The present invention relates to the field of textile articles having electrically conductive portions integrated therein.
A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibres together. Textile products may be prepared from a number of combinations of fibers, yarns, films, sheets, foams, furs, or leather. They are found in apparel, household and commercial furnishings, vehicles, and industrial products.
New textile materials, miniaturization of electrical components and other technical developments have enabled the integration of wires and electronics into clothing in order to create intelligent garments. In intelligent garments, sensors and other components, such as simple processing elements, are integrated into the fabric. The garments may be composed of conductive fibers and other materials, such as piezoresistive and piezoelectric polymers, and are useful for different applications in human monitoring. Garments made of such textiles can be used for monitoring body movements and postures, and also for monitoring vital functions, including heart rate and skin temperatures. Intelligent garments can also be used for measuring electrical muscle activity.
The possible applications for intelligent garments are wide ranging, from sports and healthcare to hazardous environments and military. Therefore, there is a need to improve the existing technology in this area.
There is described herein a knitting technique for creating a garment having one or more 3D textile electrodes integrated therein. The knitting technique involves knitting the item with integrated electrodes and transmission channels in one single step. The electrode is knit using conducting thread while a base fabric is knit using non-conducting thread. The electrode is knit on a first needle bed and the base fabric is knit on a second needle bed opposite to and facing the first needle bed, the two needle beds being separated by a few millimeters. During the knitting process, the surface knit on the first needle bed and the surface knit on the second needle bed may be linked using an isolating thread network that is simply deposited, without forming a mesh, on the fabric, in order to provide the three-dimensional effect.
In accordance with a first broad aspect, there is provided a method for knitting a garment having at least one three-dimensional textile electrode integrated therein, the method comprising: knitting at least one tubular form; knitting the at least one three-dimensional textile electrode integrally within the at least one tubular form by: knitting a conductive surface composed of conductive thread; knitting an isolating surface composed of isolating thread; filling a space between the conductive surface and the isolating surface; and sealing the electrode by connecting the conductive surface and the isolating surface together along a perimeter thereof; and knitting a textile transmission channel extending from the at least one three-dimensional textile electrode to transmit a measured signal.
There is also described herein a 3D textile electrode. The architecture of the electrode corresponds to a three-dimensional shape entirely made of thread, using a combination of conductive and non-conductive thread. A pillow-like shape is formed with two opposing faces, the one in contact with the skin of the wearer being conductive while the one facing outwards being non-conductive. The two faces are attached together along all four sides and an isolating thread network is used to hold the three-dimensional shape by separating the two opposing faces inside the pillow-shaped structure. A transmission channel is formed using a tube-like structure made from non-conductive thread and a single conducting thread (that is also used for the electrode) passing through the tube-like structure.
In accordance with a second broad aspect, there is provided a garment having at least one three-dimensional textile electrode integrated therein, the garment comprising: a base portion composed of at least one type of base thread; at least one electrode portion defined by a perimeter and comprising: a conductive surface on an inside of the garment for contact with skin of a wearer, the conductive surface composed of conductive thread; an isolating surface on an outside of the garment composed of isolating thread; and an isolating thread network inside a space between the conductive surface and the isolating surface, the conductive surface and the isolating surface being sealed along the perimeter of the electrode portion; and a textile transmission channel extending from the at least one electrode portion to transmit a measured signal.
In accordance with yet another broad aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for carrying out a method for knitting a garment having at least one three-dimensional textile electrode integrated therein, the method comprising: instructing selected needles in a first needle bed and a second needle bed to knit at least one tubular form; instructing selected needles in the first needle bed and the second needle bed to knit the at least one three-dimensional textile electrode integrally within the at least one tubular form by: knitting a conductive surface composed of conductive thread using the first needle bed; knitting an isolating surface composed of isolating thread using the second needle bed; filling a space between the conductive surface and the isolating surface using a combination of the first needle bed and the second needle bed; and sealing the electrode by connecting the conductive surface and the isolating surface together along a perimeter of the electrode; and instructing selected needles in the first needle bed and the second needle bed to knit a textile transmission channel extending from the at least one three-dimensional textile electrode to transmit a measured signal.
In this specification, the term fabric is intended to mean a thin, flexible material made of any combination of cloth, fiber, or polymer (film, sheet, or foams). Cloth is intended to mean a thin, flexible material made from yarns. Yarn is intended to mean a continuous strand of fibers. Fiber is intended to mean a fine, rod-like object in which the length is greater than 100 times the diameter.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:
a is a top view of a single electrode, in accordance with one embodiment;
b is a front view of the single electrode of
c is a side cross-sectional view of part of the single electrode of
a is a top view of a schematic representation of a knitting field using a V-bed flat knitting machine;
b illustrates possible stitches available using the V-bed flat knitting machine;
c illustrates possible needle functions available using the V-bed flat knitting machine;
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.
The electrodes 102a, 102b, are three-dimensional textile structures. They may be used to capture electrical activity from the body of a wearer of the garment. The garment may be worn by a mammal (such as a human) as well as an animal (such as a dog). In particular, the electrodes may be used for monitoring vital functions, including heart rate, muscle contraction and/or neuronal activity, and for measuring electrical muscle activity and/or electrical neuronal activity. In one embodiment, the electrodes 102a, 102b are used to measure the electrical activity of the heart by detecting and amplifying electrical modulations occurring in the skin that are caused when the heart muscle depolarizes during each heart beat. Alternatively or in combination, the electrodes 102a, 102b can be used to measure the electrical activity of a muscle (smooth or skeletal) by detecting and amplifying electrical modulations occurring in the skin that are associated with the muscle's depolarization upon contraction.
The electrodes 102a, 102b can also be used to capture electrical activity from the neurons of a wearer of the garment. In particular, they may be used for monitoring cerebral functions, including spontaneous electrical activity of the brain's neurons. In one embodiment, the electrodes 102a, 102b are used to measure the electrical activity associated with the neurons (e.g. ionic current flow) by detecting and amplifying electrical modulations occurring in the scalp that are associated with neuronal activity, especially the ion flow between neurons.
The shape, thickness and size of the electrodes 102a, 102b can very depending on the intended use. In an embodiment, the electrodes may be of a rectangular, triangular, circular, oval and/or irregular shape. The shape of each electrode may be the same or different. In another embodiment, the thickness of each electrode may be the same or different. In yet another embodiment, the size of each electrode may be the same or different.
More than two electrodes 102a, 102b may be present in the garment 100 in order to measure the electrical activity of the body. A reference electrode may be provided with a pair of electrodes. Alternatively, a plurality of electrodes are provided in pairs and each pair acts as a “lead” in order to provide information on the muscle or neurons from a different angle. The garment may therefore act as a 3-lead, 5-lead, or 12-lead Electrocardiography (ECG) recorder. The garment may also act as a 3-lead, 5-lead or 12-lead Electromyography (EMG) recorder. The garment may also act as 3-lead, 5-lead or 12-lead Electroencephalography (EEG) recorder. Other configurations of electrodes in the garment 100 will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
A transmission channel 104a, 104b is used to transport the electrical signal measured by each electrode 102a, 102b respectively, to a device 106a or 106b capable of interpreting the signal. The device 106a, 106b may be integrated in the garment 100, as shown by 106a, or may be outside of the garment 100, as shown by 106b. If outside of the garment 100, the transmission channel 104b is drawn from the electrode 102b to the edge of the garment 100 and extends outside of the garment 100 in order to connect to an external device 106b. The device 106a may be a microprocessor that interprets the data received by the electrode 102a and transmits interpreted data wirelessly such that it may be read by medical personnel. The device 106b may be an ECG, EEG or EMG machine or may be a subcomponent of such a machine used to interpret the data which then sends it to another subcomponent of the machine.
a is a top view of electrode 102a. Electrode 102b has a similar structure and will not be illustrated in detail. The structure of the electrode 102a is three-dimensional and is formed by two surfaces. A first surface 204 is a conductive surface and it is in direct contact with the skin or scalp of the wearer when the garment 100 is being worn. Surface 204 is made of conductive thread. The conductive thread may consist of a non-conductive or less conductive substrate, which is then either coated or embedded with electrically conductive elements, such as carbon, nickel, copper, gold, silver, and/or titanium. Substrates may include cotton, polyester, and/or nylon. Various commercially-available conductive threads having varying resistances and thread tucks may be used.
Surface 202 is an isolating surface made from an isolating thread, such as cotton, polyester and/or nylon. Surface 202 is outwardly facing when the garment is worn by the user and may be composed of the same thread as the remainder of the garment. In this embodiment, the electrodes 102a, 102b are not visible when the garment is worn as the conductive surface 204 is only present on the inside and not on the outside and the isolating surface blends-in with the rest of the garment.
As shown on
In order to provide support to the 3D structure, the space provided between the conductive surface 204 and the isolating surface 202 is filled with an isolating thread network 206. In one embodiment, the thread network is a monofilament yarn that goes from edge 210a to edge 210b, and from edge 208a to edge 208b. In some embodiments, an isolating thread is not stitched with the inside and outside surfaces 202, 204 but simply deposited using a tucking operation.
The thickness of the electrode 102a is dependent on the amount of isolating thread network provided between the conductive surface 204 and the isolating surface 202. The three-dimensional nature of the electrode 102a provides better stability, even when the garment is stretched. This leads to a more optimal contact with the skin of the wearer when the garment is worn, thereby reducing the occurrence of interference signals.
It will be understood that the electrodes 102a, 102b, may be of alternative shapes, such as circular, oval, square, triangular, etc. For any shape provided, two surfaces, one conductive and one isolating, are attached together along an outer perimeter in order to form a pillow-like structure, with a thread network provided inside to give support and strength to the three-dimensional textile electrode.
The garment illustrated in
In a first step, at least one tubular form is knit using the first and second needle beds 402. The first and second needle beds may be called a front needle bed and a back needle bed. The tubular form is created on both needle beds but front and back bed knitting are done alternately. The continuously alternate knitting of all needles on the front and back needle beds creates a single plain tube. Multiple tubes may be created and connected together to make a specific type of garment, such as a sweater, and the dimensions of the various tubes may be increased or decreased to form the body and/or sleeves of the sweater.
While the one or more tubular forms are being knit using the front and back needle beds, at least one electrode is also knit integrally within the tubular form 404. This is done as the knitting progresses from bottom to top of the garment. Similarly, a transmission channel is also knit integrally within the tubular form 406 as the knitting progresses. Referring back to
Therefore, as the garment is being knit, anyone of three portions may be knit at any one time. A first portion is the base of the garment, a second portion is the electrode portion, and a third portion is the transmission channel. The electrode portion includes the two conductive surfaces, the thread network, and the seal around the electrode at a boundary between the electrode and the base garment. The transmission channel includes the single conductive thread and the isolating tube around the single conductive thread.
The memory 704 accessible by the processor 706 receives and stores data, such as instructions for creating a specific garment having a given number of electrodes, positioned at a predetermined position on the garment, and having a given size. Other information used by the garment knitting system, such as thread selection, may also be stored therein. The memory 704 may be a main memory, such as a high speed Random Access Memory (RAM), or an auxiliary storage unit, such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, or a magnetic tape drive. The memory may be any other type of memory, such as a Read-Only Memory (ROM), or optical storage media such as a videodisc and a compact disc.
The processor 706 may access the memory 704 to retrieve data. The processor 706 may be any device that can perform operations on data. Examples are a central processing unit (CPU), a front-end processor, a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU/VPU), a physics processing unit (PPU), a digital signal processor, and a network processor. The application 708 is coupled to the processor 706 and configured to perform various tasks as explained below in more detail. An output may be transmitted to the output device 710, which can also serve as an input device for setting various parameters of the system.
In one embodiment, the computer system 702 is integrated directly into the knitting machine 712 while in another embodiment, the computer system 702 is external to the knitting machine 712. The knitting machine 712 and the computer system 702 may communicate in a wired or wireless manner.
The knitting machine 712 may be a V-bed flat knitting machine, or a circular knitting machine.
While illustrated in the block diagram of
a is a schematic top view of the knitting field using a V-bed flat knitting machine. The horizontal axis represents pairs of needles, while the vertical axis represents rows being knit. Each row has a front needle bed 802a, 802b, etc and a back needle bed 804a, 804b, etc. The front and back needle beds are slightly offset from each other.
Various configurations for the stitching sequences are possible, such as using one out of every three needles or one out of every two needles for the tucking. In another example, the order of back needle tucks and front needle tucks may be reversed or varied such that they do not follow any type of random or non-random pattern. Similarly, while the illustrated knitting sequence suggests using four rows of conductive thread for every row of isolating thread, a 2:1 ratio or any other combination may also be used.
In some embodiments, a garment will comprise more than one electrode and the electrodes will be positioned on the garment such that a single row of the garment, from one end to the other, may include more than one electrode at different positions of the electrode. For example, a given row may intersect a first electrode along row one while intersecting a second electrode along row ten and a third electrode along row twelve. The instructions sent to each needle along a needle bed will correspond to the appropriate position of each electrode. In an alternative embodiment, two electrodes are spaced apart and positioned at a same height within the garment.
It should be noted that the present invention can be carried out as a method, can be embodied in a system, a computer readable medium or an electrical or electro-magnetic signal. The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be exemplary only. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) from provisional patent application No. 61/420,812 filed on Dec. 8, 2010 and herewith incorporated in its entirety.
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