can be easily realized when clothes convert energy sources such as mechanical energy and solar energy to electrical energy. In addition, the idea of integrating electronic circuits into garments to be more effective in many areas such as imaging and perception means the development of smart electronic textiles and also having possible practical applications.

With the developing technology, the production and use of multifunctional smart textile products, which can be used primarily in the fields of health, safety, and information, has started to increase in addition to clothing, draping, and decoration. Smart electronic equipment has more share in our daily lives. The concept of portability is a key feature for many applications and finds application areas in many sectors such as health, safety, communication, sports, etc. The main purpose of wearable electronics or computers becomes part of everyday clothing. The use of textile-based semi-products and/or products in smart/electronic textile design gets involved at this point. It is the most suitable environment for the emergence of smart/electronic textiles to equip ready-to-wear products with soft, flexible and comfortable structure components with different functions, to transmit electricity, to transform into a structure with sensing feature and to make them interactive.

Since the properties of electronic and textile materials are different from each other, it is thought that their compositions will be impossible in the first place. Because textile materials have a soft surface, flexible, robust, washable, unlimited production processes, and human- based quality evaluation (hand and eye) features: while electronic materials have a hard surface, non-bending, small, protection by hard boxes, and sensitive production features.

The term conductive textiles is used for a wide range of products made of textile materials such as fiber, yarn, and fabric with a certain conductivity at different levels. Electrically conductive textiles can be used in the production of electronic textiles for communication, entertainment, health, safety, heating, protection and fashion. Making textiles electrically conductive is carried out by various methods.

There are different ways to produce electrically conductive fabrics. The first method is to integrate conductive yarns, for example, into a textile structure by weaving. The integration of conductive yarns into the structure is a complex and rarely uniform process, while the electrically conductive fabric should provide comfort in clothing or a soft touch rather than being tight and rigid. The conductivity can be made with different yarn types.

However, woven fabric structures can provide a complex network that can be used as special electrical circuits with components that conduct and do not conduct electricity. It can be configured to have multiple layers and gaps for accommodating electronic devices.

In the ETH (Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule) (Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich, a flat-woven textile structure consisting of polyester yarn twisted with copper yarn was produced in the electronics department and wearable computer laboratories. First, the researchers started with a standard design, then designed a hybrid fabric called PETEX. PETEX consists of 42-micron diameter polyester monofilament yarn and 50 ± 8 micron diameter copper alloy yarns. Each copper wire is coated with polyurethane varnish for electrical insulation. Copper wire is intertwined with a gap of 570 microns on textile surfaces (mesh count in warp and weft is 17.5 per centimeter). With PETEX, ETH researchers have introduced a new approach for smart textiles, and in particular a new production method. The object is to show that it is possible to carry out a special textile circuit. The connection structure between the circuit elements is established by connecting the fabric with copper wire. Parts must be placed in certain positions to avoid short circuits between copper wires.

The British company Baltex uses knitting technology to incorporate metal wires into textile structures. The fabrics they commercialize under the name of Feratec® can be used for two main purposes: heating textiles and electromagnetic protective materials. The American company Thermshield LLC produces woven nylon fabrics that are metalized in different shapes and profiles. The metals they use are a combination of silver, copper, or copper nickel.

The Danish company Chr. Dalsgaard works about the development of woven electronics in fabric structure, electronic conductors in clothing, operating panels in textiles (soft keyboards and screens, etc.), and microsensors. The conductive yarn they use is copper yarn coated with a silver layer and polyester. The other way of obtaining a conductive fabric is to add a conductive structure to an appropriate floor using the embroidery technique. In 2000, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Laboratory proposed susceptible surfaces designed with conventional CAD tools for stitched pattern paths, part fitting pads, or circuit layouts that can identify circuit traces.

The following application related to the subject has been found in the literature:

European patent EP3155152B1 relates to a fabric for electromagnetic shielding having a weft yarn and warp yarn weave bonded together. Furthermore, the warp yarns are conductors and comprise multifilament or single-filament conductive textile yarns joined to the metal wires, and at least one conductive warp yarn is attached to the weft to form a co potential connection perpendicular to the direction of the warp yarns. Although a similar fabric is described in the said European patent, it differs due to the fact that a cleaning system or method is not mentioned.

The system and method of the invention is the only product for self-cleaning technical textiles in the wearable technology segment.

In conclusion, it was deemed necessary to improve the relevant art due to the inadequacy of the abovementioned solutions.

Brief Description of the Invention

The present invention is related to a self-cleaning conductive fabric system and cleaning method which meets the abovementioned requirements, eliminates all the disadvantages, and provides some additional advantages.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an effective and natural solution to the cleaning problem of the garment with the product 'wearable technology' despite the limited cleaning properties of technical textiles.

An object of the invention is to prevent microplastic and chemical wastes by eliminating the product from the machine washing chain and to save water and energy by reducing (preventing) chemical use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning system for technical textiles that can be carried out anywhere and in a short time.

Another object of the invention is to provide the cleaning process by producing hypochlorous acid with a low level of electric current.

Another object of the invention is to increase the production rate of hypochlorous acid and to shorten the production time by using 2 or more electron layers on the fabric.

Another object of the invention is to enable the user to clean other clothes at the same time.

To achieve the above-described objects, the self-cleaning conductive fabric system of the invention comprises the following:

- at least one fabric integrated into the conductive material, and

- a battery that can be connected to the fabric to operate the system.

The structural and characteristic features and all the advantages of the invention will be understood more clearly by means of the figures and the detailed description with reference to these figures given below and therefore, the evaluation should be made by taking these figures and the detailed description into consideration.

Figures for a Better Understanding of the Invention

Figure 1 shows a figural view of the battery attached to a jacket comprising the inventive anode cathode (+ -) conductive fabric.

Figure 2 is a figural view of a solar panel mounted on a jacket comprising the inventive conductive fabric.

Figure 3 is a figural view of the Use of Conductors in the Weaving Technique. Figure 4 is another figural view of the Use of Conductors in the Weaving Technique.

Figure 5 is the figural view of the Use of Conductors in weft knitting in the Knitting Technique.

Figure 6 is a figural view of the use of Conductors in warp knitting in the Knitting Technique.

Figure 7 is a figural view of the use of Conductors in Woven and Knitted fabric.

Figure 8 is a figural view of the use of Conductors in Non-Woven Surface Felt fabric.

Figure 9 is another figural view of the use of Conductors in Non-Woven Surface Felt fabric.

Figure 10 is the figural view of the Weft Knitting Technique.

Figure 11 is a figural view of the Warp Knitting Technique.

Figure 12 is a figural view of the conductive panels on a jacket connected to the battery.

The drawings are not required to be scaled, and the details which are not necessary to understand the present invention may be ignored. Furthermore, the parts, which are at least substantially identical or have at least substantially identical functions are shown by the same numbers.

Description of References

1. Conductive fabric

2. Battery

3. Solar panel

K- Non-conductive fabric

Detailed Description of the Invention

In this detailed description, a self-cleaning conductive fabric system and cleaning method, which is the subject of the invention, are described only for a better understanding of the subject and without any limiting effect. The invention is a self-cleaning conductive fabric system and cleaning method.

A self-cleaning conductive fabric system of the invention comprises:

- at least one fabric (1 ) integrated with the conductive material,

- a battery (2) that can be connected to the conductive fabric to operate the system.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inventive system additionally comprises a removable solar panel (3) mounted on the fabric for storing power to the battery (2).

A conductive fabric cleaning method of the invention comprises the following process steps: i. integrating conductive material into the fabric structure, ii. connecting a battery (2) to the conductive fabric (1 ), iii. self-cleaning of the fabric (1) placed in salt water by producing hypochlorous acid with an electric current.

The method of the invention preferably further comprises the step of mounting a removable solar panel (3) on the fabric.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the used conductive material is selected from the group consisting of conductive wires, conductive yarns, alloyed conductors, unalloyed conductors, semiconductors, graphene, carbon and/or mixtures thereof.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the used fabric raw material is selected from the group consisting of cotton, wool, linen, orlon, nylon, polyester, polyamide, cordora, acrylic, aramid, kevlar, fibre varieties, and / or mixtures thereof.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the produced conductive fabric (1) can be used in textile and/or clothing products such as jackets, coats, trousers, sweatshirts, bags, tents, medical products, medical products, protective masks, surgical masks and/or knitted masks.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a battery (2) that can be paired with the phone is used to adjust the time and power while the system is operating. For the formation of hypochlorous acid that helps to clean the textile product, it is sufficient to connect it only to a conductive fabric and battery with an anode cathode feature.

Related to the present invention, the studies for self-cleaning garments by producing hypochlorous acid are described in detail below:

The studies were applied on a prototype jacket (Figures 1 and 2). Anode cathode (+ -) alloy conductors integrated into the fabric structure of the jacket (garment) during the weaving or knitting process are connected to the battery. The system is operated by contacting the jacket (garment) with salt water and the jacket (garment) cleans itself with the hypochlorous acid formed by giving electric current.

The fabric property, which can provide 2 or more layered electrons, can be obtained by the following textile methods:

Weaving Method:

- Use of alloy conductive wires in weft at certain distances or repeatedly.

- Use of alloy conductive wires at certain distances or in repetitive warp.

- Use of alloy conductive wires at certain distances or repeatedly in warp and weft at the same time.

- Formation of longitudinal or transverse conductive strip panels in the fabric.

- Formation of conductive panels with all weaving techniques and technologies.

The use of conductors in the weaving technique is shown in Figures 3 and 4. In Figure-3, longitudinal strips no. 1 show the formation of conductive panels by the use of alloy conductive wire in warp. The longitudinal strips with K denote only the non-conductive warps used in the yarn. The alloyed conductive wire or the conductive strand can be used in the warp at regular intervals or side by side. It can be applicable with all weaving technologies and techniques.

In Figure 4, the transverse strips written K show the non-conductive part. Only non- conductive yarn is used in the weft. Transverse strips no. 1 show the formation of conductive panels with the use of alloyed conductive wire in weft.

Method of Knitting: Use at certain distances or repeatedly in weft or warp knitting.

Formation of longitudinal or transverse conductive strip panels in the fabric.

Formation of conductive panels with all knitting techniques and technologies.

Use of conductors in the knitting technique is shown in Figures 5 and 6. Transverse strips marked K in Figure 5 are non-conductive loops using only yarns. Alloyed conductive wire or conductive yarn can be used at certain intervals or side by side in warp, and non-conductive yarn is used in warp. Transverse strips no. 1 show the formation of conductive panels with the use of alloyed conductive wire in loops.

Figure-7 shows the use of conductors in woven and knitted fabric. In this technique, the conductors can be used simultaneously in weft and warp at certain distance intervals or by repeating each other.

Non-woven Surface (Felt) Method:

Creation of anode cathode (+ -) panels with alloy conductors together with the fiber while creating a non-woven surface (felt).

As can be seen in Figure 8 and 9, the process can be performed while creating a non-woven surface. Or it can then be embroidered and printed with conductive alloy wires on the non- woven surface (felt) or on the fabric.

Embroidery Technique:

Formation of panels with anode and cathode (+ -) alloy conductors by embroidery technique on woven fabric, knitted fabric or non-woven surface (felt).

Printing or Bonding Technique:

Creating panels with anode and cathode (+ -) alloy conductors by printing or bonding technique on woven fabric, knitted fabric or non-woven surface (felt).

Figure-12 shows the anode cathode (+ -) conductive panel fabric in the structure of the jacket (garment). Anode cathode (+ -) conductive panel fabric in the structure of the jacket (garment) can be used completely or in certain areas for the jacket (garment) and connections can be made with the necessary conductors during sewing to connect to the battery. In the structure of the jacket (garment), the fabric with anode cathode (+ -) conductive panel can be sewn to the jacket and garment and a cleaning system can be created. The system can be integrated and fixed or can be produced as removable for ease of operation.

Anode cathode (+ -) can be used in the rope lining structure or outer layer of the conductive panel fabric jacket (garment), conductors in the fabric can be used with certain distances and repetitions of reports to obtain multilayer electrons.

Conductive fabric can be used in design as longitudinal, transverse or simultaneously in width and length. Conductive fabric can be applied to different designs in different forms and methods.

Thanks to the product of the invention, despite the limited cleaning properties of technical textiles, an effective and natural solution is offered in the problem of cleaning clothes with the wearable technology product. By completely eliminating the product from the machine washing chain, microplastic wastes are prevented, water and energy are saved. Chemical use and chemical wastes are prevented. It allowed the user to perform this operation anywhere and in a short time.

Claims

1. A self-cleaning conductive fabric system used in the textile industry, characterized in that it comprises;

- at least one fabric (1 ) integrated with the conductive material, and

- a battery (2) that can be connected to the conductive fabric (1) to operate the system.

2. A self-cleaning conductive fabric system according to claim 1 , characterized in that it additionally comprises a removable solar panel (3) that is mounted on the fabric to store power to the battery (2).

3. A method of cleaning the conductive fabric used in the textile industry, characterized in that it comprises the following process steps: i. integrating conductive material into the fabric structure, ii. connecting a battery (2) to the conductive fabric (1 ), iii. self-cleaning of the fabric (1) placed in salt water by producing hypochlorous acid with electric current.

4. A cleaning method of self-cleaning conductive fabric according to claim 2, characterized in that a removable solar panel (3) is additionally mounted on the fabric.

5. A self-cleaning conductive fabric system and cleaning method according to claims 1 and/or 2, characterized in that the used conductive material is selected from the group consisting of conductive wires, conductive yarns, alloyed conductors, unalloyed conductors, semiconductors, graphene, carbon and/or mixtures thereof.

6. A self-cleaning conductive fabric system and cleaning method according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the used fabric raw material is selected from the group consisting of cotton, wool, linen, orlon, nylon, polyester, polyamide, cordora, acrylic, aramid, kevlar, fiber varieties, and/or mixtures thereof.

7. A self-cleaning conductive fabric system and cleaning method according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the produced conductive fabric (1) is used in textile and/or clothing products such as jackets, coats, trousers, sweatshirts, bags, tents, medicinal products, medical products, protective masks, surgical masks and/or knitted masks.

8. A self-cleaning conductive fabric system and cleaning method according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that a battery (2) that can be paired with the phone is used to adjust the time and power while the system is running.