FUNCTIONAL FIBER AND PANEL INTERCONNECT FOR ELECTRONIC TEXTILES

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/656,454, filed Jun. 5, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Electronic textiles (also known as “e-textiles”) may include fabrics, garments, and/or clothing articles having at least one functional fiber woven into the fabric. Functional fibers can perform one or more functions including, for example, energy generation, energy storage, activity sensors, data transmission, and more. In this way, e-textiles can have numerous applications across various industries (e.g., athletics or military).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus can include a fabric panel comprising a first edge and an electrically nonconductive material, a plurality of electrically conductive fibers integrated in the fabric panel, the plurality of electrically conductive fibers having ends adjacent to or located at the first edge, and being optionally insulated. The apparatus can also include a flexible electrical connector disposed adjacent to or located at the first edge, the flexible electrical connector comprising a flexible substrate, wherein the ends of the plurality of electrically conductive fibers are electrically coupled to the flexible electrical connector.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus can include a fabric panel comprising a first edge and an electrically nonconductive material, a plurality of pairs of electrically conductive fibers integrated in the fabric panel, each electrically conductive fiber comprising a first end adjacent to or located at the first edge, and a flexible electrical connector disposed adjacent to or located at the first edge. The flexible electrical connector can include a flexible substrate, a first electrically conductive area on the flexible substrate, a second electrically conductive area on the flexible substrate, and a deposition of non-conductive dielectric material on the flexible substrate, wherein at least one of the first ends of the electrically conductive fibers is electrically connected to the first electrically conductive area of the flexible electrical connector, wherein at least one of the first ends of the electrically conductive fibers is electrically connected to the second electrically conductive area of the flexible electrical connector.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus can include a first fabric panel comprising a first edge and a plurality of first electrically conductive fibers, the plurality of first electrically conductive fibers having ends adjacent to or located at the first edge, and a second fabric panel comprising a second edge and a plurality of second electrically conductive fibers, the plurality of second electrically conductive fibers having ends adjacent to or located at the second edge. The apparatus can further include a flexible electrical connector disposed between the first edge of the first fabric panel and the second edge of the second fabric panel, the connector comprising a flexible substrate and an electrical connection route, the electrical connection route at least partially comprising a non-conductive dielectric material, wherein the ends of the plurality of the first electrically conductive fibers and the ends of the plurality of second electrically conductive fibers are electrically coupled to the flexible electrical connector, and wherein at least one of the first electrically conductive fibers is electrically connected to one of the second electrically conductive fibers via the electrical connection route of the flexible electrical connector.

These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A depicts a perspective view of an exemplary connector assembly having additively-deposited conductor interconnects.

FIG. 1B depicts a perspective view of an exemplary connector assembly having additively-deposited conductor interconnects.

FIG. 2 depicts parts of an exemplary connector assembly having interconnect via an anisotropically-conductive adhesive material.

FIGS. 3-5 depict exemplary connector assemblies for connecting pairs of e-textile fabric panels having functional fibers.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depict exemplary connector assemblies having interconnect via anisotropically-conductive adhesive material for connecting pairs of e-textile fabric panels having functional fibers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

To form an e-textile garment, a number of e-textile panels may need to be assembled. For example, a conventional T-shirt may include four fabric panels: a front panel, a back panel, and two sleeve panels. Depending on the application, it may be desirable for two or more panels of the e-textile garment (e.g., both the front and back panels of a T-shirt) to include functional fibers. As recognized by the inventors, it may be desirous to have the functional fibers of the panels of the garment be connected in such a manner which maintains, for example, the flexibility, foldability, and/or comfort, etc. of the e-textile garment.

As discovered by the inventors, one or more embodiments disclosed herein may serve as a solution for connecting functional fibers of e-textiles. In some embodiments, fiber-to-fiber and panel-to-panel e-textile interconnects are disclosed and can accommodate the termination of ends of functional fibers. In some embodiments, fiber-to-bus interconnect misalignment and/or inconsistent pitch spacing between connected fibers may be alleviated.

In some embodiments, functional fiber-to-fiber and e-textile panel-to-panel connections may be provided for a so-called smart garment. These connections can depend on the electrical connection of the terminals of functional fibers—which can be woven into the garment fabric—to a mechanically flexible bus substrate. As discovered by the inventors, by locating a bus connector in a garment's seams-which are naturally thicker than the fabric panels-relatively thick connectors and connector assemblies can be “hidden” in the seams such that user comfort is not sacrificed. The functional fibers, which can be woven together and connected via the bus, in turn may form a functional garment panel. As discovered by the inventors, a similar connection method can be used to connect and integrate multiple functional panels together into a full garment. These panel-to-panel connection busses can reside within the seams of the garment and connect the functional panels together. The in-seam busses can in turn route to a terminal or hub on the garment for connecting to external systems. As an end-use application, the garment can be, for example, a shirt, a pair of pants or trousers, a coat, a shoe, a hat, or any other article of clothing.

As discovered by the inventors, to achieve such in-seam connections, polymers and/or anisotropically-conductive adhesives can be used to enable high-density, direct fiber-to-fiber connections to a flexible bus. In this way, the need for bulky, conventional connectors or high levels of fiber-to-bus alignment and post process bonding can be avoided. In some embodiments, aerosol jet printed conductors with custom-toolpath capability can allow fiber-to-fiber and panel-to-panel connections to be highly modular and tolerant to misalignment. In some embodiments, the electrical terminals of the functional fibers can be coupled to an anisotropically-conductive adhesive positioned on the bus to form a direct electrical connection and adhesive bond to the bus.

FIG. 1A depicts a perspective view of an exemplary connector assembly 100A. Connector assembly 100A can include a smart fabric panel 102 including at least one edge 102A at an end of the panel 102. The panel 102 may be a panel of electrically nonconductive material (e.g., cotton, polyester, wool, etc.) which also includes one or more electrically conductive fibers 104 integrated therein. The fibers 104 may be functional fibers. In some embodiments, the fibers 104 can be insulated. The fibers 104 can be located at or adjacent to the edge 102A of the fabric panel 102. The ends 104A of the fibers 104 can be located over or past the edge 102A of the fabric panel 102. The ends 104A of the fibers 104 may include fiber terminals 104B, which may be used to electrically connect the fibers 104 to another component.

As previously explained, to create an e-textile (such as a smart garment), the fibers 104 can include at least one functional fiber. Any number or combination of functional fibers are included without limitation, with examples of at least one functional fiber 104 can be or more of an energy generation fiber, an energy storage fiber, an active sensor fiber, a responsive, local-emissions fiber (e.g., acoustic, thermal, haptic, electromagnetic), or a transmitting device.

The connector assembly 100A can also include a flexible electrical connector 106 (also referred to herein as “connector 106”) which is located at or adjacent to the edge 102A of panel 102. The flexible electrical connector 106 may include a non-conductive flexible substrate 108. In some embodiments, to improve usability and comfort to the user, the connector 106 can be flexible, which can be achieved, for example, with the flexible substrate 108. The flexible substrate 108 may be made of, for example, polyimide or polyester film. The connector 106 may include conductive substrate terminals (or bus lines) 114 disposed on the flexible substrate 108. The conductive substrate terminals 114 may be electrically connected to other components. In FIG. 1A, the connector 106 is shown having two conductive substrate terminals 114. In some embodiments, the connector 106 may have one, two, three, four, five, or more conductive substrate terminals 114. In some embodiments, the connector 106 can include any number of conductive substrate terminals 114 which are electrically isolated from each other.

Because the fibers 104 and the connector 106 can both be adjacent to or located at the edge 102A of the panel 102, the ends 104A of the fibers 104 can be electrically coupled to the connector 106. The ends 104A of the fibers 104 may overlay on the connector 106. The fiber terminals 104B at the ends 104A of the fibers 104 may overlay on the connector 106.

To electrically couple the connector 106 and the various fibers 104, aerosol jet printing may be used to print electrical conductors 110 between respective fiber terminals 104B (e.g., for a fiber-to-fiber connection) or between fiber terminals 104B and conductive substrate terminals 114 disposed on the flexible substrate 108. The conductors 110 may be, for example, silver, gold, platinum, nickel, copper, or aluminum.

In some embodiments, the fibers 104 can include at least one pair of fibers 104. Each pair of fibers 104 can include a positive-designated fiber and a negative-designated fiber. The positive-designated fiber can be connected to a positive-designated fiber terminal 104B+, and the negative-designated fiber can be connected to a negative-designated fiber terminal 104B−. In FIG. 1A, for each fiber 104, a positive-designated fiber terminal 104B+ and a negative-designated fiber terminal 104B− are shown; however, for each fiber 104, a positive-designated fiber and a negative-designated fiber are not shown.

In some embodiments, the connector 106 can include two or more substrate terminals 114 to connect to the respective fibers 104. As shown in FIG. 1A, some embodiments can include a positive-designated substrate terminal 114+ and a negative-designated substrate terminal 114−.

In some embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 1A, the positive substrate terminal 114+ can be connected to a positive fiber terminal 104B+ with an aerosol-jet-printed conductor 110 (also referred to herein as “conductor 110”); the negative substrate terminal 114− can be electrically connected to a negative fiber terminal 104B− with a different conductor 110; and the positive terminal 114+ can in turn be connected to the (i) negative substrate terminal 114− or (ii) the negative fiber terminal 104B− of an adjacent fiber 104 with other conductors 110, depending on how many functional fibers are to be used in the garment.

The fibers 104 can be connected to the connector 106 in series or parallel. For example, FIGS. 1A and 1B depict a connector 106 with fibers 104 connected in series. On the other hand, FIG. 2 depicts a connector 106 with fibers 104 connected in parallel.

In some embodiments, the substrate 108 can include an electrical routing bus which may have a number of conductive bus lines (eg. PWR, GND, Signal, etc.) to accommodate various terminals 114 from the functional fibers 104. In some embodiments, the bus substrate 108 can include, for example, a single layer of conductive bus lines, a substrate with bus lines on both sides, or a multilayer bus substrate with layers interconnected with electrical via structures.

In some embodiments, to electrically isolate the fibers 104 from each other, such as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a non-conductive adhesive 112 or other suitable material can be disposed on the connector 106 and between and/or around the fibers 104. In some embodiments, to electrically isolate the fibers 104 and the connector 106, the adhesive 112 can be disposed between the fibers 104 and the connector 106. In some embodiments, to electrically isolate the fiber terminals 104B and the substrate terminals 114, the adhesive 112 can be disposed between the fiber terminals 104B and the substrate terminals 114. In some embodiments, the adhesive 112 can be a non-conductive dielectric material. In some embodiments, the adhesive 112 or other material can be applied to the connector 106 by aerosol jet printing, with a syringe, or any other suitable method, prior to printing, applying, or adding the conductors 110. In this way, the adhesive 112 can be positioned on the substrate 108 and under the conductors 110. In some embodiments, the adhesive 112 can be applied only between the fiber terminals 104B and the substrate terminals 114 to adhere the fibers 104 to the flexible substrate 108 such that the conductors 110 are printed, applied, or added to electrically connect the fiber terminals 104B and the substrate terminals 114.

FIG. 1B depicts a perspective view of an exemplary connector assembly 100B. The connector assembly 100B is the same as the connector assembly 100A of FIG. 1A, except that the fibers 104 are connected to the connector 106 in a different configuration. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the positive and negative fiber terminals 104B+, 104B− at each respective fiber end 104B are arranged in line with the respect to a longitudinal axis of each fiber 104, such that when the connector assembly 100A is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the connector assembly 100A, the conductors 110 are printed in a diagonal direction. In contrast, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, the positive and negative fiber terminals 104B+, 104B− at each respective fiber end 104B are arranged side-by-side in parallel with the respect to the longitudinal axis of each fiber 104, such that when the connector assembly 100A is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the connector assembly 100A, the conductors 110 are printed perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of each fiber 104 and parallel or substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the connector 106. One skilled in the art will understand that other configurations of fiber terminals 104B and conductors 110 may also be possible.

FIG. 2 depicts parts of an exemplary connector assembly 200 having anisotropic adhesive material. The connector assembly 200 is the same as the connector assembly 100A of FIG. 1A, except the connector assembly 200 includes an anisotropically-conductive material 216. For ease of discussion, the non-conductive adhesive 112 of FIG. 1A is not shown in the connector assembly 200 of FIG. 2. In the connector assembly 200, the connector 106 can be electrically coupled to the fibers 104 with the anisotropically-conductive material 216. For example, the anisotropically-conductive material 216 can be adhered on one side to the terminals 104B on the ends 104A of the fibers 104; on the other side, the anisotropically-conductive material 216 can be adhered to the substrate terminals 114. Because of the anisotropic electrical conductivity quality of the material 216, the anisotropically-conductive material 216 is capable of conducting electrical current predominantly or mostly in a single direction, e.g., in the direction of the Z-axis depicted in FIG. 2 and/or normal to a top face 108A of the flexible substrate 108. In some embodiments, this anisotropic material 216 can be a double-sided, z-axis electrically conductive tape (also referred to hereinafter as “Z-tape” or “Z-axis tape”), such as 3M™ Electrically Conductive Adhesive Transfer Tape 9703. One skilled in the art will understand that other commercially available or non-commercial anisotropic adhesive materials can be used. In this way, arrow 200A depicts connector 106 being flipped such that the substrate terminals 114 are adhered to the anisotropic material 216. Arrow 200B points to the resulting, assembled connector assembly 200, which is a bottom view compared to a top view in FIG. 1A.

FIGS. 3-5 depict exemplary connector assemblies for connecting pairs of e-textile fabric panels having functional fibers, and FIGS. 6 and 7 depict exemplary connector assemblies having anisotropic adhesive material for connecting pairs of e-textile fabric panels having functional fibers. With embodiments such as depicted in FIGS. 3-7, an article of clothing having two or more e-textile fabric panels may be manufactured. Accordingly, FIGS. 3-5 depict connector assemblies 300, 400, 500 for a smart garment including (i) two fabric panels 102, 103 and (ii) two sets of fibers 104, 105 corresponding thereto, which are electrically connected by the connector 106 using aerosol jet printing as described above. FIGS. 6 and 7 depict embodiments 600 and 700 which also include two sets of fibers 104, 105 which correspond to two fabric panels 102, 103 which are electrically connected by the flexible connector 106 using an anisotropically-conductive material 216 as described above. Although FIGS. 6 and 7 do not depict panels 102, 103 for purposes of visual clarity, one skilled in the art will understand that the panels 102, 103 can be integrated into embodiments 600 and 700 in the same manner shown in FIGS. 3-5.

More specifically, connector assemblies 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 can include smart fabric panels 102, 103 each of the panels 102, 103 including at least one edge 102A, 103A. The panels 102, 103 can each also include one or more electrically conductive fibers 104, 105 which are integrated therein. In this way, the fibers 104, 105 can be located at or adjacent to the respective edges 102A, 103A of the fabric panels 102, 103. In some embodiments, the fibers 104, 105 can be insulated. The connector assembly 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 can also include a connector 106 which is located at or adjacent to the edges 102A, 103A of panels 102, 103. To improve usability and comfort to the user, the connector 106 can be flexible, which can be achieved by using the flexible substrate 108, as explained above. Because the fibers 104, 105 and the connector 106 can both be adjacent to or located at the edges 102A, 103A of the panels 102, 103, the ends 104A, 105A of the fibers 104, 105 can be electrically coupled to the connector 106.

According to known methods of manufacturing e-textiles, it is extremely challenging to electrically connect fibers 104, 105 of adjacent panels 102, 103 because doing so generally requires alignment of the fibers 104 of the first panel 102 with the fibers 105 of the second panel 103. Due to the small size of the fibers 104, 105, such an alignment can be difficult and costly to achieve. As is shown in FIG. 3, however, the fibers 104 of the first panel 102 do not need to be perfectly aligned with the fibers 105 of the second panel 103 to electrically connect the fibers 104, 105 of the two panels 102, 103. Due to the printing, applying, or adding the conductors 110, for example, the fibers 104 of the first panel 102 do not need to be perfectly aligned with the fibers 105 of the second panel 103 to electrically connect the fibers 104, 105 of the two panels 102, 103. In some embodiments, the conductors 110 can be printed onto the non-conductive adhesive 112 after the fibers 104, 105 have been secured in place by the adhesive 112. Therefore, the conductors 110, which connect the fibers 104 of the first panel 102 with corresponding fibers 105 of the second panel 103, can be printed to follow any electrical connection route needed regardless of the alignment of the corresponding fibers 104, 105.

The particular configuration in which the various fibers 104, 105 and the substrate terminals 114 are electrically connected can be referred to as the electrical connection route. As explained above and as is seen in FIG. 3, the fibers 104 of the first panel 102 and corresponding the fibers 105 of the second panel 103 are slightly misaligned; therefore, the electrical connection route includes a number of conductors 110 which have a zig-zag shape, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the connector assembly 300. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the conductors 110 may have other shapes as well,

In some embodiments, the electrical connection route can be configured as follows. The first and second panels 102, 103 can each include at least one pair of fibers i.e., four total fibers, such that one fiber 104 of the first panel 102 is electrically connected to a corresponding fiber 105 of the second panel 103 with a conductor 110, and a second fiber 104 of the first panel 102 is connected to a corresponding fiber 105 of the second panel 103 with a conductor 110. As shown in FIG. 4, the connector 106 can include two bus-board lines 114A, 114B. As an example, bus-board line 114A may be a positive-designated bus-board line, and bus-board line 114B may be a negative-designated bus-board line. Therefore, a first set of corresponding fibers 104, 105 from the first and second panels 102, 103 (i.e., fibers 104(1), 104(3), 105(1), 105(3)) can be electrically connected to the first bus-board line 114A, and a second set of corresponding fibers 104, 105 from the first and second panels 102, 103 (i.e., fibers 104(2), 104(4), 105(2), 105(4)) can be electrically connected to the second bus-board line 114B. As previously explained with respect to FIG. 3, the use of conductors 110 can accommodate any misalignment between each respective set of corresponding fibers 104, 105 by utilizing a zig-zag electrical connection route, or any other suitably-shaped electrical connection route. Additionally, when bus-board lines 114A, 114B are utilized (as is the case in FIG. 4), the use of conductors 110 can accommodate any misalignment between fibers 104, 105 and the bus-boards 114A, 114B.

FIG. 5 depicts connector assembly 500 having a different electrical connection route compared to the electrical connection route of FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the connector 106 includes three bus-board lines 114A, 114B, and 114C. As an example, bus-board line 114A may be a positive-designated bus-board line, bus-board line 114B may be a negative-designated bus-board line, and bus-board line 114C may be a common-designated bus-board line. In this way, all of the fibers 104 can be electrically connected to the common bus-board line 114C. As previously explained with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4, the use of conductors 110 can accommodate any misalignment between each respective set of corresponding fibers 104, 105 and/or bus-board lines 114A, 114B by utilizing a zig-zag or other suitably-shaped electrical connection route. Additionally, when common bus-board line 114C is utilized (as is the case in FIG. 5), the use of conductors 110 can also accommodate any misalignment between fibers 104, 105 and the common bus-board 114C.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depict connector assemblies 600 and 700, respectively, having anisotropically-conductive material 216, a connector 106 having a plurality of terminals 114, and no conductors 110. One skilled in the art will understand that the connector 106 may include any number of terminals 114, such as one, two, three, four, five, or more terminals 114. In some embodiments, the connector 106 can have two or more terminals 114(1), 114(2) which are arranged in a single layer—i.e., on a single plane which is located on or parallel to the top surface 108A of flexible substrate 108—to form a single-layer bus-board. In this way, sets of corresponding fibers 104(1)-(4), 105(1)-(4) from the first and second panels 102, 103 (not shown) can be electrically connected to the terminal 114(1)-(4), respectively, through anisotropic material 216. Therefore, the electrical connection route runs from a particular fiber 104, through anisotropically-conductive material 216, then across a terminal 114, through anisotropic material 216, and through a corresponding fiber 105. Similar to arrow 200A of FIG. 2, arrow 600A depicts connector 106 being flipped such that the substrate terminals 114 are adhered to the anisotropic material 216.

As compared to the connector assembly 600 in FIG. 6, the connector assembly 700 in FIG. 7 includes a connector 106 having terminals 114 arranged in multiple layers to form a multi-layer bus-board—i.e., on two distinct planes which are parallel to the top surface 108A of flexible substrate 108. More specifically, the multi-layer bus-board can include a first bus-board layer 718 and a second bus-board layer 720. One skilled in the art will understand that any number of bus-board layers can be used. In this way, sets of corresponding fibers 104(1)-(4), 105(1)-(4) of the first and second panels 102, 103 (not shown) can be electrically connected to the terminals 114(1)-(4), respectively, of the first bus-board layer 718. The first bus-board layer can be electrically isolated from the second bus-board layer 720, yet current can pass through a terminal 114(1)-(4) of the first bus-board layer 718 to a terminal 114(5), 114(6) of the second bus-board layer 720 via a number of electrical vias 722 (and vice versa). By isolating the vias 722 from the first bus-board layer 718, therefore, the fibers 104, 105 can simultaneously pass electrical signals to each of the bus-board layers 718, 720. Similar to arrow 200A of FIG. 2, arrow 700A depicts connector 106 being flipped such that the substrate terminals 114 are adhered to the anisotropic material 216.

Regardless of whether a connector assembly utilizes the aerosol jet printed connectors or the Z-tape to connect the fibers 104, 105 and the connector 106, the connector assembly can be encapsulated in a thermoset polymer to reinforce the fiber-to-bus connection.

Illustrative Embodiments

The invention includes other illustrative embodiments (“Embodiments”) as follows.

Embodiment 1. An apparatus comprising: a fabric panel comprising a first edge and an electrically nonconductive material; a plurality of electrically conductive fibers integrated in the fabric panel, the plurality of electrically conductive fibers: having ends adjacent to or located at the first edge; and being optionally insulated; and a flexible electrical connector disposed adjacent to or located at the first edge, the flexible electrical connector comprising a flexible substrate, wherein the ends of the plurality of electrically conductive fibers are electrically coupled to the flexible electrical connector.

Embodiment 2. The apparatus of embodiment 1, wherein the plurality of electrically conductive fibers comprise at least one functional fiber.

Embodiment 3. The apparatus of embodiment 2, wherein the at least one functional fiber comprises at least one of an energy generation fiber, an energy storage fiber, an active sensor fiber, a local-emissions fiber, or a transmitting device.

Embodiment 4. The apparatus of embodiment 1, wherein at least a first electrically conductive fiber of the plurality of electrically conductive fibers is electrically coupled to a second electrically conductive fiber of the plurality of electrically conductive fibers with an aerosol-jet-printed conductor.

Embodiment 4A. The apparatus of embodiment 1, further comprising an aerosol-jet-printed adhesive disposed on or proximate the flexible substrate.

Embodiment 5. The apparatus of embodiment 1, wherein an end of at least one of the plurality of electrically conductive fibers is electrically connected to the flexible electrical connector with an anisotropic material.

Embodiment 5A. The apparatus of embodiment 6, wherein the anisotropic material is conductive in a direction normal to a face of the flexible electrical connector.

Embodiment 6. The apparatus of embodiment 6, wherein the anisotropic material is a z-axis electrically conductive tape.

Embodiment 7. The apparatus of embodiment 1, wherein the apparatus is one of a garment or an article of clothing.

Embodiment 7A. The apparatus of embodiment 9, wherein the garment or article of clothing is one of a shirt, a pant, a coat, a shoe, or a hat.

Embodiment 8. The apparatus of embodiment 1, wherein the flexible substrate comprises an electrical routing bus.

Embodiment 9. An apparatus comprising: a fabric panel comprising a first edge and an electrically nonconductive material; a plurality of pairs of electrically conductive fibers integrated in the fabric panel, each electrically conductive fiber comprising a first end adjacent to or located at the first edge; and a flexible electrical connector disposed adjacent to or located at the first edge, the flexible electrical connector comprising: a flexible substrate; a first electrically conductive area on the flexible substrate; a second electrically conductive area on the flexible substrate; and a deposition of non-conductive dielectric material on the flexible substrate, wherein at least one of the first ends of the electrically conductive fibers is electrically connected to the first electrically conductive area of the flexible electrical connector, wherein at least one of the first ends of the electrically conductive fibers is electrically connected to the second electrically conductive area of the flexible electrical connector.

Embodiment 10. The apparatus of embodiment 9, wherein: a pair of electrically conductive fibers includes a positive-designated fiber and a negative-designated fiber; the first conductive area is a positive-designated conductive area; and the second conductive area is a negative-designated conductive area.

Embodiment 11. The apparatus of embodiment 10, wherein: the positive-designated fiber of the pair of electrically conductive fibers is electrically connected to the positive-designated conductive area; and the negative-designated fiber of the pair of electrically conductive fibers is electrically connected to the negative-designated conductive area.

Embodiment 12. The apparatus of embodiment 10, wherein: the positive-designated fiber is electrically connected to the positive-designated conductive area; and the negative-designated fiber is electrically connected to the negative-designated conductive area.

Embodiment 13. The apparatus of embodiment 9, wherein at least two of the electrically conductive fibers are electrically connected to the flexible electrical connector in a series.

Embodiment 14. The apparatus of embodiment 9, wherein at least two of the electrically conductive fibers are electrically connected to the flexible electrical connector in parallel.

Embodiment 15. An apparatus comprising: a first fabric panel comprising a first edge and a plurality of first electrically conductive fibers, the plurality of first electrically conductive fibers having ends adjacent to or located at the first edge; a second fabric panel comprising a second edge and a plurality of second electrically conductive fibers, the plurality of second electrically conductive fibers having ends adjacent to or located at the second edge; and a flexible electrical connector disposed between the first edge of the first fabric panel and the second edge of the second fabric panel, the connector comprising a flexible substrate and an electrical connection route, the electrical connection route at least partially comprising a non-conductive dielectric material, wherein the ends of the plurality of the first electrically conductive fibers and the ends of the plurality of second electrically conductive fibers are electrically coupled to the flexible electrical connector, and wherein at least one of the first electrically conductive fibers is electrically connected to one of the second electrically conductive fibers via the electrical connection route of the flexible electrical connector.

Embodiment 16. The apparatus of embodiment 15, wherein: the plurality of first electrically conductive fibers comprises a first electrically conductive fiber and a second electrically conductive fiber, the plurality of second electrically conductive fibers comprises a third electrically conductive fiber and a fourth electrically conductive fiber, the flexible electrical connector comprises a first bus-board line and a second bus-board line, the first electrically conductive fiber and the third electrically conductive fiber are electrically coupled to the first bus-board line, and the second electrically conductive fiber and the fourth electrically conductive fiber are electrically coupled to the second bus-board line.

Embodiment 17. The apparatus of embodiment 15, wherein: the plurality of first electrically conductive fibers comprises a first electrically conductive fiber and a second electrically conductive fiber, the plurality of second electrically conductive fibers comprises a third electrically conductive fiber and a fourth electrically conductive fiber, the flexible electrical connector comprises a common bus-board line, and the first, second, third, and fourth electrically conductive fibers are electrically connected to the common bus-board line.

Embodiment 18. The apparatus of embodiment 15, wherein: the plurality of first electrically conductive fibers comprises a first electrically conductive fiber and a second electrically conductive fiber, the plurality of second electrically conductive fibers comprises a third electrically conductive fiber and a fourth electrically conductive fiber, the flexible electrical connector comprises a first conductive area and a second conductive area, the first and second conductive areas being electrically isolated from each other, the first electrically conductive fiber and the third electrically conductive fiber are electrically coupled to the first conductive area, and the second electrically conductive fiber and the fourth electrically conductive fiber are electrically coupled to the second conductive area.

Embodiment 19. The apparatus of embodiment 18, wherein: the flexible electrical connector comprises a first conductive area and a second conductive area, each of the first and second pluralities of electrically conductive fibers are electrically connected to the first conductive area, the second conductive area is electrically connected to the first conductive area.

Embodiment 20. The apparatus of embodiment 18, wherein: the plurality of first electrically conductive fibers comprises a first electrically conductive fiber, the plurality of second electrically conductive fibers comprises a second electrically conductive fiber, and the first electrically conductive fiber is electrically connected to the second electrically conductive fiber with at least one of an aerosol-jet-printed conductor or an anisotropic material.

The detailed description explains embodiments of the disclosure, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings.

It should also be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “upper”, “lower”, and the like may be used herein to modify various elements. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof.

While the disclosure is provided in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that the exemplary embodiment(s) may include only some of the described exemplary aspects. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Embodiments illustrated under any heading or in any portion of the disclosure may be combined with embodiments illustrated under the same or any other heading or other portion of the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. For example, and without limitation, embodiments described in dependent claim format for a given embodiment (e.g., the given embodiment described in independent claim format) may be combined with other embodiments (described in independent claim format or dependent claim format).

Numerous modifications, alterations, and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention defined in the claims. It is intended that the present invention need not be limited to the described embodiments, but that it has the full scope defined by the language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof.