Warp Knit and Braided Fabrics with Electrical Components

    公开(公告)号:US20240417898A1

    公开(公告)日:2024-12-19

    申请号:US18734475

    申请日:2024-06-05

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Knitting equipment may be used to form warp knit fabric. The warp knit fabric may be a spacer fabric having a spacer strand that travels back and forth between outer warp knit layers. The spacer fabric may include a pocket for receiving an electrical component. The electrical component may be mounted to an inlaid conductive strand that floats between the outer warp knit layers and that is held in place by the spacer strand. The pocket may be one of multiple pockets in the spacer fabric that are separated from one another by the spacer strand. Braiding equipment may include carriers that braid strands around an electrical component while a tool holds the electrical component in place. A ring may be used to isolate the braiding angle from the carriers to accommodate component insertion. The electrical component may be mounted to an inlaid conductive strand in the braid.

    Fabric-Based Devices With Force Sensing
    3.
    发明申请

    公开(公告)号:US20190354179A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-11-21

    申请号:US16524741

    申请日:2019-07-29

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: A fabric-based item such as a fabric glove may include force sensing circuitry. The force sensing circuitry may include force sensor elements formed from electrodes on a compressible substrate such as an elastomeric polymer substrate. The fabric may include intertwined strands of material including conductive strands. Signals from the force sensing circuitry may be conveyed to control circuitry in the item using the conductive strands. Wireless circuitry in the fabric-based item may be used to convey force sensor information to external equipment. The compressible substrate may have opposing upper and lower surfaces. Electrodes for the force sensor elements may be formed on the upper and lower surfaces. Stiffeners may overlap the electrodes to help decouple adjacent force sensor elements from each other. Integrated circuits can be attached to respective force sensing elements using adhesive.

    Fabric-based devices with force sensing

    公开(公告)号:US10180721B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-01-15

    申请号:US15940876

    申请日:2018-03-29

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: A fabric-based item such as a fabric glove may include force sensing circuitry. The force sensing circuitry may include force sensor elements formed from electrodes on a compressible substrate such as an elastomeric polymer substrate. The fabric may include intertwined strands of material including conductive strands. Signals from the force sensing circuitry may be conveyed to control circuitry in the item using the conductive strands. Wireless circuitry in the fabric-based item may be used to convey force sensor information to external equipment. The compressible substrate may have opposing upper and lower surfaces. Electrodes for the force sensor elements may be formed on the upper and lower surfaces. Stiffeners may overlap the electrodes to help decouple adjacent force sensor elements from each other. Integrated circuits can be attached to respective force sensing elements using adhesive.

    Fabric Items with Electrical Components
    6.
    发明申请

    公开(公告)号:US20200087823A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-03-19

    申请号:US16415486

    申请日:2019-05-17

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: A fabric-based item may include fabric formed from intertwined strands of material. The fabric may include first and second fabric layers that at least partially surround a pocket. Initially, the pocket may be completely enclosed by the first and second layers of fabric. A shim may be placed in the pocket before the pocket is closed. An opening may be formed in the first layer of fabric to expose a conductive strand in the pocket. The shim may prevent the cutting tool from cutting all the way through to the second layer of fabric. After cutting the hole in the first layer of fabric, the shim may be removed and an electrical component may be soldered to the conductive strand in the pocket. A polymer material may be injected into the pocket to encapsulate the electrical component. The polymer material may interlock with the surrounding pocket walls.

    Weaving equipment
    7.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US10550497B1

    公开(公告)日:2020-02-04

    申请号:US15467991

    申请日:2017-03-23

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: Weaving equipment may include warp strand positioning equipment that positions warp strands and weft strand positioning equipment that inserts weft strands among the warp strands to form fabric. The fabric may include insulating strands and conductive strands. The conductive strands may be coupled to electrical devices using solder joints or other conductive connections. During weaving, an electrically controlled shuttle may dispense weft strands between warp strands. The electrically controlled shuttle may include control circuitry and communications circuitry. The communications circuitry may be used to support communications between the control circuitry and equipment external to the shuttle. Movable arms, cutters, heaters, soldering devices, strand dispensers, intertwining devices, and other electrically controlled devices may be incorporated into the shuttle and controlled by control signals from the control circuitry.

    Knit data input glove
    8.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US10761605B1

    公开(公告)日:2020-09-01

    申请号:US15940844

    申请日:2018-03-29

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An item such as a glove may be formed from knitted fabric. The knitted fabric may form fingers for the glove and may form pockets in the fingers. Sensors such as inertial measurement units may be placed in the pockets to measure movements of a user's fingers in the glove. The sensors may be coupled to control circuitry in the glove using conductive yarn in the knitted fabric. The conductive yarn may form courses in the knitted fabric that run along each finger. Haptic components and other electrical components may be coupled to the control circuitry using the conductive yarn. Electrodes may be formed from metal-coated strands of material in the fabric on the sides of each finger. The wireless or wired communications circuitry coupled to the control circuitry may be used to convey information such as user finger movement information to external equipment.

    Fabric-based items with fusible insulating strands

    公开(公告)号:US10472742B1

    公开(公告)日:2019-11-12

    申请号:US15424607

    申请日:2017-02-03

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An item may include fabric or other materials formed from intertwined strands of material. The item may include circuitry that produces signals. The strands of material may include non-conductive strands and conductive strands. The conductive strands may carry the signals produced by the circuitry. Conductive strands may be insulated by insulating strands that have been wrapped around the conductive strands. Insulating strands may include strands of fusible material that softens when heated to the appropriate temperature. Fusible insulating strands may be interspersed with insulating strands of a different material. The fusible insulating strands may be heated such that the fusible material melts and fills gaps between the other insulating strands, thereby forming a watertight covering over the conductive strand. The fusible insulating strands may be used to insulate electrical connections between conductive strands and/or between electronic components and conductive strands.

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