Wearable adaptive electroactive polymer fabric

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11019864-B2
Application number	US-201916441971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2019
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

A smart fabric may include a smart material such as an Electroactive Polymer (EAP). An adaptive garment formed from the smart fabric may change textile density based on user needs, sensor states, context, and other inputs. In various embodiments, the EAP enables the adaptive garment to change textile density based on a sport or activity, based on calendar or scheduled events, or based on user preferences. In various embodiments, these smart fabrics may be implemented in sporting garments, uniforms, multiple-day clothing (e.g., for travel or military usage), furniture fabric, curtains, or other implementations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adaptive fabric apparatus comprising:
an adaptive garment including non-electroactive fibers and wearable electroactive fibers woven within the adaptive garment that contract in response to an applied voltage; and
an adaptive fiber interface to contract the wearable electroactive fibers within a portion of the adaptive garment and constrict the portion of the adaptive garment in response to an event-based trigger by modifying a voltage level applied to at least a portion of the wearable electroactive fibers, the non-electroactive fibers to retain the constriction of the portion of the adaptive garment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including an external device communication interface to communicate with an electronic device, wherein the event-based trigger is received from the electronic device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , the adaptive fiber interface to constrict the portion of the adaptive garment in response to a sport activity indication.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the sport activity indication is based on a sporting activity detected by a device sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , the adaptive fiber interface to constrict the portion of the adaptive garment in response to an electronic device weather indication.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a connected sensor to provide the event-based trigger.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the connected sensor includes a barometer to detect a barometric pressure value and generate a weather change indication, the adaptive fiber interface to constrict the portion of the adaptive garment in response to the weather change indication.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the connected sensor includes a galvanic sensor to detect an electrical characteristic of the user's skin and generate an electrical characteristic change indication, the adaptive fiber interface to constrict the portion of the adaptive garment in response to the electrical characteristic change indication.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the electrical characteristic change indicates a user physical activity change.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the connected sensor includes an inertial measurement sensor to detect an athletic activity change, the adaptive fiber interface to constrict the portion of the adaptive garment in response to the athletic activity change.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the connected sensor includes an external temperature sensor to detect an ambient temperature.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , the adaptive fiber interface to constrict the portion of the adaptive garment in response to an ambient temperature change.

13. An adaptive fabric method comprising:
receiving an event-based trigger at an adaptive garment worn by a user, the adaptive garment including non-electroactive fibers and wearable electroactive fibers woven within the adaptive garment capable of contracting in response to an applied voltage; and
applying a voltage level to at least a portion of the wearable electroactive fibers to contract the wearable electroactive fibers within a portion of the adaptive garment and constrict the portion of the adaptive garment in response to the event-based trigger, the non-electroactive fibers to retain the constriction of the portion of the adaptive garment.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the event-based trigger is received from an electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14 , further including constricting the portion of the adaptive garment in response to a sport activity indication.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the sport activity indication is based on a sporting activity detected by a device sensor.

17. The method of claim 14 , further including constricting the portion of the adaptive garment in response to an electronic device weather indication.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the event-based trigger is received from a connected sensor.

19. The method of claim 18 , further including:
detecting a barometric pressure value;
generating a weather change indication based on the barometric pressure value; and
further including constricting the portion of the adaptive garment in response to the weather change indication.

20. The method of claim 18 , further including:
detecting an electrical characteristic change of the user's skin; and
further including constricting the portion of the adaptive garment in response to the electrical characteristic change.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the electrical characteristic change indicates a user physical activity change.

22. The method of claim 18 , further including:
detecting an athletic activity change; and
further including constricting the portion of the adaptive garment in response to the athletic activity change.

23. The method of claim 18 , wherein the connected sensor includes an external temperature sensor to detect an ambient temperature.

24. The method of claim 23 , further including:
detecting an ambient temperature change; and
further including constricting the portion of the adaptive garment in response to the ambient temperature.

25. At least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising a plurality of instructions that, responsive to being executed with processor circuitry of a computer-controlled device, cause the computer-controlled device to:
receive an event-based trigger at an adaptive garment worn by a user, the adaptive garment including non-electroactive fibers and wearable electroactive fibers woven within the adaptive garment capable of contracting in response to an applied voltage; and
apply a voltage level to at least a portion of the wearable electroactive fibers to contract the wearable electroactive fibers within a portion of the adaptive garment and constrict the portion of the adaptive garment in response to the event-based trigger, the non-electroactive fibers to retain the constriction of the portion of the adaptive garment.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Rider Tomer
• Taite Shahar

Classifications

• D03D15/00

  Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used · CPC title

• D03D15/283

  synthetic polymer-based, e.g. polyamide or polyester fibres (cellulose-based artificial fibres D03D15/225) · CPC title

• D03D1/0088

  Fabrics having an electronic function · CPC title

• D10B2201/02

  Cotton · CPC title

• A41D13/005

  with controlled temperature · CPC title