Surface functional electro-textile with functionality modulation capability, methods for making the same, and applications incorporating the same
AssigneeTextronics, Inc.
InventorsEleni Karayianni, Eduardo Munoz, George W. Coulston, Stacey B. Burr, Thomas A. Micka
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Abstract
A surface functional electro-textile fabric incorporates energy-active, electrically conductive or optically conductive fibers and nonconductive fibers in a woven or knitted textile fabric. The weave or knit pattern is selected so as to form floats of the electrically conductive fibers on at least one surface of the electro-textile fabric. The electro-textile fabric can be incorporated into an antenna structure that interacts with high frequency electromagnetic radiation, particularly in the frequency range of DC to 100 GHz.
Claims8
A method of modulating functionality of an electro-textile fabric comprising:
- incorporating a plurality of non-conductive textile filaments and a plurality of energy-active functional filaments into a weaving apparatus;
- integrating the non-conductive textile filaments and the energy-active functional filaments by weaving into the electro-textile fabric in accordance with a weave pattern selected from the group consisting of:
- satin, twill, rib, basket weave, double face construction, and any derivative based on these, resulting in floats of energy-active functional filaments on at least a first surface of the electro-textile fabric, wherein at least one of the non-conductive textile filaments and the energy-active functional filaments is elastic;
- and
- selectively removing from the electro-textile fabric at least one of the energy-active functional filaments or the non-conductive filaments to isolate at least one electrical pathway.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.