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  Plural layer woven electronic textile, article and methodUSPTO Application #: 20070049147Title: Plural layer woven electronic textile, article and method Abstract: A woven article having plural weave layers comprises a plurality of electrically insulating and/or electrically conductive yarn in the warp and a plurality of electrically insulating and/or electrically conductive yarn in the weft interwoven with the yarn in the warp. An electrical function is provided by one or more circuit carriers disposed in cavities in the plural layer woven article and/or one or more functional yarn in the warp and/or the weft, wherein the circuit carrier and/or functional yarn include an electrical contact for connecting to the electrically conductive yarn in the warp and/or weft. (end of abstract) Agent: Patent Docket Administrator Lowenstein Sandler P.C. - Roseland, NJ, US Inventors: Ian Gregory Hill, Seth Reuben Trotz, George Herbert Needham Riddle, David Stuart Brookstein, Muthu Govindaraj USPTO Applicaton #: 20070049147 - Class: 442181000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Fabric (woven, Knitted, Or Nonwoven Textile Or Cloth, Etc.), Woven Fabric (i.e., Woven Strand Or Strip Material) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070049147. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/431,763, filed May 8, 2003, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/379,723 filed May 10, 2002, and of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/419,159 filed Oct. 17, 2002. [0002] The present invention relates to a woven article and method, and, in particular, to a plural layer woven textile and/or article having an electronic circuit woven therein, and a method therefor. [0003] In many fields of endeavor, from military to sport to apparel, a desire exists for electronic circuits to be incorporated into fabric and into articles that may be made of fabric. In some instances, such as electric blankets and electrically conductive fabric, electrically resistive and/or electrically conductive are been woven into fabric with insulating yarn to provide the desired resistance heating and/or conductivity characteristics. In these relatively simple arrangements, the characteristics of the resistive heating yarn determines the heating characteristics of the woven electric blanket and the conductivity of the electrically conductive yarn substantially determines the conductivity characteristic of the fabric. In other words, the number and size of electrically conductive yarn determine the conductivity of the fabric. [0004] Apart from the aforementioned relatively simple arrangements, where electrical functionality of greater complexity has been desired, electrical circuits have been added to fabric after the fabric is woven. Among the approaches are the lamination of electrical circuit substrates to a fabric, e.g., as described in U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2002/0076948 of B. Farrell et al entitled "Method of Manufacturing a Fabric Article to Include Electronic Circuitry and an Electrically Active Textile Article," and the embroidering and/or applique of electrical conductors and circuits onto a fabric, e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,771 to E. R. Post et al entitled "Electrically Active Textiles and Articles Made Therefrom" and in an article by E. R. Post et al entitled "E-Broidery: Design and Fabrication of Textile-Based Computing" published in the IBM Systems Journal, Volume 39, Numbers 3 & 4, pages 840-860, 2000. In addition, an arrangement attaching electrical components to woven fabric including conductive yarn, such as by connecting the components to the conductive yarn by soldering and/or by electrically conductive adhesive, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,381,482 to Jayaraman et al entitled "Fabric or Garment With Integrated Flexible Information Infrastructure." [0005] In the aforementioned arrangements, the electrical electronic function is added after the fabric has been woven, e.g., by embroidery or by applique or by mechanical attachment, thereby adding additional steps and additional complexity to the manufacturing process. In addition, the particular arrangement thereof appears to be suited to one specific application or usage with corresponding specific manufacturing, and does not appear to lend itself to an efficient, relatively general manufacturing wherein the function and operation of the resulting fabric need not be specified or determined until after the fabric is woven, i.e. manufactured. [0006] Accordingly, there is a need for a woven textile and article having an electronic circuit function woven therein. [0007] To this end, the multilayer woven article of the present invention comprises warp yarn and weft yarn interwoven in a multilayer weave having plural layers defining at least one cavity therebetween, at least one electrically conductive yarn disposed in the warp and/or in the weft and having a portion thereof in one of the plural layers defining the at least one cavity, and a circuit carrier disposed in the cavity and having at least one exposed electrical contact in electrical connection with the at least one electrically conductive yarn, the circuit carrier including at least one electronic device for performing a function. [0008] According to another aspect of the invention, a multilayer woven article comprises a plurality of electrically insulating yarn and electrically conductive yarn defining plural layers in the warp, a plurality of electrically insulating yarn and electrically conductive yarn in the weft interwoven in a multilayer weave with the plurality of electrically insulating yarn and electrically conductive yarn in plural layers in the warp, wherein an electrically conductive yarn in the warp crossing an electrically conductive yarn in the weft makes electrical connection therewith at the crossing thereof, and at least one electrically conductive yarn in the warp and/or in the weft woven into at least first and second ones of the plural layers for crossing at least one electrically conductive yarn in the other of the warp and/or weft without making electrical contact therewith. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING [0009] The detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be more easily and better understood when read in conjunction with the FIGURES of the Drawing which include: [0010] FIG. 1A is a plan view schematic diagram of an example woven fabric including an example embodiment of an electronic circuit therein; [0011] FIG. 1B is an isometric schematic view of a portion of an example multilayer woven fabric including an example embodiment of an electronic circuit therein; [0012] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematic diagram of a yarn including an example electronic circuit function, as for the woven fabric of FIGS. 1A and 1B; [0013] FIGS. 3A through 3D are plan view schematic diagrams of example embodiments of yarns including an example electronic circuit function suitable for a woven fabric as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B; [0014] FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are plan view schematic diagrams of an example embodiment of a circuit carrier including an example electronic circuit function suitable for a woven fabric as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and FIG. 4D is an isometric view thereof when folded; [0015] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating an example circuit carrier disposed in a cavity of a multilayer woven fabric; [0016] FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams illustrating example loom arrangements suitable for making example embodiments of fabric described herein; [0017] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an example carrier insertion arrangement and an example roller arrangement suitable for weaving and finishing fabric woven in accordance with FIGS. 6A-6B; [0018] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an example yarn including an example electronic circuit function suitable for use with the example loom arrangements of FIGS. 6A-6B; and [0019] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an example woven textile illustrating an ordinary weave and a complex weave useful in connection with the arrangements of FIGS. 1A to 3B. [0020] In the Drawing, where an element or feature is shown in more than one drawing figure, the same alphanumeric designation may be used to designate such element or feature in each figure, and where a closely related or modified element is shown in a figure, the same alphanumerical designation primed may be used to designate the modified element or feature. It is noted that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawing are not to scale, and the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) [0021] Woven textiles generally comprise two sets of relatively straight yarn, the warp and the weft, which cross and interweave to form a fabric. Typically, the warp and weft yarn cross at approximately a right angle as woven, but may cross at any angle. Also typically, fabric is woven to have a given width, but may have any desired length. The warp yarn runs in the length direction of the fabric, which is generally the longer dimension thereof, and the weft yarn runs in the crosswise or width direction thereof, which is generally the shorter dimension. With a modern computer controlled loom, the weaving process is performed automatically and may be responsive to weaving instructions described in computer instructions and/or derived from a computer aided design program. More complex weaves, such as a Leno weave in which a pair of warp yarn are intertwined in a series of figure eights with filling yarn, may employ more than two sets of yarn and/or other than a plain weave in the warp and/or weft, are readily made by such modern looms. [0022] A textile and/or fabric may be woven in a single-layer weave and/or in a plural-layer weave. It is noted that textiles and/or fabrics having two or more layers, i.e. plural layers, are commonly and generally referred to as multilayer weaves. Certain weaves may be referred to specifically, e.g., a two-layer woven fabric may be referred to as a double weave. Double and other multilayer weaving is conventional and is described in many publications, e.g., D. Chandler, Learning to Weave, Interweave Press, 1995, Lesson 10, "Double Weave." Continue reading... Full patent description for Plural layer woven electronic textile, article and method Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Plural layer woven electronic textile, article and method patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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