Patent Application
20210140075
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The present invention relates to an electrically conductive textile band for transmitting an electrical signal by interconnecting wearable smart devices and, more particularly, to an electrically conductive and elastic textile band capable of precisely transmitting an electrical signal without distortion because a change in resistance according to extension is rarely present although the textile band is extended in one direction.
With the development of the information communication technology, a study on a wearable smart device worn by a user is actively carried out.
The wearable smart device is an electronic device which is attached to the human body or a thing and can collect or analyze information while operating in conjunction with an external computer. A patch type attachable device attached to a portable device, such as clothes, a watch, a bracelet or glasses, or the skin and configured to detect a heartbeat or a body heat and an implantable device which may be implemented into the human body are developed.
The wearable smart device is connected to a conductive line in order to transmit an electrical signal between devices or to an external computer in order to collect or analyze information. Conventionally, a cable type conductive line is used. The cable type conductive line has a poor wearing sensation and is very inconvenient to use because it has to be removed upon washing. In order to solve such problems, a technology for a conductive yarn and fiber which can be conveniently worn, can be washed and has electrical conduction is developed.
As such an example, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2010-0012593 discloses fabric in which conductive yarns are formed in non-conductive fabric in an embroidery form. However, such an embroidery method has a problem in that productivity is low because a separate design and pattern are formed for each product.
Furthermore, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0069287 discloses conductive fabric in which conductive yarns are weaved as wefts or warps, and has advantages in that conductive fabric has excellent productivity compared to the embroidery method and can be freely extended in response to a motion of a user because a crimp is formed in the conductive yarn.
If such conductive fabric is used in a wearable smart device, however, the conductive fabric can provide a wearer's convenience because it can be freely extended in response to a motion of the human body of a wearer, but may experience a change in resistance because the cross section or length of the conductive yarn is changed upon extension.
Accordingly, there is a problem in that a fine electrical signal, such as a bio signal, cannot be precisely transmitted because noise occurs in the electrical signal due to a change in resistance occurring in response to a motion of the human body of a wearer.
(Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2010-0012593 entitled “Electrically conductive metal composite embroidery yarn and embroidered circuit using thereof”
(Patent Document 2) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0069287 entitled “Stretchable conductive fabric”
Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems occurring in the prior art, and the present invention provides an electrically conductive and elastic textile band capable of transmitting an electrical signal to an electronic device connected thereto without distortion because a change in resistance according to extension is minimized although the textile band is connected to a wearable smart device and extended in one direction.
In an embodiment, there is provided an electrically conductive and elastic textile band in which a first direction fiber and the second direction fiber are orthogonal to each other, wherein the first direction fiber includes an extensible yarn and a conductive yarn having electrical conduction, the extensible yarn and conductive yarn are orthogonal to the second direction fibers, respectively, the extensible yarn has a greater size of fiber than the conductive yarn, and the conductive yarn is positioned within a marginal space orthogonally formed by the second direction fiber.
Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the marginal space is formed between the extensible yarn arranged in the first direction.
Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the marginal space is formed by the extensible yarn protruded to a top and bottom of the second direction fiber.
Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the conductive yarn is extended in the first direction within the marginal space by a height difference formed by the conductive yarn before and after the extensible yarn.
Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, a single or a plurality of the conductive yarns is alternately arranged along with one or more extensible yarns in the first direction.
Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, a ratio of sizes of fiber of the conductive yarn and the extensible yarn is 1:4 to 1:8.
Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the electrically conductive textile band has a rate of change in resistance of 3% or less according to extension in the first direction.
Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the electrically conductive textile band has a rate of change in resistance of 3% or less if the electrically conductive textile band is extended 80% or less in the first direction.
10: electrically conductive textile band
20: first direction fiber
21: extensible yarn
22: conductive yarn
30: second direction fiber
40: clamp
S: marginal space
D1: extensible yarn thickness before extension
D2: extensible yarn thickness after extension
H1: conductive yarn height before extension
H2: conductive yarn height after extension
C: conductive yarn path length
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiments are provided to a person having ordinary knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertain to fully describe the present invention. In the drawings, the shape of an element, the size of an element and the distance between elements may have been exaggerated or reduced in order to emphasize a clearer description.
Furthermore, in describing the embodiments, a detailed description of a known art which is evident to an ordinary person in the art to which the present invention pertains, such as a known function or construction related to the present invention, will be omitted if it is deemed to make the gist of the present invention unnecessarily vague.
In the present invention, a term “fiber” means a natural or artificial line-shaped polymer object which can be bent lengthily, slimly and flexibly. A term “elongation rate” means a ratio of a drawn and extended length and the original length (unit: %).
Furthermore, in the present invention, a term “first direction fiber” means a fiber arranged in the direction in which the length of the fiber is extended, and means a warp or a weft. A “second direction fiber” means a fiber orthogonal to the “first direction fiber”, and means a weft or a warp.
An electrically conductive textile band according to an embodiment of the present invention is a conductive line used to electrically connect an electrical element, such as a sensor embedded in smart clothes, an electronic device, such as a display or a terminal, and a power source unit for driving a sensor or an electronic device.
The first direction fiber 20 is configured with an extensible yarn 21 having elasticity and a conductive yarn 22 having electrical conduction, and is orthogonal to the second direction fiber 30.
In this case, the extensible yarn 21 and the conductive yarn 22 are arranged in the same first direction, and are freely extended by the extensible yarn 21 in the first direction in which an electrical signal is transmitted in response to a motion of a user.
Furthermore, the extensible yarn 21 extends the electrically conductive textile band 10 in the first direction and also forms a marginal space S in the first direction in which the conductive yarns 22 are arranged. To this end, as shown in
The conductive yarn 22 is a fiber having electrical conduction. The conductive yarn 22 and the extensible yarn 21 and are alternately arranged in the first direction.
As described above, the conductive yarn 22 that is alternately arranged along with the extensible yarn 21 can be freely extended by an adjacent extensible yarn 21. Furthermore, as shown in
A known synthetic fiber, such as a polyester yarn or a nylon yarn, may be used as the second direction fibers 30 orthogonal to the respective extensible yarn 21 and conductive yarn 22 configuring the first direction fiber 20. The electrically conductive textile band 10 illustrated in
That is, the extensible yarn 21 orthogonal to the top and bottom of the first direction fiber 20 is protruded by a corresponding thickness, and the conductive yarn 22 having a smaller size of fiber than the extensible yarn 21 is orthogonal to the first direction fiber 20 in parallel to the extensible yarn 21. Accordingly, as shown in
In this case, in order for the marginal space S to be formed by the extensible yarn 21, a ratio of the sizes of fiber of the conductive yarn 22 and the extensible yarn 21 may be 1:4 to 1:8. If the ratio of the sizes of fiber of the conductive yarn 22 and the extensible yarn 21 is less than 1:4, a change in resistance occurs if the elongation rate of the extensible yarn 21 is high because the marginal space S is reduced. If the ratio of the sizes of fiber of the conductive yarn 22 and the extensible yarn 21 exceeds 1:8, it is difficult for the conductive yarn 22 and the first direction fiber 20 to be weaved because the marginal space S is too large. Furthermore, the ratio of the sizes of fiber of the conductive yarn 22 and the first direction fiber 20 may be 1:1˜1:4. If the ratio of the sizes of fiber of the conductive yarn 22 and the first direction fiber 20 is less than 1:1, it is difficult for the second direction fiber 30 to be weaved with the first direction fiber 20. If the ratio of the sizes of fiber of the conductive yarn 22 and the first direction fiber 20 exceeds 1:4, a change in resistance occurs because the second direction fiber 30 presses the conductive yarn 22 upon extension.
The state in which the electrically conductive textile band 10 has been extended is illustrated in
Changes in the form of the conductive yarn 22 before and after the electrically conductive textile band 10 is extended as described above are illustrated in
Such embodiment of the present invention and a comparison example are described below.
<Embodiment 1>
A conductive yarn having a size of fiber of 70 denier was prepared as a warp by covering an outer side of a polyurethane yarn, that is, corn yarn, with a nylon covered yarn and coating silver (Ag) nanopowder on an extensible yarn having a size of fiber of 420 deniers and the nylon yarn. Furthermore, a polyester yarn having a size of fiber of 150 deniers was prepared as a weft. One strand of an extensible yarn and one strand of a conductive yarn are alternately weaved along with the weft in the warp direction, thus forms side parts on both sides. Only the extensible yarn and the weft are weaved at the center. Accordingly, as shown in
<Embodiment 2>
An electrically conductive textile band identical with that of the embodiment 1 was fabricated except that an extensible yarn having a size of fiber of 350 deniers was used.
<Comparison Example 1>
An electrically conductive textile band identical with that of the embodiment 1 was fabricated except that an extensible yarn having a size of fiber of 200 deniers was used.
<Comparison Example 2>
An electrically conductive textile band identical with that of the embodiment 1 was fabricated except that an extensible yarn and a conductive yarn both having a size of fiber of 70 deniers were used.
<Comparison Example 3>
An electrically conductive textile band identical with that of the embodiment 1 was fabricated except that a weft having a size of fiber of 350 deniers was used.
Changes in resistance according to the extension of the textile bands according to the embodiments 1 and 2 and the comparison examples 1 to 3 were measured as follows.
<Experiment 1: Measurement of Changes in Resistance According to Extension>
As shown in
A rate of change in resistance according to extension (%)=(resistance value after extension in the warp direction−resistance value prior to extension)/(resistance value prior to extension)×100.
As shown in Table 1 and
From such an experiment, it could be seen that a difference in the size of fiber between the extensible yarn and weft arranged in the same direction as the conductive yarn 22 greatly influences a rate of change in resistance. The reason for this is that upon extension, the conductive yarn 22 positioned within the marginal space S formed by the extensible yarn 21 having a large size of fiber is extended in the warp direction without being influenced by weight or an external force according to the extension of the extensible yarn 21. Accordingly, the cross section and path length C of the conductive yarn 22 before and after extension is almost the same, and there is almost no change in resistance in the conductive yarn 22.
As described above, the electrically conductive textile band 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can transfer an electrical signal in the direction in which the extensible yarn 21 and the conductive yarn 22 are extended because the extensible yarn 21 and the conductive yarn 22 are arranged in the same direction. Accordingly, a fine electrical signal can be accurately transmitted to an electronic device connected to the textile band without noise because a change in resistance can be minimized upon extension.
The electrically conductive and elastic textile band according to an embodiment of the present invention can transfer an electrical signal in the direction in which the extensible yarn and the conductive yarn, that is, the first direction fiber, are extended because the first direction fiber is orthogonal to the second direction fiber. Furthermore, when the extensible yarn is extended, a change in resistance can be minimized because the conductive yarn within the marginal space formed by the extensible yarn having a large size of fiber is not influenced by weight according to extension or an external force and is extended without a change in the path length. Accordingly, when the textile band is used in a wearable smart device, a fine electrical signal, such as a bio signal, can be precisely transmitted to an electronic device connected to the textile band without noise.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and it is evident to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the spirit and range of the present invention. Accordingly such modifications or changes may fall within the claims of the present invention.
