# US 2014/0150573 A1 · Device for Measuring Pressure from a Flexible, Pliable, and/or Extensible Object Made from a Textile Material Comprising a Measurement Device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0150573 A1 - Document ID: US20140150573A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/979,582 - Filed: 2012-01-12 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-01-13 - Assignees: Francis Cannard - Inventors: Francis Cannard; Bruno Diot; Christophe Lavarenne; Nicolas Vuillerme; Yohann Payan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150573A1 ## CPC - G01L 1/18: using properties of piezo-resistive materials, i.e. materials of which the ohmic resistance varies according to changes in magnitude or direction of force applied to the material - B29C 66/729: {Textile or other fibrous material made from plastics} - B29C 66/7314: {Electrical and dielectric properties} - D03D 1/0088: {Fabrics having an electronic function} - D03D 11/00: Double or multi-ply fabrics not otherwise provided for - D03D 15/25: Metal - D03D 15/283: synthetic polymer-based, e.g. polyamide or polyester fibres (cellulose-based artificial fibres D03D15/225) - D03D 15/50: characterised by the properties of the yarns or threads - D03D 25/005: {Three-dimensional woven fabrics} - A61B 2562/0247: Pressure sensors - D10B 2401/06: Load-responsive characteristics - D10B 2401/16: antistatic; conductive - G01L 1/2231: {the supports being disc- or ring-shaped, adapted for measuring a force along a single direction} - G01L: MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE (weighing G01G) - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - D03D: WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - D10B: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES ## Abstract A device and method for measuring the pressure exerted at different points of a flexible, pliable and/or extensible fabric capable of being worn as a garment, lapel, or the like, which provides three stacked layers including a first insulating layer comprising an arrangement of insulating fibers and at least one row of at least one conductive yarn in contact with a first surface of a piezoresistive layer of fibers of a piezoresistive material, and a second insulating layer comprising an arrangement of insulating fibers, including at least one row of at least one conductive yarn, in contact with a second surface of the piezoresistive layer, and an electronic circuit capable of measuring the electric resistance variation when a pressure is exerted on the fabric, the pressure being a function of the resistance variation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for measuring the pressure exerted at different points of a flexible, pliable, and/or extensible fabric capable of being worn as a garment, lapel, or the like, characterized in that it comprises at least three stacked layers, the at least three stacked layers including a first insulating layer comprising an arrangement of insulating fibers, and comprising at least one row of at least one conductive yarn in contact with a first surface of a piezoresistive layer comprising fibers of a piezoresistive material, and a second insulating layer comprising an arrangement of insulating fibers, and comprising at least one row of at least one conductive yarn, in contact with a second surface of the piezoresistive layer, and an electronic circuit capable of measuring the electric resistance variation when a pressure is exerted on the fabric, the pressure being a function of the resistance variation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, characterized in that the piezoresistive layer is obtained by knitting or weaving the fibers of a piezoresistive material. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, characterized in that the piezoresistive layer comprises piezoresistive areas and insulating areas. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, characterized in that the insulating layers are obtained by knitting or weaving, or the like of fibers made of an insulating material. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, characterized in that the conductive yarns of the first insulating layer in contact with the first surface of the piezoresistive layer cross the conductive yarns of the second insulating layer in contact with the opposite second surface of the piezoresistive layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The device of claim 5, characterized in that the conductive yarns of the first insulating layer in contact with the first surface of the piezoresistive layer extend perpendicularly to the conductive yarns of the second insulating layer in contact with the second surface of the piezoresistive layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, characterized in that the piezoresistive material is an intrinsically conducting polymer and/or an organic metal, and/or carbon nanotubes. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The device of claim 7, characterized in that the piezoresistive material is polyaniline. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The device of claim 7, characterized in that the piezoresistive material is polypyrrole. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, characterized in that the conductive yarns comprise silver yarns. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, characterized in that the conductive yarns comprise nickel yarns. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, characterized in that the circuit measures the electric resistance variation from the scanning of the sensor array, considering the conductive yarns of the first insulating layer in contact with the first surface of the piezoresistive layer and the conductive yarns of the second insulating layer in contact with the second surface of the piezoresistive layer, the scanning being obtained from the sequential selection of a conductive yarn of the first insulating layer and the sequential reading of a conductive yarn of the second insulating layer crossing the conductive yarn of the upper layer, the reading of the sensor resistance variation being obtained from an analog-to-digital converter. ### Claim 13 A pressure sensor capable of being connected to an electronic circuit measuring the electric resistance variation when a pressure is exerted on the sensor, the pressure being a function of the resistance variation, characterized in that it comprises at least three stacked layers, the at least three stacked layers including a first insulating layer, comprising an arrangement of insulating fibers, and comprising at least one row of at least one conductive yarn in contact with a first surface of a piezoresistive layer comprising fibers of a piezoresistive material, and a second insulating layer comprising an arrangement of insulating fibers, and comprising at least one row of at least one conductive yarn, in contact with a second surface of the piezoresistive layer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The sensor of claim 13, characterized in that the piezoresistive layer is obtained by knitting or weaving of fibers of a piezoresistive material. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The sensor of claim 13, characterized in that the piezoresistive layer comprises piezoresistive areas and insulating areas. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The sensor of claim 13, characterized in that the insulating layers are obtained by knitting or weaving of fibers made of an insulating material. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The sensor of claim 13, characterized in that the conductive yarns of the first insulating layer in contact with the first surface of the piezoresistive layer cross the conductive yarns of the second insulating layer in contact with the second surface of the piezoresistive layer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The sensor of claim 13, characterized in that the piezoresistive material is an intrinsically conducting polymer such as polyaniline, and/or polypyrrole, and/or an organic metal, and/or carbon nanotubes. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The sensor of claim 13, characterized in that the conductive yarns comprise silver or nickel yarns. ### Claim 20 A method for manufacturing at least one pressure sensor capable of being connected to an electronic circuit measuring the electric resistance variation when a pressure is exerted on the sensor, the pressure being a function of the resistance variation, characterized in that it comprises at least the steps of: forming a first insulating layer comprising an arrangement of insulating fibers, and comprising at least one row of at least one conductive yarn; forming a piezoresistive layer, forming a second insulating layer comprising an arrangement of insulating fibers, and comprising at least one row of at least one conductive yarn, and assembling the first and second insulating layers and the piezoresistive layer in such a way that the at least one row of conductive yarns of the first insulating layer is in contact with a first surface of the piezoresistive layer and that the at least one row of conductive yarns of the second insulating layer is in contact with the second surface of said piezoresistive layer. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, characterized in that the step of assembling the first and second insulating layers and the piezoresistive layer comprises bonding said layers. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, characterized in that the insulating layers and the piezoresistive layer are simultaneously formed by a 3-dimensional knitting or weaving, the piezoresistive layers being formed by spacer yarns connecting the first and second insulating layers at the level of the conductive yarns of the first and second insulating layers. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, characterized in that at least one of the first and second insulating layers is knit from an arrangement of insulating fibers while leaving rows empty, after which a third insulating layer comprising at least one row of at least one conductive yarn spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to the spacing between the empty rows of the at least one insulating layer is assembled with said at least one insulating layer so that the conductive yarns of the third insulating layer extend in the empty rows and are in contact with the piezoresistive layer.