Patent Description:
An active garment or other active product (in the following sometimes only referred to as active garment) may be defined as a garment having an added functionality compared to a traditional garment. The added functionality may include heating by heating elements, cooling by cooling elements and measurement of body functions by sensor elements incorporated in the garment. These active elements are generally powered and controlled from a power unit which is carried on the active garment and which is connected to electrical terminals on the active garment. The electrical terminals connect the power unit to the active elements via electrical conductors incorporated in the active garment.

An active garment may include one or more layers of fabrics. Normally it is desirable to have the power unit and thus the electrical terminals for connecting the power unit on the outside of the outmost layer or the inside of the innermost layer where the power unit is easily available for a user. However, if the electrical conductors are not accessible on the side of the fabric where the power unit is to be connected, but for instance run between two layers of fabrics, a special solution is needed in order to connect the electrical conductors to electrical terminals that are accessible to the power unit. The connection solution also needs to be easily assembled in manufacturing processes and still resistant to attrition, applied forces, sweat and washing.

<CIT> shows a holding element which is intended to be affixed to an active article of clothing at two spaced apart locations. It is provided with first electrical terminals for connection to an activation unit, which is to be secured to the article of clothing by the holding element, second electrical terminals for connection to a functional component of the active article of clothing and electrically conductive paths between the first and second terminals, the second electrical terminals being placed where the holding element is intended to be affixed to the article of clothing and making contact with electrically conductive material in the article of clothing. This solution presupposes that the electrical conductors are accessible at the two spaced apart locations where the holding element is to be affixed to an article of clothing.

<CIT> shows an electrically heatable sock with a heating element disposed on the foot part. The heating element is connected via supply lines to terminals for a voltage supply in the upper part of the sock. The terminals are arranged on a carrier which may be sewn on the cuff of the heatable sock. This solution presupposes that the electrical conductors are accessible at the outside of the sock so that they can be connected to the terminals on the carrier.

<CIT> shows a connector for the connection of electric conducting wires comprising a hollow male member provided with a flange and a female member provided with a head, the conducting wire being gripped between the flange of the male member and a disc threaded on said male member which is forced into the female member previously passed through the insulator.

<CIT> shows a wearable connector for an electronic textile. The wearable connector includes a shell having an inner ring and an outer ring. The rings are configured to capture the textile between them and define an interior channel, which is configured to receive a conductive interface member, which is compressed against a conductor on the electronic textile when the rings are coupled to each other.

The prior art also comprises <CIT> and <CIT>, which disclose rivet terminals for use on electrolytic capacitors.

It is an objective of the invention to at least partly overcome one or more limitations of the prior art.

Another objective is to provide an electrical connector which connects one or more electrical conductors in an active garment to one or more electrical terminals of a power unit, control unit or similar unit independently of the position of the electrical conductor(s) in relation to one or more layers of fabrics or other material in the active garment.

One or more of these objectives, as well as further objectives that may appear from the description below, are at least partly achieved by an active garment according to the independent claim, embodiments thereof being defined by the dependent claims.

According to one aspect of the invention, an active garment comprises a functional component comprising at least one of a heating element, a cooling element or a sensor element, and an electrical connector, which is connected to the functional component by an electrical conductor of a piece of material of the active garment, wherein the electrical connector comprises a male element and a female element configured to form a rivet for fastening the electrical connector to the piece of material. The electrical connector further comprises a neck washer, which has a washer portion and a neck portion and which is configured to be placed between the male element and the female element of the rivet, wherein the washer portion of the neck washer is configured to form an electrical connection area for an electrical conductor of the piece of material and the neck portion of the neck washer is configured to electrically connect the washer portion to at least one of the male element and the female element, and wherein the neck portion of the neck washer extends in the longitudinal direction of the male element when the neck washer is placed between the male element and the female element of the rivet.

If an active garment includes two or more layers of material and an electrical conductor runs between the layers, the neck washer may be placed between the male element and the female element so that its washer portion extends between the relevant layers of material and provides a connection area for the electrical conductor. Thus the electrical connector can be used even if the electrical conductor is not accessible on the outside of the active garment.

Still other objectives, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description, from the attached claims as well as from the drawings.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings.

Riveting is a common method within the field of ready-made clothing. It is used to hold together layers of fabrics, to re-enforce stress points and to fasten buttons, typically in jeans. <FIG> shows a cross section of a common type of rivet used for jeans buttons. It has a male element <NUM> and a female element <NUM>. The male element <NUM> has the general shape of a nail with a head <NUM> and a pointy pin <NUM>. The female element <NUM> constitutes the button and has a cap <NUM>, a cylindrical neck <NUM> with an opening <NUM>, and a support part <NUM> which forms a support area against the jeans fabric. When fastening the rivet in the jeans, the pointy end of the nail <NUM> is stuck through the jeans fabric. Then a tool is used to squeeze the nail <NUM> and the button <NUM> together so that the pin <NUM> of the nail enters the opening <NUM> in the cylindrical neck <NUM>. The pin <NUM> is deformed in the female element <NUM> so that a permanent joint is created.

If at least one part of the rivet is electrically conductive, it could be used as an electrical connector, which is further illustrated in <FIG>.

In <FIG>, a rivet or electrical connector of the same type as shown in <FIG> is riveted in a piece of fabric <NUM> which is held between the male element <NUM> and the female element <NUM> of the rivet. An electrical conductor <NUM> runs on the top of the fabric <NUM> and makes contact with the underside of the support part <NUM> and the bottom of the neck. If the female element <NUM> is electrically conductive, an electrical current can flow from the electrical conductor <NUM> to the cap <NUM> and further on to an electrical terminal (not shown) in contact with the cap <NUM> or vice versa.

If instead the conductor <NUM> would run on the underside of the piece of fabric <NUM>, it would make contact with the head <NUM> of the male element <NUM> and if both the male element <NUM> and the female element <NUM> are electrically conductive, current can flow from the male element <NUM> to the cap <NUM> of the female element <NUM> and further on to an electrical terminal (not shown) in contact with the cap <NUM> or vice versa.

However, if there are two layers of fabrics <NUM> between the elements <NUM>, <NUM> of the rivet and the conductor <NUM> runs on the underside of the top layer or on the top of the bottom layer, i.e. between the two layers, the conductor neither contacts the female element <NUM>, nor the head <NUM> of the nail <NUM>, and the contact area between the conductor <NUM> and the pin <NUM> of the male element <NUM> is insufficient to reliably transfer current between the conductor <NUM> and the electrical connector.

To solve this problem, an electrical connector, which has a male element <NUM> and a female element <NUM> configured to from a rivet for fastening the electrical connector to a piece of material, is further provided with a neck washer <NUM>, an embodiment of which is schematically shown in <FIG>.

The neck washer <NUM> has a washer portion <NUM> which is configured to form a connection area for an electrical conductor and a neck portion <NUM> which is configured to electrically connect the washer portion <NUM> to either the male element <NUM> or the female element <NUM> of the electrical connector, or both. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the washer portion <NUM> extends radially from the cylindrical neck portion <NUM> to form a circular connection area for the electrical conductor. In other embodiments, the washer portion <NUM> and the neck portion <NUM> may be differently shaped. They need not be symmetrical but may have an irregular shape, and they need not be continuous but may consist of several parts. The sizes of the neck portion and the washer portion may vary. Also, the neck washer may be made in one piece. It may have a rounded transition between the washer portion <NUM> and the neck portion <NUM>. The angle between the neck portion and the washer portion may vary, but generally the washer portion <NUM> may extend in the transverse direction from the neck portion <NUM>.

The neck washer <NUM> is configured to be placed between the male element <NUM> and the female element <NUM> of the rivet. For that purpose, the inner diameter of the neck portion <NUM> may be larger than the outer diameter of the pin <NUM> so that the neck washer can be placed on the pin <NUM> of the male element <NUM>. Also, in some embodiments, the outer diameter of the neck portion <NUM> may be smaller than the inner diameter of the opening <NUM> in the female element <NUM> so that the neck portion may extend into the opening <NUM> and be accommodated in the opening <NUM>. Alternatively, the neck portion <NUM> may be deformable so that the neck washer can be placed on the pin <NUM> and/or extend into the opening <NUM>. Depending on the number of layers of fabrics the electrical connector is riveted in and depending on where the electrical conductor is running in relation to these layers of fabrics, the neck washer <NUM> can be differently located in relation to the layers of fabrics. Thus, when fastening the electrical connector, the male element <NUM> may first be stuck through only one or some of the layers of fabrics, then the washer <NUM> placed on the pin <NUM> of the male element <NUM> so that the washer portion <NUM> makes contact with the electrical conductor <NUM> either at its lower side or at its upper side, and then the male element <NUM> is stuck through the remaining layer(s) of fabrics before being squeezed together with the female element <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an example where the rivet-type electrical connector is fastened in two layers of fabrics 10a, 10b and an electrical conductor <NUM> runs on the upper side of the bottom layer 10b. The pin <NUM> of the male element extends through both layers of fabric into the female element <NUM> and makes contact with the female element. The neck washer <NUM> is placed on the pin <NUM> of the male element <NUM> with the washer portion <NUM> extending between the layers of fabric 10a, 10b transversely from the pin <NUM>. The neck portion <NUM> extends in the longitudinal direction of the pin <NUM> of the male element <NUM> and makes contact with the inside of the female element <NUM> and the outside of the pin <NUM> of the male element <NUM>. It should be mentioned that <FIG> shows gaps between the neck portion <NUM> of the neck washer <NUM> and the outside of the pin <NUM> of the male element <NUM> and the inside of the neck part <NUM> of the female element <NUM>, respectively. These gaps are solely for illustrative purposes to make the figure clearer. In a real electrical connector, the neck portion <NUM> of the neck washer <NUM> will be in close contact with the inside of the neck part <NUM> of the female element <NUM> in the riveted state and optionally also with the outside of the pin <NUM> of the male element <NUM>. The washer portion <NUM> of the neck washer <NUM> forms a connection area for the conductor <NUM> on the upper side of the bottom layer 10b of the fabric. Current can flow from the conductor <NUM> through the washer portion <NUM>, the neck portion <NUM> , to the female element <NUM> and its cap <NUM>, or vice versa. In this example, only the female element <NUM> and the neck washer <NUM> need to be made from electrically conductive material. The male element <NUM> could be of non-conductive material, e.g. plastic. It may, however, also be of electrically conductive material. A male element <NUM> of plastic may lead to lowered cost for the electrical connector and increased comfort for a user of an active garment.

<FIG> shows another embodiment of the electrical connector where the neck washer <NUM> has a shorter neck portion <NUM> compared to the neck portion of the neck washer in <FIG>. In this embodiment, the neck portion <NUM> of the neck washer <NUM> does not extend into the opening <NUM> of the female element <NUM>. It connects only with the male element <NUM> in the riveted state. Current can flow from the conductor <NUM> through the washer portion <NUM> and the neck portion <NUM> of the neck washer <NUM> to the male element <NUM> and further on to the female element <NUM> and its cap <NUM>, or vice versa. The male element <NUM>, the neck washer <NUM> and the female element <NUM> need all be electrically conductive. A neck washer <NUM> with a shorter neck portion <NUM> need not be stuck through as many layer of fabrics as a neck washer with a longer neck portion <NUM>. A longer neck portion <NUM> may on the other hand lead to fewer electrical connection points.

In the embodiments of <FIG> and <FIG>, the cap <NUM> of the female element <NUM> of the electrical connector forms an electrical terminal. As an alternative, it is of course possible to use the head <NUM> of the male element <NUM> of the electrical connector as an electrical terminal that is to connect to an electrical terminal of another device. In such case, the electrical connector can be fastened so that the head <NUM> is placed on the outside of the garment or in another location where it should be available. In such case, the female element <NUM> may be formed of non-conductive material.

<FIG> shows an electrical connector having two connector elements <NUM>, <NUM> formed by two rivets of the same kind as shown in <FIG>. More particularly, a first connector element <NUM> comprises a first male element <NUM>, a first female element <NUM> and a first neck washer <NUM>, and a second connector element <NUM> comprises a second male element <NUM>, a second female element <NUM> and a second neck washer <NUM>. The two connector elements <NUM>, <NUM> are held at a fixed distance from each other by means of a spacer <NUM>, which is schematically shown in <FIG>. The spacer may have a first and a second opening for the first and second connector element <NUM>, <NUM>, respectively. The first and second openings may have a first diameter and a second smaller diameter so that a supporting ledge <NUM> is formed around the wall of each one of the openings. The first and second diameters may be adapted to the diameter of the caps <NUM> of the female elements <NUM>, so that the undersides of the caps <NUM> may rest against the ledge <NUM>, thereby to hold the female elements <NUM> in the openings of the spacer <NUM>. In some embodiments, the electrical connector may also comprise a second spacer (not shown) which may be placed in the corresponding way on the underside of the electrical connector, i.e. on the underside of the piece(s) of textile when the electrical connector is in the riveted state. The second spacer may have a first and second opening for the male elements <NUM> of the connector elements <NUM>, <NUM>. The openings of the second spacer may also have a first diameter and a second smaller diameter so that a supporting ledge is formed around the walls of each one of the openings. The diameters may be adapted to the diameter of the heads <NUM> of the male elements <NUM>, so that the upper side of the heads <NUM> of the male elements <NUM> may rest against the respective ledge, thereby to hold the male elements <NUM> in the openings of the spacer. The purpose of the one or two spacers is to hold the electrical connector elements <NUM>, <NUM> at a fixed distance to each other and to take up shear forces.

The electrical connector illustrated in <FIG> may be connected, via the neck washers <NUM>, to a respective electrical conductor <NUM> in a piece of textile, and, via the caps <NUM>, to two electrical terminals <NUM> of another device <NUM> which is schematically shown in <FIG> by broken lines at a distance from the two electrical connector elements <NUM>, <NUM>. The other device may be a power source that provides power to a functional component (heating element, cooling element, sensor or the like) of the active garment. It may also be a control device that provides control signals to the functional component or a combination of a power source and a control unit. The caps may also be configured to hold the power unit <NUM> by a mechanical grip, by a friction force or by a magnetic force.

The neck washer <NUM> shown in <FIG> may be replaced by a differently designed neck washer, e.g. the one shown in <FIG>.

As has already been mentioned above, the electrical connector is may used in active garments, such as socks, gloves, underwear, jackets, pants, sweaters, sports clothing, caps and all other kinds of garments. As mentioned, the active garment may include layers of fabrics. In some embodiments, they may include layers of other textile materials or layers of other soft materials, like silicone or neoprene, or layers of other materials in which the electrical connector can be fastened. Generally the electrical connector is suitable for any piece of material in which a rivet can be fastened. Example of other active textile products include actively heated/cooled blankets, belts and heat pads. Examples of sensors included in active garments comprise pedometers, heart rate monitors, temperature sensors and similar devices.

The electrical connector has been illustrated in the drawings with a male element and a female element of a specific design. However, it should be understood that rivets exist in a multitude of designs and the design of the male element and the female element may therefore vary to a large extent depending on the specific use of the electrical connector. The shape, the size and the material of the male and female elements may vary and they may consist of a single part or an assembly of two or more parts. The important aspect is that the male element and the female element are configured to form a rivet for fastening the electrical connector to a piece of material.

The electrical conductor <NUM> may be integrated in one of the layers of the piece of material to which the electrical connector is fastened. It may for instance be knitted or woven into a layer of fabric. The electrical conductor <NUM> may alternatively be attached to the layer of material. It may for instance be sewn or embroidered onto a layer of fabric. In some embodiments, an end of the electrical conductor <NUM> may be loose. This loose end may be folded upwards into the neck portion <NUM> of the neck washer <NUM> so that it is clamped between the neck portion <NUM> and the pin <NUM> of the male element <NUM>. In this case, also the neck portion <NUM> will form an electrical connection area for the electrical conductor <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An active garment, which comprises a functional component comprising at least one of a heating element, a cooling element or a sensor element, and an electrical connector, which is connected to the functional component by an electrical conductor (<NUM>) of a piece of material (<NUM>) of the active garment, wherein the electrical connector comprises a male element (<NUM>) and a female element (<NUM>) configured to form a rivet for fastening the electrical connector to the piece of material (<NUM>); characterized in that
the electrical connector further comprises a neck washer (<NUM>), which has a washer portion (<NUM>) and a neck portion (<NUM>) and which is configured to be placed between the male element (<NUM>) and the female element (<NUM>) of the rivet,
the washer portion (<NUM>) of the neck washer (<NUM>) is configured to form an electrical connection area for the electrical conductor (<NUM>) of the piece of material and the neck portion (<NUM>) of the neck washer (<NUM>) is configured to electrically connect the washer portion (<NUM>) to at least one of the male element (<NUM>) and the female element (<NUM>); and
the neck portion (<NUM>) of the neck washer (<NUM>) extends in the longitudinal direction of the male element (<NUM>) when the neck washer (<NUM>) is placed between the male element (<NUM>) and the female element (<NUM>) of the rivet.