Fabric with electrical components

• Main Authors: Gomes, Didio V, Crews, Kathryn P, Walker, Joseph B, Hoen, Storrs T, Schläpfer, Ulrich, Keating, Steven J, Podhajny, Daniel A, Latta, Martin, Chatham, Kyle L, Rosenberg, Andrew L, Fischer, Helen Wächter, Kindlon, David M, Wendisch, Bertram, Sunshine, Daniel D, Grena, Benjamin J, Robin, Franck, Uesato, Lia M, Binder, Felix, Baumann, Michael
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.02.2024
• Subjects: AUXILIARY WEAVING APPARATUS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; LOOMS; MACHINE TOOLS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METHODS OF WEAVING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRINTED CIRCUITS; SHUTTLES; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TEXTILES; TRANSPORTING; WEAVERS' TOOLS; WEAVING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WOVEN FABRICS

Interlacing equipment may be used to form fabric and to create a gap in the fabric. The fabric may include one or more conductive strands. An insertion tool may be used to align an electrical component with the conductive strands 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 may be located in grooves in the electrical component. An encapsulation tool may dispense encapsulation material in the grooves to encapsulate the solder connections. After the electrical component is electrically connected to the conductive strands, the insertion tool may position and release the electrical component in the gap. A component retention tool may temporarily be used to retain the electrical component in the gap as interlacing operations continue.