Abstract:
A fabric-based item may include fabric formed from intertwined strands of material such as intertwined strands of tubing. The strands of material may include electrophoretic ink formed from charged nanoparticles of different colors in fluid. The electrophoretic ink may be contained within strands of tubing or may be enclosed within encapsulation structures such as encapsulation spheres. Encapsulation spheres or other encapsulation structures may be embedded in clear polymer binder within tubing or other strands. Electroluminescent particles may be included in the clear polymer binder. Electric fields can be applied to the electrophoretic ink in a given area of the fabric using conductive strands that overlap the area, using conductive electrodes such as transparent conductive electrodes on strands of tubing, using coaxial electrodes, or using other electrode structures.
Abstract:
Interlacing equipment may be used to form fabric (12) and to create a gap (66) in the fabric. The fabric may include one or more conductive strands (80c). An insertion tool (54) may be used to align an electrical component (26) with the conductive strands (80c) during interlacing operations. A soldering tool may be used to remove insulation from the conductive strands to expose conductive segments on the conductive strands. The soldering tool may be used to solder the conductive segments to the electrical component. The solder connections (82) may be located in grooves (50) in the electrical component (26). An encapsulation tool may dispense encapsulation material (260) in the grooves (50) to encapsulate the solder connections (82). After the electrical component (26) is electrically connected to the conductive strands (80c), the insertion tool 854) may position and release the electrical component in the gap. A component retention tool (220) may temporarily be used to retain the electrical component in the gap as interlacing operations continue.
Abstract:
An item may have a flexible support structure and may include a flexible component. The flexible component may have electrical components mounted on component mounting regions in a flexible circuit substrate. The component mounting regions may be interconnected by serpentine interconnect paths or other flexible interconnect paths. The flexible circuit substrate and component mounting regions may extend along a longitudinal axis of the flexible component or may form a two-dimensional array. Two-dimensional mesh-shaped flexible circuit substrates may be used in forming displays. The mesh-shaped flexible circuit substrates may be auxetic substrates that widen when stretched (e.g., structures with a negative Poisson's ratio that become thicker perpendicular to applied force when stretched) and that therefore reduce image distortion. Temporary tethers may help hold flexible circuit substrates together until intentionally broken following assembly of a flexible component into the flexible support structure.
Abstract:
A fabric-based item may include fabric formed from intertwined strands of material. The strands of material may include extruded strands. Strand extrusion equipment may have electrically adjustable sources such as one or more sources of different polymers, dyes, particles, wire, and other elements to be incorporated into an extruded strand. The properties of the strands such as strand stiffness, strand diameter, conductivity, magnetic permeability, opacity, color, thermal conductivity, sand strength, may be varied along their lengths. Fabric formed from the strands may have different areas with different properties. Markers may be formed from particles at particular locations along the lengths of the strands, may be optical marker structures formed from circumferential rings of ink or other visible material on the strands, or may be other markers that can be sensed using electrical sensing, magnetic sensing, optical sensing, or other types of sensing when forming fabric from the strands.
Abstract:
A fabric-based item such as a fabric glove may include force sensing circuitry. The force sensing circuitry may include force sensor elements formed from electrodes on a compressible substrate such as an elastomeric polymer substrate. The fabric may include intertwined strands of material including conductive strands. Signals from the force sensing circuitry may be conveyed to control circuitry in the item using the conductive strands. Wireless circuitry in the fabric -based item may be used to convey force sensor information to external equipment. The compressible substrate may have opposing upper and lower surfaces. Electrodes for the force sensor elements may be formed on the upper and lower surfaces. Stiff eners may overlap the electrodes to help decouple adjacent force sensor elements from each other. Integrated circuits can be attached to respective force sensing elements using adhesive.