Weaving equipment
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsDaniel D. Sunshine, Andrew L. Rosenberg, Daniel A. Podhajny, Didio V. Gomes, Maurice P. May
Life of this patent
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AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsDaniel D. Sunshine, Andrew L. Rosenberg, Daniel A. Podhajny, Didio V. Gomes, Maurice P. May
Estimating the term…
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.
An electronically controllable shuttle that is configured to dispense an amount of a weft strand while passing through warp fibers in weaving equipment, comprising:
A weaving shuttle for forming fabric having strands of material, wherein the strands of material include weft strands and warp strands, and wherein the weaving shuttle dispenses the weft strands while passing by the warp strands as the shuttle moves back and forth in a shuttle track in a shuttle support structure in weaving equipment, the weaving shuttle comprising:
An electronically controllable fabric weaving shuttle that is configured to dispense a length of a weft strand while passing through warp strands in weaving equipment, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.