Active Garment Materials
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorsThomas B. Stanford, Weldon S. Williamson, Elena Sherman, Andrew C. Chu
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Abstract
An adaptable garment material and method of producing such a material. The material may have a substrate and a plurality of shape memory polymer elements integrated therewith, or may be a mat of interwoven shape memory polymer elements. The shape memory elements adapt in the presence of an actuation trigger and exhibit different properties upon actuation.
Claims30
An adaptable garment comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of shape memory polymer elements integrated with the substrate;
- one or more sensors configured to sense a change in one or more environmental factors;
- a processor operable to apply an electrical potential to one or more of the shape memory polymer elements to alter the properties of the shape memory polymer elements in response to the change in the one or more environmental factors.
An adaptable garment material comprising:
- a substrate;
- a plurality of shape memory polymer elements integrated with the substrate, said elements adapting from a first state to a second state in the presence of an actuation trigger;
- and
- wherein the plurality of shape memory polymer elements are exposed to the environment around the material and are adapted to exhibit different insulative and wicking properties between the first state and the second state.
An adaptable garment material, the material comprising:
- a plurality of interwoven shape memory polymer elements, said elements adapting from a first state to a second state in the presence of an actuation trigger;
- and
- wherein the plurality of shape memory polymer elements are adapted to exhibit different insulative and wicking properties between the first state and the second state.
A method for producing an adaptable garment material exhibiting variable insulative and wicking properties, the method comprising:
- integrating a plurality of shape memory polymer fibers with a substrate;
- heating the shape memory polymer fibers above a shape change transition temperature of the shape memory polymer;
- applying pressure to the shape memory alloy fibers to form the fibers into a first state;
- and
- cooling the shape memory polymer fibers below the shape change transition temperature of the shape memory polymer.
A method for producing an adaptable garment material exhibiting variable insulative and wicking properties, the method comprising:
- imparting a remembered shape to a plurality of shape memory polymer elements;
- integrating the plurality of shape memory polymer fibers into a shape memory polymer material;
- and
- bonding the shape memory polymer material to an auxiliary material layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.