Fabric-based items with electrical component arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11183459-B2
Application number	US-202016935088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2020
Priority date	Aug 20, 2015
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

A fabric-based item may include fabric layers and other layers of material. An array of electrical components may be mounted in the fabric-based item. The electrical components may be mounted to a support structure such as a flexible printed circuit. The flexible printed circuit may have a mesh shape formed from an array of openings. Serpentine flexible printed circuit segments may extend between the openings. The electrical components may be light-emitting diodes or other electrical devices. Polymer with light-scattering particles or other materials may cover the electrical components. The flexible printed circuit may be laminated between fabric layers or other layers of material in the fabric-based item.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fabric-based item comprising:
an array of electrical components mounted on a flexible substrate;
a polymer layer that covers the array of electrical components; and
a fabric layer to which the polymer layer is attached, wherein the fabric layer has a plurality of windows, wherein each window is aligned with a respective electrical component of the array of electrical components, and wherein each window has a lower yarn density than remaining portions of the fabric layer.

2. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a first adhesive layer that attaches the polymer layer to the fabric layer;
an additional polymer layer, wherein the flexible substrate is interposed between the polymer layer and the additional polymer layer;
an additional fabric layer to which the additional polymer layer is attached; and
a second adhesive layer that attaches the additional polymer layer to the additional fabric layer.

3. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 , wherein each window is more transparent than remaining portions of the fabric layer.

4. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate comprises a flexible printed circuit having an array of openings.

5. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 , wherein the array of electrical components comprises light-emitting diodes.

6. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 , further comprising a bead of translucent polymer covering each of the electrical components of the array of electrical components.

7. The fabric-based item defined in claim 6 , wherein the polymer layer is a clear polymer layer and the beads of translucent polymer are embedded within the clear polymer layer.

8. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the electrical components of the array of electrical components comprises an interposer to which multiple semiconductor dies are mounted.

9. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 , wherein the array of electrical components comprises actuators.

10. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 , wherein the array of electrical components comprises sensors.

11. A fabric-based item comprising:
an array of light-emitting diodes mounted on a flexible substrate;
a clear polymer layer that covers the array of light-emitting diodes; and
a fabric layer that overlaps the clear polymer layer and the array of light-emitting diodes, wherein the fabric layer has a plurality of windows, wherein each light-emitting diode emits light through one of the plurality of windows, and wherein each window includes perforations.

12. The fabric-based item defined in claim 11 , wherein each window is more transparent than remaining portions of the fabric layer.

13. A fabric-based item comprising:
an array of electrical components mounted on a flexible substrate;
a polymer layer that covers the array of electrical components; and
a fabric layer to which the polymer layer is attached, wherein the fabric layer has first portion having a first transparency and a second portion having a second transparency that is greater than the first transparency and wherein the second portion of the fabric layer overlaps one of the electrical components.

14. The fabric-based item defined in claim 13 , further comprising:
a first adhesive layer that attaches the polymer layer to the fabric layer;
an additional polymer layer, wherein the flexible substrate is interposed between the polymer layer and the additional polymer layer;
an additional fabric layer to which the additional polymer layer is attached; and
a second adhesive layer that attaches the additional polymer layer to the additional fabric layer.

15. The fabric-based item defined in claim 13 , wherein the array of electrical components comprises electrical components selected from a group consisting of: light-emitting diodes, actuators, and sensors.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Sunshine Daniel D
• Drzaic Paul S
• Podhajny Daniel A
• Kindlon David M
• Kim Hoon Sik
• Crews Kathryn P
• Hsu Yung-Yu

Classifications

• H10W90/724

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H10W70/655

  Fan-out layouts · CPC title

• H10W70/093

  Connecting or disconnecting other interconnections thereto or therefrom, e.g. connecting bond wires or bumps · CPC title

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10W74/114

  by a substrate and the encapsulations · CPC title