Conductive Strands for Fabric-Based Items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018228024-A1
Application number	US-201815942159-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 30, 2018
Priority date	May 19, 2015
Publication date	Aug 9, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Strands of material may be intertwined using weaving techniques, knitting techniques, non-woven or entanglement techniques, or braiding techniques. Fabric that is formed from the strands of material may be used in forming a fabric-based item. The fabric based item may include electrical components. The strands may include conductive strands that form signal paths. The signal paths can carry electrical signals associated with operation of the electrical components. Each strand may have an elongated core and a coating. Strands may also include intermediate layers between the cores and coatings. The cores, intermediate layers, and coatings may be formed from polymer without conductive filler, polymer with conductive filler, and/or metal. A polymer core may be provided with recesses to help retain subsequently deposited layers such as a metal coating layer. The recesses may be grooves that extend along the longitudinal axis of the core.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A conductive strand for carrying signals within a fabric, comprising:
an elongated polymer core with recesses; and a conductive coating on the elongated polymer core, wherein the conductive coating has first portions in the recesses and second portions that are interposed between the recesses and that are electrically connected to the first portions.

2 . The conductive strand defined in claim 1 , wherein the first portions of the conductive coating have a first thickness and the second portions of the conductive coating have a second thickness that is less than the first thickness.

3 . The conductive strand defined in claim 1 , further comprising conductive filler in the elongated polymer core.

4 . The conductive strand defined in claim 3 , wherein the conductive filler comprises metal particles.

5 . The conductive strand defined in claim 4 , wherein the conductive coating comprises metal.

6 . The conductive strand defined in claim 1 , wherein the recesses comprise grooves.

7 . The conductive strand defined in claim 6 , wherein the elongated polymer core is elongated along a longitudinal axis and wherein the grooves run parallel to the longitudinal axis.

8 . The conductive strand defined in claim 1 , wherein the recesses comprise a plurality of pits in an outer surface of the elongated polymer core.

9 . The conductive strand defined in claim 1 , wherein each recess has a width and a depth that is between 0 . 1 and 1 times the width.

10 . A conductive strand for carrying signals within a fabric, comprising:
an elongated polymer core with recesses; a conductive filler in the elongated polymer core; and a conductive coating on the elongated polymer core.

11 . The conductive strand defined in claim 10 , wherein each recess comprises a portion that has straight side walls and a flared interlocking portion.

12 . The conductive strand defined in claim 10 , wherein each recess comprises a first portion that has straight side walls a second portion that has selectively widened sidewalls.

13 . The conductive strand defined in claim 10 , wherein the conductive coating has first portions that are formed in the recesses and second portions that are interposed between the recesses.

14 . The conductive strand defined in claim 13 , wherein the first portions of the conductive coating have a first thickness and the second portions of the conductive coating have a second thickness that is less than the first thickness.

15 . A conductive strand for carrying signals within a fabric, comprising:
an elongated conductive core; an intermediate layer that covers the elongated conductive core; and a conductive coating on the intermediate layer.

16 . The conductive strand defined in claim 15 , wherein the intermediate layer has a plurality of recesses and the conductive coating is formed in the recesses.

17 . The conductive strand defined in claim 16 , wherein the intermediate layer comprises a polymer layer with conductive filler.

18 . The conductive strand defined in claim 17 , wherein the conductive filler shorts the conductive coating to the elongated conductive core.

19 . The conductive strand defined in claim 15 , wherein the intermediate layer has recesses that pass entirely through the intermediate layer.

20 . The conductive strand defined in claim 19 , wherein the conductive coating is electrically connected to the elongated conductive core through the recesses in the intermediate layer.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Sunshine Daniel D
• Podhajny Daniel A
• Crews Kathryn P
• Mayer Kirk M
• Maasberg John Arthur

Classifications

• H05K1/038 Primary

  Textiles (used as reinforcing materials for organic insulating substrates H05K1/0366) · CPC title

• H01B13/0036

  Details · CPC title

• C23C18/1633

  Process of electroless plating · CPC title

• H05K3/103

  by bonding or embedding conductive wires or strips · CPC title

• H01B13/0026

  Apparatus for manufacturing conducting or semi-conducting layers, e.g. deposition of metal · CPC title