Self-configuring contact arrays for interfacing with electric circuits and fabric carriers
AssigneeUniversity of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorCindy K. HARNETT
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments include circuitry and circuit elements such as contact arrays for harvesting power and soft connectors and patches for connecting flexible and stretchable soft circuits.
Claims29
An electrical contact array, comprising
- a plurality of external contacts;
- a plurality of power collection diodes or transistors, at least one per external contact, configured to extract power from a power source;
- signal pass-throughs;
- and
- a power output configured to output the maximum and minimum voltages to which the contacts are exposed.
A system of power delivery involving flexible circuits or e-textiles, comprising
- a power circuit with positive and negative voltage traces;
- and
- a contact array with a plurality of contacts configured to extract power from the power circuit using any one of a plurality of variable positions of the contact array with respect to the power circuit traces.
A method of harvesting power from a power circuit with positive and negative voltage traces, comprising
- randomly positioning a contact array with respect to the power circuit traces such that some of the contact pins do not contact any power circuit trace, the contact array comprising contact pins that are narrower than the smallest gap between traces on the power circuit;
- and
- outputting the maximum and minimum voltages to which the contacts are exposed.
A soft electronic patch, comprising
- an array of redundant microelectromechanical system (MEMS) contacts;
- conductive traces for routing signals and power to a supervisory circuit;
- and
- a porous fiber-based carrier.
A method of producing an electrical connection patch, comprising microfabricating a 2D thin film strain-mismatched bilayer on a substrate, the bilayer including a conductive top layer and a bottom layer,
- positioning the 2D thin film adjacent to a fabric carrier, and
- releasing the bilayer from the substrate, causing arms of the bilayer to curl about fibers of the fabric carrier.
An electrode contact array providing a repositionable circuit for powering electronics existing onboard an underlying circuit with positive and negative traces in an operating e-textile, comprising:
- a symmetrical pattern of electrical contacts constructed from semiconductor materials configured to provide power from a power source when placed in contact with positive and negative traces of the underlying circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.